Jersey cards (a long read)

[ericsnewmsn]

Recently, I acquired this card in a trade:







The card states when the jersey was worn, and Thornton's accomplishments during that period. I find this information very becoming of the hobby. Is this not why we collect?

Let's start from the beginning. I was born in '87, and grew up with Pro Set, Collector's Choice, Parkhurst and Topps. I had bobble heads half-constructed lying all over the place, Kraft Dinner cards taped to my wall, and an Alyn McCauley RC resting in the only toploader I owned. StarQuest was the big chase, and nothing excited me more than finding a Teemu Selanne RC in the big box of $0.10 cards.

My love for the game of hockey has never waned, but slowly my interest for the hobby faded as I grew into my teens. Skip ahead to 2006, when I found myself in a flea market with some fresh packs of 2006-07 Series 1. Curious, I bought five packs and relished in the nostalgia of pack ripping. From the first pack, I pulled a Game-Dated moments of Chris Drury. I remember thinking to myself, "wow, they're still making these?". The rest of the packs held nothing worth remembering. The owner of the stand was kind enough to give me a toploader for the card and inform me that I was lucky enough to pull a case hit, whatever that was.

Over the next few weeks, I was hooked. I couldn't get enough of pack ripping. Soon I had rookie cards of Jordan Staal and Paul Stastny, as well as Ian White and Ben Ondrus. Then one day, while walking my dog, I stopped my a corner store and wouldn't you know it, I pulled a Dan Paille Game Jersey. I was in shock. Had I really just pulled a Game Jersey card? (In 2006-07, I remember the packs did not include the odds of pulling any given card). I got in my truck, drove to the hobby shop, picked up a price guide and received a bigger shock when I found it booked at $10.00. No, I had to be reading it wrong. Still, after my third attempt at trying to make the words appear different, I conceded that the value was $10.00. To make matters worse, they appeared to have been that way for many years.

Through my disappointment and confusion I remembered snippets of information from my LCS owner ten years previous talking about these so-called "jersey cards" that would be inserted at random into packs. They were so elusive, I had no real hope of ever pulling one. Ten years later, in 2006, they were about 200 times as common, having gone from 1:2500 to 1:12.

Event-worn, photo shoot, and practice are just some of the jerseys available to the consumer today. Six years after my return to the hobby world, these fabric swatches have eaten away at the excitement, thrill, and variety this hobby has to offer. There is such an abundance of jersey cards available that I do not exaggerate the fact that they can be acquired for a dime a dozen on the right day.

I will try not to continue to rant as much as I just have, and keep the rest as succinct as possible. That being said, I leave you all with the question that has been burning in me since the days of my Paille pull:


How would you feel about the supply of jersey cards (including patches and emblems) being limited to game-used only, and every card stating where and when its respective swatch had been used?

Keep in mind that this would dramatically reduce the availability of jersey cards in every aspect. Rookie Materials would likely be discontinued. Collectors of 70's and 80's players would no longer have event-used pieces, thus limiting future availability of memorabilia.

Also, please keep in mind that many different factors will be considered by many different people. Regardless of whether you are a ripper-and-seller, a player collector, a memorabilia collector, a hoarder, or a set collector, we will all have different opinions. I don't want this thread to go astray and become the topic of sticks, redemptions or sticker autographs, but to discuss the current practice of jersey cards and the hobby.

I thank you for the read!
Eric

Oh, and my opinion? Well, I'm sure you know already. I'm all for eliminating everything but game-used.

[mrmins]

That was a great read. I remember my first Game Used card, a Shaq game patch I believe from 99-00. It was a THREE COLOUR PATCH /25. Came from a Christmas gift from my girlfriend at the time. At the time I knew nothing about patches and thought it was a really nice card.

Next pull I believe was an 01-02 or 02-03 Patrick Roy UD I believe game jersey. Talk about pulls at this time I was pumped as I had opened thousands of packs over the years. My hobby collecting began in 89 and continued until 01 at which time I went away to school and had grown tired of the hobby. Too many cards and prices on all nice packs had sky rocketed.

