Suggestions to Select!

[Mamboblue72]

Today i swapped a couple of emails with Di, Licensing Manager at Select Australia and Tim ,AKA cricket_cox, suggested that we start a new thread to gather ideas to send to Di.

Di is happy to hear our suggestions and we think it is an outstanding opportunity to have some input in the future of cricket cards in Australia!

I have condensed a number of suggestions from Tim's thread http://www.ozcardtrader.com.au/foru...2009-10-select-cricket-what-would-you-do.html into a letter and will incorporate many more of your suggestions in an email to them next week!

As 'high end users' i'm sure that they will take on what we suggest, so let me know what you would like to see!

Cheers
Dan

 

[cricket_cox]

Release Details
> If there isn't 1 sig per box, put the pack price down to $3
> 6000+ Boxes

Base Cards
Instead of having an ugly background like the last two releases. Keep the original background from the picture like in AFL and NRL Champions.

Inserts
I'd say 90% of collectors are getting sick and tired of Foil sigs and Sketches in select releases. Maybe things focusing on players of past generations. For example the past heroes sub set in 08-09 only had players from the past 25 or so years. Maybe something like leathal bowlers (australias fastest bowlers throughout the years), statistical feats and Predictors (like brownlow or premiership predictors in afl releases) for the various awards at the Allan Border Medal night. Every individual insert from the last two select releases has been kept to a production run of 1500 or less. How about numbering every insert? Could increase value of cards as people chase the lower numbered signature cards, guess they'd do the same with inserts?

Box Card
07-08 and 08-09 had box cards which I liked. Pitty they were sketches and crappy looking honour awards. Maybe like in the AFL series 2 release every year, there is are box cards for every premiership. How about a certain amount of box cards for every release commerating each Ashes series. People love knowing that they will definately get a nice card when they buy a box. These should too be numbered.

Signature Cards
I don't think in the two cricket releases that Select has nailed signatures on the head. The good thing about 07-08 is that they were limited to 200 (nice lowish number) but they were 1 per 6 boxes. 08-09 they were too common and too highly produced. If Select can get the production and ratio of signature cards right, the cricket release will grow in popularity. Maybe a AB Medal signature card from the previous season (very limited). Some Australian Players and some State Players. But making sure there's not too many sigs and not to many produced. Dual Autos are also a clever thought, e.g Hughes and Katch or Ponting and Clarke or Maybe Lee and Johnson.
One more thing about selects cricket signatures is that the past two years they have been landscape. How about a portrait layout?

Game Used Cards
These have been successful in NBA cards in the USA from brands like Upper Deck and Topps. If we could have a very limited one or two such as Bat or stump splints, destinguishable parts of a shirt and so on.

Case Cards
Taking another idea from AFL releases here, people bag inserts in AFL releases but not the cards Im getting ideas from as they are better things people like to see. AFL series 1 has the 300 game case card in it. How about a 100 Test matches card. a couple of them per release?

Files
Well the AFL ones are nice, softer, have a zip and the logo is printed on. It comes with 2 packs and a album card all for $20. The 2008-09 alubm is a standard file with plastic sheet on the outside for a A4 piece of paper stuck inside! that to costs $20! That proves that little thought goes into the cricket release.

Hope select takes some of my suggestions into consideration

 

[Warney]

i'd do anything for the die cuts as i explained in tim's thread for the next series

 

[COMPO]

I'd like to see something special like an "Impact Card".Futera issued a couple that I know of. One (50 cards) with the 1996 Elite which entitled the holder on redemption to every insert card in the series. Including the "Specialists" and "Freshman" and the "Caught Marsh bowled Lillie" redemption. And a similar one (of 25 cards) in the "Decider' series.

I'd also like to see signature cards from our recent neglected heroes like Simpson, Lawry, Benaud, Cowper, Booth, Massie and Redpath etc.

 

[Matt26]

Guys, I have made this thread a sticky as I think its a great idea in what you are doing.

I reckon that Select could possibly look at a couple of the following:

Inscriptions - Could you imagine an Auto card with an inscription? There would be plenty you could do! Imagine an invincibles inscription, 100 on debut, Hat Trick..etc....

Run Machines Auto Set - Signature cards signed on wood (GU if possible) like this Griffey Baseball auto below

Maybe even a set for bowlers as well like these?

There are a few ideas!

Cheers
Matt

 

[howzat]

Three cheers for Dan, while the rest of us sit around talking about things, and bouncing ideas around, you actually get in there and follow them through eg price guide and this (price guide taking a lot longer to fill in accurately, then I first thought) Thanks

Im going to sound like a broken record, but any chance of an international set? I know that from a business point of view, it might cost more though.

