April 21, 2004 Charlotte, N.C. -
The 2004 draft is deep in offensive talent, with a
familiar name at the head of the draft class. Eli Manning
(son of NFL great Archie Manning, and brother of current
Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning) will be making his mark
as a rookie in 2004, and Press Pass 2004 Football
will be the first place to find autographs and game-used
jersey cards of this talented quarterback and dozens of
other top rookie prospects.
Press Pass 2004 Football offers collectors their
first opportunity to obtain autographs and jersey cards
of the top talent in the 2004 draft, such as QB's Eli
Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers, and WR's
Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow. There
are four levels of autograph cards in Press Pass 2004
Football. The base autograph level features the player's
collegiate logo in bronze, the silver level is numbered
to 200 and features the player's uniform number, and the
gold level that is numbered to 100 and features a gridiron
"x's and o's" pattern. Popular Power Pick
Autographs showcase signatures of select standout
players in the draft and are sequentially numbered to
250. There will also be three levels of game-used jersey
cards in Press Pass 2004 Football. Hobby odds for
pulling an autograph are 1:7 packs, and hobby odds for
pulling a game-used jersey card are 1:72 packs.
"Press Pass 2004 is the first product to bring
collectors closer to their favorite collegiate gridiron
stars, such as Eli Manning and Larry Fitzgerald, as they
embark on their rookie season," explained Heather
Maillard, associate product manager for Press Pass, a
division of RC2 (NASDAQ: RCRC). "Press Pass offers
what may be the only college game-used jersey cards &
autograph cards ever produced of many of these rookie
prospects. Compared to the vast number of pro cards that
will inevitably follow, these cards are destined to become
some of the rarest game-used jersey cards & autograph
cards ever produced of this rookie class."
Press Pass 2004 Football features a 50-card base
and released on April 21, 2004.
RC2 (www.rc2corp.com) is a leading producer and marketer
of high quality, innovative collectibles and toys targeted
at adult collectors and children, as measured by sales
and brand recognition. The Company's diverse product offerings
include: agricultural, construction and outdoor sports
vehicle replicas; automotive, high performance and racing
vehicle replicas; traditional children's toys; sports
trading cards and racing apparel and souvenirs; and collectible
figures. These products are sold under the Company's market-focused
brand names, including Racing Champions®, Ertl®,
Ertl Collectibles®, Learning Curve®, American
Muscleä, AMT®, W. Britain®, Press Pass®,
Eden®, Feltkids®, JoyRide® and JoyRide Studios®.
The Company supports its brands and enhances the authenticity
of its products by linking them with highly recognized
licensed properties from John Deere, Harley-Davidson,
HIT Entertainment, Lamaze, Case, Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar,
Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler, NASCAR, NHRA, Texaco, Universal
Studios, Warner Brothers, DIC Entertainment, Discovery
Channel and Microsoft. The Company's products are marketed
through multiple channels of distribution, including chain
retailers, specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers,
OEM dealers, corporate accounts for promotional purposes
and direct to consumers. The Company sells through more
than 20,000 retail outlets located in North America, Europe
and Asia Pacific.