A couple years back I decided to go back and look at my old cards and found the Shaq and Roy. We were in the process of completing renovations and needed some extra cash. My mistake I decided to sell the Shaq not realizing the significance of those old game used cards.

In my opinion there is not too many as long as they are available for kids in packs at a reasonable rate. I could only imagine my reaction of finding a piece of jersey worn by John Kordic, Gary Leeman, Daniel Marios, Al Iafrate, or of course the big pull Wendell Clark.

[patrickadams26]

My first jersy pull was from the same product Quest for the Cup. It was my PC player Roberts. It is one of my favorite.

I love this idea every card stating where and when its respective swatch had been used. ITG did it alot back in the day. Have a couple Roberts cards that state that. I am still happy that ITG still says what jersey it is from on the back, but more info on the year it was used would be awesome.

[Pheebs888]

I once interviewed Chris Carlin and asked him about this. He said that the chances of a mistake being made as to the "when" of the usage of the jersey were too great for that to be indicated on the cards and that they would be exposing themselves to severe backlash if a glaring error was made.

[FanOfSpeed08]

id love to see the cup have an "achievement memorabilia" set. we all have seen auctions of "500" goal sticks and pucks. If card companies have the information then they should share it. if a jersey has any blurry history to it then just use it like they have been. You wont find one collector that will disagree with what the thread starter is suggesting. It could happen just not fully mainstream just like pheebs said. A company really shouldn't guarantee a specific event if they weren't given full information

[theboxbreaker96]

If you go as far as game worn Then the rookies will have a hard getting jerseys in their cards. If you say only 2nd year players and above I have no problem with this.

[Barahir]

Im all with you ! Less GU cards and more infos on each card !

I wonder if the most valuable hockey card of all (Crosby Cup RC #/99) have a photoshoot patch on it ?

I bought many Game Used Stuff for my Roy collection over the years. Don't bought many packs between 1998 and 2005. Only Roy cards for my PC. The first card I pulled was a Shane Doan Artifacts Patch from 2005-06. Very cool card with 4 colors from the old Coyotes jersey logo. Since then, I pulled maybe 15's GU cards. Nothing impressive.

Too many memorabilia have killed hard players collectors who seek to collect everthing. Roy is retired since 9 years and companies release a bunch of his cards every year !

Its out of the subject, but the first auto card I pulled was Andrew Verner from 1991 Classic 4 Sports. Wow, I remember this day. The holy grail ! :) I was very shocked! This card worth 10-12$ today :)

[mw83krk]

My first jersey card came from a Shopper's Drug Mart blaster of 99/00 MVP... an Espen Knutsen Skate Around Jersey - wasn't even game worn, rather practice worn.

I'm like many, collected as a kid in the early 90's... and returned a few years ago, with the odd purchase in between. (like the MVP box mentioned above)

Suffice to say, I cherished that card... I don't know if there is a way to return to that feeling.

[ericsnewmsn]

If you go as far as game worn Then the rookies will have a hard getting jerseys in their cards. If you say only 2nd year players and above I have no problem with this.

Many posts so far have incorporated some variation of this statement, but ultimately it boils down to no GU RCs. Perhaps one set would be capable of providing GU RCs (a mid-high end product methinks).

Suffice to say, I cherished that card... I don't know if there is a way to return to that feeling.

This is exactly how I feel. Now, when I pull a jersey out of UD, I feel more sadness for the happiness I lost!

[patrickadams26]

that is true also. I noticed a while back the SPGU 07/08 I believe the Roberts Cards reads its a Pens patch but it is a FLA patch
me i don't care to much, but only do that it you know 100% what it is.

I once interviewed Chris Carlin and asked him about this. He said that the chances of a mistake being made as to the "when" of the usage of the jersey were too great for that to be indicated on the cards and that they would be exposing themselves to severe backlash if a glaring error was made.