More Means More In Be A Player's New All-Star Edition!

The All-Star Edition, slated for release on January 16, is the first-ever brand of cards devoted to the annual All-Star Game. Nearly every card features a player in his All-Star uniform, and every memorabilia card incorporates a piece of All-Star Game-worn jersey. Even the 10-piece series of bobbleheads that accompany the product at a rate of one per box depict the players in their All-Star uniforms.

The only exception is the 50-card Future All-Star subset. There is no denying a number of players in the subset will eventually perform in All-Star Games in the years to come. However, the subset also acknowledges the prominent role of the rookie card in a product's success.

"The All-Star Edition has a lot going for it," says In the Game President Dr. Brian H. Price. "I can go on and on about how this product has a true identity, the appeal of the bobbleheads, all the All-Star Game-worn cards with production runs of less than 100, and the He Shoots, He Scores redemption cards featuring two pieces of All-Star jersey pieces. Yet the fact of the matter is the rookie cards add tremendous value for collectors and dealers. They help put this product over the top.

In previous press releases and sales material, it was indicated that the Dufex Future All-Stars would be sequentially numbered to 80 copies of each card. That number has now been increased to 100. Despite the increase, Price insists the adjustment was necessary in order to maintain the value of the cards and ensure collectors are satisfied.

"We recently became aware of a debate within hobby circles centering around the production runs of rookie cards," says Price. "It appears the majority of collectors are willing to give that all-important "RC" designation to cards with a production run of 100 or more. Anything less than that may not be considered a rookie card within the collecting community and the hobby price guides are obligated to reflect that. We did not want to take a risk and discover the value of these cards might be compromised because of this."

Price is convinced the change was necessary despite the costs involved.

"Any time we make a change relatively late in the production cycle, it can become very expensive. However, in this case, more really does mean more. Producing more cards assures they are categorized as rookie cards, and that means more value. And I don't mind spending more money if it means we have more satisfied collectors."

The production runs for both parallel versions of the Future All-Star subset remain unchanged. The Silver parallel version will be numbered to 20 and a Gold parallel version will be a one-of-one.

Each box of All-Star Edition will contain 20 packs of cards and one bobblehead. Each box will also contain one All-Star Game-worn memorabilia card. There are 100 different memorabilia cards and the checklist parallels the first 100 cards in the base set. Collectors will also encounter Silver and Gold parallel versions of these memorabilia cards.