Redemptions....educate me

[whyconform]

I was a collector as a kid in the 90's, and have since gotten back into it primarily for autographs and game used stuff, however, the whole redemption thing has me asking, and forgive me if I'm asking a dumb question:

Are all cards signed by the players?
So, lets say there's a willie mays autograph redemption, and print run is to be 25...... Of course people who break them initially and redeem them wait and eventually get them, but what about those 2 years down the road just before the expiration.....The card company simply just has to send it, correct?

What about the % of cards that don't get redeemed due to expirations? Do the card companies just sell them? Or destroy them? Give them to employee family? ...... (I'm assuming on card autos....so not stickers that they can simply adhere).....

[nanners13]

:popcorn: this will be a good thread :)!

i don't even have the strength to start to answer

ill leave it at. REDEMPTIONS SUCK and got me out of collecting:)! Thanks panini

[BostonNut]

Replacements is the answer to both of your questions.

[iluvfish2]

I was a collector as a kid in the 90's, and have since gotten back into it primarily for autographs and game used stuff, however, the whole redemption thing has me asking, and forgive me if I'm asking a dumb question:

Are all cards signed by the players?
So, lets say there's a willie mays autograph redemption, and print run is to be 25...... Of course people who break them initially and redeem them wait and eventually get them, but what about those 2 years down the road just before the expiration.....The card company simply just has to send it, correct?

What about the % of cards that don't get redeemed due to expirations? Do the card companies just sell them? Or destroy them? Give them to employee family? ...... (I'm assuming on card autos....so not stickers that they can simply adhere).....

Generally cards are signed by the players. Now as to how they are signed is a different story. Some are on card and hard signed physically by the player. Others are affixed with a sticker the player signed allowing the company to use them in multiple products. So a signing session with said player could be say 1000 autographs. If they use 100 autographs per product, then they could go 10 products (and in theory avoid redemptions).

Now redemptions can and most do have expiration dates. This is where a lot of use get upset. The company can not issue the redemption card unless the player is under contract to sign the cards/items. Doesnt mean they will mind you (insert and end rant), but they were or are obligated to sign them. So lets say they do sign them. Could be they got them back late to the company to pack out, and at that point they're in house ready to be fulfilled. At that point once you enter your redemption, it will be filled in the order received, in theory as fast as possible.

If the player doesnt sign the cards the company has pre ty much one option as suing the player doesnt do them any good (if you are another player are you going to sign cards for the same company that just sued your buddy - likely no, potentially not worth the hassle). At that point the company will try and do their best to replace the card with something. Gets weird here as they can only work with that they have in hand for replacements, sometimes you can give your input, sometimes you just get a random replacement package. Trying to avoid any snarkyness in my response...I'll leave that to the others.

[smapdi]

Are all cards signed by the players?

Empirically, no. In general, redemptions have a high percentage of fulfillment, but you will find a lot more complaints about unfulfilled ones because that's human nature, and we shouldn't congratulate people for doing what they promise to do, anyway.

Or are you asking if the players sign them or someone else? There have been cases where the card was definitely signed by someone other than the player, but just a couple AFAIK.

So, lets say there's a willie mays autograph redemption, and print run is to be 25...... Of course people who break them initially and redeem them wait and eventually get them, but what about those 2 years down the road just before the expiration.....The card company simply just has to send it, correct?

Ideally, yes. As most redemptions are fulfilled, there is a very good chance that any time before the expiration period a redemption will be sent out pretty quickly after submission. However, there's also a chance that that card was never actually made/signed, so even after years, up to and beyond the expiration period, the redemption will be unfulfilled. I've also heard of cases where the player was supposed to sign X cards but signed fewer.

What about the % of cards that don't get redeemed due to expirations? Do the card companies just sell them? Or destroy them? Give them to employee family? ...... (I'm assuming on card autos....so not stickers that they can simply adhere).....

Card companies state they destroy them. However, common sense would say not. There were 500 Bowman Chrome Albert Pujols cards made and signed (let's assume that's true). By 2002 when the redemptions expired, this was a card worth well over $1000. Even if 90% were redeemed, I find it hard to believe Topps would throw away $50,000 worth of cards. I don't know that it's even been directly proven that card companies sell these cards after the fact, but there have been cases where loads of rare cards, redemption or otherwise, hit the market all at once.

Even after redemptions expire, there are tales of people asking for replacements and being sent cards that had been redemptions that had also expired. Even redemptions that other people were still waiting for.

In general, if it's something you really care about, stay away from redemptions until you see them live on the market. And even then, use caution. If you pull one, conventional wisdom these days is to sell it and let the other guy take the chance. FWIW, I'm 1 for 2 with Topps redemptions, both being rare autos #/10 (fail, got a replacement) and #/15 (good), respectively.

[Peties Army]

#FreeD2R

Being educated on redmpetions is like being educated on dating a fat chick. It's good to know about it in case it happens but you'd prefer it to be information you never use.

[eb12057]

:popcorn: this will be a good thread :)!

i don't even have the strength to start to answer

ill leave it at. REDEMPTIONS SUCK and got me out of collecting:)! Thanks panini

I'll agree with this. I still have Panini redemptions that date back over 3 years (12 total). I was promised that they would be replaced within 6-8 weeks from 6/2/15. Still nothing. I just tried calling again after reading this thread, haven't gotten a reponse to emails or phone messages. My advice is to sell all Panini redemptions. Upper Deck on the other hand has been very good to me within the last year.

[awz50]

Death to redemption's

[hairysasquatch]

Death to redemption's

death2redemptions - c'mon man.

[ucLAkers]

New member Aug-2011 first post 2015? 5 years....the exact amount of time frame you will see in redemptions.
Question 1-no
Question 2-10 only the Knights Templar know the answer.

[Corky]

Redemptions are some times a necessary evil. The company has all good intentions on fulfilling them but they are at the mercy of the talent. Some players sign while others, even though they singed a contract to autograph cards and stickers they don't do their side of the agreement and the company is at a loss.

I had a football redemption card that I waited over two years on, and the player was just mediocre but I waited because the card was cool (2012 Strata Clear Cut rookies). The player finally singed when he was out of the league, funny how being unemployed will suddenly remind the player they need to fulfill their contract to get paid by Topps.