Key Soccer Rookie Cards Are On A Roll

And if they're graded by BGA or PSA they are beyond being on a roll, they're absolutely on fire! Check out what I mean by clicking on the eBay prices listed below for these Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane rookie cards.

Cristiano Ronaldo
2002-03 Panini Mega Craques
- $293.88 (BGS 9) -
- $247.50 (BGS 8.5) -
- $150.00 -
- $107.50 -
- $102.50 -
- $81.00 -

Lionel Messi
2004-05 Panini Mega Cracks
- 1,300.00 (PSA 10) -
- $704.99 (PSA 9) -
- $600.00 -
- $499.98 -
- $355.00 -
- $349.00 -
- $299.00 -
- $274.00 -
- $255.00 -
- $250.00 -
- $250.00 -
- $239.16 -
- $206.94 -
- $122.00 -
2004-05 MundiCromo Las Fichas de La Liga
- $175.00 (BGS 9) -
- $45.00 (BGS 9) -
2004-05 Panini Mega Cracks Barça Campeón/Campió
These 3 cards are XRC's (extended rookie cards) IMO but they still sell very well.
#35
- $167.50 (BGS 9.5) -
- $150.00 (BGS 9.5) -
- $149.99 (BGS 9.5) -
- $125.00 (BGS 9.5) -
- $78.77 (BGS 9.5) -
#62
- $91.00 (BGS 9.5) -
- $76.00 (BGS 9.5) -
- $71.00 (PSA 10) -
#89
- $149.99 (BGS 9.5) -
- $130.00 (BGS 9.5) -
- $100.00 (PSA 10) -
- $100.00 (BGS 9.5) -
- $70.99 (BGS 9.5) -
- $61.01 (PSA 10) -

Zinedine Zidane
1992-93 Panini Football Cards
- £68.67 -
- $66.00 -
- £35.55 -

The Messi RC's are the best performing of the bunch which is to be expected considering he is currently provoking discussions about whether he will one day be considered the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.) but Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane are also rising. I picked up a Ronaldo BGS 8.5 RC for peanuts a few years ago. I also recall being outbid at the last moment for a Zidane RC which ended for $20 something bucks, I now regret not going higher on that one.

All of this suggests to me that interest in soccer rookies in general is growing. I wonder if this growing interest will last and if prices will continue to rise? I suppose only time will tell...

2012-13 Icons Official Messi Card Collection Limited - Checklist

Product Breakdown:

Product: 2013 Icons Official Messi Card Collection Limited
Theme: Lionel Messi
Season/Year: 2012-13
Manufacturer: Icons Shop Limited

Total Cards: 104 - 89 base cards, 5 on-card autograph cards, 5 game-worn jersey cards and 5 event-worn jersey cards.

Special Inserts:

Autograph Cards: Yes
Memorabilia Cards: Yes
Parallels: Yes, gold parallel of each base card serial numbered 1/1. Gold parallels of each auto serial numbered to 3. Autographed parallel game-worn jerseys serial numbered 1/1. Autographed parallel event-worn jerseys serial numbered to 1/1.

Configuration:

Official Binder: Yes, retail version of the product.
Pack: 3 cards
Box: 20 packs
Case: 20.boxes

Additional Info:

The first Lionel Messi certified autographs and jerseys appear in this set. Futera have released Messi auto and memorabilia cards before but they are NOT certified or guaranteed authentic by Futera anywhere on the card.

Images:

Checklist:

The checklist doubles as a tradelist/wantlist of my cards from this product.
-Black is what I have in my PC set.
-Blue is what I have available for trade.
-Red is what I need for my set.

