BoDoesKnow
Bench Warmer
Discussion of slab quality and my Montana pigskin want list are at the bottom. Thanks to the HGA staff for communicating with me as I sent lots of emails, and for putting the effort into these designs. I think that what they are doing is awesome and other companies should do similar. Even if you have criticisms, I think we should show them some support as a community for at least a bit. Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
First up, the 3 pigskin cards. Each is a game-used Super Bowl ball patch. I gave them some design ideas but mainly said that what mattered most is that the 3 of these were designed to be displayed together. I think they definitely did good with this trio and it looks cool. 1 design across all 3... very cool. Asking them to coordinate the designs of these 3 is slightly above and beyond their normal process, so I am pleased we could make this happen.
This next one is probably the least valuable to the marketplace because it is not numbered, but it might be my favorite because I love the artwork and overall look of the card. They did exactly what I asked here and could not have done a better job with the artwork on this one. I think I may like this one more than the pigskin cards, but I still respect the pigskins more because they just can't make a lot of those in the future and the Super Bowl patches will have significance and collector value long after Joe Montana is forgotten by later generations.
They pretty much did what I asked here as well with the dualing jersey patterns, gold trim replication etc.
The Player Timelines... again they pretty much did what I asked here as well and they worked in that sun dial to match the card. The color matching is slightly off on the last two but nothing to be upset about here.
Overall, extremely pleased that they took my comments and tried to do what i asked with the artwork. I think the first 4 here are real home runs in my book when it comes to the end result.
Why no grades? I don't care. I just wanted the custom artwork and the offer a cheaper option with no grading. I have no intent to sell these, and don't care what someone else thinks of my corners etc I thought it was just going to be the HGA logo where you see the "A" now and did not know I would get the authentic label. If I could do it again, I would just get them graded, as this is better than the "A" in my opinion, even if they are all 8s. I did actually try to change that after the order was in, but I don't blame anyone for that not getting through all of the way... that was a poorly communicated late-change, so that is on me.
About those horizontal slabs now... I saw good reviews of the horizontal slabs on Youtube and figured this was a great idea. The horizontal slabs are probably the best slabs that I have dealt with. They have good weight and a great look and have a general great quality feel… not a cheap plastic feel. Very much the opposite of cheap plastic. They are different than their vertical slabs. These are a completely different slab construction and they just confirmed to me that they are also sonically sealed.
FYI ALL OF THEIR STUFF IS SONICALLY SEALED UNLESS IT CANT BE SEALED THAT WAY BECAUSE OF THICKNESS. I had seen a negative review of their stuff while waiting on mine, showing adhesive-sealed example. My vertical slab is adhesive sealed as well, so this had me steaming a bit last night thinking this is just how they do things, but that's just not the case and I have asked them and they clarified this all before I posted here today.
I just put one of the horizontal slabs on a postal scale and it is 3.2 oz. I also put a Beckett vertical slab on there for comparison and it is 2.3 oz and an old BCCG vert. slab and that one is 1.6 oz.... and the numbers seem about right as far as the quality feel goes to me. The horizontal slabs just feel superior to everything else and that frosting on the edges is done perfectly. Im sure they had an option that was $.20 cheaper per slab when buying in bulk but they didn't go for that and I give them huge props for not cutting that corner.
My Joe Montana Super Bowl Pigskin want list: there are 3 more out there that I need and if anyone sees them... ever, please let me know. These are:
2002 Donruss Classics Ball and Lace Super Bowl Pigskin /25 (CP-2)
2004 Donruss Classics Ball and Lace Superbowl Pigskin /25 (CP-3)
2010 Panini Classics Montana/Rice Pigskin /25
First up, the 3 pigskin cards. Each is a game-used Super Bowl ball patch. I gave them some design ideas but mainly said that what mattered most is that the 3 of these were designed to be displayed together. I think they definitely did good with this trio and it looks cool. 1 design across all 3... very cool. Asking them to coordinate the designs of these 3 is slightly above and beyond their normal process, so I am pleased we could make this happen.
This next one is probably the least valuable to the marketplace because it is not numbered, but it might be my favorite because I love the artwork and overall look of the card. They did exactly what I asked here and could not have done a better job with the artwork on this one. I think I may like this one more than the pigskin cards, but I still respect the pigskins more because they just can't make a lot of those in the future and the Super Bowl patches will have significance and collector value long after Joe Montana is forgotten by later generations.
They pretty much did what I asked here as well with the dualing jersey patterns, gold trim replication etc.
The Player Timelines... again they pretty much did what I asked here as well and they worked in that sun dial to match the card. The color matching is slightly off on the last two but nothing to be upset about here.
Overall, extremely pleased that they took my comments and tried to do what i asked with the artwork. I think the first 4 here are real home runs in my book when it comes to the end result.
Why no grades? I don't care. I just wanted the custom artwork and the offer a cheaper option with no grading. I have no intent to sell these, and don't care what someone else thinks of my corners etc I thought it was just going to be the HGA logo where you see the "A" now and did not know I would get the authentic label. If I could do it again, I would just get them graded, as this is better than the "A" in my opinion, even if they are all 8s. I did actually try to change that after the order was in, but I don't blame anyone for that not getting through all of the way... that was a poorly communicated late-change, so that is on me.
About those horizontal slabs now... I saw good reviews of the horizontal slabs on Youtube and figured this was a great idea. The horizontal slabs are probably the best slabs that I have dealt with. They have good weight and a great look and have a general great quality feel… not a cheap plastic feel. Very much the opposite of cheap plastic. They are different than their vertical slabs. These are a completely different slab construction and they just confirmed to me that they are also sonically sealed.
FYI ALL OF THEIR STUFF IS SONICALLY SEALED UNLESS IT CANT BE SEALED THAT WAY BECAUSE OF THICKNESS. I had seen a negative review of their stuff while waiting on mine, showing adhesive-sealed example. My vertical slab is adhesive sealed as well, so this had me steaming a bit last night thinking this is just how they do things, but that's just not the case and I have asked them and they clarified this all before I posted here today.
I just put one of the horizontal slabs on a postal scale and it is 3.2 oz. I also put a Beckett vertical slab on there for comparison and it is 2.3 oz and an old BCCG vert. slab and that one is 1.6 oz.... and the numbers seem about right as far as the quality feel goes to me. The horizontal slabs just feel superior to everything else and that frosting on the edges is done perfectly. Im sure they had an option that was $.20 cheaper per slab when buying in bulk but they didn't go for that and I give them huge props for not cutting that corner.
My Joe Montana Super Bowl Pigskin want list: there are 3 more out there that I need and if anyone sees them... ever, please let me know. These are:
2002 Donruss Classics Ball and Lace Super Bowl Pigskin /25 (CP-2)
2004 Donruss Classics Ball and Lace Superbowl Pigskin /25 (CP-3)
2010 Panini Classics Montana/Rice Pigskin /25
