Topps isn't holding anything back this year in basketball. It's the 50th anniversary since they 1957-58 set and it's also one of the strongest draft classes in a long time. Greg Oden and Kevin Durant have been labeled "can't miss" prospects and collectors are excited about the upcoming season and it's card releases. Topps has signed Oden and Brandan Wright (No. 8 pick) and launched four Draft Day Autograph cards on it's site (topps.com).

Oden was limited to 50 and sold out quickly at $500 per card. Yi JianLian is limited to 100 and sells for $200, Wright is limited to 100 and sells for $150, while Nick Young is limited to 100 and sells for $100. The latter three are still available. While it's difficult to compare these to the famed Rookie Photo Shoot cards, I think it's safe to say these cards aren't going down in value any time soon.

In addition, they are determined to make a major splash with the first two products of the season. Topps will be loaded with things reminding us of the 50th anniversary, but I'm more excited about Topps Echelon Basketball, which will sell for $125 per pack (actually more of a box), with four packs per box.

The coolest thing I found out when talking to brand manager, Don Wang, on my recent trip to NYC was that there are two rookie cards of everyone. Both are numbered as base cards and both are numbered to the same quantity so it will be tough to determine whether to call them both rookie cards or try to identify which one is the real rookie. Five rookies will have an autographed quad relic card numbered to 199 in the base set, while 10 players will have an autographed dual relic numbered to 399.

They also have plenty more, including a Bill Russell instant win card, which has been autographed, graded and encased. Tons of other rookies autographs, veteran and retired players patches, relics and autographs are available, including a five-piece autographed relic card from five 2007 draft picks, who played in the McDonald's All-American Game, with a super size version numbered to just 25. Echelon is scheculed to ship the week of Oct. 1.

I just got back from NYC and had a very full two days. I flew in on Wednesday and went to visit friends at Topps. I spoke with basketball brand manager Don Wang for a while and they really have some great stuff coming in basketball. I'll write more about a high-end basketball product Topps is coming out with early next week, but this entry of my blog is more NBA Draft oriented.

After leaving Topps, I headed WAY uptown to Rucker Park. If you haven't been to either, Topps is way down in southern tip of Manhattan and the Rucker is at 155th and 8th in Harlem so it's a long ride. There weren't many big names in the first game, but I got to see Molloy "The Future" Nesmith play. I've seen him before, but never at Rucker. He played at Utah State in the 80s and would do tricks and dance a little in the middle of the game and still complete the plays and he's been in every Rucker documentary ever made. They called the game close to halftime so I actually talked with him for a bit. I also sat right next to Ice T during the games, which was pretty cool.

As for the draft, it was packed with Knicks fans and haters and was one of the deepest drafts in a long time. I was in the lower tier of seets and pretty close to the stage with Stuart Scott right in front of me. I have no idea why the Bucks would draft a guy that has already said he won't play for them, especially with Corey Brewer available. And I have no idea how Glen Davis and Gabe Pruitt fell to the second round. I also think Portland did a great job, not only getting Oden, but trading for Rudy Fernandez and adding Josh McRoberts and Taurean Green in the second round when both players could have been first rounders.

General observations include that Knicks fans still like Isiah Thomas and have faith in his decisions. Wilson Chandler was an instant celebrity when he was drafted and the Zach Randolph trade (and moreso getting rid of Steve Francis) was extremely popular. The players that seemed to be having the most fun were Brewer, who never stopped smiling the entire night, and, of course, Joakim Noah, who signed and greeted everyone he could and even reappeared midway through the draft dancing so a Michael Jackson song. You may not like him at home, but it's hard to dislike a guy that takes 10 minutes to walk down the aisle by the fans because he's so busy making sure acknowledges, greets, signs for and high fives everyone near him.

I'll close this entry by mentioning those that annoyed me. First, someone please shut the guy up that is yelling "Patrick Ewing" before David Stern announces each pick and is sitting one row behind me. Seriously, that draft was almost 25 years ago and this guy yelled it every single pick. And while a lot of people left after the lottery or Knicks pick, this guy stuck around until the middle of the second round. Second, the guy right in front of me that has to stand up and way a Florida banner at every pick needs to sit down and show his love other ways. Wear a Gators hat or shirt to show your appreciation. Luckily, he left soon after Noah got selected.

Who ever thought that the NBA Finals showcasing players like LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili would be the springboard for rookie Daniel Gibson to get noticed in the hobby? 

The hot-shooting rookie guard from Texas has heated up significantly in the card market during the past several weeks. He averaged only 4.6 points per game all season, but has erupted during the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals, averaging 13.5 ppg vs. Detroit and then 11 ppg in the Finals, including 31 in Game 6 of the Eastern Finals when the Cavs eliminated Detroit.

His rookie cards were completely off the radar a month ago, but demand is now off the charts, helping his Bowman Chrome autograph (#153) to jump from $15 to $30 and his Fleer E-X rookie (#48) to climb from $12 to $25. Other rookies singles of Gibson have also left the common rookie category and are now in strong demand.

Two others players that are getting some long-overdue hobby attention are Parker and Ginobili. Combining with Duncan to form a devastating trio, they sometimes are forgotten among card collectors.

