Why are card companies so secretive?

[PuddleMonkey]

Maybe someone can shed some light on why it's so damn hard to get checklist information from card companies

I like to collect autographed sets. One I started this year is the 2014 Low Tek Diffractor autographs /15

First thing I do is google for the checklist so I have something to work off of. When I find multiple sites with the same checklist I figure that's gotta be accurate. I've been to Topps website and I can't find ANY checklists.

The set is short and sweet as you can see below:

https://i.imgur.com/MSNwGQx.jpg



https://i.imgur.com/qe0s6BD.jpg







So how is it I come across this today?

https://i.imgur.com/HLvMdGR.jpg


I'm levels of pissed I can't even describe right now. How many other damn cards are in this set I don't know about? I hope Topps & Panini die in a fire.



.

[kabrune2]

It’s part incompetence, part they don’t care, and part trying to be non-transparent that they don’t want you to know how many crap players they’ve loaded into auto pool for each set.

[Mallow423]

I second your frustration...there is no reason to not release a full checklist from 2014 lol I think there should be maybe 2 years between release and full checklist, more than enough time for people to rip and discover unannounced cards or inserts

[ochawkeye14]

Members at TCDB have no insider knowledge of checklists. The site is entirely crowd sourced. It is very likely that the first checklist you show was the source of the checklist loaded onto TCDB. I love the site, but it may not be the second opinion you're seeking.

But I totally agree that the secrecy on old checklists is too weird. I think it's just as likely that they lack organizational skills and no one over there actually has a checklist.

[Stech36]

They’re checklists definitely aren’t perfect. In 2017, Jim Edmonds was on the Archives Signature checklist. But he wasn’t in the product. I saw lots of player auctions where his spot went for a good amount of money.

[rngrdanny22]

I mean, I get the frustration of the checklist, but as a collector, shouldn't finding something you didn't know existed in a set you're passionate enough to collect bring some excitement and not disdain?

[mfw13]

I think mostly it is incompetence, rather than maliciousness.

Checklists are put together by humans, and humans make mistakes....

I'm still looking for a 2014 Topps Strata Willie Mays shadowbox card that is listed in all the checklists, but does not appear to ever have been released.

[PuddleMonkey]

I mean, I get the frustration of the checklist, but as a collector, shouldn't finding something you didn't know existed in a set you're passionate enough to collect bring some excitement and not disdain?

No, Danny, it shouldn't bring excitement. All it does is create uncertainty and doubt. How many more players are in the set I don't know about? How will I know when the set is complete? Can I ever be certain it is complete? What's the point in collecting a set if you don't know what's in the set?

[rngrdanny22]

No, Danny, it shouldn't bring excitement. All it does is create uncertainty and doubt. How many more players are in the set I don't know about? How will I know when the set is complete? Can I ever be certain it is complete? What's the point in collecting a set if you don't know what's in the set?


Cletors are FURIOUS and LIVID!

Good luck on your endeavors. I, personally, think it's pretty cool that a non-checklisted card of a set nobody really cared for from 6 years ago just magically appeared after all these years.

[rman112]

WuU4avARPec&pp=QAA%3D

[coachnip13]

I hope Topps & Panini die in a fire.




No you don't, because they are obviously the source of the most important thing in your life.

[djolley86]

I don't think Topps/Panini really care about checklists, given people will literally buy whatever crap they put out with or without one.

[PuddleMonkey]

No you don't, because they are obviously the source of the most important thing in your life.

Add Florida to that list.

[Archimedes]

I don't think Topps/Panini really care about checklists, given people will literally buy whatever crap they put out with or without one.

Yeah, why bother?

[MoreToppsPlease]

It’s normal for hobby institutions to be as secretive as possible.

Do people really think Beckett determines card values in a consistent fashion?

Why won’t PSA reveal its grading methodologies?

One can easily assume it’s bad for business for hobby institutions to be transparent.

[ucLAkers]

Anyone here my age when the checklist was in the packs? :D
Had 2 open 2 ice-cream truck boxes to get all 4 checklist! And I used them with pencils!

[PuddleMonkey]

Anyone here my age when the checklist was in the packs? :D
Had 2 open 2 ice-cream truck boxes to get all 4 checklist! And I used them with pencils!

I always felt ripped off as a kid when I got a checklist in my pack of cards. Now I'd kill someone for a checklist.

[1989FF]

I always felt ripped off as a kid when I got a checklist in my pack of cards. Now I'd kill someone for a checklist.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Topps 2022- "Due to Popular Demand, SSP Checklists".

[saraceno21]

They can’t release checklists sometimes because they simply have no idea what the checklist is. They, in some cases, didn’t record the info properly before packing out the product.

[mfw13]

I don't think Topps/Panini really care about checklists, given people will literally buy whatever crap they put out with or without one.

This.

When people are rushing to plop down deposits months before a product is released, manufacturers have no incentive to produce checklists in a timely manner.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Did Topps ever release checklists ahead of release before the ‘90s?

[Skipscards]

That is weird. I know Braun was a part of the 35 card set that isn’t autographed. I had no idea an auto card existed. Maybe it was a redemption replacement?

[PuddleMonkey]

If these companies want me to collect their releases the least they can do is tell me what I'm collecting.

[1989FF]

If these companies want me to collect their releases the least they can do is tell me what I'm collecting.

1899 Fleer FF says hello. Have an email from Fleer with many missing. It will never be perfect.

[PuddleMonkey]

1899 Fleer FF says hello. Have an email from Fleer with many missing. It will never be perfect.

Fleer's been around longer than I remember.

[altaeria]

They purposely want it to be a wild goose chase--
so addicted suckers like us keep buying and buying and
searching desperately for stuff that may or may not actually exist.

[ucLAkers]

Fleer's been around longer than I remember.

