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Below is the letter I wrote to Topps after they botched my original request for cards to replace 3 redemptions that had been outstanding for over a year. I believe the letter is self-explanatory. We'll get to the "success" portion of this story at the bottom of the post.
Dear Customer Relations,
I am requesting re-evaluation of the replacement cards I received from Topps. The cards were meant to replace unfulfilled redemptions.
• For 2x 2011 Matt Harvey Bowman Platinum Prospect Autograph Refractors #MH (Replaced Card No. 1) (Beckett Book Value (BV) $100 each) I received:
o 1x 2012 Matt Moore Bowman Chrome Autograph RC (Replacement for No. 1) (BV $20), and
o 1x 2011 Aaron Crow Finest Rookie Autographs Orange Refractor (Replacement for No. 1) (BV $20).
• For 1x 2011 Freddie Freeman Bowman Sterling Rookie Relic Autograph Purple Refractors #FF (Replaced Card No. 2) (BV $unknown) I received:
o 1x 2012 Jeremy Hellickson Topps Futures Autograph Relics #JH (BV $unknown)
The replacement request was placed in early April 2013 and the replacement cards were received in mid-April 2013. The book values above were taken from Beckett’s online price guide April 26, 2013. I believe the replacements for the Matt Harvey cards speak for themselves – the book value of each Matt Harvey card is 5x as much as the BV for the replacement cards.
However, since there is no book value for the Freddie Freeman card or the Jeremy Hellickson (replacement), it is not as obvious that the values are not similar. I believe there is a large discrepancy between the value of the Freeman card and the card it was replaced with, the Hellickson. Enclosed you’ll find a print out from Beckett’s online price card. In that print out, I found 6 basis for comparison to prove that the Hellickson card is not as valuable (or remotely as valuable) as the Freeman card:
1. Both cards contain an autograph and patch and are serial numbered to 10. However, the Freeman card is a Rookie Card and the Hellickson card is not. Even if we assume the players are valued equally, the cards themselves cannot possibly be because a Rookie Card is almost always more valuable than a Non Rookie Card.
2. If we look at the BVs for similar Freeman and Hellickson Cards, we find that the Freeman cards are of higher value. Looking at the enclosure:
a. Value Comp. No. 1 – Hellickson 2011 Bowman Chrome RC Auto BLUE Ref (BV $25)
b. Value Comp. No. 2 – Freeman 2011 Bowman Chrome RC Auto BLUE Ref (BV $30)
c. Value Comp. No. 3 – Hellickson 2011 Bowman Chrome RC Auto GOLD Ref (BV $60)
d. Value Comp. No. 4 – Freeman 2011 Bowman Chrome RC Auto GOLD Ref (BV $120)
Based on the two points above, I believe it is very clear that the Freeman card is significantly more valuable than the Hellickson card. And even though the Hellickson replacement card is an Auto/Patch with the same serial number, it is still a NON Rookie Card and will never have the same value as a Rookie Card.
The problem is, how do we determine the value of the Freddie Freeman card? Value Comp. No. 5 puts the BV of a Sterling Gold version autograph numbered to 50 without patch at $80. Clearly the Purple Refractor with patch numbered to 10 should be worth more. It’s hard to guess at the value of a card like this, but I’d have to guess the BV would be at around $150-200.
I was told by a Topps representative at the time I requested replacement that Topps would consult with a Beckett employee to determine the value of the Freeman card. Was that done? I find it hard to believe that Beckett would give its blessing to the replacement – it’s not a Rookie Card and Freeman is more highly regarded by collectors.
I really wanted the redemption cards that Topps owed me to begin with (the 2 Harvey’s and the Freeman), so I was really disappointed that after over a year of waiting, I had to request replacements. I was even more disappointed with the quality of replacements I received. I sincerely hope that Topps will make this right.
If it helps, these are the young players I’d be happy to receive as replacements: Xander Bogaerts, Oscar Taveras, Yu Darvish, Jurickson Profar, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Christian Yelich, Addison Russell, Matt Moore (just a higher quality card), Freddie Freeman, Matt Harvey, Lewis Brinson, Kyle Zimmer, Aaron Sanchez, Jose Fernandez, Archie Bradley, Dylan Bundy, Taylor Guerrieri, Zach Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Manny Machado, or Gerrit Cole. And as a shot in the dark in case there’s any possibility for an autograph, my favorite player is Ken Griffey Jr.
Sincerely,
Josh Sheriff
I sent the original replacement cards back to Topps along with this letter, and in response Topps sent me 2x Manny Machado 2010 Bowman Chrome Autos (BV today $150) to replace the Matt Harvey autos and 1x Jurickson Profar 2011 Bowman Chrome Ref Auto /500 (BV today $200) to replace the Freddie Freeman Auto/Patch card. It took about 2 weeks for Topps to respond to the letter, and I'm very happy with the second replacement cards.
