Topps has teamed up with CMG Worldwide and signed an exclusive agreement for the rights to produce trading cards of 16 major league baseball legends.  The deal, which lasts through 2010, gives Topps exclusivity in trading cards, including game-used and insert cards.

The 16 former players include Jackie Robinson, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Thurman Munson, Roy Campanella, Rogers Hornsby, Lou Gehrig, Cy Young, Mel Ott, Johnny Mize, Jimmie Foxx, Honus Wagner, Pee Wee Reese, George Sisler and Christy Mathewson.

The first cards will be featured in the upcoming Topps Triple Threads baseball product and will include triple game-used memorabilia cards including the combination of Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb.

Topps also holds exclusive card rights to Mickey Mantle and game-used and autographed cards of current stars David Wright and Ryan Howard.

Upper Deck has named San Francisco Giants rookie pitcher Tim Lincecum as Rookie of the Month for August.

The Rookie of the Month set will feature a total of six rookies throughout the baseball season. Collectors can redeem 5 Upper Deck or Fleer wrappers for the a card each month at their local hobby shop.

The previous winners this year where:

April: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
May: Fred Lewis, San Francisco Giants
June: Hunter Pence, Houston Astros
July: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

Topps announced the final 2 redemptions from 2007 Topps Finest Baseball. Card #9 is Philip Hughes of the New York Yankees and Card #10 in an autographed Joba Chamberlain also from the New York Yankees.

Here is a list of all ten redemptions:

1) Hideki Okajima, Boston Red Sox
2) Elijah Dukes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
3) Akinori Iwamura, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
4) Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
5) Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
6) Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
7) Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, Boston Red Sox
8) Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks
9) Philip Hughes, New York Yankees
10) Joba Chamberlain, New York Yankees (Autograph)

Topps announced that rookie redemption card #8 of 10 from 2007 Topps Finest Baseball is Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamond Backs.

So far the seven announced redemptions are:

1) Hideki Okajima, Boston Red Sox
2) Elijah Dukes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
3) Akinori Iwamura, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
4) Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
5) Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
6) Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
7) Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, Boston Red Sox
8) Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks

Topps has announced the list of short printed autograph and relic cards from the newly released 2007 Allen & Ginter Baseball.

AUTOGRAPHS

Topps has released a series of cards that depicts players in Topps sets that were never issued in that particular year.

Some of these include:

• 1952 Topps Joe Dimaggio
• 1954 Topps Stan Musial
• 1952 Topps Whitey Ford
• 1967 Topps Nolan Ryan
• 1982 Topps Ryne Sandberg

The cards are available exclusively through etopps.com.

[tags]etopps, Topps[/tags]

Topps announced that rookie redemption card #7 of 10 from 2007 Topps Finest Baseball is a dual card of Boston Red Sox phenoms Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima.  Matsuzaka was also redemption #5 and Okajima was redemption #1.

So far the seven announced redemptions are:

1) Hideki Okajima, Boston Red Sox
2) Elijah Dukes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
3) Akinori Iwamura, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
4) Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
5) Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
6) Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
7) Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, Boston Red Sox.

[tags]Finest, Redemption, Topps, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Dice-K, Hideki Okajima[/tags]

Upper Deck has announced the final SPx Baseball redemption card. Card #137 is Hunter Pence of the Houston Astros.  

There are a total of 8 rookie redemption in SPX Baseball and Upper Deck has finished unveiling all of them:

• #106  Tim Linecum, San Francisco Giants
• #107  Philip Hughes, New York Yankees
• #110  Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks
• #113  Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds
• #118  Kevin Slowey, Minnesota Twins 
• #120  Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers 
• #128  Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
• #137  Hunter Pence, Houston Astros

[tags]Redemption, SPx, Upper Deck[/tags]

Upper Deck has announced that the upcoming Ultimate Collection Baseball and Football brands will have three times more game used and autograph cards than in prior years.

Each pack will now contain one autograph and two game used cards per pack.  Each pack has a suggested retail price of $100.  Every box will have at least one patch card numbered to 50 or less.

Ultimate Collection Baseball is set to arrive in October and will include signed rookie cards of such hot rookies as Tim Lincecum, Hunter Pence, Kei Igawa and Akinori Iwamura.

2007 Ultimate Collection Football will be available in November.

[tags]Upper Deck, Ultimate Collection[/tags]

Topps announced that rookie redemption card #6 of 10 from 2007 Topps Finest Baseball is Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers.

So far the six announced redemptions are:

1) Hideki Okajima, Boston Red Sox
2) Elijah Dukes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
3) Akinori Iwamura, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
4) Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
5) Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
6) Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

[tags]Ryan Braun, Topps, Finest, Redemption[/tags]

Upper Deck has announced another Mystery Rookie Redemption card from 2007 SPX Baseball. Card #128 is Daisuke “Dice-K” Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox.   Upper Deck has yet to agree on an autograph deal with Matsuzaka.  If there is no autograph agreement, the redemption card will be a triple jersey memorabilia card.

There are a total of 8 rookie redemption in SPX Baseball and to this point the following have been revealed:

• #106  Tim Linecum, San Francisco Giants
• #107  Philip Hughes, New York Yankees
• #110  Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks
• #113  Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds
• #118  Kevin Slowey, Minnesota Twins 
• #120  Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers 
• #128  Daisuke Matsuzaka 
• #137  ??

[tags]Upper Deck, SPX, Redemption[/tags]

Upper Deck has announced that they will be adding celebrity cut signatures into 2007 Sweet Spot Baseball.

It will contain over 150 different celebrities, most of which have never had any autograph cards inserted into a set.  Some of the famous celebrities to be included are John Lennon, Bob Hope, Johnny Cash, Norman Rockwell, Rosa Parks and Orson Wells.

There will also be dual autograph Sweet Spot cards and cut autographs of deceased baseball legends with current superstars. Letterman patches of some of the greatest players in history such as Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth are also included.

[tags]Upper Deck, Sweet Spot[/tags]