So that brings me to my next point. I would like too see a smaller run of boxes instead of 6000 they could maybe make it 4800 australian players only release and to bridge that gap of 1200 they could look at doing an "elite" or "premier" set on better card stock which features international players as well (I would like to think there is a market for 2 sets on the cricket scene) They could release the 4800 boxes at the normal time they release them ie. for cricket season and then 6 months down the track they could release, the "premier" set to tide people over during the australian cricket off-season.

If an international set is definitely out of the question, then maybe the base sets could be all Australian, but have international players in the inserts.

International inserts

Test Match 10000 runs club (Tendulkar, Lara, Border, Ponting, Waugh, Dravid, Kallis, Gavaskar) and ODI 10000 runs club (Tendulkar, Jayasuriya, Ul-Haq, Ponting, Ganguly, Dravid, Lara, Kallis)

The Test Match 500 wickets club (Murali aka chucker, Warne, Kumble, McGrath, Walsh) or the ODI 350 wickets club (Murali, Akram, Younis, Vaas, Pollock, McGrath)

Or the 99 club, people painfully dismissed for 99 or left stranded on 99 not out. Ducks on debuts (would include the likes of sobers, de silva, tendulkar and Martyn who all got ducks in their ODI debuts) or most ducks in a row (would include Gus Logie, Dennis Lillee, Tendulkar, Ponting)


With regards to Tim's idea of the numbered inserts, that seems like an absolute must! They really need to bring that back - for something quite simple, it really would make a world of difference (eg. 08/09 supposedly a 6000 box release. AB Medallist sketch cards 1 per box. 7 cards in the series. If thats true then there were 857.142857 of them each and thats just one example of cards that dont match the odds/boxes released)

The Bradman Tribute card from Topps 2002 - 4800 box release - 1 per 30 boxes and the Gilly GU card 1 per 120 boxes means there are 160 Bradmans and 40 Gilly cards, according to "legend" - how much sweeter and more valuable would cards like that be if they had a gold inscription on the back 1/40 or 69/160

As for the game used cards, I didnt know anything much about them until I found this site, and some of the NBA ones I have seen in the basketball section are awesome. Someone in there had a Phoenix Suns GU card from memory (dont know the player), but this particular GU card had the NBA logo taken from someone's jersey. Imagine a cricket GU where you score a part of a particular players GU shirt, but its part of the coat of arms, or part of their "cap" number...


Anyway thanks for listening to my ideas

 

[Warney]

As tim said a while ago Select unfortuaentley won't release an international set which is a real shame.

 

[howzat]

Sorry mate, I must have missed that... That's one hell of a shame, but like I said maybe they could include international inserts, but that probably wont happen either. Wish I had known about that before I wasted my time writing all of that! LOL

Either way I would still like to see 2 releases. The normal more heavily produced run and then a limited premier release to get us all through the australian "off season"

 

[Warney]

a shame mate, but great ideas to contribute there!!

 

[cricket_cox]

07-08 was 6000 boxes, 08-09 was 4800 boxes.

 

[howzat]

Ok then 4800 box release. Sketch cards 1 per box. 7 cards to the set.
You see what I mean? Bring back the numbered inserts

 

[Mamboblue72]

Thanks Scanlens all great ideas and i will include them in the letter, however i must let you know im not a big fan of the sketch cards! ok i guess as a low level insert but never as a redemption. They have no percieved or real value! It doesn't take much to get a struggeling artist to whip a few poor quality sketches and make them a limited release! Past success suggests that GU and signatures are valid as redemptions but not a collective set (all be it oversize cards) of a current insert. At best it is lazy and at worst it is disrespectful to collectors!

 

[cricket_cox]

with the production run, 3 of the cards might have 686 produced and the other 4 685 or something, its not that uncommon.

Yep sketches and foil sigs have been in select realeases for 3 years...something different!!!!

 

[howzat]

Totally agree about the sketches - The AB medallist sketches are the only sketch cards I have kept and was using them as an example. Thanks for clearing that up too Tim. As a redemption it was a terrible idea - 1:1800 packs and thats all you get! What a rip off! They were worthless too, saw individual oversizeds selling for $20 - $30 earlier on in the year...

 

[cricket_cox]

what i dont get is when there is 1 sig per box the pack price is usually $4-5. It was $4 is 08-09. 07-09 sigs were 1 per six and no other redemptions yet price was too $4.

