The Brill Report

TOPPS STOCKHOLDERS CHARGE BACK

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 137

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(KOBE BRYANT TRADE DEMAND, HOBBY IMPACT!)

** TOPPS DISSIDENTS PLAN BLITZ OF BOARD

** TOPPS SIGNS GREG ODEN TO EXCLUSIVE

** KOBE GONE? MAYBE

** GWYNN, RIPKEN HIGHLIGHT NEW STAMPS

** ITG ULTIMATE DELAYED TO JUNE 19

** HALPER COLLECTING STILL ROLLING

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THE BRILL REPORT...

EDITORIAL COMMENT: WHERE HAVE YOU GONE KOBE BRYANT?

MONDAY: GAI UNDER FIRE, DRAWS IRE, QUESTIONS FROM ALL SIDES

                                    ====================

(CRESCENDO GOES FOR THE FULL RUSH ON TOPPS)

Last week Topps fired the opening salvo and broadside in the battle for control of the company. This week Crescendo Partners is attempting to send a boarding party into the Topps board room. As the deadline nears for Topps shareholders to vote whether or not to accept a buy out offer from a group led by Michael Eisner, a dissident stockholders group is issuing an ultimatum; if the shareholders reject the deal, they are going to run a full slate of candidates to oust the old board and replace them with their own.

"If the ill-advised merger with Michael Eisner is rejected by stockholders at the special meeting scheduled for June 28, 2007, we will then seek to replace the entire Topps board with our slate of nominees," said Eric Rosenfeld, Crescendo Managing Member in a statement.

The shareholders group is a major stockholder with 6.6 percent of the shares held. Last year three members of the dissident group were put on the board and the board expanded to accommodate Topps Chairman Arthur Shorin. It looked as if Shorin was going to be voted off the board but the board was expanded by one seat allowing him to retain his position.

(Bazooka Joe may have new bosses in June)

The names selected to run for the board have some interesting backgrounds. They are Charles Huggins who is a specialist in turning around candy companies. Topps of course sells and markets Bazooka Bubble Gum and an entire line of confectionery products. The others include Rosenfeld, Michael Rowe of the sports marketing firm Positive Impact and the former CEO and part owner of the NJ Nets of the NBA, Thomas McGrath of Crossroads Media, Jeffrey Dunn former CEO of Nickelodeon Networks, Michael Appel of Quest Turnaround Advisors and Thomas Hyland a senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The next step in the battle takes place in Delaware June 11 when a judge will decide whether or not to allow a lawsuit filed by the dissidents to proceed. Meanwhile Upper Deck has made an offer which if accepted will allow the cardmaker to look inside Topps books although board member Timothy Brog told The Brill Report last week there will be a limit as to what UD will be allowed to see unless a deal is struck.

Upper Deck originally was a candidate but an agreement wasn't reached at that time as to the question of the penalty for halting the deal. Companies such as these often have a clause imposing a stiff penalty if a company pulls out of a deal after getting the opportunity to see financial agreements the company being sold, has in place.

                                       ==================

(TOPPS SIGNS ODEN)

What do 19-year old phenomena and future first round NBA pick Greg Oden and Bill Russell have in common? A Topps basketball card. Oden signed an exclusive deal with Topps this week for packaging, autographs and memorabilia and will be paired on a card with the great Russell in Topps.

"I look forward to business partnerships with industry leading corporations and Topps is one of those companies," said Oden in a release. "I can't wait to see my first Topps rookie card."

(Oden & Russell. Topps hopes a pair to draw to.)

The move by Topps follows closely on the heels of Upper Deck signing the other player considered to be right there with Oden, Kevin Durant. He was signed to an exclusive package by the Carlsbad company. The two are expected to be the first two players chosen in the upcoming June draft, although who goes first is still up in the air.

Topps will ship in August and this marks the 50 year anniversary of the first Topps basketball cards although there were years in between where Topps did not make cards for the NBA. Part of the deal with the anniversary is the hiring of Russell, the all-time great Boston Celtic to be a pitchman with Oden.

"We are very excited to have one of the NBA's new young stars on our team," said Warren Friss VP and GM of Topps Sports. "We believe Greg has a great future in the NBA ahead of him and we want to be his partner every step of the way."

(Greg Oden already popular on eBay.)

One of those "steps" is the development of a Greg Oden website by Topps. There will be a joint marketing project between Oden's people and Topps to develop and run the official Oden site. This is something his agent really likes.

"Greg and Topps compliment each other well," said Mike Conley Sr., of BDA Sports Mgt. "Greg is a special young man with a successful career ahead of him and Topps is a class operation with a true vision for this partnership."

Others in the Topps stable include David Wright, Dywane Wade, Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Ryan Howard.

                                      =================

(KOBE GONE?)

Kobe Bryant cards and collectibles are being dumped on eBay in the aftermath of his interview early May 30 saying he is demanding a trade from the Lakers.

"Yeah, I would like to be traded yes," Bryant told ESPN. "I would like to be traded as tough as it is to say that, there is no other alternative."

When asked if there was anything the Lakers could do to change his mind and he said flat out, "no."

Within hours 200 new auctions were listed on eBay for Kobe items including anything showing him in a Laker uniform. Autographs on Laker jerseys were especially ready to be moved along with 8 x 10 photos. We know of several who already had items listed but immediately dropped the price to move them.

It is well known when a popular player is traded everything in his old team's uniform automatically loses value with the exclusion of rookie cards. Jerseys and photos are of particular interest since the old city fans lose interest and new city fans (the team the player goes to) want him in his new uniform.

"It will kill the LA market if he is traded," said Steve Aronson of The Baseball Card Company in suburban Los Angeles. "I could see collectors going 'oh man I'm done collecting.'"

For the hobby around the rest of the country the impact would not be as bad.

"I think it will have a positive impact on the hobby outside of Los Angeles," said Dave Bronson, of Sweet Deal, a major LA based distributor. "It's too soon to tell but I'm not so sure he'll be leaving but maybe that is just wishful thinking, too."

Aronson added Kobe is one of those special type of players which come along only so often.

"There will always be Kobe collectors, I think he's sort of like Roger Clemens who goes to several teams and is hated by many but lots of people still collect him," said Aronson. "As far as memorabilia goes though, unless it's a basketball, anything Lakers will be dead."

The L-A market suffered a similar fate when fan favorites Mike Piazza and to a lesser extent Paul Lo Duca were traded away. Sales of their cards and memorabilia plummeted to near zero in the region.

Expect a lot of action on Kobe memorabilia as we get closer to the Lakers actually looking to move their sullen star. Bryant says the Lakers have repeatedly lied to him and he wants out. This coming just days after he said he would stay if the Lakers brought back Jerry West as their General Manager.

Late in the day Kobe seemed a little less certain he wanted to be traded telling ESPN's Dan Patrick having West back "would definitely help out the situation."

                                              =================

(PREMIER POSTAGE OFFERS NEW GWYNN, RIPKEN STAMPS)

Newly elected Hall of Famer's Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr., are the first players to grace the new 41-cent stamps. These stamps however you won't find as easily at your local post office as you will at collectible spots and on-line. Premier Postage has a contract with the US Postal Service and the Hall of Fame as well as the other licensing agencies.

"We couldn't think of a better way to launch our Major League Baseball postage products than to honor the incredible careers of these baseball legends," said Mike Samora, president and founder of Premier Postage.

(Framed and matted signed items up for bid at www.mlb.com)

These are limited edition postage stamps which are legal stamps for use on letters but few will be used this way. They are issued in sheets as well as in commemorative framed pieces with photos. The first batch was signed and is being auctioned off by MLB for the charities sponsored by Gwynn and Ripken. Those auctions are going on now at www.mlb.com.

The ten stamp sheets retail for $24.99 with only 15,000 sheets printed. The company promises it will not print more. They can be purchased at the HOF and its retail outlets, Ripken's Ironclad Authentics and Premier's own site as well as MLB's website.

The program is a newly developed partnership between the US Postal Service and Pitney Bowes to get new products into the mix.

                                      ====================

(ULTIMATE MEMORABILIA DELAYED TO JUNE 19, IN THE GAME)

In The Game, the other company making hockey cards, is delaying the release of Ultimate Memorabilia Edition 7 because some key athletes have not returned their autographed cards. The company has a policy of "No Redemption Cards."

"It is unfortunate that such an outstanding product has to be delayed but I think collectors understand that there are often circumstances beyond our control when we are attempting to secure autographs from some of the best players in the world," said ITG President Dr. Brian Price. "In order to maintain our policy of no redemption cards in our releases we have to make sure that all the autographs are in hand. We apologize for the delay and sincerely hope that collectors will find the wait worthwhile."

The delay is until June 19 and therefore the company is also delaying the final checklist until it gets back the signatures.

                                               ================

(HALPER FOREVER)

You have to wonder how much stuff legendary collector Barry Halper really had. His estate keeps putting items up for auction several years after the hobby's super collector passed away. In a recent auction Halper items brought $1.4 million including $117,000 for his film library.

The Halper Estate put up 247 lots for the Robert Edwards Auction which had an overall dollar sales amount of nearly $9 million. The Halper items were some of the specific pieces Halper himself really enjoyed according to family members.

REA says it was the most successful auction of it's kind for the company with nearly 25,000 bids come from all over the world including Asia and Europe. A copy of the 1938 Olympic Constitution, a rare publication, brought in $141,000.

                                                ================

TOPPS PROXY FIGHT BEGINS

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 136

HOT* BUTTON*STORY

(USA TODAY POLL SAYS "BONDS WHO?" !!!)

UPDATE: UPPER DECK OFFER FOR TOPPS MOVES FARTHER ALONG

                   UPDATE FOR THURSDAY MAY 25

NOTE: TBR WILL NOT BE UPDATED UNTIL THURSDAY DUE TO HOLIDAY UNLESS BREAKING NEWS WARRANTS---EDS.)

** TOPPS FIRES LOUD FIRST SALVO

** KEY UPPER DECK EXEC CHANGES SLOT

** WIZARDS SECURES PATENT

** AARON SAYS NO ON BONDS HR

** RACE USED GOES FARTHER ** BANKS JERSEY SALE ** THE DOC IS BACK

** IN THE GAME STEPS UP ** INDIANS SIGNER NOW & THEN **

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN TODAYS; TBR: THE BRILL REPORT...

EDITORIAL COMMENT: THE CHRIS CARLIN LEGACY

                               ===================

(TOPPS CONSIDERING LATEST OFFER FROM UPPER DECK)

As the date quickly approaches for shareholders to consider selling the Topps Company to a Michael Eisner led group, a flurry of activity seems to be happening including renewed interest in an offer from the Upper Deck Company. UD previously under the guise of Bidder C in recent filings, offered Topps $10.75 a share for the company which is $1 higher per share than the Tornante-Dearborne offer.

Topps previously said it did not have enough information showing UD could finance a deal worth about $400 million and the process continued toward the Eisner deal. This is despite the objections of dissident shareholders from two groups, Crescendo and Pembridge. Several of the members on the Topps board are from the dissident group including Timothy Brog who is happy with the latest move by Upper Deck.

"I was delighted that Upper Deck listened to the concerns of Topps and received a highly confident letter from a bank regarding its ability to finance such a transaction," Brog said in an exclusive interview with The Brill Report. "It is a good first start but I think there are some other issues we need to address."

The letter basically states Upper Deck has and can obtain the financing to make the higher offer and acquire Topps. Topps also felt there were other issues which had to be overcome not the least of which, licenses with the leagues and players associations who may certainly not want one major competitor to swallow up the other.

Another issue to consider of course is Upper Deck making the move so as to look at Topps books during the due diligence period. There is lots of sensitive information which one competitor could gleen from looking into the other's financial information. The most sensitive of which are licenses with the leagues and PA's which vary from company to company, and contracts with individual players for various agreements from supplying game used merchandise to autographs to Highlighting Agreements. The latter feature how much players get paid to have their photo on a box or pack or in advertising.

