Description

2008 Razor Signature Series is a 200-card draft pick set released in December, 2008. Each pack contained an autograph. The last 100 cards in the base set are all autographed and feature the same checklist as the first 100 cards. All autographs are "trapped cuts," that is, in lieu of sticker autographs, each player signed a paper "tab" that is mounted (or "trapped") on the card -- not unlike a cut signature.

Razor, the predecessor of the modern incarnation of Leaf Trading Cards, signed 42 2008 MLB Draftees to exclusive trading card and autograph contracts for the remainder of 2008 -- keeping them away from Topps' 2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects in the process. Fifteen of the first 20 players drafted including the first four picks were all exclusive to Razor. Unfortunately for Razor, 2008 turned out not to be a particularly good draft class, and the class's best player Buster Posey signed for both Razor and BDP&P. Giancarlo "Michael" Stanton, a 2007 draft pick, also appears in both 2008 Razor and 2008 BDP&P.

The product is not licensed by either MLB Properties or the Collegiate Licensing Corporation (CLC) and as such players are depicted in either high school or airbrushed college uniforms.

Inclusion of Matt Wieters

Razor also signed Matt Wieters, the fifth pick overall in the 2007 draft, to an eight-year exclusive contract that prohibited any other company from producing a Wieters card until after he had made his Major League debut (which he did in 2009). Because Topps is not subject to the MLBPA's Group Licensing Agreement and signs players to individual contracts, Wieters (with the exception of a 2009 eTopps card) would not appear on a Topps card until 2016.

Upper Deck was able to include Wieters in some of their late-season 2009 releases -- their last as a fully-licensed company -- as well as the retroactively-licensed 2010 Upper Deck set. From that point until 2016, these were the only fully-licensed Matt Wieters cards printed. Panini, which has had an MLBPA license since 2011, has regularly included Wieters in their checklists.

Distribution

Ten packs per box, five cards per pack (MSRP: $12.50).

Reviews

Insertion Ratios

Cards	Total Cards	Numbered To	Hobby Odds
Base	200	-	4:1
short set	100	-	4:1
Autographs	100	varies	one-per-pack
Black	100	200	?
Blue	100	25	?
Autographs Black	100	199	?
Autographs Blue	100	25	?
Autographs Double Black	100	5	?
Exclusives Autographs	42	-	?
Dual Signatures	13	99	?
Dual Signatures Black	13	25	?
Dual Signatures Blue	13	5	?

Checklist

Promo

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A set of four Tim Beckham promo cards were issued to promote the upcoming 2008 Razor Signature Series set. Unfortunately, all four cards are exactly the same, with the only difference being the card's sequential number (e.g. "TB-XP" where "X" is a number from 1 to 4). A Black parallel for each card also exists, however, none of the Black cards are serial-numbered, and appear to have been produced in the same quantities as the other promos.

Base Set

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1 Tim Beckham
2 Pedro Alvarez
3 Eric Hosmer
4 Brian Matusz
5 Buster Posey
6 Kyle Skipworth
7 Yonder Alonso
8 Gordon Beckham
9 Aaron Crow
10 Jason Castro
11 Justin Smoak
12 Jemile Weeks
13 Brett Wallace
14 Aaron Hicks
15 Ethan Martin
16 Brett Lawrie
17 David Cooper
18 Ike Davis
19 Andrew Cashner
20 Joshua Fields
21 Ryan Perry
22 Reese Havens
23 Allan Dykstra
24 Anthony Hewitt
25 Christian Friedrich
26 Daniel Schlereth
27 Carlos Gutierrez
28 Lonnie Chisenhall
29 Casey Kelly
30 David Adams
31 Jeremy Bleich
32 Brett DeVall
33 Cutter Dykstra
34 Stephen Fife
35 Ryan Flaherty
36 Derrik Gibson
37 Pete Hissey
38 Destin Hood
39 Garrison Lassiter
40 Che-Hsuan Lin
41 Kyle Lobstein
42 Jordan Lyles
43 Brett Marshall
44 Tim Melville
45 Wade Miley
46 D.J. Mitchell
47 Robbie Ross
48 Tanner Scheppers
49 Ross Seaton
50 Chris Smith
51 Ryan Westmoreland
52 Robbie Weinhardt
53 Casper Wells
54 Matt Wieters
55 Michael Antonini
56 Jay Austin
57 Jeremy Beckham
58 Eric Berger
59 Charlie Blackmon
60 Bobby Bundy
61 Sawyer Carroll
62 Welington Castillo
63 Ryan Chaffee
64 Tyler Chatwood
65 Dusty Coleman
66 Brandon Crawford
67 Jordan Danks
68 James Darnell
69 Danny Espinosa
70 Jeremy Farrell
71 Tim Federowicz
72 Tim Fedroff
73 Logan Forsythe
74 Rolando Gomez
75 Anthony Gose
76 Robbie Grossman
77 Trey Haley
78 Brad Holt
79 Brett Hunter
80 Jake Jefferies
81 Lance Lynn
82 Jordy Mercer
83 Quinton Miller
84 Mike Montgomery
85 Tim Murphy
86 Petey Paramore
87 Cord Phelps
88 Bryan Price
89 Kevin Pucetas
90 Zach Putnam
91 Dennis Raben
92 J.P. Ramirez
93 Tyson Ross
94 Cody Satterwhite
95 Logan Schafer
96 Zeke Spruill
97 Michael Stanton
98 T.J. Steele
99 Niko Vasquez
100 Beamer Weems

