The recent Ken Stabler Career Collection sale via Pristine Auction was one on my collecting radar from the second it was teased and on my mind until the final gavel came down earlier this month.

Simply put, I had to have something.

Why? Stabler wasn't the first NFL player I ever met -- he was probably the second -- and I had his autograph a dozen times from various appearances where I played autograph hound in the past, but I knew I had met someone unique every time I ran into him. I knew that the MVP awards and the game-used items would be out of my reach. I knew that the game balls would be scooped up by serious collectors just like many of the odd mementos in the auction that included everything from wedding photos to belt buckles, cowboy hats and mix tapes.

But I knew I had to have something.

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The NFLPA Rookie Premiere is here and that means more than 40 newly drafted NFL players are already signing, signing and signing some more before donning their pro uniforms for trading cards.

Among those who have signed so far is Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, who just might have the most-dynamic autograph of the bunch.

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It's been 39 years since Joe Namath last suited up for an NFL game, but his 1965 Topps Rookie Card remains an iconic one and is among the most-valuable RCs out there.

And a high-grade specimen on eBay right now is going to prove it when the auction ends.

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What happens when you take some memorable baseball card designs of the early 1990s, add the latest crop of potential NFL players and autographs?

You get 2016 Leaf Ultimate Draft.

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Today may be Pro Day for the Ohio State Buckeyes, but Urban Meyer's top stars are already being found somewhere else besides the NFL.

They're on eBay and on 2016 Leaf Metal Draft football cards after the brand arrived this week packing five autographs per box.

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One of the biggest football auctions of the year is set for Friday and Saturday as Hunt Auctions continues its traditional Super Bowl sale.

The Super Bowl 50 Live Auction will be at the Moscone Center in San Francisco with more than 900 lots including modern-day game-dated memorabilia like the J.J. Watt Houston Texans gamer above -- a jersey with a hefty price already in early bidding -- and pieces from football's early years. too.

Because of its high profile as part of the NFL Experience show, prices can be pretty strong once the auctions close.

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He may not end up being a top-10 pick, but he'll definitely be a target of collectors.

Alabama junior running back Derrick Henry is headed to the NFL with a formal announcement to come on Friday. This comes on the heels of a Heisman-winning campaign where he led the Crimson Tide to a national championship and set single-season and career rushing records for the program.

Henry is rated as the second-best running back by ESPN behind Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott in a draft that, based on some projections, may not be super-stocked with collector-friendly offensive players (QBs, RBs, WRs) among the first-rounders.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: The Steiner Sports Cleveland Browns trade-in, Nick Saban's greatness, some Panini America NBA and baseball cases and one mighty pack of Star Wars cards.

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If you've watched any NFL games this season, you've likely heard the word "concussion" many times as the league has implemented new tests on players to help prevent future problems by assessing the here and now immediately following a hard hit.

On Christmas Day, a film about the issue of concussions in football called Concussion opens in theaters. You've probably seen the commercials for the film during NFL games.

Will Smith stars as Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered the degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It's a real-life issue that has affected more than 80 former players -- many you've seen on football cards and might have collected. The movie is an important one and Sports Illustrated has Smith on its cover this week to discuss the movie.

Is it the first time a celebrity has appeared on the cover of the highly collectable sports magazine?

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They're two distinctly different styles of art probably catering to different types of sports fans, but you should have no doubts about one thing -- the works of S. Preston are the work of a sports fan. 

"I won piano competitions, art competitions and mathematics competitions, but that didn't matter because all I wanted to do was be in sports," he writes on his website. "But as we all know too well, the dream of being a professional athlete is not for everyone, including me."

Working with a broadcasting team led to a lot of time in stadiums and one day an old doodle led to an idea of drawing stadiums in the simplest ways possible -- but noting the details sports fans can Identify with. "Minimalist Ballparks" was born. On the other end of the spectrum are his hand-penciled "Baseball Princesses" sketches of iconic characters little girls love with a simple twist and the simple idea that "girls can be baseball fans, too."

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Two of the top Heisman Trophy candidates this year already have cardboard and certified autographs thanks to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl sets from Leaf Trading Cards.

Alabama junior Derrick Henry set the Crimson Tide's single-season rushing record in a dominating 271-yard, 46-carry day against the rival Auburn Tigers on Saturday. Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott also put up a dominating 214-yard day with a pair of touchdowns in a rout of the rival Michigan Wolverines.

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When the No. 2 LSU Tigers took on the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night, it was supposed to be a showcase game for the Tigers' Heisman Trophy candidate Leonard Fournette, who has been a dominating presence this season with more than 1,300 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.

What it turned into after a convincing 30-16 Crimson Tide victory over the previously unbeaten Tigers was, potentially, the national arrival of Alabama RB Derrick Henry.

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What: 2015 Panini National Treasures Multi-sport college cards
Arrives: Jan. 8, 2016
Hobby box basics: Six autograph or memorabilia cards with one being a booklet plus two base/parallel cards. Four boxes per case.

What's buzz-worthy: National Treasures arrives for the college ranks "with something for every college fan," according to the company. More than 500 players will appear in this hit-driven high-end brand all in their college colors. There will be a mix of players from the past and present from baseball, football, basketball and notable college coaches, too.

See a gallery and more ... below.

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