"Every potential buyer has to be looked at individually," Brog told TBR. "If they are a competitor it is obviously of great concern to the company and obviously the most sensitive information will have to be supplied at the very end of the process before we know we have a deal."

This can be done by agreement and holding back the final bits of information until the deal is basically in place. Often times a company will make an offer just to get a chance to see a competitors books and special contracts.

The entire matter needs to be settled before June 28 when the shareholders will meet and cast their votes. It is hoped all the information is in at that time.

                                ======================

(BATTLE BEGINS WITH TOPPS FIRING FIRST SALVO)

(Court Date Set for June 11, in Delaware)

(Pembridge moves on another company)

It wasn't a shot across the bow but rather a broadside salvo by Topps management taking dead aim at dissident board member who want to kill the sale of the card maker to a group led by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. The sale price is $9.75 a share or $385 million. In a letter to stockholders aimed at getting them to vote for the sale to Eisner's group at a June 28th meeting, Topps CEO Arthur Shorin used harsh words in blasting the board members who would kill the deal. The dissidents are part of two partnerships Crescendo Partners and Pembridge.

"Now Crescendo has publically revealed it's true objective, 'kill the transaction' and take control of Topps without paying you for your shares in the company," Shorin wrote. "We believe Crescendos motives are self serving and not in the best interest of Topps shareholders. Protect you investment."

Shorin says as part of the deal to show it is not a "management led buyout" he is giving up $2.8 million in compensation he is entitled to even if the deal goes through. Another item coming out of the proxy filing is the revelation Topps had plans to sell and not continue running the card division if it had sold the candy division.

It was widely known Topps was for sale and management had hired a consultant to look into selling the candy portion of the company which makes Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum and other products such as Baby Bottle Pops and Vertigo. Most felt if Topps sold the candy division it might refocus efforts to make the card division even better. It was not in the plan.

"Your board of directors --- Conducted a sale process for the confectionary business in 2005 with an eye towards doing the same with the Entertainment business (trading cards) if the process was successful," Shorin wrote further. "No reasonable offers emerged for the Confectionary business and the process was terminated."

This is what seems to be the first time Topps management has said publically they were looking to break up the company and sell both parts separately. Previously it was thought after selling the candy division management would pour more effort into the card products. Evidently this was not the plan.

The latest filing also explains why Topps management was not in favor of an open and public offering of sorts for the company after the deal with Tornante Group was made. Eisner's team was adament; it was them and only them.

"Tornante - Madison Dearborne made it clear that they would withdraw their proposal should a public auction process commence," according to Shorin's filing who added during the next few months Topps looked over 107 offers for the company. "None made an offer or proposal that was superior to the Tornante - Madison Dearborn transaction."

Shorin also outlines ways in which the company reorganized to compete, offering some interesting insights. After splitting the company into two divisions; candy and entertainment Topps "renegotiated agreements with Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association resulting in a reduction of licenses from 4 to 2, a reduction in total releases from 95 to 40 and in increase in Topps share of releases from 30% to 50%."

The statements and pitches to shareholders make no mistake about no love being lost between Shorin and his board members and Tim Brog and Arnjud Ajdler who lead the dissidents.

"The objectng directors do not possess any operating plan or operational experience, yet they would have you believe that entrusting them with your Company would be better than the certainty of $9.75 per share in cash offered in this transaction," Shorin said. "We believe that Crescendo is trying to entice Topps stockholders into giving it control of the Company for free by suggesting a modified 'Dutch Auction' Tender offer."

Shorin charged every stockholder to vote to approve the sale adding that anyone not voting at all, is actually voting against the sale. One vote more than 50-percent is needed to approve the deal.

A call to Timothy Brog, one of the Topps board members who has been vocally opposed to many of the Topps dealings, was not returned.

Meanwhile June 11 is the next date to watch in this case as courts in Delaware are set to decide on whether the Topps board and management did the right thing in this deal. The court there refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the sale by dissident stockholders and on June 11 a hearing is scheduled to decide on whether there should be a preliminary injunction issued to halt the deal between Topps and Eisner while lawsuits go forward.

The filers allege, as we've previously noted in The Brill Report, Topps management and board manuevered in such a way as to discourage competitive bids rather than finding a way to get more competitive bids. They also allege conflicts of interest involving Topps key executives.

In other recent news, Brog and his Pembridge Capital Management Group seems to be moving in the same direction with another company as it has with Topps. Earlier this month Pembridge nominated Brog and two other of it's members to the board of Peerless Systems Corporation (Nasdaq PRLS) after forming the Peerless Full Value Committee (they previously formed the Topps Full Value Committee).

"We are obviously troubled by the massive destruction of shareholder value during a time of tremendous expansion in Peerless' core markets," wrote Brog. "For too long the company's board of directors has failed to maximize shareholder value."

As it did with Topps Brog's group is seeking proxy votes from other shareholders going into the next shareholder meeting and is seeking several possibilities including breaking up Peerless and selling off the parts.

Peerless, of El Segundo, CA, is described as a provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies and components to the digital document market.

                                             ===================

(CHRIS CARLIN CHANGES HATS AT UPPER DECK)

Long time customer service manager Chris Carlin is leaving his current position at Upper Deck and is moving over to become head of Hobby Marketing. Carlin has become well known to dealers across the country as well as hobbyists and has been probably the most visible of all the customer service heads over the years. In his new position Carlin will work to develop better relations and products for hobby stores.

"In my new role I will be working directly with our marketing team to insure whether you buy from us direct or through a distributor, you are receiving information on new products and tools to support them before you have to place your orders with distributors," Carlin said in an email. "I will also be working with our Public Relations group to further insure shops and collectors are aware of some of the key content and exciting chase elements to each product to help you sell more products."

Carlin thanked the hobby stores for their input over the years he was head of Customer Service and said he was continuing to work on a complete on-line ordering system for dealers. Todate only Topps offers an on-line system to place orders.

"Over the last nine years working in a Customer Service and Sales role with Upper Deck, I consider myself very blessed to have come to know you all so well and in my new role I hope to cultivate those relationships further," he added. "Working to improve communications with our loyal collectors and hobby shops is of critical importance to us and I am excited about bringing my knowledge to that role."

Carlin did not say who is replacing him in the customer service division in Las Vegas.

                                         ===================

(WIZARDS SECURES GAMING PATENT)

They are called "constructible strategy games" and Wizards of the Coast has secured a patent for their parts and play. The US Patent Office issued the document to the Hasbro subsidiary. Wizards filed for the patent five years ago. The code name for the patent is "Punch Bots" which combined the original business model and the gaming which includes models which are built and disassembled and rebuilt.

"The hard work of our staff was of course central to our success in securing this patent and we couldn't be more pleased," said Loren Greenwood, President of Wizards. "We're excited to bring to market new games that will broaden the reach of this category in our industry."

(Transformers is expected to be a huge hit, especially among games who played with the toys in the 1980's.)

Next month the first product in the category will debut, Transformers 3D Battle Card Game. Wizards already holds a patent on TCG's (Trading Card Games) and their method of play.

       ===========================

(USA TODAY SURVEY SAYS BONDS COLLECTORS SCARCE)

According to a USA Today poll only 34-percent of those polled feel when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's home run record this year, he will be the "greatest home run hitter" in baseball. Of course if the poll were taken in the Bay area it might read 84-percent. And Hank himself? He said this week he will not be in attendance and he won't change his mind.

(The Hammer with then a very significant no. 715)

Aaron told the Associated Press he won't travel to see anyone hit a home run and refused to discuss Bonds directly. Meanwhile others report Bonds merchandise continues to go nowhere. If the public felt as they do about most ball players Bonds items would be in great demand and flying off the shelves considering he is only about 10 homers shy of the all-time record. Not so. In fact, his best rookie year card, 1987 Fleer no.604 has fallen in recent months and is now listed in Beckett for only $25. For years it sat at $50 and did reach $60.

(Best Bonds rookie year card down to $25)

His 1986 Topps and Fleer Update RC's are only $20, his 1987 Donruss is $10 and his lowly 1987 Topps card lists for $8. Consequently the 1987 Fleer Set books for only $40! Ouch.

(The BBS signature from Bonds' Score Board days.)

The home run ball which will bring the most money after Bonds hits it? The very last one of his career. All of those involved in buying and selling high dollar Bonds' baseballs have said no. 756 which will break Aaron's record should bring about $600,000 although Heritage Auctions says it will pay $1 million. The last baseball he hits out of a park will be the one which will set the goal for Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez to shoot for, and that one will bring at least $1 million.

                                    ====================

(ENGINE PARTS? MOUNTED HAS THEM RACE USED)

Ok, have we taken the "game used" thing too far? Mounted Memories is selling Race Used Engine Parts. The first NASCAR part off the presses, or off the block so to speak, is a Connector Rod.

(Race Used Connector Rod?)

Racing was the first sport, under Press Pass, to offer "used" when it passed out Race Used Lug Nuts in the early 1990's. Today we have seen everything from caps, to jerseys to bats, to shoes and even "dirt" from the batter's box. If the Race used connectors are a hit, look for everything from carburators to plug wires to grease. The price tag is $65 in a display. These guys could break down an entire car and maybe sell the parts for more than the car is worth at this point.

                 ================

(MOUNTED OFFERS BANKS JERSEYS)

Talk about the price of jerseys falling. You only have to see this with Mounted Memories latest offering to dealers. Mounted is offering a "Price Buster" with a signed Ernie Banks jersey at $149. It wasn't too long ago signed jerseys of any player carried a minimum $300 price tag and much more for Hall of Famers. With the amount of forged merchandise on eBay and other sites the public has come to a point of lack of trust and the price of premium items has dropped.

The Banks jersey at $149 is a steal even for resale. The falling prices on premium collectibles such as signed jerseys in the recent two years is good news for collectors in the short term and better news for well healed collectors with lots of cash and lots of time to wait.

                   ====================

(DOCTOR EXPANDS OFFERING)

In what he calls another "unprecedented event" the Doctor (Dr. Wax Battle) of the Thom's River, New Jersey hobby store, The Backstop, is going to Steiner Sports on May 23rd. The "live" internet show should be a killer event with a former Brooklyn Dodger batboy coming out to talk collectibles, and believe it or not on-site cooking. A local restaurant will come out and cook live on the set. Collectibles and food now there is an unprecedented event.

                                           ==================

(IN THE GAME ADDS RUSSIAN HOT PROSPECT)

Ultimate Memorabilia from In The Game will highlight one of the top young prospects in the game. Russian hot shot Alexei Cherepanov will have his first card in the ITG high end series.

(Cherepanov is expected to be a very high NHL draft pick in the coming year.)

He is expected to be one of the highest picks in the NHL Entry draft and he'll be in the Seventh Edition of the product. In addition to the youngster the series will be adding a lot of cut signatures of deceased players. Among the cuts featured are Maurice Richard. Richard is so revered in Canada he was given a state funeral broadcast nationally when he died in 2000.

Only 15,000 packs of Ultimate Memorabilia Seventh Edition will be made.

                                     ======================

(CLUBHOUSE SIGNER'S TRADING CARD PHOTO)

From the "not much of a story but a cool picture" department comes the following. You may remember two articles The Brill Report published within the last couple weeks featuring former Cleveland Indians clubhouse manager Bill Malone. We recently found a 1965 and 1966 Topps Team card of the Indians and Malone pointed out his spot on the card, front row, dead center in street clothes. Interestingly enough, Topps used the same photo for both years.

 

(Above left: 1965 & 1966 Indians team card, above right: blow up of Malone from card, left: Malone and publisher Bob Brill today.)

                                          =====================

THE GENERAL BACK ON FRONT LINE

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 135

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(MANTLE & CLEMENTE TAKE TOP PRIZE AT AUCTION!!!)

