Topps announces aflac psa authentication program

[blowoutcards]

TOPPS ANNOUNCES AFLAC PSA AUTHENTICATION PROGRAM


The AFLAC High School All-American Autographed cards that were inserted into packs of the recently-released 2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects did not get sequentially numbered. The seven subjects included Archie Bradley, Dylan Bundy, Larry Greene, Travis Harrison, Francisco Lindor, Robert Stephenson and Blake Swihart.



To ensure the autographed card’s authenticity, Topps has teamed with PSA on a program that allows collectors to have their card certified and graded free of charge.



Collectors holding any of the seven different cards pulled from packs of 2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects should send their card and return information to the address below. Each card’s autograph will be examined for authenticity as well each card will be graded on PSA’s standard scale (1-10). In addition, all graded cards will feature language on the descriptor tab that is exclusive to this program.



Only AFLAC cards pulled from packs of 2011 Bowman Draft Picks will be accepted. The Topps/PSA program offer is good until July 1, 2012.



AFLAC Certification Program

c/o Topps

1 Whitehall Street

NY, NY 10004

[Jaypers]

I wonder what the turnaround time on these will be.

Not happy about the July 1st deadline.

[bziddy]

Interesting -- they are going to grade the cards? or the autos? my card grades are going to come back poor I think -- guess I'll pull them and send them anyhow.

[dbaks]

I think this is huge. Even if the grade isn't a 10, I think it will help. Everything I read indicating that making fakes would be easy and then in a few months or years no on will believe any of them are real and they won't be worth anything.

I'll be sending mine in for sure!

[7290morint]

Does this still really solve the problem though? Couldn't an in person autograph be submitted and come back as authentic? Is the problem, there is no way to certify that they are pack pulled. Unless there is some identifying mark on the cards...or am I missing something?

[dbaks]

Does this still really solve the problem though? Couldn't an in person autograph be submitted and come back as authentic? Is the problem, there is no way to certify that they are pack pulled. Unless there is some identifying mark on the cards...or am I missing something?

Good point.....maybe I'm not so excited after all :confused:

[bziddy]

it's better than nothing. mine will be in the mail today

[Yankees_Pride]

I am sure the serial number on the back might be able to determine if that one was signed or not. I am imagining that topps gave a stack of cards to these guys that were serialed say 1A874b01 - 1A874b99. and maybe they will be able to determine that way.

You know the number on the back that says to track this card blah blah blah. I dont know maybe in my world thats how it works. But either way a FREE grading is a FREE grading

[7290morint]

I am sure the serial number on the back might be able to determine if that one was signed or not. I am imagining that topps gave a stack of cards to these guys that were serialed say 1A874b01 - 1A874b99. and maybe they will be able to determine that way.

You know the number on the back that says to track this card blah blah blah. I dont know maybe in my world thats how it works. But either way a FREE grading is a FREE grading

Yeah, I was thinking about that too with the serial numbers. One would hope that topps gave them certain numbers to sign which would definitely help.

[Laxbam619]

Jaypers - how could you not be happy about the 7/1 deadline? For christ-sakes they are making good on their f*ck up, when normally they would duck and hide, by offering you FREE grading to be done up till 7 months from now

some people are just never happy:confused:

[dthimesch]

I wonder what the turnaround time on these will be.

Not happy about the July 1st deadline.

I agree, I also wonder what the turn round time will be. And yes that deadline seems awfully thin.

This is very interesting and a very good start. The process may not be the best at the moment but as this evolves it should just get better and better.

[7290morint]

Jaypers - how could you not be happy about the 7/1 deadline? For christ-sakes they are making good on their f*ck up, when normally they would duck and hide, by offering you FREE grading to be done up till 7 months from now

some people are just never happy:confused:

Probably because this is a huge f*ck you to anybody that opens product after 7/1. You really think all of the 2011 BDP&P cases are going to be gone by 7/1? I don't. So anybody who opens product after then gets left out when they hit an Aflac auto. The program should be good for close to year as far as I am concerned. Yes, they are making good on their screw up but it's still something they could have prevented and shouldn't leave people out in the cold just because of when they opened the product.