Parker’s most active rookie card is a 2001-02 Upper Deck SPx (#91), which has jumped from $40 to $50. His SP Authentic (#134) is signed and numbered to just 700, which makes it relatively tough to find, has climbed from $40 to $60.

Ginobili’s most pursued rookies include: 2002-03 SP Authentic (#172, $80), Bowman Signature Edition (#SE-EG, $80) and Topps Finest (#163, $50). All are high on collector wantlists, but haven’t risen in price recently. Another single worth noting is the 2002-03 Upper Deck Inspirations Dual Signature card featuring autographs from both players and is up from $60 to $75. Both player’s rarest rookies are from Ultimate Collection, with Parker in the 2001-02 set (#64, up from $50 to $60) and Ginobili in the 2002-03 set (#93, $125), but it’s tougher to find them.

Also, the lack of impact rookies has hurt this year’s basketball card market, but the typical, end-of-the-season, high-end products that are hitting have given it a much-needed lift. Bowman Sterling, SP Authentic and Topps Triple Threads are all doing pretty well in hobby stores and are priced in this issue. Upper Deck Reserve, Trilogy and UD Ultimate Collection all hit recently. Exquisite Collection and Finest will all hit during the next month and appear to be loaded.

As for rookies, Adam Morrison has slumped, while Brandon Roy continues to rise. Tyrus Thomas gained some popularity with his playoff exposure, while LaMarcus Aldridge has heated up with his strong late-season play and the news that he’ll be playing with Greg Oden next season. As mentioned, Gibson is the biggest mover in the rookie class this month.

The NBA and MeiGray Group have introduced nbagameworn.com, a website where fans can find game-worn jerseys of their favorite NBA players. The site is part of the NBA and MeiGray Group’s game-worn jersey authentication program. 

Authentic game-worn jerseys and game-used basketballs from a variety of teams and events tagged with individually numbered counterfeit-proof tags or NBA holograms will be available at nbagameworn.com and through NBA Auctions on NBA.com. Every item will be registered in the NBA Authentication Database and all are unconditionally guaranteed.

MeiGray has been designated as the official game-worn source of the NBA. Every game-used item comes direct from the game in which it was used and is verfied by an on-site NBA or MeiGray Authentication Program representative.

“Collectors across the globe for years have been asking for legitimate game-worn items, and finally, they can be certain they are getting authentic items coming directly from the league,” said Barry Meisel, MeiGray president and COO.

It's great to know that there's finally a place to avoid the confusion of whether a jersey is game-worn or just game-issued. It would be nice to see some type of industry-wide program to clear up the mess of 1987-to-present jerseys.

NBA fans love this time of year. No, not because of the Finals, but because of all the draft hype. All the pre-draft camp news, private workouts and crazy rumors bouncing around make it hard to stop reading espn.com, hoopshype.com and draftexpress.com, as well as all the other sources like team sites, player sites and local newspapers.

It's not just the draft stuff that's fun to read, it's all the other rumors too. Players like Kobe, Shawn Marion, Kevin Garnett, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and plenty of others are mentioned in various trade rumors. Some are true, some aren't anywhere close to the truth.

As for the players in the draft, my top five is Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Mike Conley and Corey Brewer, in that order. I know Brandan Wright is up there on most boards, but he's not a lock and I think the five I mentioned are and he's already insisting on working out alone for teams, which isn't the mark of a great competitor. I also know Yi Jianlian is highly ranked, but don't believe in rating players I've never seen.

Some mid-first-round sleepers that might turn into superstars include: Jeff Green, Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt, Thaddeus Young and Rodney Stuckey. All are very skilled offensively and have a world of upside.

Bigger sleepers that probably won't go in the first round include: Glen Davis, Jared Dudley, Taurean Green, Curtis Sumpter, Bobby Brown and DaShaun Wood. Davis may be the most skilled post player in the draft and if his weight is under control, he's a monster in the paint. Dudley knows how to play, plays very hard and is a underrated shooter; he'll be in the league for 10 years. Green is a great shooter and poised at the point. Sumpter would be a lottery pick if he didn't blow out the same ACL twice, but he's still got all the heart. Brown is an ultra-smooth shooting guard with a beautiful shot and Wood is a speedster, who should catch on as a backup point with an uptempo team.

That's what I know. I'm actually going to the draft this year so it should be a great time. It's always interesting seeing who slips and who jumps up the draft board. I'm sure I'll write another blog from the draft with some of the interesting things I see.

I was speaking with one of my better friends in the industry, Wayne Wagner of Wayne's Sports Cards and Collectibles in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, and he was talking about how well hockey cards are doing again this season. Everyone was worried about the "Sidney Crosby-Alexander Ovechkin hangover," as he called it, but hockey is back and very strong in 2006-07. As we know, Upper Deck is the only manufacturer that produces hockey cards and they had a great year in 2005-06, largely due to the two aforementioned rookies.