 

[Mamboblue72]

These are the marketting questions i hope to talk to them about! Value and perceived value! That is why the work you are doing mate is so vital to producing a fair price for cards!
Cheers Mate

 

[howzat]

I doubt you will see a pack of cricket come out for less than $4 these days regardless of the ratio of inserts...

 

[Mamboblue72]

To all the Cricket Card Mafia,
Thanks for all the suggestions guys i will put together a letter and send it off today

All the best
Dan

 

[Mamboblue72]

Here it is guys i hope it represents your suggestions!
Looking forward to their reply
Cheers Dan

'Thank you for allowing us to put forward a few suggestions and observations, We have tried to capture a few issues and it is not meant as criticism. We have enjoyed some spirited debate lately, as to what we would like to see, so We humbly offer these suggestions,

The forums suggest that the 97/98 and especially the 98/99 issues have been very well received amongst collectors, there will always be a legacy to Futera as their cards will always be in the market so inevitably comparisons will always be made.

Good quality card stock, as it will be appreciated and we are more likely to pay a little extra for it.

Please do away with the sketch card! They may look great for Movie Cards, Indiana Jones or Lord of the Rings, but they don’t encapsulate the dynamism of sporting cards!

The Photographs should be of good quality and not shrouded in patriotic state colours with computer generated curls and swishes. Foil and composite designs still have a place and will be appreciated more than stock photography; obviously this is dependant on access to the particular photos of the event.

Some of the success of the previous issues of cards has been the inclusion of international teams. The current climate of higher profile international tournaments and that Australians play in these events may be and additional opportunity to expand the series content.

Signatures/Redemptions
Obviously Select have very successful version in the AFL and NRL releases and the previous cricket releases, except for last year, have been excellent and are highly prized by collectors

Redemptions and signatures must be valuable (or at least perceived to be).
Rookie signatures are valid however not at the expense of the limited run ‘Hero’ or ‘Legend Signatures’ and the possibility of Dual signatures would have a high place in a sport that relies on the principle of partnership.

Futera had a great idea with the ‘Impact Card’ and Select could have a rare ‘Master Set’ Redemption where you receive all the inserts in a special folder rather than the oversized sketch card issue that is perceived as having no real value!

Memorabilia or Match used equipment cards are high profile and are now the reason why Topps 2002 boxes continue to sell years after their release. The opportunity to own a piece of history will always appeal to collectors. Even the chance to win a signed cricket bat could be viable.

Inserts
Inserts are the real reason for buying cards now, the emphasis used to be on completing the set, while that continues, it is the high end signatures and inserts that people are now looking for, as such the individual numbering of inserts increase the perception of value. There is obviously and added cost dimension to do this but I‘m sure the modern printing process can allow this to happen.

Some ideas for inserts:
1. An equivalent series to The AFL Premiership cards detailing past Ashes series, numbered, limited and ongoing from issue to issue.

2. Players who have represented Australia at WSC/ODI level. I think there have been about 170-180

3. Parallel platinum set as with 98/99
4. Other insert sets could follow the line of legends, memorable matches etc however why not change direction and include a set of soul destroying defeats, Melbourne ’83, Headingly ’85, Adelaide ’93 and Calcutta ’01 and of course Edgbaston ’05, that would at least stir some thought (and some pain. Ouch it still hurts!)

5. We are a patriotic lot so why not acknowledge the sacrifice of the Australian Cricketers that were killed in War! Ross Gregory was going to be the next best thing before perishing in a plane crash during WW2!

6. Or lets celebrate the members of Australian cricket’s Hall of Fame (easy crossover from the AFL series) or Pioneering Australians like Eddie Gilbert and even Allan McGilvray or Bob Parish or even Yabba (hey Jardine Ya B$%^*£d leave our flies alone)

7. First to 1000 runs or 100 wickets etc or the lineage of test records with Charlie Bannerman to Hayden for highest score, Test Match 10000 runs club, The Test Match 500 wickets club, Or the 99 club, plenty of room there.

8. Commentary team cards or even a set of signatures, fantastic for a bit of fun.

We appreciate these suggestions are not based on marketing Information or production costs and that there would be a whole raft of reason why certain cards are produced. We, at least hope that there may be one little gem that you are able to use in future. We all look forward to the next series release coming soon after, hopefully, a successful Ashes defence in England.'

 

[COMPO]

Excellent Dan. Thanks for the effort u made on our behalf. If it was a bit warmer in Melbourne I'd come dowm and buy you a schooner (or whatever u call it). Ron