[tonedef2oo8]

There is no serial number on the backs. And everyone get your IP autographs from the aflac game on the aflac cards ready. Topps is about to ruin the value.

[VWBUS1978]

i'm sending my lindor in, overnight today!

[JDK16]

Jaypers - how could you not be happy about the 7/1 deadline? For christ-sakes they are making good on their f*ck up, when normally they would duck and hide, by offering you FREE grading to be done up till 7 months from now

some people are just never happy:confused:


really they honor replacements for a year after product release and this should be no different.. This is a big fix for Topps but it should be a lot longer... anyone pulling a aflac after july 1st are going be sol and there card wont be worth near as much

[7290morint]

There is no serial number on the backs. And everyone get your IP autographs from the aflac game on the aflac cards ready. Topps is about to ruin the value.

Have a scan of the back of the card to prove this? Every card I've ever seen topps make says "to track this card go to Sports Cards and Entertainment Cards | Topps.com (http://www.topps.com) & enter this number". Why would this be any different? Anybody have the back of a card scanned in for that matter?

[Laxbam619]

really they honor replacements for a year after product release and this should be no different.. This is a big fix for Topps but it should be a lot longer... anyone pulling a aflac after july 1st are going be sol and there card wont be worth near as much

could it also be a business move to sell this stuff quicker?

kind of like the wrapper redemption program was put into play with a deadline so the product would get off the shelves?

[lemur01]

Hate to be a negative Nancy about this, but how does this solve anything?

[7290morint]

Hate to be a negative Nancy about this, but how does this solve anything?

I don't think that it does. See my above comment. The problem is that there is no way to differentiate between a pack pulled one and in person one. Unless there is something that I do not know. So even an IP one can come back as authentic unless there is something topps knows that we don't about being able to identify pack pulled ones.

[kidmikey]

I don't think that it does. See my above comment. The problem is that there is no way to differentiate between a pack pulled one and in person one. Unless there is something that I do not know. So even an IP one can come back as authentic unless there is something topps knows that we don't about being able to identify pack pulled ones.

In a way it won't matter if PSA/Topps has a way of knowing what is pack pulled versus IP. Once they certify it as AUTHENTIC, then IT IS Authentic and will sell that way.

So get your IP autos ready and hope you get the PSA stamp of approval.

[maddux31]

I sold my Bradley on eBay for $43 last night and honestly I was happy to get more than $0 for it. Topps really dropped the ball on this one and, even with the PSA authentication program, they have crushed the value of these AFLAC autos. There is nothing to stop people who obtained IP autos from sending theirs in, and there will always be a cloud of uncertainty surrounding these cards.

[Coug46n2]

In a way it won't matter if PSA/Topps has a way of knowing what is pack pulled versus IP. Once they certify it as AUTHENTIC, then IT IS Authentic and will sell that way.

So get your IP autos ready and hope you get the PSA stamp of approval.

I was thinking the same (that is doesn't matter if it's pack pulled or IP) but it does matter. The 'value' in the AFLAC autos are in the scarcity. Last year we knew there were 230 Harper AFLACs. This year, there could be 1000 Bundy AFLACs. All real autos, all authenticated, but this has a huge impact on their value.

Except for the 7/1 date, I feel this the best they could do for a very BAD blunder.

I'm looking forward to seeing how many pack pulled autos they deem un-authentic. Autos these days are so across the board I don't see how they can accurately tell real ones from the fakes. See Larry Greene for an example. Players sign in a hurry in person = ugly autos. Players signing hundreds of autos for Topps often get in a hurry = ugly autos.

Ugly autos = hard to impossible to authenticate.

[Cubs_rock21]

I wonder what the turnaround time on these will be.

Not happy about the July 1st deadline.

eh, good news is you wont be tempted to sell early, than you might get the card back right when the players are tearing it up in the minors!

[dachman]

At least they are doing something to try and fix it. Now they just need to release the print runs.

[Jaypers]

At least they are doing something to try and fix it. Now they just need to release the print runs.

