Here Today... Gone To Hell!

AXL ROSE TO SIGN FIRST CERTIFIED AUTOGRAPHS FOR TOPPS

Feb 05, 2013

Welcome to the jungle.

Topps announced the headliner in its forthcoming 2013 Topps Archives Heavy Metal Autographs set on Tuesday, and it?s none other than Guns N? Roses frontman Axl Rose.

It will be Rose?s first fully licensed trading card appearance and his first certified autograph as he has nothing listed in the Beckett.com database. The singer was an icon of the late-1980s and early 1990s as his band?s 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction, has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide while five other records sold more than 65 million copies total.

The 10-card  autograph set will be one of three additional insert sets to the previously announced 2013 Topps Archives release. The cards will be limited to 25 copies and printed on metal.

Among the metal signers? Motley Crue?s Tommy Lee, Skid Row?s Sebastian Bach and Twisted Sister?s Dee Snider.

Interest in the Rose autograph should be strong as PSA-authenticated autographs have strong asking prices and are not plentiful online.

Along with the arrival of Archives, Topps is planning a two-week hobby shop promotion where a limited number of 25-cent packs will be made available. These will include a parallel card only found in these packs. In addition, a Father?s Day promo will allow collectors to bring in a 1980s card and receive a free cello pack of 2013 Topps Series 2. Those packs will include parallels only found as part of this promotion along with randomly inserted autographs.

Topps also will be doing a redemption program tied to Archives where one redemption card will be found in every hobby box good for a throwback single-card pack with a 1950s-1980s card inside.

Here is the preliminary checklist for the Heavy Metal set as provided by Topps:

Heavy Metal Autographs
Sebastian Bach, Skid Row
Tommy Lee, Motley Crue
Kip Winger, Winger
Reb Beach, Winger
Lita Ford
Bobbie Brown from Warrant?s Cherry Pie video
Stephen Pearcy, Ratt
Scott Ian, Anthrax
Dee Snider, Twisted Sister
Axl Rose, Guns N? Roses

http://www.beckett.com/news/2013/02/axl-rose-to-sign-first-certified-autographs-for-topps/

 
Topps Company
‏@toppscards

Welcome to The Jungle! @AxlRose the ultimate Rock Star will headline Archives Baseball Heavy Metal insert, autograph included!

https://twitter.com/toppscards/status/298824532800716801

I guess it will look something like this...only Axl.

(http://img.beckett.com/news/news-content/uploads/2013/01/Heavy-Metal-Card-Master.jpg)

I don't get it...what kind of product is it? Like those baseball cards, only with rockstars?

I think so, but....

The cards will be limited to 25 copies and printed on metal.

Lost on me too.  How much are these?  Who's Topps? 

Damn, some people don't know Topps?  Yeah they make baseball cards and have produced some of the most sought after baseball cards by collectors (including the 1952 Mickey Mantle card).  I had no idea they were making... umm rockstar cards haha. 

The article has been updated and now says:

"The 10-card autograph set will be one of three additional insert sets to the previously announced 2013 Topps Archives release. There will be a standard version of the cards as well as one that will be limited to 25 copies and printed on metal."

I guess most people will be able to afford the standard version, even though I couldn't find any price info about these cards...

Topps still exist?! Wow! For one poster who asked, Topps used to specialize in baseball cards. They used to stick a piece of gum in between the baseball cards. I used to collect them when I was a kid.

Yup.  It was always stale, hard as a rock gum.  But damn, nothing like going down to the corner store and picking up 10 packs of cards for about 3 bucks.  Nowadays that'll barely get you a pack.
A little trivia:  back in the early '50's, Topps packs didn't have a stick of gum in each pack, they had a piece of caramel candy.  I saw it on an antiques roadshow episode. 

Now back to these cards...how the hell do we buy them?  Are they taking bids on the limited edition cards?   Just wondering.

I remember baseball cards with gum.  Yeah some of that gum was hard as a rock.  :hihi:  But if they are offering an Axl card with some gum, I'll take one of those.  And if they aren't available outside of the states, I'm going to need a few more.

I was hoping Axl signed a deal to sell his authorized autograph..I'd be all for that...

That's exactly what I thought this was when I first read it... oh well.  8)

Comic book shops and memorabilia stores. I don't know if they're going to just do the cards randomly. 

Ill check with midtown comics, her in NYC<,they usually carry all that stuff. Yrs ago I saw a Axl figurine.

Too bad it's not Upper Deck, I'd be calling for a favor *L*

I couldn't tell if they're sticking the limited cards in with regular packs? But they're prob. going to show up at San Diego Comic Con and baseball memorabilia conventions. Most baseball card shops have these type of cards collecting dust.

The regular cards should be convenient for those looking to get autographs at the shows, as long as you're able to get them back.

Surprised there were no GNR cards back in the day, but they weren't exactly a band parents wanted their kids listened to.

If I was more creative, I'd be coming up with decks of cards with band logos on the back, or the face cards resembling band members. Not sure who'd want to be the queen though *L*.

That one and Forbidden Planet.

Topps also has a retailer search on their site, Chameleon Comics came up for lower Manhattan, Alex's MVP Cards on upper East side.

(and just realized it's Fashion Week in NYC, no rumors on surprise GNR shows so far).

It'll be 2013 Topps Archives Baseball,. It comes out roughly May 29, and packs of cards will be roughly $4.50 a pack.  Your odds of any of these metal autos will likely be 1:288 or 1:350 packs, and so then takes that X 10 for an Axl auto.  Your best bet is to wait and watch Ebay and just buy the card there.  (Yeah I am a sportscard geek.......)

Does it say whether the "standard" version will be autographed? That seems like a heck of a lot of autographing.

I believe, like hockey cards, they will be only reprints.  :)

I went to Vegas last week and saw a GNR signed photo in one hotel store and an Axl photo with the hand written Oh My God lyrics signed by Axl in another store. These lyrics weren't written on yellow hotel notepad like the pics online, these were on a nice piece of white paper. Each were around  $4000 and the stores had signed guitars and autographs in each. I thought Axl's autograph was hard to get hence all the hype with the Topps card. Are these authentic and how do these shops get these autographs?

There is also a guy in my city who sells Celebrity signed autographs and he has an Axl too!

Could be a load of bullshit? Autographs are pretty easy to fake- 'certificates of authenticity' even more so! It's possible to get Axl's autograph outside shows (at least it was, on the last CD-era tour, if you were patient and lucky), but I honestly can't see him writing out the entire Oh My God lyrics then signing them for someone to flog in a store. I'd treat all that stuff with a wide berth and keep your money.

Sure. Some people barely know baseball too. Panini on the other hand. ..

Sure the card will be nice!

I have the first page of the "Oh My God" lyrics written on the Hard Rock stationary given to me personally by Mr. Del James. I'd be interested to hear the story on how the owner of the sheet you saw got his. My sheet is not autographed so don't know if it would fetch that same amount of money though I wouldn't be interested in selling it anyway.

Topps in the UK is pretty unknown- was all Panini stickers when we were kids.

PM'd