** GENERAL LEE BACK UP ON THE BLOCK

** BOOMERS DRIVING THE SPORTS MARKET

** SHINDERS ON THE BRINK?

** MAINSTREAM HOBBY COVERAGE CONTINUES

** MASTRO & LELANDS GOING STRONG

** PAYPAL OFFERS NEW SERVICE

** DICE-K JERSEY TO UPPER DECK

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN TODAY'S TBR: THE BRILL REPORT

EDITORIAL COMMENT: THE BABY BOOMER? HISTORY'S MOST DOMINANT?

                                          ======================

(SCHNEIDER LEARNS LESSON, GENERAL LEE BACK ON EBAY)

It didn't take him too long to figure out what experienced eBayers have known for a long time; there are plenty of scam artists on eBay. Actor John Schneider is re-listing his faux General Lee car, which is a replica of the car he drove in the original Dukes of Hazzard television series, after the high bidder backed out of the deal the first time the former Bo Duke listed it. Few figured the car would sell for the nearly $10 million the top bidder bid.

Schneider, who is looking to re-invest the money to produce a film, was excited after seeing the original bid go so high, but those who buy and sell on eBay on a regular basis knew better. It just wasn't going to happen.

(Actor John Schneider beside his General Lee.)

"You get a lot of crazy people who will bid anything on something like that, even kids, and they are not going to pay," said Dave Rodriguez of Signatures.com. "They just take advantage of the situation and figure who cares, they certainly don't."

Schneider re-listed the car under the eBay rules which make bidders pre-qualify to show they have the money and are going to pay up. The car probably won't bring anywhere near $1 million let alone the $10 million it drew last time.

The car features the autographs under the hood of the entire "living" cast of the original series. Those who are alive are fairly easy to get. Catherine Bach for instance signs regularly at movie memorabilia trade shows and is the most desirable of the signer/actors from the television hit series.

The number of scammers on eBay, between the above scenario and forged autographs is far too numerous to count. eBay's security system is good but far from being good enough to put a halt to the above type actions. This is why when it comes to celebrity and/or super high dollar merchandise it's almost always a must to pre-qualify the bidders.

                                        ======================

(BOOMER SOONER THAN LATER)

The word worldwide is Baby Boomers are the driving force among collectibles and whether it's stamps, coins or cards and autographs it is the boomer (1946-1966 years of birth) who are chasing prices on collectibles upward. The keys is the world wide auction market, led by eBay. But there is something else; this group of people is at their peak earning age or approaching it with plenty of disposable income to play with. There is even a huge web site dedicated to boomers.

The last time the trading card market was hot was the late 1980's and early 1990's. It was a time when oil was just starting to increase again, the US and some of it's allies were at war in the middle east, and you could make more money by investing your cash in cards than the bank. The collectibles market today is not dis-similar but probably for different reasons.

While investors 17 years ago were told to put their hard earned cash into hard items such as collectibles, be it antiques or cards, today we have the same mentality but the reasons are different. Imagine a world without eBay, where the auction market was driven by phone calls to Tele-Trade and collectible shows were where you got the deals on trading cards.

(The National remains one of the few premier shows still in existence coming once a year; Cleveland 2007)

Today the show market is nil, you can't find too many deals anymore because dealers realize they can get more for the good vintage merchandise on eBay or other market auctions, and everyone (emphasize everyone) is a dealer because of eBay. The world has changed and with so much disposable income amongst the baby-boomers, there is money to burn and they are paying exorbitant prices to have the very best of what has become a crazy vintage market.

How long can it last? Will these collectibles hold their value 20 years from now? The future is hard to see but while it unlikely "vintage" merchandise will always hold value; $500,000 for a game used jersey from the 1920's may not be the value it will hold. The term "stupid money" is being bandied about more than ever these days as the price for such items continues to skyrocket.

Collectibles are fickle. Usually when the stock market is bad you could count on stock buyers to invest in tangible items. Collectibles and antiques among them. This is happening today but the market now is on the rise. What does this say for what will happen to the price of collectibles, or, when things really go south will people who overpaid for collectibles start dumping them to get fast cash? This is always the most dangerous time. It is a great time to buy, a lousy time to be a seller. Sort of the way it is now in the home buying/selling market.

Collectibles, like most things in life, are cyclical. Catching the right cycle is imperative.

                                     =================

(MAINSTREAM MEDIA CONTINUES TRADING CARD SURGE)

In what seems to be unprecedented fashion the mainstream media continues to write and produce stories about trading cards. The good thing is it isn't about autograph fraud but rather the high prices being realized for trading cards.

A story this week in the Oregonian Newspaper, albeit a brief one, detailed the story of Upper Deck's The Cup Hockey card series and specifically Sidney Crosby cards. The article quotes officials at Upper Deck and Beckett and focuses on the fact a Crosby rookie card recently sold for $10,000 while a Wayne Gretzky RC still sells for $900.

The good news is the hobby is being recognized once again and this does in a lot of cases translate to new interest among non-collectors as well as former collectors. We've been hearing recently from many dealers how they are seeing some of their old customers returning to their stores. These are people who got fed up in the mid-1990's and until recently would only return to a hobby store to try to sell what they bought "back in the day" rather than to sample some of the new issues.

                                   ==================

(SHINDERS CLOSE TO CLOSING DOWN?)

Legal troubles, bad financial moves and shady moves have long time hobby chain Shinders on the brink of shutting down forever. A report in "City Pages" a Minneapolis publication says in recent weeks four of the chain's 13 stores in the region have closed and those still in business have little on the shelves.

Attorney Robert Weisberg who owns the chain is himself charged with various crimes including drug possession and an alleged weapons violation. The state put an auditor in place to find nearly half a million dollars the company owed Wells Fargo Bank. Much of it has been paid back after the auditor sold off some merchandise.

(Legal problems are making it more difficult for Shinders to keep the shelves stocked these days.)

Reports show however, much of the good merchandise owned by the company has been stolen. A Michael Jordan signed jersey and one autographed by Wayne Gretzky are both missing after a warehouse was broken into under shady circumstances.

Weisberg, who also owns an adult store, bought Shinders in 2003 from the family which founded it. The company, now in receivership, had lost over $100,000 a month through the first eight months of 2006. At one time Shinders was a player in the trading card and comic market. Distributors loved booking items into a 13 store chain which dealt in retail business as well as hobby. If the final chapter for Shinders is written later this year in a cloud of controversy it will be the end of an era certainly for independent chain stores in the hobby.

                                      ========================

(MASTRO SETS RECORD DRIVEN BY CARTER COLLECTION)

Driven by the hype surrounding the collection of 89-year old Lionel Carter, MastroNet Auctions surpassed $11.3 million in its latest auction. Carter, who began collecting when he was a child, amassed an amazing collection of mint condition cards from the T-206 cards to a 1951 Mantle Rookie. The grades were phenomenal and so in turn were the prices. The Mantle rookie graded a SGC 96 (basically a PSA 9) and sold for $162,000. His Goudey Heads Up set sold for $285,000 and by the time it was over Carter was a millionaire. His cards sold for $1.6 million. Not bad for cards he began collecting for 5 for a nickel as they say "back in the day."

"It was sad, I put my life into them," he told the Chicago Tribune. "I've seen them for the last time."

Every mainstream media outlet was on the story as the build-up continued. CBS Radio interviewed Carter and his story was told on Forbes, CNN and ESPN to name a few. Hundreds of newspapers around the country carried it. The Brill Report did an extensive story on the upcoming auction as well.  There was more publicity generated on this story than well, Carter has pills, so to speak.

                                       ================

(MANTLE JERSEY $100K & CLEMENTE BALL $49K AT LELANDS)

A Mickey Mantle jersey from 1960 sold for $100,000 in the latest Leland's auction (see hot button photo at top). The jersey sale price was $40,000 more than Mantle's salary that season. In another high dollar offering a PSA 8 single signed Roberto Clemente baseball drew nearly $30,000. It is believed to be the highest price ever paid for a Clemente single signed ball. In all the auction brought in $3 million.

                    =================

(PAYPAL OFFERS NEW MERCHANT PROGRAM)

Hoping to get more merchants into the mix, PayPal announced its offering service providers a new partnership program for web site customers. The plan basically gives perks and bonuses to providers who sign up and then encourage their sellers to use the PayPal system.

The bonus to the PayPal system is simple; the bottom line is a customers information is stored with PayPal and when they go to "check out" on your site, the information pops up and is already there. It saves the customer from putting in all of his information over and over every time. The other bonus is the final checkout is done on your website as the merchant and not PayPal's or your service provider.

Since so many people are buying only if they can use PayPal this system was a long time in coming.

"With the system we are letting the industry know that PayPal actively supports e-commerce and financial service providers," said Gene Alston, business development director at PayPal. "By working together we can help drive partners success, ensuring they have the tools and expertise to deliver on the needs of their customers."

Among the early signers on are CardinalCommerce, Paymentech, Pro Stores and Zen Cart. A list of partners is available at www.paypal.com/solutions. Owned by eBay, PayPal has over 143 million subscribers.

                                        ===================

(BOSTON'S DICE-K JERSEY TO UPPER DECK)

Upper Deck will insert perhaps the first ever major league game worn uniform swatch of Daisuke Matsuzaka into 2007 Baseball Series 2. The company secured a jersey and is cutting it up to put into cards. Swatches will also go into UD Elements and Fleer Ultra SE which release after Series 2 Upper Deck.

                                       ===================

TRI STAR THE MANUFACTURER

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 134

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(RUDY GIULIANI YANKEE MEMORABILIA IN QUESTION IN CAMPAIGN!!!)

** TRISTAR MANUFACTURING EXPERIMENT STRONG

** THE "BANK" OF PAYPAL OPENS IN EUROPE

** WAL-MART WELCOMES EBAY'S SKYPE

** UD VINYL EXPANDS TO HOCKEY, ADDS WADE

** QUESTIONS RAISED OVER GOP RUDY YANKEE CONNECTIONS ** BECKETT SHRINKS MAG ** THE LAST STRAW BALL FOR BONDS **

THESE AND OTHER STORIES MAKING NEWS IN TODAY'S BRILL REPORT...

EDITORIAL COMMENT: GIVING 'TIL IT HURTS, MEMORABILIA AND POLITICS

                                 =====================

(TRISTAR LOOKING AHEAD AFTER TWO YEARS OF MANUFACTURING)

TriStar has been in the manufacturing end of the trading card business for less than six months as far as the date of the first release is concerned but the company seems here to stay when it comes to manufacturing trading cards. It's initial series of baseball prospects is doing well and even much better than expected. A recent look at the Beckett Price Guide shows some of the signed cards in 2006 TriStar's Prospects Plus are selling for hundreds of dollars and going up. All this is good news to President Jeff Rosenberg.

"We really thought there was an opportunity to leverage the brand name and securing a major league baseball license, which governs the minor leagues, and the best news is collectors have voted with their wallets," Rosenberg told The Brill Report in an exclusive interview. "We feel good the quality of our cards is on a par with anything seen on the major league level and we gave them a lot of value."

Manufacturing isn't new to Rosenberg's company. In 2004 the company began offering signed baseballs in sealed bags with the enticement of signed baseballs by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other big names inserted randomly. The product still sells today and it's into a third series. The company also was involved in some repackaging pack sales but never before had it tried a real trading card manufactured product until Prospects.

Several of the autographed cards including Roger Clemens son, Koby are on the rise. His signed card goes for $300 and other more limited versions have sold for greater numbers. Tim Lincecum, another hot prospect, is selling for over $150. The product features one draft pick autograph per pack and while this isn't new, Rosenberg feels his company is doing it better than 1995 Signature Rookies. SR was the first to offer a signed card per pack and did it for $5 per pack. That was 12 years ago.

"The biggest difference between what we have and what Signature Rookies had was people have confidence in our brand," he said. "Collectors know we are going to put out a good product and we've been doing it for a long time and our integrity is a big thing as we give 100 percent all the time."

Signature Rookies did go under with a cloud of controversy and the principles haven't been able to get back into the hobby although Tim Flatt did try with a memorabilia web site a couple years ago. TriStar comes into the market already established whereas Signature Rookies had a background of failed companies Flatt started and closed.

