Our hobby functions on patch quality in the card, as much as I hate to admit it. If it were up to me, people would buy more in regards to the look of the card than the patch that each card contains. If you look at recent releases from both Panini and Topps, ridiculous patch cards will sell regardless if they are the ugliest card in the history of the hobby.

That being said, there is a definite hierarchy of patches, that I wish the companies would pay more attention to. If they are going to use contrived scarcity of the cards to drive value, I think that patch yield needs to be considered for both of the following situations. Not only will it help deter fakes, but it will create value outside of the serial numbers.

Here is how I would like things to play out:

/50 and above

– Cards should contain mostly one and two color patches with a three color mixed in here and there.
– Logo cards and sleeve patches should not be a part of this grouping
– Past logos are not a part of this grouping in most cases

Bad Examples:

Multi Color Patch /50

Logo Sleeve Patch /50

/25 and above

– Cards should not contain 1 color patches but three color patches should still be in the minority
– Logo cards and sleeve patches should not be a part of this grouping unless the product costs above 200 dollars per box
– Highly infrequent laundry tags may be used

Bad Examples:

Single Color Patch /25

Single Color Patch Auto /25

/5 and /10

– Cards should not contain 1 or 2 color patches and three color patches should be on as many as yield allows.
– Logo cards and sleeve patches should be a slight minority part of this grouping, with the majority being three color patches.
– Laundry tags are more frequent in this grouping
– No shield cards should be created as a part of this grouping

Bad Examples:

Single Color Patch Auto /5

Single Color Patch Auto /10

1/1 Patches

– All patch cards numbered 1/1 should be special in some way
– Team chest logos should be included
– NFL shield logos should be included
– Laundry tags should not be a part of this grouping in products that cost above 200 per box
– No 1 color patches
– No 2 color patches
– No 3 color patches unless it is a special part of the jersey (Chargers lightning bolt patch that goes around the sleeve)

Bad Examples:

Two Color Patch Auto 1/1

One Color Patch Auto 1/1

The Patch Hierarchy

Extreme Value: Captain’s Patch

Captain’s patches, to my knowledge, have not been used in any card set. It may be patch yield when cut up, or it may be thickness, but I have not seen a real captain’s patch ever used. Considering that only a handful of the captains in the league are worthy of a card, its understandable. If companies were smart they would make a subset of 1/1s specifically dedicated to these patches. They would sell crazy go nuts because no one has ever seen them.

Mega Value: Team Chest/Rear Neck Logo, Shield Logos, Anniversary Patches

Over the last few years, Shields have decreased in value because of how many are used every year. On the other hand, because so few can be created, they are still uber valuable to collectors. Personally, I would MUCH rather have a full chest logo than a shield logo, as they someone did in Artifacts Basketball one year. The reason being is that it is representative of the player’s team, contains the most amazingly designed logos in sports (NFL word logos are ridiculously awesome), and are small enough to fit almost entirely on a card. They are getting more common with rookies because of the number of jerseys used at the premiere, but with veterans, it’s a five star or NT level patch. Same thing goes for the logo on the rear neck of the jersey, a la the Viking head, as it is so low yield that it has huge collectability ratings for the collectors that chase them.

As for the annivesary patch or commemoration patch, fakes always play into the value of a card. At the NSCC in chicago, I saw a guy with a table full of Chris Johnson SPAs with a 10th anniversary patch. Guess what? All fake. They are huge targets, but would have mega value if real ones could be done.

High Value: Sleeve Patch Logos, Name Plate Letters, Brand Logos

As we saw in Inception, both are used in very low numbered sets. Signed letters are now overdone, and have lost some value for rookies, but signed veteran letters are still VERY valuable due to the extreme rarity. Unsigned veteran letters are also valuable, if only because of the complete patch they contain, and the connection they share with the individual subject of the card.

Sleeve patches like the Titan Sword or the Ravens’ Maryland logo are used frequently for fakes because of the patch complexity, and I think this is where the greatest opportunity for gain remains. Jumbo patch 1/1s with these logos were all over Inception, and have garnered huge values as a result.

Brand logos are weird because there are two on every jersey. That means that if they use 30 jerseys at the rookie premiere, there are 60 of these patches.

Medium Value: Laundry Tagsand Multi Break Multi Color Patches

I don’t like Laundry Tags, as I don’t think they look as cool as other logo parts of the jersey. They are the same for every jersey, and really don’t add much collectability in my opinion. If the company singles out the NFL shield as a small patch from the tag, it’s a little different, but not much.

When you have a three color patch that zigs and zags every which way, there is definitely some better value there than a normal multi color patch. Regular patches have hit the floor in terms of value, unless there is some reason why they are special, and multi break ones fit that mold.

Low Value: Multi Color Patches, Single Color Patches

No reason why I need to explain this, but National Treasures, Exquisite and Five Star are the only situation where multi color patches still mean something, and there has to be a rookie auto included for this to be the case.