Old Super Bowl Program Ads

A recent closet find from my parents move is a Super Bowl XII program. This was the Cowboys/Broncos game at the New Orleans Super Dome.

My grandfather went to this game and paid a whopping $2.50 for the game program. Probably expense at the time, but it's like the $25 price tag on today's versions.

One of the best items in programs are the ads. Here's an ad for Color TV! Whoa!

Best Uses for Texas Stadium Locker Tile

I picked up one of the Texas Stadium tiles that Steiner and the Cowboys were selling. It's a piece from one of the lockers at Texas Stadium, before they blew it to pieces.

It looked cool on the site, but now I'm not sure what to do with it.

Do I:
- Frame and matte it with some Texas Stadium turf and an autograph photo?
- Use it as a drink coaster?
- Set a small flower pot on it?

Tim Tebow Fans Need No Trademarks

Who needs to pay attention to trademark rules when Tim Tebow Mania is involved.

BroncoGator.com creates the spawn of the Florida Gator and Denver Bronco logos for dedicated Tim Tebow fans. I'm not an attorney, but I can't see how some fairly large corporations like NCAA and NFL would let this happen.

More from ESPN. 

Emmitt Smith's Autograph Price Dropping

It's not where it should be, but the price of Emmitt's autograph is dropping.

Next month Emmitt is signing at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Mounted Memories show. His price for a Premium Autograph is $299 plus $189 for an inscription.

In September, Emmitt is signing in a Plano, Texas mall for a bit cheaper. His price for a premium autograph is $269, plus $150 for an inscription.

It's not a ton, but it is $69 cheaper.

Wally Backman's Brooklyn Debut

Wally Backman returns to the managerial bench tonight with a major league affiliated club. The Brooklyn Cyclones (Backman's new team) take on the Staten Island Yankees.

I'm a big fan of Wally Backman. I think everyone needs another chance and Backman's passion for the game is rarely matched. I have a game-used bat from Wally and the ticket stub from his first game in a Mets uniform. 

The Wall Street Journal has a great article today about Backman's return.

Of course there is this ejection too (warning... language is not suitable for little ears).

GTSM Announces Their Spectacular List

GTSM is taking over the Football Spectacular and announced their preliminary guest list. Earlier this year I provided information on GTSM filling the Spectacular void. The first batch of autograph guests include:

• Gayle Sayers
• Tim Brown 
• Desmond Howard
• Charles Woodson
• YA Tittle
• Colt McCoy 
• Troy Aikman and more

Considering the show isn't until April of 2011, this is a pretty spectacular start. The guest list so far is here.

More Foursquare Marketing for Card Shops

Card shops need to embrace social media marketing. Yesterday that was YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and even Flickr. Today, location based tools like Foursquare are the next component to the marketing plan.

A few weeks ago I blogged that Sports Cards Stores Need Foursquare. Today, I have another example of how this can work in a card shop.

Sports Authority stores are now offering $10 for mayors of their stores. This is rewarding frequent visitors, providing an incentive for the mayors to buy more, providing an incentive for those close to a mayor status to keep visiting and incorporating the social element by letting everyone see this carrot.

A card store can easily apply this same promotion.

More information on the Foursquare promotion with Sports Authority stores is here.

Free Autographs at the National

Freedom Card Board announced they'll have some free autographs for guests attending this year's National in Baltimore, MD.

The announcement on the Facebook group page said they'll have Dirk Hayhurst and Junichi Tazawa at their booth. Visit the facebook group page for the National for more information.

Last year, FCB did a great job with live video feeds, free autographs, scavenger hunts and random prizes for visiting their booth.