Don't hold your breath. I asked their Twitter rep about this; he said they weren't releasing print runs this time. :mad:

[maddux31]

Don't hold your breath. I asked their Twitter rep about this; he said they weren't releasing print runs this time. :mad:

Has Topps at any point addressed WHY they didn't serial # or attempt to authenticate these? Obviously, it seems like they just rushed this product out the door, but I wonder what their justification is to their customers.

[Jaypers]

Has Topps at any point addressed WHY they didn't serial # or attempt to authenticate these? Obviously, it seems like they just rushed this product out the door, but I wonder what their justification is to their customers.

Once again, I wouldn't hold your breath for an explanation.

My guess is you're right - they rushed this product out the door, probably for two reasons - 1) in order to beat DEEE's release date, 2) in response to Leaf's early released draft products.

[maddux31]

The sick part is this:

How long would it take to serial # these cards or tack on some sort of serial #'d sticker? With 7 player and ~250 cards/player, you could do still do this manually in a matter of hours.

Once again, I wouldn't hold your breath for an explanation.

My guess is you're right - they rushed this product out the door, probably for two reasons - 1) in order to beat DEEE's release date, 2) in response to Leaf's early released draft products.

[trogdor]

Question. Why couldnt someone get them signed in person by the players then send them in?

[7290morint]

Question. Why couldnt someone get them signed in person by the players then send them in?

they could, that's the problem.

[houdini]

Have a scan of the back of the card to prove this? Every card I've ever seen topps make says "to track this card go to Sports Cards and Entertainment Cards | Topps.com (http://www.topps.com) & enter this number". Why would this be any different? Anybody have the back of a card scanned in for that matter?

Here you go. They all say the same thing and the in game cards are supposed to be identical. These were pack pulled - only 3 in 20 cases.

[ReinholdMessner]

I don't think that it does. See my above comment. The problem is that there is no way to differentiate between a pack pulled one and in person one. Unless there is something that I do not know. So even an IP one can come back as authentic unless there is something topps knows that we don't about being able to identify pack pulled ones.

Why is an AFLAC auto that was pulled out of a pack have more value to you than one that was obtained IP and certified authentic?

[XL5]

Have a scan of the back of the card to prove this? Every card I've ever seen topps make says "to track this card go to Sports Cards and Entertainment Cards | Topps.com (http://www.topps.com) & enter this number". Why would this be any different? Anybody have the back of a card scanned in for that matter?

Those aren't serial numbers. They're Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 codes. They aren't used to authenticate or identify specific cards. They're used if there's a recall or safety warning.

Here's the link a Topps. (http://topps.com/cpsia) Try entering a number.

[JDK16]

Here you go. They all say the same thing and the in game cards are supposed to be identical. These were pack pulled - only 3 in 20 cases.

now we need to see one from game I bet it doesnt have that

[7290morint]

Why is an AFLAC auto that was pulled out of a pack have more value to you than one that was obtained IP and certified authentic?

I guess it depends on what you are trying to do with said card. I collect very few autos (as I mostly sell) and I try to collect things that will have an actual resale value. IP autos typically have no secondary market. Now, that isn't the case for every single one as there are always exceptions to the rule. If you don't care about that sort of thing than that's fine too. I guess it's personal preference, and mine is for pack pulled certified autos.

[7290morint]

Those aren't serial numbers. They're Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 codes. They aren't used to authenticate or identify specific cards. They're used if there's a recall or safety warning.

Here's the link a Topps. (http://topps.com/cpsia) Try entering a number.

That's interesting, sort of misleading when it says for tracking info. Didn't know exactly what the number was. Thanks for the info.

[Coug46n2]

Why is an AFLAC auto that was pulled out of a pack have more value to you than one that was obtained IP and certified authentic?

Quantity and scarcity. Would you rather have a 2010 Machado Chrome certified auto or a 2010 Machado chrome that was signed IP? There are known/limited quantities of one and (virtually) unlimited of the other. Even if both are authenticated as real, the one with limited quantities will always hold more value.