(Jeff Rosenberg, Roger Clemens, Bobby Mintz.)

For Rosenberg the future he says is pretty strong with the new product line. He plans on not overdoing it, but keeping the lines open.

"Manufacturing is new to our company overall even though we've some great people who have been in the manufacturing end with other companies such as Jim Stefano and Janyce Mabra and of course the passion Bobby Mintz carries for the young player market is unmatched," he said. "We really think maybe two to three series a year is about right if we segment them right and hit the right price points."

Prospects for instance was a direct wholesale price product at $62 per box. It's over $200 on the secondary market due to the content.

                                                       ==============

(PAYPAL LATEST "BANK" TO MOVE TO LUXEMBOURG)

Around the world and especially in Europe the tiny country of Luxembourg is known for one thing; banking. If you travel to the city state of Luxembourg on vacation you will be invariably asked "why?" After all the only real business in the tiny landlocked nation is banking and only banking. Well, the city does have a red-light district but then again which nation doesn't outside the middle eastern countries. eBay however is moving its PayPal European division there because basically it's opening the "bank of PayPal."

"Our goal is to give European consumers more places to shop securely and conveniently across the web by making PayPal available on virtually every retail website across Europe," said Brent Bellm, VP of PayPal Europe on the European Union granting PayPal a banking license. "Establishing a new European headquarters in Luxembourg, and receiving this bank license is a significant step in the next phase of PayPal's European growth."

How big is PayPal Europe? Last year the division processed over $8.4 billion in transactions, has over 35 million users and is offered on over 100,000 European web sites. Even the retail giant Harod's in London takes it. PayPal has local language web sites in 15 European countries and converts to 17 currencies.

                                                       ==============

(EBAY'S SKYPE JOINS FORCES WITH WAL-MART, WATCH OUT)

Skype and Wal-Mart are joining forces as the VOIP phenomena continues to grow. Wal-Mart will soon be stocking all the hardware items needed to help make voice over the Internet Skype work well with average consumers.

"We applaud Wal-Mart for recognizing the popularity of Skype and making it more accessible to Wal-Mart shoppers," said Don Albert, VP & GM of Skype North America. "This relationship with Wal-Mart will increase exposure for Skype and our hardware partners in a single dedicated Internet communications section."

Research shows if consumers see more Skype hardware available locally the greater the chance they will try to sign on with the phone service. Skype has 198 million registered users world-wide.

                                                      ==============

(UD GOES VINYL WITH OVECHKIN & WADE)

Seeing it's success with LeBron and Kobe, now Upper Deck is taking Vinyl figures to the next level with Alexander Ovechkin and Dywane Wade. Ovechkin is the first hockey player in the series featuring over sized and over muscled action figures in vinyl.

All-Star Vinyl figures carry a retail price of nearly $80 each. The black jersey for the Washington Caps star is limited to 1500 while the Wade Red uniform features only 500 pieces.

                                                      

                                        ==============

(MAYOR RUDY MEMORABILIA MAY BECOME CAMPAIGN ISSUE)

How much did he get and when did he get it? More importantly "how" did Rudy Giuliani get all that memorabilia from the Yankees? If he got it while in office -- everything from World Series rings to a Joe DiMaggio signed replica jersey and team signed baseballs -- it might be a problem for the man who wants to be the GOP candidate for president.

(Rudy comes to Iowa. Some would say it's hard to tell what if anything Rudy G., like Shoeless Joe accepted from the wrong sources.)

A story in the Village Voice detailed the gifts (and purchases made by a select group) Giuliani, a long time Yanks fan, got while he may or may not have been mayor of New York City.Giuliani was seen often sitting in the high rent district seats near the dugout with up to eight people.

The New York State Lobbying Commission had levied fines against the club for tickets, gifts and other items it gave over the years to public officials. The team must disclose any and all of these types of gifts. Giuliani was mayor of NY up to 2001 and he did receive some rings in the mid-to-late 1990's and around 2000.

One of the questions being asked is when he actually did take possession of the rings. There were reportedly many other "gifts" given to him by the club including baseballs, jackets, caps and other memorabilia.

The high end rings were limited but his honor did pay for and receive them. These likely could go for as high as $50,000 or more at auction, for each one. He told the Voice he paid what anyone else would have paid which was less than $5,000. If the story persists and it says here it will because it is a NY media based story soon to catch on in Washington, we may be hearing a lot more about sports memorabilia in the upcoming campaign for the presidency in 2008.

                                                     ==============

(MOUNTED ADDS DEALER WEBSITE)

Mounted Memories is giving dealers their own web site to buy the items the company produces. The new site www.mountedmemorieswholesale.com/weborder is operational and available 24 hours a day. Dealers can not only check pricing but also inventory, get images and place orders. Legitimate eealers with an interest must call their rep for a password.

                                                       ==============

(BECKETT SHRINKS PREMIUM MAGAZINE)

Over sized formats in magazines, especially in the hobby, don't traditionally do very well. While Beckett Elite magazine drew rave reviews, the company found out smaller is better in some cases, and is shrinking the size of it's high end Elite Mag to standard size. The company has issued five previous offerings during the last year and now is also cutting the price to $6.99 from $10.

The magazine details the higher end memorabilia selling around the country and the auction market. The only publication which has been consistently successful in an over-sized format is Sports Collectors Digest which has floundered in recent years as many of its advertisers move to on-line sites. Tuff Stuff under Ernie White, it's founder, was a very large magazine but for more than a decade has been of the standard size in publishing.

                                           =================

(GIANTS ROOKIE PITCHER LATEST FINEST RC TO BE REVEALED)

Topps Finest Rookie Tim Lincecum of the Giants will be player no. 4 to be released via Redemption under the Topps Finest Program.

(Topps finest Rookie Cards of hot Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum.)

Each Topps Finest box has a redemption card for one of the 10 players in the rookie series. Lincecum is the fourth player to be so designated. The cards should ship in August.

                                                   

                                           ===============

(BONDS BALL? MOST FOR 756, OR MOST FOR FINAL HOME RUN?)

It is a fair question and one being asked in hobby circles and mainstream media as Barry Bonds approaches the 755 home runs hit by Han Aaron. Experts such as David Kohler say the ball should be worth $400,000 despite an offer from Heritage Auctions to pay $1 million for no. 756. Kohler handled the sale of the recent Honus Wagner card and has sold other big ticket items.

(1987 Bonds Fleer card valued at about $60)

The ball Bonds hits for his final home run will and easily could be the most valuable, at least until someone such as Alex Rodriguez breaks Bonds record. The ball will not go for the $3 million Todd McFarlane paid for the no. 70 home run slugged by Mark McGwire. The sports memorabilia world has changed and it keeps changing. The money or the hype isn't there anymore. And then there is that pesky steroid issue.

Barry Bonds may believe his no. 756 is going to be worth millions but as usual he may have over estimated his own worth, or the worth of his balls.

                                ==========================

GOD & COLLECTIBLES, AUCTION LAWSUIT

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 133

HOT*BUTTON* STORY

(ETOPPS HOOKS UP NATIONAL WITH TED WILLIAMS/JOE D. PLUS!!!)

** DECISION NEAR ON DANIELS/MASTRO SUIT

  ** EXPERTS BACK GREY FLANNEL

  ** NO FLIPPING LAW, THE HOBBY AND GOD

  ** EBAY CHANGES RATING SYSTEM

  ** CU & 4KIDS NUMBERS

  ** UD SIGNS DURANT

  ** POSTAL RATES RISE TODAY

** ETOPPS FANTASY GAME ** MATTEL MOMS ** WIFI TV & COLLECTIBLES **

DETAILS ON THESE STORIES AND MORE IN TBR: THE BRILL REPORT

EDITORIAL COMMENT: THIRD PARTY AUTHENTICATORS WHO ALSO SELL

                                    ==========================

(DECISION EXPECTED SOON ON LAWSUIT AGAINST MASTRO NET)

After two years of legal wrangling and nearly $80,000 spent the lawsuit brought by Bill Daniels of Daniels' Memorabilia against MastroNet should soon come to an end. A decision is expected about two weeks in the suit brought in the aftermath of what is purported to be misleading statements and alleged bogus autographed items. The suit was brought by the longtime Indiana memorabilia dealer after he purchased a lot of 2000 autographs in a Mastro auction for $20,000. The item is now known as lot 2322.

Daniels' suit says he purchased the items with the conditions listed in the Mastro catalog as authentic from PSA/DNA and with the indication they would bring "9 & 10" grades including a large lot of 8 x 10 photos. When he received the lot he was shocked to see several smeared autographs, fewer than expected 8 x 10's, damaged photos and a lot of autographs which were suspect. Only about 30-percent of them could be, in the opinion of experts, pass a 9 or 10 grade. After asking for his money back he was told by Mastro officials, according to court documents, he was not going to get a refund.

Later it was learned the items in the lot were actually owned by the PSA employee who authenticated them which Daniels and his attorney feel is a clear cut conflict of interest and extremely unethical. The suit states the catalog listing said PSA senior authenticators Steve Grad and James Spence reviewed the items but in fact this was not the case.

"Ultimately Zachary Rullo, a very junior authenticator and the lot owner, was the only person to review lot 2322 for PSA/DNA," the latest filing on Friday claims, with the statements based on a deposition by Rullo. "Steve Grad signed the LOA and was represented by MastroNet to be part of the authentication process, yet he did not review any of the sports memorabilia including lot 2322."

Mastro admitted it's officials did not look over the lot as it normally would because it was Rullo (a PSA authenticator and owner of the lot) who submitted it himself. In addition, Mastro's catalog was written by a junior writer and not the experienced writers who usually perform the task.

"I would say consigning his own lot, he can't give an objective opinion because he's got a lot of money at risk," Daniels told The Brill Report in an exclusive interview this weekend. "When you say a third party it is supposed to be an independent person whether it's a $5 item or a $500 item."

Daniels says previously MastroNet handled situations where customers aren't satisfied in a much different manner. He's spent well over $100,000 on the company auctions and previously had a good experience.

"I had experienced a problem with an item and it wasn't as described and they gave me my money back," said Daniels. "I get this lot of photos and they do nothing about it."

The suit also alleges MastroNet will not supply certain records as to the consigning and paying of the lot stating they don't exist. Rullo said all of the signed items in the lot were obtained personally but the suit charges the evidence shows many were purchased from card shops around the country. All of this could have been settled easily said Daniels if MastroNet would have done the right thing and taken care of it when it first happened. Now he says after spending $80,000 he not only wants the refund and court fees but also punitive damages. He wants to send a message.

"The reason I spent all this money on this lawsuit is that inexperienced people are buying these items hoping to resell them later to pay for their daughter's wedding or for college for their kids, and I don't want them 20 years later to be disappointed," he told TBR. "The average person would just eat it but by God these things should be what they say they are."

PSA was originally part of the suit but the judge dismissed them from the case saying Daniels did not have a contract with them in his purchase, since he was buying from MastroNet. Basically if MastroNet loses they can sue PSA for damages. An email requesting comment from MastroNet officials was not returned by publication time. We still hope to get a comment from someone there.

                                              ======================

(GREY FLANNEL VERIFIES WILLIAMS JERSEY PULLED FROM AUCTION)

The folks at Grey Flannel Auctions say a third party has verified a game used Ted Williams jersey from 1947 which was pulled under a cloud of controversy, is genuine. Windsor Conservation out of Dover, MA said after investigating and doing tests on the jersey everything is consistent with the items being authentic. The jersey was listed as Lot no. 508 in a current auction and as reported here last week, MEARS which usually certifies such items for Grey Flannel, said it could not be positive of the jerseys authenticity and the two agreed to have a third party test it.

(Photos of 1947 Ted Williams jersey questioned by MEARS and verified by Windsor.)

"They were completely in our favor and all materials, and thread were found to be of the period," an email from Richard Russek of GFS detailed.

Grey Flannel said if the results came back positive it would discuss relisting the item with the consignor.

