Odds and Ends Happening in the Hobby

And now comes the silence – at least until spring training.

This is a quiet time in the hobby, with only a handful of auctions taking place and the football season having just wrapped up. The biggest thing people are looking forward to now are getting the future NFL rookies in early season products and, in baseball, banking on which rookies will open the season on Major League Baseball rosters.

The NFL just announced its latest induction class, and I'm not sure you'll find a "quieter" announcement. In baseball, the HOF selection process is a widely debated action that is talked about weeks in advance of the voting. I try to be rather educated in all things sports, and I don't recall a lot of discussion about who would be called. In the end, it was Curtis Martin and four men in the trenches (Dermontti Dawson, Cortez Kennedy, Chris Doleman and Willie Roaf). Cornerback Jack Butler was also inducted. Perhaps, it's the lineman factor, but the names didn't really turn heads. Where was Cris Carter?

For those wondering, a signed Martin full-size helmet from Upper Deck Authenticated recently brought $270, which, honestly, was higher than I anticipated. I'd imagine that price isn't going to go a lot higher for Martin, but you should see a lot product of this sort with the latest announcement.

Someone in the NFL who's collectibles are going to continue to rise in value are those related to Eli Manning. Two Super Bowl victories. Two Super Bowl MVPs. New York market. Peyton's little brother is making headlines for all the right reasons. A few of his high-grade early cards are tipping the scales at four figures. Steiner has sold game-worn helmets for $4,000. As the unquestioned face of that team and its most popular, don't expect those prices to go down anytime soon.

And here's a question – if you're a Peyton Manning fan, do you gobble up the merchandise he'll have related to his new team (I'm expecting him to move on from the Colts), or do you stick with Manning as a Colt?