R1 - Icons.com and Messi brand logos.
R2 - Messi scores his first ever goal for Barcelona in 2005.
R3 - Messi celebrates with Ronaldinho in a 2004-05 league match.
R4 - Messi receives his FIFA Best Young Player of the Year award alongside Samuel Eto'o.
R5 - Messi is embraced by Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard.
R6 - Messi, alongside Ronaldinho, celebrates Barcelona's 2005-06 league title.
R7 - Messi is fouled by John Terry in a 2005-06 UEFA Champions League match.
R8 - Messi wins the 2006 Spanish Super Cup against Espanyol.
EWJR9 (Event-Worn Jersey) - Messi celebrates a hat-trick vs. Real Madrid in 2007.
R10 - Messi scores his famous Maradona-esque goal vs. Getafe.
R11 -
EWJR12 (Event-Worn Jersey) - Messi wins his 2nd Copa del Rey title in 2009.
R13 - Messi celebrates the 2008-09 league title with Gerard Piqué.
R14 - 3 Images of Messi's headed goal in the 2009 UCL final.
AR15 (On-Card Autograph) -
R16 - Messi is hugged by 'Pep' Guardiola after scoring a goal in the 2009 UCL final.
R17 -
R18 - Messi wins the Spanish Super Cup once again in 2009.
R19 - After defeating Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi lifts the 2009 UEFA Super Cup.
R20 - Messi celebrates after winning his first FIFA Club World Cup against Estudiantes.
R21 -
R22 - Messi celebrates a goal in the 2010 Spanish Super Sup.
EWJR23 (Event-Worn Jersey) - Messi celebrates a goal against Real Madrid in April 2010.
R24 - Messi and Xavi celebrate during Barcelona's historic 5-0 win over Real Madrid in 2010.
R25 - Messi is held aloft by teammates after scoring 1 of his 4 goals vs. Arsenal in the UCL.
R26 - Messi holds the La Liga league trophy for the 5th time in his career.
GWJR27 (Game-Worn Jersey) - Messi celebrates a UCL goal vs. Manchester United.
R28 - Messi celebrates on his knees as David Villa scores the 3rd goal in the 2011 UCL final.
R29 - Michel Platini places Champions League winner's medal around Messi's neck.
R30 - Messi holds his 3rd UEFA Champions Trophy and winner's medal.
R31 - Messi scores a goal on Iker Casillas in 2011 Spanish Super Cup.
R32 - Messi scores a goal against Porto in the 2011 UEFA Super Cup.
R33 - Messi scores a goal vs. Santos in the FIFA Club World Cup.
GWJR34 (Game-Worn Jersey) - Messi vs. Santos in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup final.
R35 - Messi points to the sky after scoring 5 goals in a UCL match vs. Bayer Leverkusen.
R36 - Messi runs toward the crowd after scoring his record-breaking 233rd goal for Barcelona.
R37 - Messi scores on Milan; is the first man to be the UCL's top scorer 4 years in a row.
R38 - Messi dribbles past Sami Khedira as Barça eliminate Real Madrid in the UCL semi-final.
EWJR39 (Event-Worn Jersey) - Messi celebrates his 73rd goal of the 2011-12 Season, a World record.
AR40 (On-Card Autograph) -
R41 - Messi slots one of his two penalty goals past Nigeria in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Cup.
R42 - An 18-year old Messi is consoled by Hernán Crespo after losing a match with Argentina.
R43 - Messi scores his first goal with the senior Argentina national team vs Croatia.
R44 - Messi celebrates his goal vs. Serbia and Montenegro in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
R45 - Messi evades a tackle against Colombia in the 2007 Copa América.
R46 - Messi and Sergio Agüero show off their 2008 Olympic Gold medals.
R47 - Messi dribbles the ball between two Mexico players in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
R48 - Messi and Maradona at the 2010 World Cup.
AR49 (On-Card Autograph) - Messi captains Argentina during their 2011 Copa América campaign.
AR50 (On-Card Autograph) - Messi scores a hat-trick vs. Brazil during the 2011-12 season.
GWJR51 (Game-Worn Jersey) - Messi holds his Golden Boot award.
R52 - Messi at a league title-winning celebration event in 2011.
R53 - Messi boards a plane en-route to an away match.
R54 - Messi arrives at training on a cold winter day with a cup of coffee in his hand.
GWJR55 (Game-Worn Jersey) - Messi backstage before collecting his 2009-10 Golden Ball.
R56 - Messi is escorted through a crowd by security during his stay in Seoul, South Korea.
R57 - Messi makes his way through Barcelona airport.
R58 - Messi on the team bus during Barcelona's pre-season visit to South Korea.
R59 - Messi and Gabriel Milito laugh atop their bus during a trophy parade.
R60 - Messi at a press conference before the 2011 UCL final.
R61 - Messi at the Barcelona training ground.
R62 -
R63 -
R64 - Messi leaves his hotel on the way to his first Golden Ball ceremony in 2009.
R65 - Messi signs autographs before the 2009 Golden Ball ceremony.
R66 - Messi signs a huge France Football magazine cover after winning the 2009 Golden Ball.
GWJR67 (Game-Worn Jersey) - Messi kisses his 1st Golden Ball award in 2009.
R68 - Messi wearing his new Adidas F50 boot.
R69 - Messi is mobbed by autograph hunters at the Barcelona open day on Christmas.
R70 -
EWJR71 (Event-Worn Jersey) - Foreground Messi holding Golden Ball, Background Messi celebrating.
R72 -
R73 -
R74 -
R75 -
R76 - Messi waves to a friend as he comes off the Camp Nou pitch.
R77 - 2 Images of Messi during a TV shoot for one of his sponsors.
R78 - Messi visits a young fan during a Christmas charity visit to Hospital del Mar.
R79 - Messi in Geneva, Switzerland with Argentina on his way to the hotel.
R80 - Messi working with the ball during an Argentina training session.
R81 - Messi as a young child with a football.
R82 - Messi dressed up as a young child in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.
R83 - Messi dressed in an all black outfit.
R84 - Messi before the start of an event for one of his sponsors.
R85 - Messi takes a moment to himself, away from all the media and fan attention.
R86 - Messi's 1st signing session with Icons was in May 2006, the 2nd was on 10 April 2008.
R87 - Messi's 3rd signing with Icons on 29 April 2009.
R88 - Messi signs a 2008-09 Barça shirt a few months after winning the UCL in Rome, Italy.
R89 - Messi at an Icons signing session 4 days before the 2011 UCL final in London, England.
R90 - Messi's UCL autographed jerseys sold out in 17 days after the Wembley final.
R91 - Messi shows off his Adidas F50s that were launched at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
R92 - Messi holds up his iconic #10 Argentina shirt.
R93 - Messi shooting an Adidas commercial.
R94 - Messi test his Adidas F50 boots.
R95 - Messi brand label launched in 2011.
R96 - Messi speaks to a group of children at a UNICEF event.
R97 - Messi helps raise awareness for UNICEF.
R98 - Messi receives his UNICEF Global Ambassadorship.
R99 - Messi on a visit to Haiti as a UNICEF Ambassador.
R100 - Messi poses for a picture with a young fan in Haiti.
R101 - Messi receives his 1st FIFA Golden Ball award in 2009.
AR102 (On-Card Autograph) - Messi retains his Golden Ball award in 2010.
R103 - Messi wins the Golden Ball award for the 3rd time in a row.
R104 - Messi shows off his Olympic Gold Medal won during the 2008 games in Beijing.

