Back When Game Used Cards Seemed Cool

I think it can be universally acknowledge that relic cards have lost their luster with the collecting public.  Between authenticity issues, lame photoshoot jerseys, and the general staleness of a concept that is now 15 years old, collectors seemed to have moved on.  Of course nobody bothered mentioning this to card companies, who continue churning out thousands upon thousands of hideous jersey swatches.

But perhaps there are a half dozen game used card collectors out there who are absolutely in heaven right now.

But what feels like a collecting lifetime ago, game used cards were the coolest thing out there.  Most autographs were out of my budget, full game used items seemed a world away, and these little pieces of fabric just looked so damn cool.

I never went too far out of my way to purchase jersey cards - only enjoying what I pulled from packs.  Except for patch cards.  The array of colors just made the cards seem that much more exciting, and of course the comparative rarity made me feel like I had something special. 

I don't think I paid more than $4-5 for any of the cards in this post.  Of course I would undoubtedly be able to get more hobby mileage out of those funds now.  Maybe the patches don't have quite the appeal they did then.  All three players featured have definitely lost their hobby luster, and I doubt the cards would have much value sale or trade-wise.  I probably don't enjoy them as much as I should, and definitely don't look at them as much as I could.  But it's nice to see some fresh colors in my collection, some relics of a time when relics mattered.