This Week in Cards

The wait is over for cards of Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and the rest of the 2012 rookie crop in their NFL uniforms. 2012 Prestige Football has the first cards of 2012 draft picks wearing their new jerseys. Aimed at set builders, the clean designs and ample autographs should make it popular. Collectors will also want to be on the lookout for rookie variations showing key prospects moments after they were drafted.

Also just releasing is 2012 Leaf Pop Century. The all-autograph release is led by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Palin and Britney Spears. Another card to watch include a quad autograph with the entire Pawn Stars gang. Two pop culture figures who recently passed away have what will likely be their final autograph cards in the set: Rodney King and Henry Hill. As always, Pop Century is filled with lots of interesting names of past and present stars.

2012 Topps Tier One Baseball continues to be very strong on the secondary market, particularly the low-numbered inserts and memorabilia cards. The one-of-one Bat Knob cards are some of the hottest cards of the year. The Roberto Clemente passed the $3,000 mark. Roger Maris and Carl Yastrzemski cards each went for more than $1,000. The Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio cards were listed and later taken down.

The National Sports Collectors Convention is fast approaching and card companies are starting to announce their giveaways and redemption programs. Yu Darvish and Bryce Harper highlight the set of exclusive Gypsy Queen mini cards. Topps will also be having a set of exclusive Blue Refractors for 2012 Bowman Platinum. Upper Deck has an exclusive wrapper redemption set that includes Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, LeBron James and Tiger Woods. A different group will be offered each day. Collectors can also look for randomly inserted autographs. In the Game has also announced their plans, many of which come with show-exclusive stamps and low numbering. Collectors can expect more announcements as the convention approaches.