               ======================

(NO FLIPPING LAW KILLS BUFFALO CHURCH AUCTION)

Sports card sellers should watch out in the future because there is a law in at least one city preventing "flipping" of products and the real test came in the case of eBay versus God's house. In an unusual situation the city of Buffalo had an auction for an historic church and property pulled from eBay because the city has a recently instituted "no flipping" law. In other words there is a law in Buffalo, NY which says you can't flip certain things for a quick profit.

The law applies to items purchased in the city's Rem auctions. This case involved St. Mathews Church. The 110 year old building was most recently owned by World Wide Bible Deliverance Church which fell behind on it's taxes and lost the property to the government. The new owners bought it at the twice yearly Rem auction run by the city of Buffalo.

Rules laid out in the Rem auction state items purchased cannot be "flipped" for quick sale and community members saw the property go up on eBay. The city, believe it or not, has an Anti-Flipping Task Force to enforce the law. City officials went to the new owners and explained the law and the property was removed from eBay.

One city official said they averted what she called "destructive flipping" of the property. The law may or may not withstand a constitutional challenge but it is interesting if such a law could be applied to other avenues. Flipping of products has had a major hand in killing the sportscard industry. Quick sales for lower than market prices to get a quick return have been known to be a bane to the collectibles industry for years.

Upper Deck recently installed a new distribution plan all direct dealers and those who buy indirectly through UD distributors had to sign an agreement basically to stop the quick flip or dumping of new products. The agreement holds back the sale to resellers and of fairly large quantities on eBay so as to give the product and stores a chance to sell through.

If an anti-flipping law in a major city can withstand the test, dealers should take heed. God's house might be the test.

                                        ====================

(EBAY CHANGES RATING SYSTEM CALLING OLD SYSTEM WORTHLESS)

Saying the old system of rating buyer and seller transactions is basically "worthless" officials working with eBay are making a major change in the way ratings are conducted. Since nearly all regular sellers and buyers have a feedback of at least 98-percent it doesn't tell the buyer/seller much about the integrity of the person they are transacting with. In addition, many negatives are retaliatory in nature and don't mean anything.

eBay is instituting a new system called Feedback 2.0 which rates the transaction on four criteria. They are description of the item, shipping time, shipping and handling charges and communications. Each segment is rated from 1 to 5 and and average score is given. eBay hopes with the new system good sellers will get more business and bad sellers will not.

The downside of course is for those transaction which involve a card which sells for just one-penny with a $3 S&H charge. Undoubtedly most, if not all, buyers would leave a 1 rating on this particular segment no matter how good the rest of the service was. Many buyers of such cards never take into account it might have cost the seller .50 or even $1 to list the item and the profit must be made in the shipping fees.

While the old system was far from perfect and nearly meaningless, the new system which was tested in eight markets around the world for two months, could seriously impact the sports card segment. It will have little effect on higher priced items but might cause problems for sellers who list lots of inexpensive auctions.

                                       ==================

(FIGURES RELEASED FOR COLLECTORS UNIVERSE AND 4KIDS)

Numbers released for the just closed quarter show 4Kids Entertainment took a bit of a hit. The company was down about $5 million from last year at this time and said while revenue from the movie release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was positive it was not good enough of offset the downturn in licensing revenues from Yu-Gi-Oh, Winx Club and other newer properties.

On the Collectors Universe side of the coin, net revenues were up 10-percent over last year but overall the numbers were down. This was due to the fact the company purchased several other collectible related firms and was pumping money into getting them started.

                                    ======================

(ETOPPS FANTASY GAME KICKS OFF WITH PRIZES GALORE)

It was only a matter of time before a card manufacturer created an easy fantasy game on line using it's own cards to spur on sales and interest. eTopps is doing just this very thing beginning May 21 under the banner "Big League Challenge."

Each week collectors who own eTopps cards in their portfolio will select a line up of five cards (3 hitters and 2 pitchers). Points will be awarded based on how the player performs during the week in real life. Weekly prizes will be awarded as well as prizes for cumulative totals.

(Ichiro might be a good eTopps Fantasy player.)

The catch is only eTopps cards from 2006 & 2007 may be used and no players' card may be used for more than one week. So the idea is to buy more or trade for more eTopps cards. Prizes include cases of current and former Topps products, autographed baseballs and more. Topps has signed balls of Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron and Reggie Jackson to name a few.

Upper Deck had its Sports Nut program which drew rave reviews from players until the company moved away from superb prizes to more items such as bobble heads and other minor selections.

               ========================

(NATIONAL LINKS WITH ETOPPS FOR HISTORIC CARD OFFER)

VIP's who sign up for the National in Cleveland will get a shot to win the Never Was 1952 Joe DiMaggio eTopps card. This is one of the five cards in the set being offered and VIP's will get the first crack at the 1954 eTopps Stan Musial, 1967 Nolan Ryan, 1994 Alex Rodriguez and 1952 Ted Williams.

(The Joe D. card will be most highly sought.)

The DiMaggio is limited to 25 with a special National pin-code on the back. Each VIP Goodie Bag will have one of the cards in it and collectors will buy and trade them during the show which runs August 1-5 in Cleveland. eTopps will also begin a limited offering in August for the same cards without the National Code.

This will be the 28th National Convention. Each of the VIP cards will also feature a pin code which when taken to the eTopps booth might reveal a winner. The "winner" gets the DiMaggio card on the spot. There are only 25 being offered at that time.

                                    

   ======================

(DURANT SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DEAL WITH UPPER DECK)

Upper Deck has a history of inking the right top name guys to exclusive deals in basketball and this year is no different. University of Texas star Kevin Durant inked a deal for autographs and jerseys and promotional rights with the Carlsbad Company. Durant is expected to be the first player drafted when the NBA makes it's selections.

"I'm very excited to be taking two giant leaps in my career by joining the NBA and at the same time signing a contract with another winning team, The Upper Deck Company," said Durant. "I'm honored to be in the company of some of the world's most skilled athletes who also represent Upper Deck products."

(PSA/DNA authenticated Durant signed ball.)

Durant joins Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzy who have exclusive deals with UD and Upper Deck Authenticated. His first rookie card will be in Fleer Ultra SE and his first autographed card will appear in SP Authentic.

(Durant montage already on the market.)

Upper Deck usually does a better job of picking and paying for the top people. While Topps has had success with Dywane Wade, some would consider Adam Morrison and Barry Bonds a bust. Both companies have had exclusives with Mickey Mantle. The jury remains out on Topps selection of Alex Rodriguez being a help or not such a help.

(Mark Rypian in better days in the hobby.)

Fleer perhaps had the worst record dating back to the early 1990's when signing as a Fleer spokesman was tantamount to the Sports Illustrated or Madden Game jinx's. Perhaps Fleer's most famous boondoggle in this respect was former Redskins QB, Mark Rypien who went bust after his Super Bowl win.

                           

            =====================

(POSTAL RATES UP AS OF TODAY)

Look for some sellers on eBay to raise their shipping and handling fees beginning this week.. The US Postal Service raised the price of a stamp by 2-cents and more for other items. Also the USPS eliminated a number of different services for international shipping replacing them with more effective and higher cost services.

(The new Forever Stamp.)

For instance, gone are International Global Priority, Airmail Parcel Post and Economy Parcel Post. These are being replaced by Priority Mail International which is to be delivered in 6-10 days and includes insurance, tracking to major cities and flat rate envelopes. Buying on-line gets you an 8-percent discount.

Airmail and Economy Letter Post are also gone replaced by First Class Mail International which also offers registered mail service. For a complete list of changes and charges you can visit the USPS website at www.usps.com.

                                                           ====================

(ACTRESS MOMS CELEBRATE WITH NEW TOYS)

It's not much of a story, Mattel designating the day before Mother's Day as a "Little Mommy Day" but the pictures are kinda neat.

Actresses Denise Richards and Dayna Devon with their little girls celebrating the new "holiday" designed to push Mattel's latest version of Little Mommy toys which the company hopes will become as collectible as Barbie someday.

              =====================

(WIFI AND COLLECTING; THE NEXT MARKET?)

The folks at WiFiTv and Collectible Concepts think they have something new and have agreed in a deal to bring sports collectibles to the Internet in a different way. WiFiTV (WFTV from here on for this article) is basically an Internet TV and movie channel and interactive social network. You can watch movies on WFTV and at the same time chat with others who are watching all over the world and you can make free phone calls.

(One of the items sold by Collectible Concepts.)

Collectible Concepts is a licensed maker of collectibles licensed by the NHL and NBA. Their products appear at retail outlets across the country and include everything from wall fixtures to wooden team emblems to team specific trash cans. The two are working together to bring CC onto the web via WFTV.

"We see the WiFiTV web site and its Social Internet TV as the perfect arena to present the Collectible Concepts product line to a global youth marketplace that spends a large amount of time interacting on the Internet," said CC President Paul Lipschutz. "We plan to use all the features of WiFiTV, including the amazing WIFIParty technology where Internet users can see and hear each other as well as chat by text."

The company also plans on enacting an auction over the same format for collectible goods.

                                       ====================

1960'S CLUBHOUSE SIGNER TALKS

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 132

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

($10 MILLION BID FOR GENERAL LEE BOGUS!!!)

** FORMER CLUBBIE TALKS CLUBHOUSE SIGS

** YAHOO SHUTS DOWN AUCTION SERVICE

** THE ROCKET SIGNS WITH YANKS

** STEINER TAKING CONSIGNMENTS

** MCFARLANE DOES 756 BONDS ** WILSON PICKET AUCTION ** UDA/KOUFAX **

** NEW SPORTS PRODUCT LOOKING FOR INVESTORS **

DETAILS ON THESE AND OTHER STORIES IN TBR: THE BRILL REPORT

EDITORIAL COMMENT: EBAY, THE PLACE FOR FRAUD & STUPID MONEY

                                  ========================

(FORMER CLEVELAND CLUBBIE TALKS ABOUT THE CLUBHOUSE SIGNATURE)

At 64 years old Bill Malone looks back fondly on his years as the clubhouse manager for the Cleveland Indians. As a retired cop he also thinks back on the names he signed for other people on team signed baseballs which are now floating around the collectibles market. Malone says he didn't sign a lot of "clubhouse" signatures but he did pen his share on orders from management.

"I didn't feel strange but I didn't like it and I didn't consider it fraud but I don't know why I didn't," Malone told The Brill Report in an exclusive interview. "I wasn't answering directly to the fan although indirectly he was paying my salary but then again he didn't have to go upstairs and answer to the front office either to protect his job."

Malone says he signed mainly for two categories in the clubhouse; manager Birdie Tebbetts and usually the starting pitcher. The other players generally signed themselves.

"Birdie was usually in the office with GM Gabe Paul until shortly before game time going over moves and strategy and when he came down he'd say 'Billy just sign my name, I don't have time right now,'" said Malone. "As for the starting pitcher they rarely signed on the day they were going to pitch."

The fact not all the signatures weren't authentic didn't matter to management at the time he said. In fact, he'd usually get a call from the front office telling him to bring up a few baseballs for a client right away. When he explained not everyone had signed including the starting pitcher the normal answer from the front office, "sign their name on the ball and bring it up." So he did as he was ordered because as he says "It was part of my job."

(Former Cleveland Clubhouse Manager Bill "Cowboy" Malone.)

Clubhouse signatures are very common up until about the late 1960's. Basically it was the clubhouse manager or clubhouse workers who were asked to sign the names of the players who wouldn't sign for any number of reasons. The most famous perhaps is Charlie "the brow" DiGiovanna of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He had all the names down pat.

A few years ago this reporter was asked to sell a baseball owned by the daughter of former Dodger pitcher and minor league manager Chet Kehn. She said Kehn was given the team signed ball by his best friend, Pee Wee Reese after the last game of the 1955 World Series in the clubhouse. As it turned out every signature was a "clubhouse signature" signed by Charlie DiGiovanna. The ball could have been worth upwards of $15,000 but was relegated to the $200 range.

(The Lefty Gomez on ball to the left is deemed a "clubhouse signature.")

