It's a darn shame...

[Eric]

Now, I know this is nothing new, but you sometimes forget what artifacts no longer exist intact because of the card companies. Here are some items I saw on ebay which are enough to break your heart

Babe Ruth Jersey with stitched signature in tagging
http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/73/80/61_1.JPG

Ted Williams Jersey/Laundry Patch and Jacket
http://i7.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/00/90/ff_1_b.JPG

Joe Dimagio A's Jersey Patch
http://i9.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/ff/af/8c_1_b.JPG

Babe Ruth Jersey Pants Bat
http://i5.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/fb/c0/bd_1.JPG

Shoeless Joe Jackson Bat
http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/1d/39/74_1.JPG

Roberto Clemente Name Stitching
http://i1.ebayimg.com/05/i/07/10/34/a9_1.JPG

And I could go on and on and on...

[Calrima]

AMEN!


Sadly the Card companies do destroy these game used Gems to increase sales of thier Wax Products. I have seen current wax boxes at shows with price tags of $200+, that are intended for the collector to purchase and hopefully obtain, items such as you displayed.

My best to all,,,,,,,,

Den

[both-teams-played-hard]

http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/73/80/61_1.JPG

I am still a skeptic. I don't believe anyone owns a "real" Michael Jordan game used jersey. I also don't believe anyone cut up a Babe Ruth Flannel. I really don't. I see the photo. You could have a video tape of Upper Deck, Fleer or Donruss slicing up a Babe jersey-but I still don't believe it. Cut the baby in two and give each mother half!

[ryan4fregosi]

Simple advice: DON'T BUY ANYTHING WHATSOEVER from any of the companies cited above. Presto: no more market.

[stew609]

Makes you wonder who paid the big bucks for the Orr jerseys on Lelands. My guess is we'll be seing them on cards soon.

[trsent]

Reminds me of an old television theme song:

You take the good.
You take the bad.
You have them both and then you have,
The Facts of Life...

[Eric]

Here's a brand new round of It's a darn shame

Below you'll find some recent baseball artifacts butchered by the card companies...

Burleigh Grimes Jersey
1367

http://cgi.ebay.com/Playoff-Prime-Cuts-Burleigh-Grimes-Jersey-Patch-1-1_W0QQitemZ250013955814QQihZ015QQcategoryZ44841QQr dZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Ted Williams Jacket
1368

http://cgi.ebay.com/2004-Leaf-Certified-TED-WILLIAMS-3-Color-Patch-1-1_W0QQitemZ280014577754QQihZ018QQcategoryZ55956QQr dZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Clements Waner Appling Sisler Bat Barrels
1365

1366
http://cgi.ebay.com/Epic-Quad-Bat-Barrel-Clemente-Waner-Appling-Sisler-1-1_W0QQitemZ250013955840QQihZ015QQcategoryZ44837QQr dZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Eric]

Then there's these...

Roger Maris pants nametag

1369

http://cgi.ebay.com/Absolute-TOTT-Roger-Maris-Jumbo-Prime-Jersey-Patch-1-2_W0QQitemZ280014146770QQihZ018QQcategoryZ98015QQr dZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Munson, Dickey bats

1370
1371

http://cgi.ebay.com/06-UD-Epic-Four-Barrel-quad-bat-card-1-1-Yankees-Munson_W0QQitemZ290015719027QQihZ019QQcategoryZ448 37QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Yaz Tag

1372
http://cgi.ebay.com/2005-CC-CARL-YASTRZEMSKI-JERSEY-TAG-3-COLOR-PATCH-23-25_W0QQitemZ230019091940QQihZ013QQcategoryZ98014QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Willie Mays tag

1375
http://cgi.ebay.com/2005-Prime-Patches-Willie-Mays-LOGO-TAG-PATCH-TRUE-1-1_W0QQitemZ120020876741QQihZ002QQcategoryZ98015QQs sPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[metsbats]

Simple advice: DON'T BUY ANYTHING WHATSOEVER from any of the companies cited above. Presto: no more market.



BOYCOTT. ABSOLUTELY.

I"VE not brought cards in 5 years and don't plan on ever starting again!!