Yea apparently since 1899....

[NYBBFAN]

Secretive? I always assumed it was incompetence.

[DaaaaBears]

man, just drop the completing the entire checklist thing, sell off the losers and buy ANY guys that come up that you WANT.....surprises galore....if i saw a braun i would be happy not to have completed the entire checklist....i bet if there are many others not on the checklist they will all be lesser chumps

[PuddleMonkey]

man, just drop the completing the entire checklist thing, sell off the losers and buy ANY guys that come up that you WANT.....surprises galore....if i saw a braun i would be happy not to have completed the entire checklist....i bet if there are many others not on the checklist they will all be lesser chumps

Oh I have, I pulled aside 10 sets I am stopping, a couple of them only one or two cards away from completing (or at least I think I'm only one or two cards away). I don't plan on starting any new sets either, unless these companies can get their sht together.

[coachnip13]

Oh I have, I pulled aside 10 sets I am stopping, a couple of them only one or two cards away from completing (or at least I think I'm only one or two cards away). I don't plan on starting any new sets either, unless these companies can get their sht together.

You're a real hero. Not sure how those companies will be able to move on from this.

[mfw13]

Did Topps ever release checklists ahead of release before the ‘90s?

Of course not....there was no internet and therefore no way to release them.
That's why checklist cards were included as part of the set.

But nobody cared because there were no "special" cards....just 660 or 792 cards of major league players.

SportsCard Radio was the first website I can remember publishing checklists of new releases online, and that was around 2007-08.

Even CardBoard Connection has only been publishing checklists for new releases regularly for 6-7 years.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Of course not....there was no internet and therefore no way to release them.
That's why checklist cards were included as part of the set.

But nobody cared because there were no "special" cards....just 660 or 792 cards of major league players.

SportsCard Radio was the first website I can remember publishing checklists of new releases online, and that was around 2007-08.

Even CardBoard Connection has only been publishing checklists for new releases regularly for 6-7 years.


Ok, that’s what I thought. Everyone generally knew who’d be included because there was only the one series for many of those years. A good time for the hobby.

[PuddleMonkey]

You're a real hero. Not sure how those companies will be able to move on from this.

Settle down, Coach Karen.

[rngrdanny22]

Settle down, Coach Karen.


I mean, if anyone is being a true "Karen" in this thread it's you.

Complaining? Check
Boycotting until you get your way? Check
Whining that there is more to collect? Check


How exactly did you expect this thread to go? Did you want us all to stand up against the mean companies and demand proper checklists? Perhaps for us to start a change.org petition?

[PuddleMonkey]

I mean, if anyone is being a true "Karen" in this thread it's you.

Complaining? Check
Boycotting until you get your way? Check
Whining that there is more to collect? Check


How exactly did you expect this thread to go? Did you want us all to stand up against the mean companies and demand proper checklists? Perhaps for us to start a change.org petition?

I see you're still bent about page one, Danny.

[palmetto7]

Its all so stupid. Like Heritage black border has to be a mysterious number, along with purple chrome, so on and so forth. Just hurts the value of the product ultimatedly.

[rngrdanny22]

I see you're still bent about page one, Danny.

I believe you made the boycott comment in post #30, on page 2.

[Noles939913]

I feel you. I was kicking around the idea of putting together the 2020 Topps Tribute Autograph Patches set that’s /50 but have yet to see a Mike Trout or the Buster Posey. I feel like there’s a few more that I haven’t seen either.

[PuddleMonkey]

I believe you made the boycott comment in post #30, on page 2.

I'm talking about page one, Danny. You being a player collector and not a set collector I don't expect you to understand. However, the sooner everyone just admits I'm right regarding sets we can all move on because I am ready to die on this hill.

https://i.imgur.com/qlvXNOT.jpg

[coachnip13]

Settle down, Coach Karen.

I was being serious. You're doing great things for the hobby. A real warrior.

[PuddleMonkey]

I was being serious. You're doing great things for the hobby. A real warrior.

https://i.imgur.com/jBrOAFZ.gif

[PuddleMonkey]

It's getting quite windy here, so if we're gonna fight we need to do it now before I lose power.

[PuddleMonkey]

Power went out but has now been restored. I appreciate all the prayers and well wishes while I navigate through this difficult time.

[unclemonkey]

Never heard of the product before... neat stuff and good luck.

[smapdi]

All the card companies have had this issue. They compile a checklist for cards to make months before the product is released. They print the cards, send them off for autos and assembly of patches and whatever else needs special attention, then they pack them and ship them. From the time a checklist is finalized to the day the cases leave the factory is a span of 4-6 months or more, and things change for whatever reason in the interval. While we all like to think that there are people managing this process that have 100% complete knowledge of every card being packed out, sadly that's proven not to be the case. Or if it is, that person is someone at the factory, maybe not even a card company employee, and that knowledge is in his or her head alone. So when you call Topps customer service or look up a list on a website, they only know what the "official" story was as written months before, and often that story has changed in a least a small way. Maybe artwork or photos have changed, maybe a player on the checklist has been replaced, maybe the autographs need to be replaced with redemption cards and maybe those redemption cards will never be fulfilled for whatever reason. While it's super-irritating to not know something simple like how many cards are in a set and who they are, these are all things that happen continually, and will always happen. Complaining about checklist inaccuracy on a third-party site isn't really fair, since they can only work with the info provided. People tend to love finding unchecklisted cards, but they're just more examples of how complicated putting out a card set can be, and communicating those changes back through channels to the marketing people or whoever is in charge of publishing an official checklist, and those changes being published, is just something that seems to be difficult to make happen because there are no consequences to it.

[PuddleMonkey]

Topps: Collect our cards!

Me: Ok, what are they?

Topps: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