[dbaks]

Quantity and scarcity. Would you rather have a 2010 Machado Chrome certified auto or a 2010 Machado chrome that was signed IP? There are known/limited quantities of one and (virtually) unlimited of the other. Even if both are authenticated as real, the one with limited quantities will always hold more value.

Does anyone know if there are a limited number of AFLAC sets for sale at the actual game? I'm thinking if Topps had the guys sign say 200 and there are only 200 sets of non-auto available at the game, it will at least limited the total possible numeber?

I'm just annoyed cause I finally pulled my 1st AFLAC auto from a pack and its value is probably gonna be crap. At least with this PSA thing I can validate it as real (hopefully)

[dhcollecting]

They made a mistake but I think the deadline should be even smaller. People will now try and fake and send in as many autographs as they can. To much time to accomplish this.

[7290morint]

They made a mistake but I think the deadline should be even smaller. People will now try and fake and send in as many autographs as they can. To much time to accomplish this.

I think any way besides having the cards machine stamped with numbering is a losing situation. These cards will hold little no resale value unless you have the video proof that it was pulled. At least topps is trying to do something to remedy the situation and have admitted that they made a mistake.

[S.Gallagherfan6]

They messed up and are doing the best possible thing to fix the situation. they could of done nothing at all and everybody would still buy the product year after year. ya they probably rushed the product but thats how business works i guarantee they out sold leaf and will out sell elite.

[ReinholdMessner]

Quantity and scarcity. Would you rather have a 2010 Machado Chrome certified auto or a 2010 Machado chrome that was signed IP? There are known/limited quantities of one and (virtually) unlimited of the other. Even if both are authenticated as real, the one with limited quantities will always hold more value.

Not really my point, I understand the economics of it. If your only purpose is to flip it for profit, then I get you.
I'm just saying I was making the assumption that a fair amount of AFLAC buyers are buying because they want a first rare auto of Player X. To me it wouldn't matter whether Topps stamped a number onto it or not. I know Topps only produces so many AFLACs and I have an autographed one whether it went through a pack of cards as a conduit or not.

[T_Hamilton]

I was at the game in SD last year an have the Lindor, Bradley and Greene at home... I can provide the numbers on the back when I get home... Let me know of that would help

[XL5]

I was at the game in SD last year an have the Lindor, Bradley and Greene at home... I can provide the numbers on the back when I get home... Let me know of that would help

The numbers might be different so anything you can provide would be helpful.

[starmente]

Sent in my Larry Greene today!

[patchgenie]

could psa be verifying the autos based on the type of pen topps gave the players to sign the cards?

[whywhy]

Here you go. They all say the same thing and the in game cards are supposed to be identical. These were pack pulled - only 3 in 20 cases.

wait, my larry greene non auto'd card has a blue back? do the draft ones have an orange back?

[houdini]

wait, my larry greene non auto'd card has a blue back? do the draft ones have an orange back?

All three I pulled looked like this, but remember aflac cards come from different years depending on when they signed/what aflac game they were in.

[Prospect_Man]

dont forget theres 2 different teams.....one could have had an orange back and the other blue.....we need to find a card from the game and a card from bddp of the same player and compare

[spencer2986]

Any new info on this? I sent in my 2 AFLAC PACK PULLED autographs and was wondering if there is any way of actually tracking our cards being Topps and PSA have a hold of them for now.

[VWBUS1978]

won't know til it comes in the mail i suppose... i sent one out the very next day, and haven't heard a thing. my guess is middle-end of january. if they stick it to us, sometime in february. mine was a lindor, should be a psa 9 if i get lucky maybe a 10.

[spencer2986]

Yea I sent in Lindor and Swihart. Both came out of the packs in decent shape but not great. I would be happy if both graded a 9.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't want it to come down to the point where I don't get my cards back and then I'm SOL.

[nhsportsguy]

I just tweeted this exact question to them today...no answer yet

[spencer2986]

Yea deff lmk what they say, thanks!

[Chris]

Anyone send with signature confirmation to insure Topps/PSA got it? And how are you all sending in screw down holders????