Malone says he knew some of the other clubbie signers but they never really discussed the signatures much. He really didn't have to sign too many signatures on baseballs because he said the mid-1960's Indians were really pretty good about signing on their own. He would not say which if any of the players were really difficult when it came to putting pen to baseball.

"I know some of the teams where not only the clubbie would sign the names but some had a player who was expert at signing most of the other guys names," he told TBR. "If a clubbie signed regularly for a super star they were usually tipped pretty heavy for it, they'd take care of them."

(This Williams is certified as real.)

Ted Williams relayed in an interview once he didn't sign often. In fact his comment was the clubhouse boy Johnny Orlando signed "Ted Williams" better than he himself did. When asked if there were times even the good signers wouldn't sign, he said certainly.

"If a player was a really good signer and was mired in the middle of an 0-for-18 batting slump, even the best guys would say no," he added. "A guy who is 0-for-18 is teed off and you really don't even approach him because he'd say 'get that crap out of here.'"

He basically would put two dozen baseballs on the table daily with a list of the players names and a pen. When they signed they would check off their names and he'd pack them up and take them upstairs. The clubs used them for promotional purposes, charity and of course as sales giveaways. It was rare for players to sign on the road but when they played the Los Angeles Angels during their inaugural season in 1961 it was pretty common for the visitors to be asked to sign.

Malone was a 19-year old kid working for the Angels in 1961 and he was given the job of running the visitors clubhouse. There he was quite often in the presence of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Roger Maris.

"It was a general rule you didn't sign baseballs in the clubhouse on the road but when they came to Los Angeles the sales people and front office folks wanted the Yankees and the Red Sox baseballs because they were doing some hob-nobbing with potential big clients or a movie producer," Malone remembered. "You should have heard the cussing and screaming from the visitors clubhouse because that was reserved for being at home, but there they were some team executives who wanted to gain favor with Hollywood producer or an actor."

While Malone got pretty good at signing Tebbetts and some of the starting pitchers he never kept anything for himself, adding he walked out his last day in Cleveland with a signed picture of Tito Francona and his team issue baseball cap and jacket. That was it.

(A genuine Mantle signed ball.)

"Everyone knew it was a nice thing to have a Mantle signed ball but we never thought it had any monetary value," he told TBR. "There weren't any shows or anything back then so it was more of a fan appreciation thing."

Malone left the business and made a choice to go into law enforcement. He joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department where he stayed until his retirement. While today he says if he gets something he usually still gives it away although he does collect items from the original Angels team because of the historical significance.

"I didn't know many other clubbies who kept stuff either although can you imagine if I had collected, here I was the head of the visiting clubhouse at 19 years old and the access I had," he thought out loud. "I'd have walked out with a team signed baseball every day, bats, uniforms from every team in the American League, but who knew it was going to be worth something?"

Malone says pitcher Mudcat Grant told him recently as the two planned to meet at the Indians Reunion next month (See TBR last week) Grant felt Malone needed to get lots of autographs at the event. The former clubbie says he's taking several Portland minor league programs with him (Portland was the Cleveland Triple A team then) to get signed because lots of the guys came through there. Malone remembered why he did what he did fondly in not getting signatures. He said he had such fun working there it was just a great way to make a living.

"It was my job to get these players ready to go on the field and play and they didn't need someone like me going up to them and asking them to sign their name on something," he stated firmly. "I worked with these guys and I'd feel dumb going up to Sam McDowell and just asking him for an autograph, I wouldn't do it."

As far as his own prized items Malone has just two. In the 1970's he was invited back by the Angels for an Old-Timers Day Event and Joe DiMaggio was there. He asked and Joltin' Joe signed an index card for him. The other is his ball signed by Gene Autry whom he says taught him more about life than anyone.

"I had a decision to make and that was either to cover myself with the kind of integrity Mr. Autry had or pattern myself after other people who had a lack of integrity and I thank God I followed Mr. Autry's example," Malone said a bit choked up. "I said to former player Richie Scheinblum recently that if all the owners were like Mr. Autry there probably wouldn't be a need for a players union and he agreed. He was a special man."

             =======================

(YAHOO SHUTS DOWN AUCTION BUSINESS)

eBay has more than 80-percent of the on-line auction business and Yahoo just can't compete with the eBay juggernaut. With this in mind officials at Yahoo decided to shut it down. Yahoo will close it's North American auction site June 16. The auction sites in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan will not be effected.

Although Yahoo auctions are free and eBay is not it did not matter. eBay is the Cadillac of auction sites and where all the traffic is according to dealers who place items on the site.

"I've tried Yahoo many times but there is just no traffic there, no buyers," said Dave Rodriguez, owner of Signatures.com. "Everyone, all the buyers are on eBay."

While eBay controls 85-percent of the on-line market, Yahoo almost doesn't even register with a measly 0.2 percent. The bottom line is Yahoo just couldn't compete and rather than throw more money at the problem at a time when Yahoo overall is flat, the company chose to cut its losses.

                                   =======================

(THE ROCKET LANDS IN NEW YORK AND SO DOES HIS AUTOGRAPH)

It was less than 24 hours after Roger Clemens announced he'd signed with the Yankees for the 2007 season before Mounted Memories had dealer solicitations on the market for Clemens autographs. Roughly speaking Clemens signed baseballs are being offered for $250 each as are larger signed photos. Jerseys are close to $400.

The Highland Mint got into the act with Gold Coin and Infield Dirt framed items. Suggested Retail Price on these unsigned pieces is less than $90. By Monday afternoon there were 2100 Clemens' listings on eBay.

                                          =========================

(STEINER ON AUCTIONS)

Steiner Sports is the most aggressive marketing company in the sports collectibles industry and a recent solicitation for consignment items from dealers is further testament to this aggressiveness. The company is allowing dealers to send in items to go up for sale in Steiner's own auctions which of course carry the weight of the Steiner name.

"Thousands of individual sellers have turned their passion into profits thanks to the Steiner Marketplace, the exciting new auction site on Steinersports.com," proclaims the solicitation. "The Marketplace presents a great opportunity for wholesalers like you to leverage the Steiner name and our stellar reputation to move your collectibles, or slow-movers out of your inventory and into the hands of our eager, concentrated customers base that's always on the hunt for unique items."

The company promises payment within three weeks of the sale and an easy mail in form. Some of the current items include card sets, action figures, mini-statues and of course autographs. Contact Scott Van Lenten for more details. auctions@steinersports.com

                                            ==================

(MCFARLANE TO PRODUCE BONDS 756 ACTION FIGURE)

It will be a special piece controversy over steroids or not because Barry Bonds will break Hank Aaron's home run record of 755 career dingers. In commemoration of the event McFarlane will release a special Bonds figure.

There will be two versions with the Gray uniform version to debut at the MLB All-Star Fanfest in San Francisco this summer. A collector's edition in the Home White uniform will follow. There will be 3000 of the Gray figures released. When will the collector's edition be released? The day after he hits no. 756. While he's on pace to do that in a few weeks, injuries have always taken their toll and at an advanced age for a player, you just never know.

                                      ========================

(DUKES OF HAZZARD EBAY BID BOGUS)

John Schneider probably should have know it was too good to be true when his movie version "General Lee" from the Dukes of Hazzard film sold on eBay for nearly $10 million. As it turns out the high bid was bogus and now Schneider (Bo Duke from the original TV Series) is talking about filing suit against the high bidder.

(Perhaps Schneider should buy the "other" General Lee on eBay and send it to the bogus buyer of her pristine car featured on the left.)

Schneider likely won't win a lawsuit but hopefully he'll at least get his hefty eBay fee's back. A bogus bidder on eBay. Whodathunkit? Welcome to eBay John.

                                   ===========================

(WILSON PICKETT'S STUTZ BLACKHAWK GOES FOR $50K)

An auction highlighting the belongings of legendary entertainer Wilson Pickett went well but since there were so many items a second auction will be held next month. The big prize was his 1974 Stutz Blackhawk imported from Italy and it had only 26,000 original miles on it. It sold for nearly $51,000.

"The Stutz was Wilson's pride and joy but he also left behind other items of interest that got the crowd of around 250 people pretty juiced," said Steve White of Four Seasons Auction Gallery which conducted the sale. "Stage costumes, jewelry, furniture and personal clothing -- He owned a lot but we sold a lot."

However, there is more to come. The Blackhawk, made in Turin Italy, was a favorite car of entertainers of the day. Even Elvis and Frank Sinatra had one. Pickett died in January.

                                      ===========================

(GREY FLANNEL & MEARS IN DISPUTE OVER TED WILLIAMS JERSEY)

Grey Flannel Auctions has pulled lot 508 from it's current listings which is ascribed to be an authentic Ted Williams jersey because there is a dispute over it's authenticity. The company notified dealers and prospective bidders it has a difference with MEARS which it works with to verify items it sells as being genuine. MEARS was getting ready to announce its findings stating they did not believe the item to be as advertised.

Grey Flannel sent it to another party and since the findings have not come back the company decided to pull it for the moment. If it does come back as the real deal GF will ask the owner to re-consign it.

"MEARS and Grey Flannel have tremendous mutual respect for one another and have been sharing opinions on this jersey as well as others," said a statement from GF. "Although our respect for one another is great we do not always agree on methodology and our final results may differ."

The statement added MEARS has agreed to review its findings if the third party says the Williams jersey is authentic.

                                      =====================

(UPPER DECK & KOUFAX)

Upper Deck has had Sandy Koufax in it's stable off and on over the years and depending on how many signatures Koufax allows his agent to contract for, the items are always expensive but they always sell out.

The latest round of wholesale prices looks like this;

signed interleague baseballs $360 with an SRP of $600

Limited baseballs (no. 500)  $420 with an SRP of $700

Jerseys $810/$1350, Mets No-Hitter Framed $660/$1100 and 16x20 with four baseballs being held by Koufax $660/$1100.

                      ==================

(HAVLICEK SIGNS FOR STEINER)

The great John Havlicek just signed a slew of items for Steiner Sports. The Celtics' great shooter penned balls and photos with balls selling for $200 and photos from $55 to $85 depending on size.

                                          ====================

(TEAM ANTENNA COVER TO DEBUT)

It might not make dealers a ton of money but then again no one thought the Pet Rock was going to be a hit either. The Antenna Cover might do the trick once it hits the market. It is a cover for your car antenna which carries the logo and name of your favorite teams.

Invented by Scott Young, it is basically a piece of PVC Pipe painted in the teams colors and has a section to hang a team flag. It's pitch is that it frees up the window space where drivers usually put team stickers.

The idea still needs licensing but anyone interested in the project can contact Jake Way at Invention Support, www.inventionsupport.com or by 888-864-1780.

                                  =========================

THE INDIANS UNSUAL REUNION

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 131

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(MOVIE HAZZARDS CAR SIGNED BY CAST SELLS FOR NEARLY $10 MILLION!!!)

** FORMER CLUBHOUSE MAN STAGES REUNION

** UD ISSUES WARNING TO DEALERS

** PEYTON MANNING GOES NERF

** STEINER BACK WITH TONY SOPRANO

** 4KIDS PROMOTES FROM WITHIN, EBAY LOSES KEY PLAYER **

** MAJOR FIND ON ROADSHOW ** GENERAL LEE BRINGS NEARLY $10 MILLION **

   DETAILS ON THESE AND OTHER STORIES IN THE BRILL REPORT...

   EDITORIAL COMMENT: EBAY GONE CRAZY WITH STUPID MONEY

NEXT: FORMER CLUBBIE DISCUSSES CLUBHOUSE AUTOGRAPHS; THURSDAY

                                                 =====================

(FORMER CLUBHOUSE MANAGER STAGES UNUSUAL REUNION)

When former Cleveland Indians clubhouse manager Bill Malone sat down to have a drink with friend and former big league catcher Duke Sims in Las Vegas a year ago he never thought he'd be the point man for a club reunion. Malone, who ran the clubhouse for a couple years during the mid-1960's, is a retired deputy sheriff living in California and said he and Sims concocted the idea while reminiscing.

