Saturday, August 9, 2008

Yao Ming Autograph Card


I choose this one from my collection for the new post. Yup, it's because the 2008 Beijing Olympic's atmosphere. Yao Ming already an icon for China especially in Sports. "After serious consideration, we have decided that Yao Ming will be the flag bearer," announced Cui Dalin, the deputy chief of China's Olympic team.

Yao, a centre for the Houston Rockets, is the NBA's tallest player. He carried the Olympic torch through Tiananmen Square on Wednesday. He the one who carried the China Flag in 2004 Olympic in Athens and 2008 Olympic in Beijing.

The first basketball game in 2008 Olympic will be China vs USA. Wow!!!

“I will have to take a breath at the beginning of this game,” said Yao. “It is the start of the first Olympic Games to be played in China. It is the event that my country and I have been looking to for seven years, since Beijing was awarded the Games. “I am so happy that I have been able to recover from my (foot) injury to be ready. To play against the USA team will be a great challenge and a great honor.”

The game will be start at 10:15 p.m Sunday, 10Th August 2008. “The atmosphere is going to be crazy. We’re playing against the home team to open up the Olympics, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be crazy and energetic in there. Everybody in that building is going to be jumping. It’s the biggest game on the biggest stage in the world.”

The United States enters the Olympic tournament once more as the heavy favorite to win the gold medal, while China will be challenged to advance out of the preliminary round. So, the game is expected to be a rout. But with the basketball-mad host country playing its first game against the global superstars of the NBA, there is speculation the worldwide television audience for the game (9:15 a.m. Houston time, Ch. 2) could be the largest in Olympic history.

President Bush – the first sitting U.S. president to attend an Olympics in a foreign country – will attend the game along with China’s president Hu Jintao and premier Wen Jiabao.

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Boston Celtics The NBA 2008 Champion


After 22 years the Boston Celtics get their 17th NBA Title and Paul Pierce win the NBA Final MVP. Here is the result and others 5 games (click to enlarge).



And here is the road to the NBA Finals . . .

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Sunday, June 1, 2008

Shaquille Oneal Autograph 1992 Four Sport GOLD



Numbered to 1036/9500, i got this card without the original box. The original box is a well made wooden box that has gold plate in front.

It because i just want the autograph card, and it cheaper to send a card than a wooden box. Someday perhaps i will buy the cards with the box. But someday can be a long time . . . You can see, in the card there are another 3 guys. The other 3 guys are:


Desmond Howard (football player) Now: Retired














Roman Hamrlik (hockey player) Now: Montreal Canadiens



Phil Nevin (baseball player) Now: Retired




All four was the first pick on first round in 1992.

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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Kobe Bryant the next NBA MVP Final 2008

Yup, i got this right. LA Lakers will win the NBA Final. Do you have a another idea? OK, maybe you'll say it's Boston Celtics. Whatever... i will show you my Kobe Bryant collection lot. Just enjoy those cards and remember when he got the MVP Final on this year you will know that i was the first one who said so... LOL




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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Playoffs Semifinals NBA 2008


I think it will be Lakers vs Celtics in the final... it's classic final... what do you think???

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Monday, May 19, 2008

Beckett Grading Services (BGS)

Maybe you notice that some cards have BGS on its title. Example #5 Michael Jordan 1993-94 Ultra Scoring Kings BGS 8.5 You can see the pictures on the left (click to enlarge). Sometimes if the seller sell the card they will describe more specific such: centering 9 Corners 8 Edges 8.5 Surface 9

This card are valued as NM-MT (Near Mint - Mint) you can see it below the value 8.5 and below the NM-MT there is a register number: 0004037062


Okay, some of you will ask, what's it all about?

BGS


BGS is Beckett Grading Services. It a services to grade a card for a specific value on the Centering, Corners, Edges and Surface plus Autograph. If you use beckett magazine as price guide, there are pages that explain about Condition Guide. Here are the explanation:


Centering
Centering is the measurement of the position of the cards image. A perfectly centered card is where the card's image is aligned exactly where the card company intended to be. Centering can be quickly judged by the naked eye. A border that is just slightly less than even on both sides of the card would measure 55/45. If one border is twice the size of the other, that equates to approximately 65/35. Because centering is an important element of the overall eye appeal of the card, centering can be a major factor in the cards overall grade.


Corners


Along with centering, the corners are one of the most important areas of a card when grading. A dinged corner drops a card's aesthetic value like a rock. To achieve a superior corner grade of GemMint or better, each corner must be blazingly sharp. Study your card's corners under magnification using a loupe. A 10x loupe is good for card grading. If the corners are all sharp to the naked eye, you are probably safe with a mint or higher corner. Once a speck of wear is visible, or a bump can be seen, the grade starts dropping fast. Always look very carefully around the whole corner not just the very tip. Often there may be an actual crease or bump across the corner, which may be difficult to detect at first, but once seen, becomes obvious. If any corner shows a bend or crease or other noticeable wear, the corner grade will likely drop to near mint or lower.