Unfortunately there evidently are ignorant folks out there who have created a market for these cards. I personally would like to see the day all these card companies go out of business for crossing the line and taking pieces of baseball history and shredding them to bits all in the name of the mighty buck. :mad:

-David

[kylehess10]

BOYCOTT. ABSOLUTELY.

I"VE not brought cards in 5 years and don't plan on ever starting again!!

Unfortunately there evidently are ignorant folks out there who have created a market for these cards. I personally would like to see the day all these card companies go out of business for crossing the line and taking pieces of baseball history and shredding them to bits all in the name of the mighty buck. :mad:

-David

Well, Fleer & Donruss went out of business this year so that leaves only 2 card companies left (Topps & Upper Deck) but they have made sooooo many high-end products this with so much game used and autographs cut up. Have you seen the new 2006 Artifacts set? They pretty much destroyed all vintage game used

[thomecollector]

This has gotten out of hand. It's not about Joe collector anymore. It's all about the money. The little guy can't afford this crap. I say boycott it as well. The only good , if anything is that if you are fortunate enough to have some of these items. Who needs a pension ??? It keeps going up every minute. Oh yeah! Fleer is still around. Upper deck owns them now.They keep putting the smaller companies out of business............:D

[stkmtimo]

What an absolute joke! I used to be a big collector of cards but am gradually paring down my collection in order to acquire more actual game used items. It's so unfortunate that the card companies are cutting up these game used items (and autographs) from long deceased legends. I wish the madness would stop, but it won't until the market dries up. The changes of that happening? Slim to none.

Tim

[ryan4fregosi]

Here's a question: what happens to the heirloom piece after the card companies have taken their choice snips?

My best guess is it goes straight to the incinerator. Why not? Their ball, their rules. What fun.

[sylbry]

I am glad MLB pulled their license.



08.31.06: Interview with Donruss Playoff Senior Football Brand Manager, Ben Ecklar

http://www.donruss.com/images/admin/bg_fb.gif The following interview appears in the September '06 issue of Beckett Football, now available at hobby shops, retailers or www.beckett.com (http://donruss.com/newsadmin/news/www.beckett.com)
Out of The Closet, Into The Cards
Donruss Playoff's focus this season is clearly spelled out in the names of some of its products: Donruss THREADS, Absolute MEMORABILIA, Leaf Certified MATERIALS and Donruss Gridiron GEAR.

The company has acquired some amazing pieces of memorabilia during the past few years, including game-worn jerseys and helmets of Jim Thorpe, Doak Walker, Red Grange, Dutch Clark and Bulldog Turner. These pieces have come together to form some of the most unique and creative football cards in history.

We talked with Donruss Playoff senior football brand manager Ben Ecklar about the process of creating memorabilia cards and how the company cuts and creates swatches.
How do you go about searching for memorabilia pieces?

"We'll catch a lot of the pieces in auction catalogues or we'll use the approved sources we have. We'll send out an e-mail or give them a call to let them know we're wanting an item. Some of it has to do with players that have never had memorabilia pieces or players that fit into a certain category."

"Dutch Clark fit into that category with Jim Thorpe and Red Grange being charter members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We saw the Clark helmet in a catalogue and went after it."
How do you determine how those pieces will be used?

"With the helmet, we didn't really look at it and think how many pieces we could get out of it. It was more the draw for that piece. It's an item you don't want to pass on. Classics is a perfect program to put a piece of memorabilia like that in."
How much tougher is vintage football memorabilia to find than, say, baseball memorabilia?

"A lot of them are tougher to find. And that's any kind of material ¬ jersey, pants, shoes. Those catch your eye first. Even guys from the '70s and late-'60s are tough."

"Any player prior to 1980, you only see those every once in a while. Anything prior to 1970, you see maybe a half dozen pieces per year. In some cases, it may just be a chinstrap or other small piece. Some of this stuff is sold in big groups, so we can't go after it because there's just too much we can't use."

"We'd love to get a player like Steve Van Buren, but you go back in the auction catalogs and you probably see one piece in the last five years. We haven't seen anything from Bronko Nagurski. Most of that stuff is tied up in private collections or in the Hall of Fame."
Are there any pieces you're currently targeting?