"We hadn't seen each other since 1965 and got to talking about where the players are now and what they were doing and thought wouldn't it be a cool idea to have a reunion to see all the guys," Malone told The Brill Report in an exclusive interview. "Two months later I get a call from Duke and he says Gary Bell (former pitcher) thought it was a great idea and that he, Duke, had put me in charge of organizing the thing."

(TBR Publisher Bob Brill with former Cleveland Indians club house manager and event organizer "Cowboy" Bill Malone.)

Malone, known as Cowboy in his signature hat, was flabbergasted but the idea was snowballing and now he was in charge of running the event. Originally the idea was to have a small gathering of the players who could make it from the mid 1960's teams they both knew and it was going to take place at the home of former pitcher Sam McDowell in Florida.

"I got out my baseball encyclopedia and soon I learned how many of the guys had passed away, such as Leon Wagner, Dick Donovan and Dick Howser so I called Duke back and we decided to make it a reunion of the decade of the 1960's players who played for the Indians," said Malone. "Then Vern Fuller called and said he has a hotel across from Jacob's Field and could offer some special rates for the players and we moved it to Cleveland."

Malone was a 19-year old kid when he began working in the Los Angeles Angels as a clubhouse boy during the teams 1961 inaugural season. Within a couple years he graduated to clubhouse manager in Cleveland where he was also known to pen a few "clubhouse signatures" on baseballs ordered by team management. This is an area where we will delve into in our next TBR: The Brill Report on Thursday, May 10.

It's s not often an event such as the one June 14-17 in Cleveland takes place. At least not in today's world of "let's organize a show, pay guys lots of money and get lots of autographs."

Malone stresses the Indians are not involved and all the players are paying their own way, which is the way he and Sims set it up. They will put on a baseball clinic at the stadium and they've been offered a suite for one of the games during the mid-June event but it isn't going to be a big show or extravaganza.

"This is going to be more like a high school reunion and if the guys want to stay in the lobby and connect with guys they haven't seen in 40 years they can, if they want to play in the golf outing we set up they can but whatever they want to do they can do because nothing is mandatory," said the former clubhouse man. "The Wahoo Club (Indians boosters) are going to have us for a brunch before one of the games and if the guys want to sign they will and I'm sure they all will."

That event is not open to the public and is sold out to about 200 people who support the Indians fan club. Malone also points out none of the guys are being compensated for coming and if a player wanted to be compensated to come he was told there were no exceptions and he would have to pay his own way.

"It is refreshing the guys want to do this to see their old friends," he said. "Some of the guys have health issues and can't make it and several live outside the country although Valmy Thomas is coming in from the Virgin Islands."

Just when he thought he had finalized it to about 35 former players the list grew to 50 and could grow to a few more by the time June 14 rolls around. The reunion will run from Thursday through Sunday of that week.

For Malone, now 64, who himself has battled some health ailments, he is just excited to be getting ready to see so many old friends, adding, yesterdays players were a different breed.

"I hope I'm wrong but 40 years down the road I don't think any of today's players would pay their own way to a reunion to see the guys they used to play with," Malone lamented. "With the transitory nature of the game today a lot of players don't even know their own teammates, and I guarantee they don't know the names of their wives and kids."

If you happen to be in Cleveland for those days and you are a collector of autographs the hotel across the street from Jacob's Field might be the place to hang out. Malone says the guys are all on their own and if they want to sign they will but there are no requirements for any of them. You can bet however many of them will be happy to put pen to ball or paper.

                                         =========================

(UPPER DECK PROGRAM WARNING)

Upper Deck issued a warning to dealers as well as a clarification on its new distribution program. The program, which is designed to hold prices firm above cost rather than seeing dealers and distributors dump products on eBay, went into effect with the latest product release. SP Authentic Basketball isn't doing well in the marketplace simply because it is basketball and nothing NBA is selling this year.

The company sent emails to direct dealers stating a "couple" of direct accounts have been removed from Upper Deck's direct buying program and several have been warned for violating the new policy. The company made dealers and distributors sign a contract regarding the new distribution program.

The email also clarified something dealers had been wondering about. Each dealer who signed the contract agrees not to sell cases on the Internet or to other resellers for at least the first 60 days of release. Dealers cannot sell boxes to resellers for the same period of time.

"A warning" will be issued for the first violation while a second violation leads to the shop's "direct account being closed." Basically Upper Deck purged it's account list to eliminate show dealers and Internet resellers in an effort to bolster stores. Stores must sell at least a majority of the product to end users through the store and not wholesale or on the Internet.

Distributors face basically the same situation. A few boxes did appear on eBay lower than the direct price right away. It was a week however before some 50 more boxes showed up with most selling for cost or a dollar or two above cost. Some did actually sell for below factory cost which was $80 per box. At least one dealer "buggnme2" sold about half a dozen while "jmkuch" and "allsportsauthentic" had several listings each. It wasn't the massive number of listings normally seen when a product is perceived to be weak. SP Authentic does have two autographs per box but it comes in a weak rookie year for NBA players.

                                     =============================

(PEYTON MANNING SIGNS NERF DEAL)

Peyton Manning is probably the perfect spokesman for any sports oriented toy or collectible and he's signed a really interesting deal with Hasbro to put his name on the latest edition of Nerf Footballs. The Super Bowl winning quarterback will put his name on the Nerf Peyton Manning Pro Grip Football and he'll appear in advertising as well as at promotional events.

"I've been participating in fast paced competitive activities since I was a kid -- activities that brought me to where I am today as an NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion," said Manning in a release. "One of the things I really enjoyed as a kid was playing with Nerf footballs with my brothers so I'm thrilled to be part of the Nerf team again."

Nerf sales reached over $100 million last year as it continues to be one of the most highly successful sports toy lines in the world. Part of the money Manning gets in the deal goes to support his Peyback Foundation to benefit underprivileged kids.

(Similar to the one Peyton Manning will represent.)

"We could not have asked for a better partner for our Nerf brand," said Sharon John, GM of toy marketing for Hasbro. "A great athlete and a good sport Peyton's attitude and commitment to excellence make him a positive role model for sports fans of all ages."

The football is the first signature model Manning item in the Nerf line. Manning's foundation has donated nearly $2 million to programs for kids.

                                      =======================

(STEINER DOES SOPRANO'S AGAIN)

At least James Gandolfini is signing for Steiner Sports again. "Tony Soprano" is being offered once more by the sports autograph firm with a signed Gandolfini "Tony" baseball offered for $100.

Other items such as a new array of 8x10 photos are going for $85 while 16 x 20's are priced at $95. The new solicitation says nothing about other Soprano's favorites who have signed full cast shots previously, and the graveyard photo of five "mobsters" only has Gandolfini's autograph.

The final nine episodes of the hit HBO series are being shown this season as the most popular television mobster series ever comes to a close.

                                         =========================

(4KIDS APPOINTS TWO NEW EXECS)

4Kids Entertainment is promoting two people to key positions. Senior VP Carlin West is moving up from her position to Executive VP in charge of acquisitions and development. She's been with the company for 12 years. Her key project is one being sold into hobby stores soon. Chaotic is a multi-platform trading card game and is the firm's first such venture. 4Kids is basically a licensing firm and is now going into the development stages.

"She is an integral part of my executive team and we look forward to continuing to tap into her experience, expertise and commitment as she assumes her new role and overseas the upcoming launch of Chaotic," said Alfred Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids. "Carlin has an impressive track record of identifying new business opportunities as well as fueling the growth and exposure of 4Kids most successful brands."

The company also promoted Rosalind Nowicki from Senior VP to Executive VP in charge of marketing and licensing. She's been with the firm for six years but has been in the licensing field for 20 years.

Nowicki's chore is to handle the licensing for the key brands which include the Ninja Turtles, Yu-Gi-Oh, Cabbage Patch Kids and more.

                                        =========================

(EBAY EXEC STEPS DOWN, MOVES ON)

He's not Meg Whitman, but he is a pretty powerful guy at eBay and he's moving on. Douglas Jeffries is the giant auction sites Principal Accounting Officer and he's leaving to be the new CEO of Pacific Ethanol. No full time replacement has been named.

It has been speculated for the last or so CEO Whitman will be moving on. So far no update on her status.

                                        =========================

(MAJOR FINDS & SALES)

If you were looking for one of those stories about a major "find" in the hobby look no farther than the latest upcoming "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS. One of the most unique finds is a minor league jersey picked up at a memorabilia show for $50. The jersey was worn by Willie Mays of the Minneapolis Millers in 1951. It's worth about $75,000. The jersey along with several other great pick ups are part of a show about "Jackpots." Check local listings for dates and times.

In another crazy eBay auction a copy of the General Lee from the "Dukes of Hazzard" show sold on eBay (auction no. 250108256198) for $9.9 million! It was never in the original show but was in the movie. It does belong to actor John Schneider who also has the autographs of the entire living cast underneath the hood.

(A fan of the Dukes of Hazzard evidently was willing to pony up nearly $10 million for the General Lee which sits behind actor John Schneider.)

Schneider plans on using the money to finance a sequel to one of the films he made. That is, if the buyer pays up.

(Autographs of the living cast members of the television show are visible under the hood of the General Lee.)

                                           ===========================

UPPER DECK CARD REMAKE POSITIVE

UPPER DECK CARD REMAKE POSITIVE

NBA SELECTS MAKE OVER WINNER FROM TEXAS

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 130

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(MOBSTER "?" FRANK VINCENT ON COLLECTING FRANK VINCENT !!!)

** NBA PICKS TEXAS HOBBY STORE FOR MAKEOVER

** TOPPS NUMBERS SHOW PLUS SIGNS

** PRO-MOLD QUICKLY FIXES PROBLEM

** TOPPS PULLS JOSH HANCOCK CARD

** HANCOCK ALL OVER EBAY ** FRANK VINCENT ** UD QUICK FIXES CARD

** IN THE GAME ** DR. WAX BATTLE ** CHITTY-CHITTY ** HERITAGE AUCTION

                DETAILS ON THESE AND OTHER STORIES IN THE BRILL REPORT...

EDITORIAL COMMENT: PRO-MOLD KUDOS, THEY ACT NOW

                              ==========================

(NBA SELECTS TEXAS CARD SHOP FOR MAKEOVER)

(Update: Correcting value of Makeover to $50,000)

SMP Sportscards of Grapevine, Texas, is the winner of the Great NBA Hobby Shop Make Over Contest by virtue of submitting over 61,000 basketball wrappers. The Texas card shop beat out many pro-active stores including Republic Collectibles in Maine, and Alan Narz Big League Cards in Florida. SMP was one of the 35 stores to participate in the contest.

"My business started in the back of a gas station more than 20 years ago, so winning the promotion is one of the biggest highlights of my life," said store owner Scott Pierce. "It will be great to have a brand new shop for my customers Since they are the ones who made it happen."

Pierce's store will be made over by celebrity makeover artist Michael Moloney and is worth in the neighborhood of $50,000 or more.

"Remodeling a hobby shop presents a unique design opportunity for me," said Moloney. "It is important for a store to be appealing and shop-able and I'm looking forward to working with the NBA to create such a place for SMP Sportscards." 

(Michael Moloney photo provided by ABC)

While stores were required to commit to at least one promotion to get customers to turn in NBA wrappers, Pierce saw to it that he was in a good position by holding several. In April he held a basketball driven event and ran a continual program giving away 20 items to the people who turned in the most wrappers and bought boxes to rip in the store.

"There are bigger shops out there but none of them have customers as great as we do," Pierce added.

Some stores took the initiative, as the rules did not prohibit it, to solicit other stores for their NBA wrappers. Figuring it based on an average pack of NBA cards having 24 packs in a box, 61,000 packs translates to roughly almost 2600 boxes or 212 cases of product. Hopefully Pierce had lots of 1992 Hoops to offer around. Either way kudos to the store owner who had garbage bags full of foil to turn in which could be worth enough in value at the local foil recycling center to make it worth the extra time and effort.