Edges


Unless heavily damaged, edges are often treated with general disregard by collectors. In reality, edges reveal more than just a grade- they are usually the key are in determining trimming or other alterations. Edges indicate how well the card was cut at the factory. While allowances are made for certain types of factory-cut edges such as O-Pee-Chee cards, the quality of the cut is taken into account to some extent. When it comes to after-market damage, the grading process is not as lenient. Chipping and notching that occurs after the card has been cut and packaged at the factory is weighed more heavily than factory problems in determining edge grades. Any large chip or notch in an edge is quite distracting and can lower the grade proportionately. To earn mint or better grades, the edges must be clean and sharp.



Grades

After each factors has been examined for example this card it has 10 for centering, 9.5 for corners 9.5 for edges and 9.5 for surfaces, you will have 38.5 in total (10+9.5+9.5+9.5). So it have 9.5 Gem Mint, it from 38.5/4 = 9.625. The 10 for autograph didn't included. It has separated examination. If you look at the first graded card on top, you will see it has 8.5. From the explanation below you will see it has Near Mint-Mint (NM-MT) because it bigger value than 8 the grade add + in the criteria. So it became NM-MT+


Gem Mint [9.5] & Pristine [10]

considered higher than Mint. Pristine is the absolutely perfect card, very very scarce.

Mint [9]

No flaws, the perfect card. Four perfect corners, 55/45 or better centering, smooth edges, original color and gloss, no print spots, color or focus imperfections. A professionally graded mint card receives a large premium in price, often 200% or much more than Near Mint prices quoted in price guides. Many of the cards pictured in this book do not even in exist in this grade, and Mint examples would sell for lots of money.

Near Mint-Mint (Nrmt-Mt) [8 & 8.5]

Close, but not a Mint card. Centering must be 60/40 or better. There may be a minor flaw with the card such as a slight 'touch' (a light point of wear where the card was bumped or touched), the picture slightly out of focus, or a slight color imperfection. Nrmt-Mt cards also receive a premium in price over a Near Mint card. This premium is not as high as a Mint card. Again the cards from this book are rarely found in this high of grade. Cards from the 1990's are regularly found in this grade

Near Mint (Nrmt) [7&7.5]

Close, but not a Near Mint-Mint (Nrmt-Mt) card. Its centering can't be worse than 70/30. One of the following imperfections is allowable: very slight touch to two or three corners, slight wear to the edge, minor print spots or color imperfections. This is the standard grade which cards are measured buy in the hobby. The prices quoted in most books are for Near Mint cards.

Excellent-Mint (ExMt) [6&6.5]

Card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect which does not detract from its overall appearance. Corners may have slight fraying. The picture may be slightly out of focus. The card may show loss of original gloss or have a minor wax stain on the back. Centering must be 80/20 or better.

Excellent (Ex) [5&5.5]

Centering must be 80/20 or better, with four fuzzy corners. It may also have rough edges, minor discoloration, print spots or focus imperfections.

Very Good (Vg) [4&4.5]

This card shows wear, but still retains some attractiveness. Corners may be somewhat rounded. There may be edge wear, border discoloration, hairline creases.

Good (Gd) [3&3.5], Fair (Fr) [2&2.5], Poor (Pr) [1&1.5]

The bottom rung of cards. Good is the best and Poor is the worst. A Good card has significant wear, such as severe corner rounding, creasing, fading, staining or other problems. Altered or retouched cards will fall into this category). A Good card still retains some attractiveness. A Poor card has extreme problems, such as a significant part of it is missing, or ink or paint has marred it. The difference between a Fair and a Poor card, is that a fair card has some semblance of appeal while a Poor card is utterly repulsive.

Register Number

And the last is, you can check all the Graded card online! Yes, just visit this site http://www.beckett.com/grading/lookup.asp and enter the register number. In there you will also found the Population Report of similar card.

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Monday, May 5, 2008

Hakeem Olajuwon Autograph Card



I love all my exquisite cards. Especially this card, it numbered 23/25! Yup, only 25 cards exist in this world. I have another Hakeem Olajuwon AU Card, but i only show you this card. Maybe next time i'll show you the other card. But sorry for this poor scan, hope it still clear.
He was born January 21, 1963, to Salaam and Abike Olajuwon, who owned a cement business in Lagos. Soccer and handball were the sports that first attracted young Akeem. He started playing basketball in 1978 and competed with the Nigerian team at the All-African Games in 1980.

In December 1981, he played his first official game in the U.S., against Mississippi State in the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Classic. He totaled eight points and three rebounds. He averaged 13.3 points as a collegian while attempting fewer than 10 shots per game, but in 1983-1984 he led the nation in rebounding (13.5 per game), blocked shots (5.6), and field-goal percentage (.675). In his first season in the NBA, scoring opportunities multiplied and he topped 20 points per game.

In 1992, management entertained trade offers for Olajuwon. He stayed, Tomjanovich took over as coach, and soon the Rockets soared again, streaking to the championship in 1994 after beating the New York Knicks in the Finals. Olajuwon became the first player ever to win the regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year Award, and NBA Finals MVP in the same season. With Clyde Drexler joined the Houston, they won the NBA Championship in 1995.
For the next post, i will show you my Yao Ming AU card. He is one of the great center in NBA this time, that play for Houston Rocket.

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