One of the main attractions in high end products are the inclusion of some of the more crazy relic cards that seem to be everywhere these days. These cards used to be the toast of the town, being collection centerpieces for many different PCs that are out there. After seeing secondary market performance for some of these cards, those days might be coming to a close. Its kind of curious to observe the way these cards have performed.

Of course, the good stuff from marquee names still bring huge numbers:

2012 Topps Supreme Emmitt Smith Jersey Logo 1/1

2014 Immaculate Drew Brees Reebok Logo /2

2013 National Treasures Peyton Manning Captain's Patch /4

2015 Immaculate Julio Jones HOF patch /2

I have often commented that the day of the non-autographed non-logo patch needs to end, in my opinion. Im quickly starting to be more curious when non-autographed patch cards will be taken out of the premium product lines, especially if they arent signed. Game Used costs a lot to acquire, collectors frequently comment on the question of authenticity, and the cards rarely sell well. Why keep going with this stuff?

Topps Five Star mostly went that direction last year, removing most of the relics and adding more into the autograph budget. The checklist was great, but people freaked out about lack of relics, which was beyond confusing to me. It still seems like collectors want these cards in products, but they arent willing to pay for the cards when their favorite players are posted.

I have also commented that the usage of event used relics has done a number on the market for game used, because of the sheer number of crazy patches that can be manufactured. Where a company may only have one game used jersey for a player, they could have 50-60 event used for a lesser cost. There is more supply, and more supply means more yield and more ability to create all those insane patches.

As a result, the dilution of the market has wreaked havoc on value, and that is probably not going to change anytime soon. The question then becomes, how long are patch cards sustainable as a hobby element? I think there is definitely room for some, but autographs on those cards are almost essential to maintain value – unless the player is a marquee name.

Maybe I am overreacting, but I am quickly becoming much less confident in any patch card I could ever pull, unless it is a 1/1 shield or logoman.

Pretty crazy how fast we have come downhill.