Women's Soccer Cards, Who Knew?

Originally posted on 27 March 2012.

A piece of news from the World of women's soccer caught my attention recently, WPS (Women's Professional Soccer) has suspended it's 2012 season and has pretty much ceased to exist. Apparently this happened a couple of months ago but I only heard the news last week on the BBC's World Football Phone In podcast (excellent by the way, I highly recommend it). To be honest, although bad news, this isn't of much consequence to me since I'm not really a fan of women's soccer. It may be the same sport as the men's version but it's a different game entirely, if you know what I mean.

However this news does have implications for Upper Deck's trading card products. Unlike the WPS league, women's cards are surprisingly popular. Cards of the likes of Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Marta, Abby Wambach, Hope Solo and especially the newest starlet in Alex Morgan, are highly sought after and command hefty prices for the higher end type of cards such as autos and jerseys. I have even seen a Morgan UD auto sell for over $400.00 on eBay, the rest of her autos do very well at auction too!

Alex Morgan

I would normally be opposed to having any WPS cards in an MLS collection but there's no denying that they add value to the product so I can't really complain. With UD's upcoming 2012 MLS soccer release and the success of women's cards on the secondary market I can only see UD finding a way to incorporate them into their future soccer products even now that WPS has folded. I'm guessing they'll have to include them in their collegiate uniform or maybe even in international kits? I suppose only time will tell...

2012 Upper Deck MLS Soccer Preview

Originally posted on 31 March 2012.

The latest 2012 Upper Deck MLS product's sell sheet was recently made available and based on these pics I'm not sure I like the design yet. I did notice a few interesting tidbits with the new additions to the collection in the form of MLS throwbacks and the update set redemptions. I'm not exactly sure what they're about but I'd be thrilled if the throwback set had something to do with the various legendary footballers which have had stints in MLS such as Lothar Matthäus, Hugo Sánchez, Hristo Stoichkov, Carlos Valderrama, etc.

I seriously doubt this is the case though since Upper Deck seems to be having a hard time paying for athlete's signatures lately with them continuing to face legal woes, the latest problem being a lawsuit from the NFL for breach of contract. Apparently UD have not been paying paying money owed to players for obtaining their signatures on trading cards. Surely if they can't meet the obligation of paying for auots then that's a sure sign that UD are in dire straits. I fear this may be the end of the line for UD and their soccer cards so this very well could be the last of UD's MLS products. Hopefully it's a good collection, in case they do go out of business at least they go out with a bang.

2011-12 Topps Authentics Premier Gold

Originally posted on 31 March 2012.

Topps have recently released another Premier League premium collection with the 2011-12 return of the Topps Authentics brand. If you ask me this product is a real breath of fresh air from the nefarious Match Attax brand. This time around it appears there are no newly issued auto & jersey cards, at least no sign of them as of yet. The collection consists of 50 cards total with 10 being foils and the remaining 40 regular non-foil cards.

It looks to be a solid set but unfortunately it appears as though the collection will not be widely available. It's only obtainable in the UK via some type of promotional giveaway from British bank, Barclays. Looks like eBay's the best option to pick up a set for those of us who don't reside in the UK.