LEAF CEO, Brian Gray, sat down with us at the Beckett Industry Summit and answered questions about new products and his all-time favorite card.
The CEO of Leaf, was kind enough to carve out five minutes of his busy day during the Beckett Industry Summit for a personal meeting with us! Not only did we find out about a few cool products, Brian Gray surprised us with his all-time favorite card is!
This blog is sponsored by JUST COLLECT where we specialize in buying vintage cards, autographs, and collections. If you have any of THESE cards, give us a shout; we'd be interested in buying.
2020 LEAF POP METAL CENTURY
Released Friday, Leaf's newest product, looks like so much fun! 1 box = 4 cards, all autographs or relics, with a checklist covering an incredible span of pop culture!
Some of the highlights:
- Harrison Ford
- Al Paccino
- Carmen Electra
- William Shatner
- Charlie Sheen
- Laura Dern
For nostalgia, Saved by the Bell, the Office, the Sopranos, and even Cheech and Chong have combo autos in the set!
Mr. Gray states "Since 2011, I have picked every autograph in the set." and has he done an awesome job in 2020 - the checklist is so cool. Whether going back to Leave it Beaver or Stranger Things, this set covers anything you could want.
The hardest autograph to obtain? Gray surprised us with "Taylor Swift and Scarlett Johansson; they won't sign cards." Leaf was able to get signed cuts from both Swift and Johansson!
Gray wants you to be happy with a pull, even it's not a monster auto, so he sought after cool, fun names. Coolio is in the set - if you're a 90's kid, you're already rapping Gangsta's Paradise after reading this.
Whether you're looking for James Bond (Roger Moore) or Kendall & Kylie Jenner, you can find it with Pop Metal Century thanks to Leaf.
PRODUCTS FOR KIDS
Mr. Gray took any question we asked, hard or simple, and we tossed a difficult one his way - lower-priced, obtainable products for kids.
As you know, store shelves are empty and prices at your local shop may be too expensive to buy packs for kids. Panini heard the issue and is planning to make the Kid's Crate. Does Leaf have a way to keep our hobby growing?
"Not at the moment" states Gray, "Topps and Panini are going to cultivate that area." While the small staff at Leaf deters the company to shift to a youth product, the retail stores play a huge part in which products can be made. One thing we don't realize is the shelf space! Retail space at stores is limited. Gray has offered up to 20 products to a retailer and they may only take 3 to 4 products. Even if Leaf created an affordable product for kids, stores may not even choose to display it.
LUMBER KINGS
Everyone at Leaf was excited to show both Chris Gilmore of Vintage Breaks South and us Lumber Kings 2020. Since Gary & Co. lacks the licenses for MLB products, Leaf needed to use retired players - advantages to us! This product gives us only the greats of the game. "Lumber" giving the aspect of the product away, there are game-used bat relics from Babe Ruth and Ted Williams to Derek Jeter and Griffey Jr.
Autographs and relics galore in the four-card box, loaded with incredible cards.
ALL-TIME FAVORITE CARD
I asked Brian about the iconic 1990 Leaf Frank Thomas rookie, and what card from today will be equally historic thirty years from now. Rather than a sports card, Gary surprised us with a card he doesn't think he can ever top!
Circling back to the 2011 Pop Metal Century product, Gary crafted a booklet of a JFK signed cut with Lee Harvey Oswald and a piece of the seat from the car the President was shot in.
I'd love to post a photo of the booklet, but Gary states "The card was pulled, sold on eBay in 30 seconds and has never been offered for sale again."
MORE UPDATES
We'll be providing more updates as the Beckett Industry Summit continues!
Keep an eye our blogs tomorrow, and all of our social media:
