You might have a new reason to go digging through your 2013 football cards after today's U.S. Olympic track & field trials in Eugene, Ore.

Why? Buffalo Bills WR Marquise Goodwin is one step closer to making the U.S. Olympic team in the long jump. Could it spark new interest in the Rookie Cards of this 25-year-old who has recorded just three catches for 66 yards in the last two seasons while also working on special teams?

Maybe, but many might not know that he's actually been there before.

Continue reading →

The auction for Jim Craig's memorabilia from the epic 1980 "Miracle on Ice" game is winding down, but the prices are definitely on the rise before the sale closes on Friday evening.

How hot? Three items from the Lelands.com sale have topped the $190,000 mark so far with his Olympic gold medal leading the way at $259,374.25 after 11 bids.

It's also quite possible that other items from the 17-piece collection could reach into six-figures.

Continue reading →

It's February and that means that we're set for the Super Bowl and some mass-marketing from SI.com over the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

And in reality the hype for both already has begun.

The last time we saw Ronda Rousey, she was suffering the first loss of her UFC career. Up next she'll be in the annual issue for the second year in a row. More publicity won't hurt her already-in-high-demand cardboard. She's one of a long list of athletes to appear in the issue and part of an even longer list of models who appear on cards and have certified autographs and even memorabilia cards for collectors to chase.

For the traditional models, there actually were SI Swimsuit card sets released each year from 2003 to 2009 from Stellar Collectibles and then a later retrospective set. In those sets, we got autographs, memorabilia cards and even paint cards from photoshoots. Meanwhile, for many of the athletes who have appeared in the issue since, there are autograph appearances in sets like Topps' Allen & Ginter (and many other sets) where collectors can also sometimes find the models. Kate Upton and Chrissy Teigen have been found there for example, and they sell very well.

Here's a rundown of a few sports stars who we've seen in the issue.

Continue reading →

What: 2016 Topps U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team & Hopefuls trading cards
Arrives: May 11, 2016
Box basics: One autographs, one Relic and one manufactured Relic in every 24-pack hobby box

What's buzz-worthy: The latest batch of future Olympians arrives on cardboard in advance of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August. As with past Olympic releases, there are plenty of first-time signers who can become overnight sensations and sell very, very well once the Olympics arrive.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Continue reading →