Wagner stated that of the roughly 15 products that are out, 7-8 are extremely strong and only a few have been dogs. The "dog" category is primarily made up of early-season releases that didn't include the rookies and therefore didn't offer much to collectors. The products that aren't in the "strong" category, but not in the "dog" category either simply had a mediocre product composition, with either not enough in the packs or too high of price points or a combination.

Rookies that are driving the products this season include: Evgeni Malkin, LW for Pittsburgh, who scored 85 points this season; Paul Stastny, Center for Colorado with 78 points on the season; Anze Kopitar, Center for the Kings, who scored 61 points; Niklas Backstrom, Goalie for Minnesota with 23 wins. Hockey looks like it's got a very healthy future even without getting major exposure.

If you are reading this, I will first direct you to my previous blog where I start on this topic. This is the second installment with a few more key examples and several other interesting questions surrounding this topic.

I'll use two other examples of players. An ungraded Mickey Mantle single-signed baseball generally sells in the $600-$800 range. According to my records, only one PSA 10 Mantle ball sold in the auction circuit last year and it sold for $3,109. Most PSA 9 and 9.5 balls finished anywhere from $800 to $1,100, while 8.5s finish from $600-$900. Mantle balls can be authenticated for $75, plus $25 for the grading fee so it costs $100 to roll the dice.

The final example I'll use it Joe DiMaggio. Ungraded DiMaggio balls sell in the $400-$600 range. Graded examples aren't as plentiful as others, but you can still find them. A PSA 10 graded single signed ball sold for $1,516 in April of last year. A PSA 9.5 sold for $657, while a PSA 8.5 and 8 sold for $344 and $345, respectively. As with Mantle, DiMaggio costs $100 to get a single-signed ball graded ($75 + $25).

With these two examples, it starts to look a lot like card grading; there is no general rule. It simply comes down to how sharp of an eye you have for what's going to grade high enough to make it worth the cost of grading. For Bonds and Rose, you might need a 10. For Mantle and DiMaggio, a 9 is still worth it.

Two more questions need to be considered. First, in 20 years is it better to have the graded ball or not? Sure, a Pete Rose-signed ball is easy to find, even in a 10, but how difficult will it be in 20 years and how much will it rise in value? Second, how difficult is it to get a 10? There is no population report for this so nobody really knows. There are a lot of people that think it's very tough and a lot of people that think it's fairly easy. Personally, I see a lot of graded balls in the auction circuit and most of them are not 10s so it must not be that easy.

I'm opening this one up to comments at this point. There's plenty more to discuss, but I'd like to hear what collectors think. Is it easy to get a 10? Is it worth it in 20 years? Do you grade to sell or to save? Let me know what your opinions are and your experiences.

This blog will be about grading, but may wind up being broken into about 20 different blogs through the next couple months because there's so much to talk about. Aside from the endless questions about card grading, there's also bat grading, signature grading, photos, etc.

First, I started writing this one with the intent to focus on grading signed baseballs through PSA/DNA. Do you grade them or not? It's obvious that if the ball is a modern signature and the ball has smudges all over it and is yellowed, you don't grade it. Or if you've got a snow-white Babe Ruth-signed ball with a perfect signature, you get it graded. Everything else is a gray area. How about a Pete Rose single-signed baseball that's a perfect signature on a perfect baseball?

There's a $20 authentication fee along with a $15 grading fee so you've already got $35 into it. Looking at last year's auction results, PSA/DNA Gem Mint 10 graded baseballs sold for the following amounts: $120, $131, $84, $94 and $49. A PSA 9.5 also sold for $40. Sure, some of this depends on the auction house, but it appears that you'd have to get a 10 on it in order to make it worthwhile. His ungraded balls go for $30-$50. We know that with card grading, this is not easy and when you are banking on a 10 to make something worthwhile, it's usually not worth it, especially with the upside only being $100.

Let's look at Barry Bonds now. An ungraded Bonds ball sells in the $150-$200 range. A PSA 9 sells in the same range. A PSA 9.5 sells in the $200-$250 range, while a perfect Gem Mint 10 jumps all the way up to roughly $300, but can go for a lot more. Thirteen results that I can quickly find in our database yield the following final prices: $287, $263, $263, $359, $448, $418, $287, $263, $311, $335, $359, $313 and $417. That's an average of $333. Bonds authentication fee is $30, plus the $15 for grading so it seems like a great $45 risk if you think your signed ball is that nice. What's your take?

It's also worth mentioning that PSA/DNA has a new fee schedule for authentication. Guys like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Joe Montana and John Elway that used to cost $75 are now $20-$25. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, Rose and Ernie Banks were all $50 before and are now $20. Makes the whole thing a lot more tempting with less risk.

Thanks to faithful blog read Dave Bailey, I've got two more autographs that are strong contenders for the worst signatures on the planet crown.

First, I don't think anyone can dispute that Vernand Morency has a terrible signature. It's great that he can write the first letter of his first name, but he doesn't need to flaunt it like that. It's very bad and could be considered for the worst, but since he does have one recognizable letter I'll let it slide.

The next one is boxing promoter Cedric Kushner. Now, I'm not sure if this should even qualify in the contest or as a signature for that matter. It's more of a coloring or shading than a signature. You can make your own choice about though. I'd love to hear what you think.