I'm sending in but I'm scanning the cards to insure I get the ones I sent in are the ones I get back. I can just imagine with all the cards incoming that they just pick what ever one to send back. How do I expect them to not screw this up as well...

[VWBUS1978]

Anyone send with signature confirmation to insure Topps/PSA got it? And how are you all sending in screw down holders????

I'm sending in but I'm scanning the cards to insure I get the ones I sent in are the ones I get back. I can just imagine with all the cards incoming that they just pick what ever one to send back. How do I expect them to not screw this up as well...

yup, delivery conf. and took a scan.

[spencer2986]

Any latest info on tweeter or anything?

[Chris]

Anyone get there card (s) back yet???

[spencer2986]

Nope...prob not till next month if i were to guess...?

[Chris]

Yep this is what I'm thinking just checking.

[gritt81]

I wonder what the turnaround time on these will be.

Not happy about the July 1st deadline.

You will probably have to pull your own cards ,that you submitted, from random packs inserted into value boxes.:)! Release date, 6-8 months

[spencer2986]

Got mine back today, so that didnt take very long IMO.

Swihart PSA 8.5
Lindor PSA 9

[JDK16]

wow these are grading tough i saw someone else say they got an 8 can u post scans please

[monkeymcgee]

Thanks for the bump on this--I didn't know about it. Sending in a Bundy tomorrow.

[spencer2986]

I have another Lindor but after seeing how hard they are grading these, I dont think i will waste the postage to have it come back a PSA 8.

Heres some pictures...

[VWBUS1978]

Got my Lindor back today too... Psa ......



Wait for it.....


Wait.....







Psa 7!!! Wooohooo! I'm in the money now!

[Chris]

Got mine back today, so that didnt take very long IMO.

Swihart PSA 8.5
Lindor PSA 9

Hopefully mine will come soon. You can bet I'll compare it the scans I have

[VWBUS1978]

here's my Lindor.....

[mscoon1]

7... wow, maybe Topps didnt pay PSA enough and they are doing it on purpose.

[VWBUS1978]

7... wow, maybe Topps didnt pay PSA enough and they are doing it on purpose.

highly possible. i don't see any reason it should be a 7 either, the centering may be an 8.5, but overall it should be a 9, all 4 corners, edges and surface look sharp. i had an 86-87 fleer jordan in a 7, and an 8, and they were much worse IMO. wish i still had them to compare.

[Bunson]

If all of these bad grades are coming out, prices should level out as they will all be in the 7-9 range, question is, is having a raw one with no way proving it's topps authentic going to hurt the value even more? I have a larry greene that I'm holding, but I'm pretty sure the edges at least are not that great.

[VWBUS1978]

the 10's and 9's will go for premium depending on the player, with the 7-8.5's suffering the ill-fated journey to the bottom of the rubbish pile. i'm gonna list mine now and see what kind of offers it draws.

[monkeymcgee]

If all of these bad grades are coming out, prices should level out as they will all be in the 7-9 range, question is, is having a raw one with no way proving it's topps authentic going to hurt the value even more? I have a larry greene that I'm holding, but I'm pretty sure the edges at least are not that great.

Thanks my thinking as well. I'd rather not get a crap grade on the Bundy I have, but I don't see how I can move it priced well (for me) once the slabbed ones are on the secondary markets.

[spencer2986]

I have another Lindor I pulled but one corner is going to cost it a nice grade. Probably won't send it in and leave it raw. Maybe I will list my swihart to see what the first graded one will bring. Any suggestions on how to list it?

[VWBUS1978]

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices (http://www.ebay.com/itm/330676362553?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649)

list it like mine i guess?

[spencer2986]

Mine will be right behind ya

[Coug46n2]

I really wish they had just authenticated the auto and not graded the card. I have a Lindor out there somewhere, can't wait to get it back and see the 6.5 across the top. Leave it to Topps to turn a huge blunder into a small victory which turns back into a complete joke. I sat on hold with them earlier today for 30 minutes and never got through. At least I moved up two levels on Angry Birds while I was on hold.

