The Diamond Giveaway got me thinking...

The Diamond Giveaway got me thinking…

In-pack gimmicks and promotions nowadays drive to websites, and rightfully so. It’s easier to track results and certainly cuts down on having to deal with envelopes and postage. I can’t imagine how much different some older gimmicks, such as Collector’s Choice You Crash the Game, would have been with a simple online hub.

I remember the first You Crash the Game I ever pulled was Barry Bonds (it was 1995), and the homerun date listed on his card was actually in the past by a few weeks. Do you know how I found out if that card was a winner? I called the sports editor’s number on the local paper and asked. He graciously answered my question (Bonds didn’t homer), although a few times after that I did the same thing and they started to get mad.

The few that did win, usually you had to sign the back of the card and then send it in with a check or money order for few bucks for shipping, and they’d (in this case Upper Deck) send you back your prize. Sometimes it was a special card of that player, other times it was a mini set. It was exciting to win and anxiously await your prize.

I’ve been wondering how a game like this would work in today’s collection environment. I’d assume there would either be a code on the card that you redeem on a website. I would personally love to see something like the old You Crash the Game cards with a date that a player must accomplish the feat listed, and if you win you redeemed it online for a prize. The collector could even have an online portfolio of prizes/cards that could be traded or shipped. Sounds like the Diamond Giveaway, actually, although your prize would be tied to a player’s performance as opposed to just a random code.

What do you think? What old promotion would you like to see brought back with today’s technology?