Stores who did not win but made a grand effort get NBA Themed Parties in their stores.

                                        =====================

(PRO MOLD REACTS QUICKLY TO DEALER UPROAR)

Much to it's credit it took Pro-Mold just one day to fix a problem dealers were up in arms over. Dealer TJ Schwartz of Porky's Baseball Cards in Los Angeles lost a major customer when the customer learned he could himself purchase supplies from Pro-Mold at below dealer cost and well below retail pricing. It seems Pro-Mold has a wholesale web site as well as a retail site.

After several dealers and distributors complained Pro-Mold fixed the problem within 24 hours. The problem stemmed from anyone being able to enter a bogus resale number to get in. The Wholesale listing on the site asked for "the first four digits of the resale number." As it turns out any four numbers worked and consumers would be able to purchase supplies at around the price dealers pay from distributors.

"We've closed that loophole as of this morning due to the uproar," Ed Neugebauer, Pro-Mold Vice President told The Brill Report. "We do not sell wholesale to the public but as it turned out some dishonest people did get in to the site to purchase."

Neugebauer said the site had been operational for about three years but rarely did anyone use the wholesale portion of it. The site was changed to eliminate the words "wholesale" although the blank square still exists. By clicking on the blank square it will take you to a wholesale section but it requires the prospective buyer to call Pro-Mold and to provide resale licenses and other documentation to open an account.

"Any orders previously if they did not look legitimate we followed up asking for documentation," said Neugebauer. "They could still see the wholesale pricing but now that loophole has been closed."

Dealers were obviously upset upon learning of the wholesale site and the vice president of the company said he got a call from one of his distributors the next morning and went to work to fix the problem right away. Pro-Mold acted in what can only be described as record time in fixing the situation.

"We never meant to offer anything wholesale to the public," he added. "I've got a lot of calls to make to apologize to a lot of people."

                                        =====================

(TOPPS NUMBERS UP IN LATEST REPORT)

Topps numbers for the fourth quarter are very strong based on sportscard sales and the entertainment division overall. While the candy division did okay, it still is not off the slump it's been in for several quarters. Figures just released show Topps income for the fourth quarter at $83.4 million compared to $67.5 million a year ago. Net sales for the entertainment sector (trading cards) was just over $50 million for the quarter or a hike of nearly 36-percent. Candy net sales for the quarter showed a decline.

"This represents our fourth consecutive quarter of improved performance," said CEO Arthur Shorin. "As anticipated we achieved profitable growth in the Entertainment segment reflective of our successful implementation of strategic initiatives designed to revitalize the US sports card business."
Net sales for the year company wide were $325.4 million compared to $293.8 million a year ago. Improved foreign currencies had a few million to do with the increase as well. Last years figures also include payouts Topps made in large severance packages to key employees it dismissed and other payout situations.

Topps did roll out a number of higher end products and a lot of them during the final quarter. Topps has been making more high end-high margin sports card products which is accounting for a large portion of the numbers increase. This combined with less competition in the baseball category (no Playoff/Donruss for 2007) should translate to bigger numbers.

While confectionery sales were up, earnings for the candy division actually took a nose dive. It wasn't long ago Topps was looking into selling the division.

"Confectionery however, remains more of a challenge," added Shorin. "(We are) experiencing margin pressure and continued weakness in some of our core products."

Two products the company rolled out have yet to see the test. The boosts were from a one time sell in to a major Canadian distributor and the newly released Vertigo which is an unusual candy to say the least. The increase in sales of the new Mega Mouth Spray in Europe also helped but the core products fell. Bazooka went through an unusual change last year and products such as Baby Bottle Pops have suffered.

Vertigo is unusual in the aspect it is chocolate candy on one side and a hard candy sucker on the other. The advertising scheme is as confusing as the name Vertigo in that it asks the consumer what it is, lollipop or chocolate? Confusing as is the taste.

                 ======================

(TOPPS MAKES DECISION ON HANCOCK CARD POST MORTEM)

(HANCOCK CARDS/AUTOS HIT EBAY PROMPTLY)

With the sudden and unexpected death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock last week Topps was faced with what to do with his cards. They had set a precedent with Corey Lidle when he was killed in a New York plane crash. They had pulled his card and offered up a new one with the words "In memoriam" and the date of his death. Hancock had only had one previous card and while Topps was planning on issue a card in 2007 as part of the Factory Set St.Louis Cardinals Box Cover, they chose to do the consistent thing.

"Topps felt the proper thing to do was to pull Hancock's card and change the format and design," said Topps spokesman Clay Luraschi in a statement. "Topps has made changes to include the words 'In Memoriam 1978-2007.'"

Hancock was not to be a part of the regular Topps set but was one of the five extra Cardinals cards to be issued in the specific St. Louis version. Topps often offers extra sets featuring different teams as a marketing tool for regional sales. The product will ship the last week of July.

                                         =======================

(SUB HANCOCK/EBAY)

As expected within minutes of the announcement of the death of the Cardinals pitcher there were dozens of Josh Hancock items for sale on eBay. Previous to his death announcement there were a total of seven items listed on the auction site. Within the next 12 hours there were 500 listings.

Before his death only baseball had been listed in the previous 30 days selling for just one-cent (.01) and a handful of 8 x 10 photos either did not sell or sold for less than the $3.99 minimum bid of the others. His SP Prospects card closed at .50.

TriStar signed ball went for $202 and while one Cardinals World Series signed ball with his autograph brought $590, most were closing at $150. How many of these were forged we don't know. In the case of Cory Lidle there was a tremendous number of obvious forgeries listed on eBay, far more than Lidle likely had ever signed. One thing we did not see were any Black T-Shirts proclaiming his death and a picture.In the hours after his death autographed baseballs were selling for an average of $70 each, with one closing at $137 and his SP Prospects signature cards were going for anywhere from a low of $20 to $100 and sometimes more.

                                  ====================

(MOBSTER FRANK VINCENT ON COLLECTING)

Frank Vincent is one of the most popular characters on television and in the movies so it only makes sense he's capitalizing on his popularity by selling collectibles on his web site. Frank Vincent.com offers not only the storied background of the man synonymous with gangster heavies the past 25 years but there are autographed photos for sale and cool collectibles. Among them are items bearing what has become his signature line from Goodfella's "now go home and get your shinebox!"

The line, which Vincent uttered to Joe Pesci at the formers "get out a jail" party at a New York bar has become one of the most memorable scenes in gangster film lore and is a line Vincent hears where ever he goes. For non film fans the line was said to an indignant Pesci as an insult by Vincent's character, Billy Batts and led the three lead characters to eventually brutally murder Batts. The killing eventually led to the "send a message" death of the Pesci character.

The line is emblazoned on mugs and T-Shirts with the latter bearing the likeness of Vincent as Batts. These are part of a half dozen items offered for sale on the web site along with the autographs.

Vincent has become so recognized as a gangster he landed the role of Phil Leotardo on the HBO series "The Soprano's" and has recently written a book about being a man's man based on his mob characters. The book "A Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man" can be found either on his web site or at most book stores. It was released earlier this year. It even has a forward from Soprano's Boss, James Gandolfini.

After watching the actor on screen it's hard to believe he was a drummer with lots of hit bands in the 1960's including Paul Anka, Trini Lopez, Del Shannon and the Belmonts.

                ====================

(IN THE GAME GOING FOR JUNIOR GOLD)

Fresh off the success of it's Going for the Gold Women's National Team Boxed Set, In The Game is going a step farther. The only other company making hockey cards aside from Upper Deck is releasing a boxed set of World Juniors. It is called "Going for the Gold World Junior Championships" boxed set and should be available this week.

The set will feature the Gold Medal winning 2007 team along with four former members of the great Canadian teams including Roberto Luongo and Dion Phaneuf. Game used jerseys and patches will be a part of the set.

There are two versions. The Tournament Edition is $29.95 and features the 30 card base set plus either an autograph or a game used card. The more limited Gold Edition has both the autograph and the game used.

These can be purchased either through dealers on or the company web site.

                                            ====================

(UPPER DECK CARD REPAIR A POSITIVE MOVE)

The Brill Report has often taken Upper Deck as well as other card makers to task for not coming through for consumers or dealers on what might seem like trivial items to the average person. Things such as redemption card issues being the focus of many of the stories TBR has done over the years. Now we have a positive story and in the "giving credit where credit is due" department we again turn to Upper Deck.

It was a few months ago, more like five, TBR staff opened a box of 2006 Ultimate Collection Baseball. The key card in the box was damaged to the point it was not only unsaleable but uncollectible. To pay $100 for a pack of cards and to receive a heavily damaged card, especially the one we pulled, is unacceptable.

The card in question was a Triple Jersey card featuring three currently strong players but more than this. Aside from Jason Bay and Derek Lee was the centerpiece of the card, the Cardinals Albert Pujols who is arguably the hottest player in collecting today. In addition the card was no. 5/25 and since Pujols uniform number is no. 5 this made the card so much more valuable.

We immediately contacted Chris Carlin who heads the Customer Service Department for Upper Deck and explained we wanted the card replaced but we also wanted it to be the same number. To Carlin's credit he immediately understood the reasoning and the value and while he didn't say "send it to me personally" which we would not have expected anyway, he did tell us to send it to the Carlsbad office with a special note explaining the situation.

Dead center in the card, the die cut area had been damaged to the point it was actually torn away. We knew it would take several months for the card to be replaced and Carlin explained the security department had to review this card because it was low numbered and the company was not about to let a duplicate card go out. The card actually had to be rebuilt from scratch using the original artwork.

This past week we received the card back in perfect condition, actually a new card with the same swatches and numbering via DSL. Kudo's to Upper Deck and Carlin and his staff for making this happen. It did not take a year and it happened in what really can be considered a reasonable time period.

                                           ====================

(DOCTOR ON STEINER)

Brandon Steiner must have a "screw loose" somewhere as Dr. Wax Battle is going to broadcast live from the Steiner Sports offices in New York May 23. Seriously though the Doctor will broadcast his Internet show for three hours from 7-10 p.m. EST in an "unprecedented" event.

The Doctor, who owns The BackStop Hobby store in Toms River, NJ, has one of the most followed Internet shows in the business and has done some creative, if not kooky stuff to publicize his crazy show. He purchased the T-shirt which had sewn into it several hundred pieces of game worn jersey parts ripped from trading cards.

Recently he created a "hunt for the stolen shirt" promotion ala "The Soprano's" in mini-series format. It's all in good fun and we're sure if Steiner is giving the Doc the opportunity to broadcast from his offices there must be a pretty big following to the show.

            ====================

(HERITAGE AUCTIONS SPORTING SEVERAL "ONE OF'S")

An incredible number of one of a kind items highlight the latest Heritage Auctions which take place this week including a letter written and signed by Lou Gehrig just two weeks after his "Luckiest Man" speech. It talks about his illness and how he believes he will be cured. An incredible item.

"Few locations outside of Cooperstown and Canton could match our offices today in terms of quality and quantity of Hall of Fame game used material," said Chris Ivy, director of Heritage Auction Galleries Sports division.

Canton in the fact there are a lot of unique football items. Among them; A complete Notre Dame uniform from about 1900 believed to be the only one in existence, an original first Rose Bowl program from 1902 and an 1872 Yale vs. Columbia program believed to be the only one in existence. 

                                     ==========================

(CAR AUCTIONS: BANG-BANG & PRINCESS DI)

If you like classic cars and are willing to spend the big bucks on a drivable collectibles an auction coming up in a few weeks might be just the thing you are looking for. The antique car from the film "Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang" and the car used to drive Princess Diana around the United States are both going to the auction block.

(Several cars such as the one at the left were used in the filming of the movie.)

Kruse International, an auction house, is offering both cars in its May 31 auction which will close June 3. The movie car is expected to bring $150,000 while the Rolls Royce Princess Di was escorted in should bring a cool million dollars. Both cars are owned by former restaurant owner Jim Rich of Sugar Grove, IN.

                                            ======================