G’day Cricket Mafia
As promised!!!
I thought I would give this question a little concentrated effort in the hope that I could offer some decent suggestions and what I would really like to see from select! I am a big fan of Select’s first foray into the Cricket card market with the demise of Futera Australia and I would like to share these ‘nuggets’ with you all.
1. Do away with the sketch card! They may look great for Indiana Jones or Aragorn but they simply don’t cut it with sporting cards!
2. Let’s nip an Allan Border Medal Predictor card in the bud now! Not wanted and not appreciated.
3. And while we are in a negative mood lets not saddle up the Bradman pony again please! Let it rest, I have more respect for him than the average punter but let him be celebrated in print and memory and not another cash grab.
Ah and now to the suggestions
1. Redemptions and signatures must be valuable (or at least perceived to be) so an issue of sketch cards will just not do (did I do this already? Bear with me please!). Rookie sigs are valid as are limited run hero or legend signatures, but not in the 1000’s please IKON!!
2. While I don’t collect more than the base set of select’s football issues, I believe they do have a good case for introducing and ongoing set continuing each year. The AFL Premiership cards are both number and limited and could be a fun set to collect.
3. 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!)
4. 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! Or lets celebrate the members of Australian crickets 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)
5. First to 1000 runs or 100 wickets etc or the lineage of test records with Charlie Bannerman to Hayden for highest score, plenty of room there.
6. 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.
Lets acknowledge that Select are in the business of making money, we all agree about that and we will probably continue to buy the cards but ultimately we are their best customers, so lets let them know that we would appreciate:
a. Good quality card stock, as it will be appreciated and we are more likely to pay a little extra for it. Put up your hand if you have the Futera 94/95 Ashes heroes boxed set! (Oo oo me, I do) Good quality isn’t it?
b. The Photographs must be good quality and not shrouded in patriotic state colours with computer generated curls and swishes. You can be artistic look at the Elite XI from 94, fantastic looking cards, and yet even glittery foil cards have stood the test of time!
I have tried to be positive about what I would like to see but I fear that we will get a series on poor quality card stock with a dozen Man of the Match or Ashes Moments followed by 4 or 5 ‘Securing the Urn’ sketch card moments with a smiling R.T. Ponting holding up another ashes replica.
All the best
Dan