Opening Kick: Classics are back and back in a big way! This week eTopps has debuted two cards of well-known players who had huge impacts on college and NFL fans alike. As the football season winds down the eTopps market is on an upswing and Classics are helping to drive it. As the classics continue to rise in price, they slowly bring along their regular IPO issues. Hockey has left a void for many of us but these timely football classics help fill that void. We will continue to see more classics and hopeful these will continue to push the overall market value higher. So if you look at the big picture, adding more classics of players who were great players is a good thing for the community and our market. With that excitement in mind let’s get this going... Remember that these picks listed below are done with research and common sense. Do not trust my opinion alone. Simply use this as a tool or guide then develop your own buying strategy. Let's roll!

Herschel Walker (1,000 @ $9.50)

Herschel was one of the finest to ever play the college game and one of the toughest to play in the NFL. In college he finished in the top three for Heisman Trophy balloting three times and won it in 1982. He was a three-time College All-American and All-SEC player and was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He still holds 11 NCAA, 16 SEC and 41 Georgia records. He never materialized into the pro football player that he was touted to be but a lot of this was due to three years in the USFL, playing on teams with little or no talent, and a bobsledding sidetrack. His college career included three one-loss seasons: two losses to eventual national champions and one loss to Pittsburgh and an unbelievable throw from Dan Marino. Herschel spurned the NFL and bounded right into the USFL. There he proceeded to run over the league. He concluded his USFL career in 1985 with 21 touchdowns and 2,411 yards from scrimmage. He then went to the Cowboys were he was the team. On this team with no supporting cast, he led the NFL in rushing. He was best-known for his trade to the Vikings, whereby Dallas secured 5 players and 6 draft picks, building the nucleus of three Super Bowl teams. He finished his career with Philadelphia, the New York Giants and again Dallas, ending with 8,225 yards and 61 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 512 passes for 4,859 yards and 21 scores. No one will run the ball like he did in College. He will probably never make the NFL Hall of Fame but he made his mark on the NFL and especially the NCAA. BUY!

Reggie White (2,000 @ $9.50)

The untimely passing of Reggie White recently brought this retired star back into the spotlight and this card continues to cast a light on Reggie. Reggie had a glorious college career and, like Herschel, played in the USFL before going on to a NFL career. However, unlike Herschel, Reggie went on to shine in the NFL like no other defensive end. Reggie was big and dominant in college, earning All-American honors in his senior year, before going on to play for Memphis in the USFL. In the NFL some have gone as far as to say that Reggie was the best to ever play the position. Based on his statistics this assertion is hard to dispute. This two-time defensive player of the year terrorized quarterbacks throughout the NFL for three different teams (Panthers, Eagles, and Packers). He retired in 1998 as the NFL’s all-time sack leader with 198 sacks. He also played in 13 straight Pro Bowls and had double-digit sack numbers in 12 of his 15 seasons. An odd stat for Reggie was that he played 31 professional games in 1985, when he played for both Memphis and Philadelphia. Reggie will no doubt be remembered as one of the best to have played in the NFL. His untimely passing will be felt by many. BUY.