So if any of you run into an issue like I did with the initial replacements, just know you have some recourse.
Dear Customer Relations,
I am requesting re-evaluation of the replacement cards I received from Topps. The cards were meant to replace unfulfilled redemptions.
• For 2x 2011 Matt Harvey Bowman Platinum Prospect Autograph Refractors #MH (Replaced Card No. 1) (Beckett Book Value (BV) $100 each) I received:
o 1x 2012 Matt Moore Bowman Chrome Autograph RC (Replacement for No. 1) (BV $20), and
o 1x 2011 Aaron Crow Finest Rookie Autographs Orange Refractor (Replacement for No. 1) (BV $20).
• For 1x 2011 Freddie Freeman Bowman Sterling Rookie Relic Autograph Purple Refractors #FF (Replaced Card No. 2) (BV $unknown) I received:
o 1x 2012 Jeremy Hellickson Topps Futures Autograph Relics #JH (BV $unknown)
The replacement request was placed in early April 2013 and the replacement cards were received in mid-April 2013. The book values above were taken from Beckett’s online price guide April 26, 2013. I believe the replacements for the Matt Harvey cards speak for themselves – the book value of each Matt Harvey card is 5x as much as the BV for the replacement cards.
However, since there is no book value for the Freddie Freeman card or the Jeremy Hellickson (replacement), it is not as obvious that the values are not similar. I believe there is a large discrepancy between the value of the Freeman card and the card it was replaced with, the Hellickson. Enclosed you’ll find a print out from Beckett’s online price card. In that print out, I found 6 basis for comparison to prove that the Hellickson card is not as valuable (or remotely as valuable) as the Freeman card:
1. Both cards contain an autograph and patch and are serial numbered to 10. However, the Freeman card is a Rookie Card and the Hellickson card is not. Even if we assume the players are valued equally, the cards themselves cannot possibly be because a Rookie Card is almost always more valuable than a Non Rookie Card.
2. If we look at the BVs for similar Freeman and Hellickson Cards, we find that the Freeman cards are of higher value. Looking at the enclosure:
a. Value Comp. No. 1 – Hellickson 2011 Bowman Chrome RC Auto BLUE Ref (BV $25)
b. Value Comp. No. 2 – Freeman 2011 Bowman Chrome RC Auto BLUE Ref (BV $30)
c. Value Comp. No. 3 – Hellickson 2011 Bowman Chrome RC Auto GOLD Ref (BV $60)
d. Value Comp. No. 4 – Freeman 2011 Bowman Chrome RC Auto GOLD Ref (BV $120)
Based on the two points above, I believe it is very clear that the Freeman card is significantly more valuable than the Hellickson card. And even though the Hellickson replacement card is an Auto/Patch with the same serial number, it is still a NON Rookie Card and will never have the same value as a Rookie Card.
The problem is, how do we determine the value of the Freddie Freeman card? Value Comp. No. 5 puts the BV of a Sterling Gold version autograph numbered to 50 without patch at $80. Clearly the Purple Refractor with patch numbered to 10 should be worth more. It’s hard to guess at the value of a card like this, but I’d have to guess the BV would be at around $150-200.
I was told by a Topps representative at the time I requested replacement that Topps would consult with a Beckett employee to determine the value of the Freeman card. Was that done? I find it hard to believe that Beckett would give its blessing to the replacement – it’s not a Rookie Card and Freeman is more highly regarded by collectors.
I really wanted the redemption cards that Topps owed me to begin with (the 2 Harvey’s and the Freeman), so I was really disappointed that after over a year of waiting, I had to request replacements. I was even more disappointed with the quality of replacements I received. I sincerely hope that Topps will make this right.
If it helps, these are the young players I’d be happy to receive as replacements: Xander Bogaerts, Oscar Taveras, Yu Darvish, Jurickson Profar, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Christian Yelich, Addison Russell, Matt Moore (just a higher quality card), Freddie Freeman, Matt Harvey, Lewis Brinson, Kyle Zimmer, Aaron Sanchez, Jose Fernandez, Archie Bradley, Dylan Bundy, Taylor Guerrieri, Zach Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Manny Machado, or Gerrit Cole. And as a shot in the dark in case there’s any possibility for an autograph, my favorite player is Ken Griffey Jr.
Sincerely,
Josh Sheriff
I sent the original replacement cards back to Topps along with this letter, and in response Topps sent me 2x Manny Machado 2010 Bowman Chrome Autos (BV today $150) to replace the Matt Harvey autos and 1x Jurickson Profar 2011 Bowman Chrome Ref Auto /500 (BV today $200) to replace the Freddie Freeman Auto/Patch card. It took about 2 weeks for Topps to respond to the letter, and I'm very happy with the second replacement cards.
So if any of you run into an issue like I did with the initial replacements, just know you have some recourse.
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