THE SPECIALISTS COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Review of Leaf 8x10 Autograph Product - virtually every wrestler ever included, including rare collectibles
Jul 9, 2015 - 2:24:41 PM
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO BOOKMARK US & VISIT US DAILY
By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist
In Brief: Leaf’s latest offering delivers five signed 8x10 photos for around $100.
Review: Leaf 2015 Wrestling 8x10 Photograph Edition
Leaf 2015 Wrestling 8x10 Photograph Edition delivers five signed 8x10 photos per box. Boxes are selling in the $97-130 range, so be sure to shop around. There are ten boxes per case, with 200 total cases produced.
Leaf is advertising that this product includes signatures from more than 100 wrestlers. Although there is a heavy emphasis on the 1980s and 1990s, several other generations are represented as well, from the 1970s through today. Leaf 2015 Wrestling 8x10 Photograph Edition includes double signed pictures of the Young Bucks, marking the first appearance of a certified Bucks autograph in a sports collectibles product.
The promotional sheets advertise autographs from big names like The Rock, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Bill Goldberg, Mick Foley, Roddy Piper, and Chris Benoit. Many boxes that collectors have opened so far contain signatures from four mid-carders and one photo from a bigger name or one multi-signed item.
For example, one collector shared a two-box break. The first contained signatures from Mil Mascaras, Hurricane Helms, Lex Luger, Honky Tonk Man, and a dual Kevin Nash/Scott Steiner. The second box included Ted DiBiase, New Jack, Carlito, Hacksaw Duggan, and a dual Demolition.
- Autographs that have surfaced on eBay so far include the following eclectic mix: Goldberg, Piper, Lawler, Scott Hall, Flair, Nikolai Volkoff, The Headshrinkers, Bill Eadie (Masked Superstars/Demolition Ax), Koko B. Ware, Maria, Jushin Thunder Liger, Brie Bella, Lita, Velvet Sky...
Jeff Jarrett, Jim Neidhart, Sunny, Missy Hyatt, Hacksaw Duggan, Bobby Eaton, Mil Mascaras, Sabu, Lanny Poffo, Angelina Love, Vader, Ron Simmons, Pat Tanaka, Debra McMichael, Don Muraco, Larry Zbyszko, The Godfather/Papa Shango, Hurricane Helms, Booker T, Rick Martel, The Barbarian, Lance Storm, Powers of Pain, Dynamite Kid...
Jeff Hardy, Barry Windham, Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Sid Vicious, Gangrel, Tito Santana, Hillbilly Jim, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, Carlos Colon, Virgil, Gerald Brisco, Nikita Koloff, Road Warrior Animal, Sean Waltman, Tatanka, One Man Gang/Akeem, Steve Corino, Ivan Putski, Molly Holly, Rocky Johnson, Tony Atlas, Matt Striker, Abdullah the Butcher, Francine, Jillian Hall, Kelly Kelly, Honky Tonk Man, the Nasty Boys, Carlito, Masato Tanaka...
Ken Shamrock, Jimmy Hart, Matt Hardy, Dan Severn, Wendi Richter, Bobby Heenan, Paul Orndorff, the Rock and Roll Express, Al Snow, Jimmy Garvin, Precious, Rikishi, Val Venis, Demolition Smash/Repo Man, Chris Masters, Tonga Kid, Balls Mahoney, Sharmell, Bob Backlund, Howard Finkel, DiBiase, Ashley Massaro, Shane Douglas, George Steele, Marty Jannetty, and Haku/Meng.
- A majority of the mid-card acts tend to sell in the $15-20 range per photo, while signatures of top stars and multi-signed items fetch much more.
Many of these wrestlers have been included in Leaf’s trading card sets in recent years, including the 2012 and 2014 Leaf Originals Wrestling products. Many others are regulars on the convention circuit. Still, there is a large proportion of wrestling fans who don’t live in cities that host those conventions, and this is a somewhat affordable way to get those signatures.
“Any new wrestling product is good to me, since we don’t get a lot compared to other sports,” said one collector from Tennessee. “I do think (Leaf) could have done a better job at putting a larger selection in. It seems like they put a lot of names in it that were in the Leaf Originals set. I would’ve liked to see an Andre the Giant auto ... and a few more of the tougher autos.”
If you want to get an idea of what a box break looks like, search YouTube for key phrases like “Leaf 2015 Wrestling 8x10.” Dealers and collectors often posts videos of their box breaks, so you can decide for yourself if a box of this product is worth your money. You might also check the forums at sites like BlowoutCards.com and SportsCardForum.com to see what other collectors are pulling from these boxes, get their thoughts, and buy or trade for items.
PWTorch Collectibles specialist Michael Moore can be reached at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MMooreWriter.
THE TORCH REACHES MORE COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT FANS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
PWTorch editor Wade Keller has covered pro wrestling full time since 1987 starting with the Pro Wrestling Torch print newsletter. PWTorch.com launched in 1999 and the PWTorch Apps launched in 2008.
He has conducted "Torch Talk" insider interviews with Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Jesse Ventura, Lou Thesz, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Jim Ross, Paul Heyman, Bruno Sammartino, Goldberg, more.
He has interviewed big-name players in person incluiding Vince McMahon (at WWE Headquarters), Dana White (in Las Vegas), Eric Bischoff (at the first Nitro at Mall of America), Brock Lesnar (after his first UFC win).
He hosted the weekly Pro Wrestling Focus radio show on KFAN in the early 1990s and hosted the Ultimate Insiders DVD series distributed in retail stories internationally in the mid-2000s including interviews filmed in Los Angeles with Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara and Matt & Jeff Hardy. He currently hosts the most listened to pro wrestling audio show in the world, (the PWTorch Livecast, top ranked in iTunes)
REACHING 1 MILLION+ UNIQUE USERS PER MONTH
500 MILLION CLICKS & LISTENS PER YEAR
MILLIONS OF PWTORCH NEWSLETTERS SOLD
PWTorch offers a VIP membership for $10 a month (or less with an annual sub). It includes nearly 25 years worth of archives from our coverage of pro wrestling dating back to PWTorch Newsletters from the late-'80s filled with insider secrets from every era that are available to VIPers in digital PDF format and Keller's radio show from the early 1990s.
Also, new exclusive top-shelf content every day including a new VIP-exclusive weekly 16 page digital magazine-style (PC and iPad compatible) PDF newsletter packed with exclusive articles and news.
The following features come with a VIP membership which tens of thousands of fans worldwide have enjoyed for many years...
-New Digital PWTorch Newsletter every week
-3 New Digital PDF Back Issues from 5, 10, 20 years ago
-Over 60 new VIP Audio Shows each week
-Ad-free access to all PWTorch.com free articles
-VIP Forum access with daily interaction with PWTorch staff and well-informed fellow wrestling fans
-Tons of archived audio and text articles
-Decades of Torch Talk insider interviews in transcript and audio formats with big name stars. **SIGN UP FOR VIP ACCESS HERE**