Relics: At What Point is a Trading Card No Longer a Trading Card?

[Thick McRunfast]

First thing: I do understand that a trading card can be a trading card and a piece of memorabilia at the same time.

Second thing: A lot has changed in the twenty years since I've opened a pack of cards.

Back then, some "hits" did exist — such as autographed cards, jersey cards, and parallels. But the stuff today, like relic cards that include the Velcro strap from an all-star's batting glove, or a 50-year-old leather buckle from a HOFer's game-used goalie pad? Unreal. It's incredible to know that collectors have a chance to pull something like that from a pack.

It also makes me think:

Is there a point when a trading card becomes something other than a trading card? Are there parameters that define a trading card, like thickness or content?

For example, if a relic card is 10 times as thick as a normal card, has a piece of a baseball cleat covering two-thirds of the front, and contains nothing but a brief congratulatory note from the card company on the back, is it still a trading card? Or does it more closely resemble a piece of memorabilia?

Instead of calling them "relic cards", should we just be calling them "relics"?