Autographs

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Each Autograph is serial-numbered to the production figures listed below.

101 Tim Beckham 499
102 Pedro Alvarez 499
103 Eric Hosmer 699
104 Brian Matusz 699
105 Buster Posey 499
106 Kyle Skipworth 699
107 Yonder Alonso 699
108 Gordon Beckham 499
109 Aaron Crow 699
110 Jason Castro 1199
111 Justin Smoak 699
112 Jemile Weeks 699
113 Brett Wallace 499
114 Aaron Hicks 699
115 Ethan Martin 699
116 Brett Lawrie 499
117 David Cooper 1199
118 Ike Davis 499
119 Andrew Cashner 699
120 Joshua Fields 1199
121 Ryan Perry 699
122 Reese Havens 1199
123 Allan Dykstra 1199
124 Anthony Hewitt 1199
125 Christian Friedrich 1199
126 Daniel Schlereth 1499
127 Carlos Gutierrez 1199
128 Lonnie Chisenhall 699
129 Casey Kelly 1199
130 David Adams 1199
131 Jeremy Bleich 1199
132 Brett DeVall 1499
133 Cutter Dykstra 1199
134 Stephen Fife 1499
135 Ryan Flaherty 1199
136 Derrik Gibson 1199
137 Pete Hissey 1199
138 Destin Hood 699
139 Garrison Lassiter 1499
140 Che-Hsuan Lin 1499
141 Kyle Lobstein 699
142 Jordan Lyles 1499
143 Brett Marshall 1499
144 Tim Melville 699
145 Wade Miley 1499
146 D.J. Mitchell 1499
147 Robbie Ross 1499
148 Tanner Scheppers 1499
149 Ross Seaton 1499
150 Chris Smith 1499
151 Ryan Westmoreland 1199
152 Robbie Weinhardt 1499
153 Casper Wells 1499
154 Matt Wieters 499
155 Michael Antonini 499
156 Jay Austin 1499
157 Jeremy Beckham 1499
158 Eric Berger 699
159 Charlie Blackmon 1499
160 Bobby Bundy 1199
161 Sawyer Carroll 699
162 Welington Castillo 1199
163 Ryan Chaffee 1499
164 Tyler Chatwood 1499
165 Dusty Coleman 499
166 Brandon Crawford 699
167 Jordan Danks 1499
168 James Darnell 1499
169 Danny Espinosa 1499
170 Jeremy Farrell 699
171 Tim Federowicz 699
172 Tim Fedroff 1499
173 Logan Forsythe 1499
174 Rolando Gomez 699
175 Anthony Gose 1499
176 Robbie Grossman 1499
177 Trey Haley 1499
178 Brad Holt 1499
179 Brett Hunter 1499
180 Jake Jefferies 1199
181 Lance Lynn 1499
182 Jordy Mercer 1499
183 Quinton Miller 1499
184 Mike Montgomery 1499
185 Tim Murphy 1499
186 Petey Paramore 1499
187 Cord Phelps 1499
188 Bryan Price 1499
189 Kevin Pucetas 1499
190 Zach Putnam 1199
191 Dennis Raben 1499
192 J.P. Ramirez 1199
193 Tyson Ross 699
194 Cody Satterwhite 1199
195 Logan Schafer 699
196 Zeke Spruill 1199
197 Michael Stanton 1199
198 T.J. Steele 499
199 Niko Vasquez 1199
200 Beamer Weems 699

Parallels

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All 100 non-autographed base cards are available in the following parallels.

Black (serial-numbered to 200 copies)
Blue (serial-numbered to 25 copies)

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All 100 autographed base cards are available in the following parallels.

Black (serial-numbered to 199 copies)
Blue (serial-numbered to 25 copies)
Double Black (serial-numbered to five)

Printing Plates

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About a week before 2008 Razor Signature Series' release, Razor began selling the printing plates used to produce to the product on eBay. All four plates (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) for all 200 base cards were sold, and all 100 autographed base cards had their plates signed.

Silver

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Also around the same time as they started selling Printing Plates, Silver parallels for all 100 non-autographed base cards were also made available via eBay.