"We'd love to get a Bronko Nagurski piece or anything of Sammy Baugh ¬ any of those guys from the early Hall of Fame classes. We got lucky and got a Clyde 'Bulldog' Turner. He's not as big of a name as a lot of the vintage guys, but he was a linebacker for the Bears and blazed the trail for a lot of legendary linebackers."
Talk a little about the process of creating memorabilia inserts from the pieces you obtain.

"When we plan out a program, a lot of the time, it's stuff we've done in the past, so we have an idea of what the look and feel will be. In other cases, we see unique groups like the Timeless Triples to do the Thorpe, Grange and Dutch since they are all charter Hall of Fame members. So, that made sense to put all three of those guys together and create that card."

"The size of the swatch is almost a reverse. If we have three players, what size is the best for that card? It ends up being a 5/8-by-5/8 of an inch swatch. It comes down to what works from a design aspect as well as getting all three players on the card."

"When it comes to swatch sizes, that's really a design thing. But when it comes to jumbo swatches, you look at the program. Absolute and Gridiron Gear stand out as having jumbo swatches. With prime swatches, it comes down to the player. You see more prime swatches with Hall of Famers and big-name players of today. Those are mostly in our higher-end programs, just because it's kind of a value component. You may see more of the semi-star players in our lower-end programs where the value of those players may not pan out in a higher-end program. We're always looking at the value component versus the SRP of the product."
So, about how many swatches can you get from a standard-sized jersey of today?

"From a standard-sized jersey, say a size 52, we probably get around 1,000 swatches 1 inch-by-1 inch. Swatches are pretty much cut to order. We estimate what the jersey is going to yield at what level how many prime, jumbo and regular swatches."
It seems that most Donruss Playoff memorabilia inserts that feature jumbo or patch swatches are specially designed. Does that help to deter people that try to insert fake patches?

"Usually, anything that has a prime swatch is on a thicker stock. That's something that deters them. Like the Mirror Blacks in Leaf Certified Materials, you know that those are going to be prime and feature the NFL shield. It's usually going to be something that we've geared to have prime swatches."
What's in store for future memorabilia cards?

"We're always going to continue to push the envelope and get as creative as possible to create the value that collectors would want to see. As collectors, we're just trying to create cards that we would get ourselves.

"Just like with Threads. We're doing the signed rookie nameplates. That's never been done with Rookie Cards before."

"In Gridiron Gear, every Rookie Card will be a jumbo swatch, whether it's a standard, prime or and autographed swatch. You try to create stuff that has a broad acceptance. It's doing stuff that hasn't been introduced at, say, the Rookie Card level or Hall of Fame level, etc."

"We'll go out there and try to get jerseys that haven't been done, like the Lance Alworth. We'll do some Hall of Famers that have had jersey cards, but do a twist on them ¬ maybe do some jumbo swatches or die-cuts."

[stkmtimo]

The card industry is such a joke. I'm in the process of selling off some of my collection including a lot of my GU cards (what little I can get for them) and a few of my cut signature cards. I have had enough of the industry destroying pieces of history for collectors who could care less about the pieces of the card. The card industry won't be getting my patronage anymore. It's a small step, but it's worth it.

Tim

[sportscentury]

Simple advice: DON'T BUY ANYTHING WHATSOEVER from any of the companies cited above. Presto: no more market.

Ryan,

I share your sentiment. The thing is that the majority of people who are buying these cards are not forum readers. I'm afraid that there is no end in sight to the game used card business.

Reid

[both-teams-played-hard]

"The size of the swatch is almost a reverse. If we have three players, what size is the best for that card? It ends up being a 5/8-by-5/8 of an inch swatch.
"When it comes to swatch sizes, that's really a design thing. But when it comes to jumbo swatches, you look at the program. With prime swatches, it comes down to the player. You see more prime swatches with Hall of Famers and big-name players of today. ]"From a standard-sized jersey, say a size 52, we probably get around 1,000 swatches 1 inch-by-1 inch. Swatches are pretty much cut to order. We estimate what the jersey is going to yield at what level how many prime, jumbo and regular swatches."

Ahh....the 1980s. The good ole days. Remember when a Swatch was a gaudy plastic watch worn by teenagers? Duran-Duran RULES!
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/241/swatchpv4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)