[VWBUS1978]

I really wish they had just authenticated the auto and not graded the card. I have a Lindor out there somewhere, can't wait to get it back and see the 6.5 across the top. Leave it to Topps to turn a huge blunder into a small victory which turns back into a complete joke. I sat on hold with them earlier today for 30 minutes and never got through. At least I moved up two levels on Angry Birds while I was on hold.

hah, i am ranked 312 in the world (42,000,000) in Angry Birds... i play while i'm otherwise engaged also, just not on the phone.

[Coug46n2]

I really wish they had just authenticated the auto and not graded the card. I have a Lindor out there somewhere, can't wait to get it back and see the 6.5 across the top. Leave it to Topps to turn a huge blunder into a small victory which turns back into a complete joke. I sat on hold with them earlier today for 30 minutes and never got through. At least I moved up two levels on Angry Birds while I was on hold.

Shows what I know, got my Lindor in the mail today. PSA 9. VERY happy compared to what I've seen others post.

[jr24ai3]

highly possible. i don't see any reason it should be a 7 either, the centering may be an 8.5, but overall it should be a 9, all 4 corners, edges and surface look sharp. i had an 86-87 fleer jordan in a 7, and an 8, and they were much worse IMO. wish i still had them to compare.

You can grade the surface/edges/corners with that scan?

[VWBUS1978]

You can grade the surface/edges/corners with that scan?

No it's like, my card. Haha seriously it's right in front of me.

[tdmonkeys]

Makes me nervous about sending in the Larry Greene I've been holding onto.

[VWBUS1978]

Well, my PSA 7 Lindor Aflac sold for less than an unauthenticated version. Sucks. But no biggie. Just a heads up, 8.5 and up are selling very well!

[johnorpheus]

2011 Bowman Draft Picks AFLAC LARRY GREENE RC AUTO PSA 10 POP 1 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Bowman-Draft-Picks-AFLAC-LARRY-GREENE-RC-AUTO-PSA-10-POP-1-/330677345918?pt=US_Football&hash=item4cfde7de7e)

First 10 I've seen. Thought it would go for more though. Figured about $200 at least given how harsh the grading is.

[Chris]

Still waiting on my cards mailed out Dec 28th

[frostyagain]

I got an 8.5 on my Swihart, pretty happy after seeing these grades.

[Chris]

I got an 8.5 on my Swihart, pretty happy after seeing these grades.


When did you mail out your card?

[frostyagain]

29th december... got it today

[Gibberish]

Crushed the value ?
Pfft
Anything centered will go through the roof now without being slabbed.

[illadelf]

Nice! Sent mine on Jan 5 so hopefully I get my Greene 6.5 soon!

[aja3217]

I got PSA 9 on my Stephenson, just thought I'd share.

[VWBUS1978]

here's my greene... it took a long time... to get back to me, and i thought all hope was lost forever. it got a 9, not bad!

[muchotix]

Just curious, when did you send the Greene? I sent my cards on 1/25.

Also, how do they ship them back to you? Do they require signature?

[VWBUS1978]

Just curious, when did you send the Greene? I sent my cards on 1/25.

Also, how do they ship them back to you? Do they require signature?

i sent it in a week before you or so.... no signature required.

[mikecancelliere]

I sent mine in monday. Probably won't see it until April

[monkeymcgee]

I sent mine in monday. Probably won't see it until April

Someone else told me it's 5-6 weeks on the turnaround. So, yeah, April.

[mdogg]

Still wondering if I paid too much for the PSA 10 Greene at $130???

[illadelf]

i sent it in a week before you or so.... no signature required.

Still don't have mine, wondering if it got lost in the mail or something...

[illadelf]

Finally got mine back today. Was pleasantly surprised as I've seen alot of bad grades on these things and at least this wasn't horrible. I've never done PSA and for some reason I was thinking that they didn't do half grades.

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/illadelf05/photo6.jpg

[doubledribble]

ugh...pulled a bundy this weekend. i was unaware of this authentication offer. should i cross my fingers and send it even though it's past the 7/1 deadline?