Category Archives: jumping the shark

Outing Hobby Elements That Have Jumped The Shark

Posted on by
15

It seems as though any great idea in the industry is ultimately overused and underdeveloped until it there is nothing available but stale and boring results. Whether it’s a simple concept or a completely awesome idea, nothing is left behind and everything is exploited, much to the dismay of a lot of collectors. It should be pretty obvious by now that I have VERY specific tastes in what I like and what I collect, so it should be no surprise that I want to see the destruction of certain elements that seem to be vastly overused.

Here is my (growing) list of things that have jumped the shark:

The Non-Autographed Jersey Card

We all know that game used jersey cards were responsible for the revitalization of the industry back in 1996. However, that was more than 14 years ago, and things need to change because I am just about ready to pull my hair out with this crap. Companies like Panini (ESPECIALLY Panini), have made the non-auto jersey card a focus of just about every product they release, and I think I speak for most people when I say we are fucking tired of it. In fact, Panini has an especially nauseating track record in the fact that each and every one of their products feature hundreds of worthless non-rookie oriented jersey cards. These cards, even for the top value guys, rarely eclipse 5-7 bucks, and yet we see thousands of them each year. Some of the rookies may initially command higher prices INITIALLY, but when all is said and done, most of these just end up in the bargain bins. Some could even argue that the patch card also falls into this category, but the jersey cards have most definitely jumped the shark.

The Manufactured Letter Card

Manu-letters, autographed or not autographed, are everywhere these days, and they have no doubt lost a lot of appeal for many collectors. Although some of the people out there still like to spell out weird shit for message board signatures, the letter cards are basically a dime a dozen. Donruss Threads is probably one of the worst offenders still in production, mainly because the patches don’t even feature team colors. Instead of producing letters with the team names and team colors for the rookies to sign at the premiere, Panini opts for Black and White letters so they can construct them more in advance. Complete crap. Topps was a terrible perpetrator last year too, when you see how many of their sets featured signed manu-letters. I remember asking myself, “Again with the letters Topps, again?” when each new sell sheet came out. Consider this shark jumped.

The Sticker Auto

I value hard signed cards at a huge premium over stickers. I will ALWAYS pick the on card auto over the sticker, unless it looks like last year’s Playoff Contenders or School Colors set that were just epic fails all around. Topps is probably the worst at doing sticker autos of any company, mainly because they feel the need to border each sticker they use, or build it into the design so that your eye is immediately drawn to the foil abomination they call an autograph. Stickers were originally created as a cheap way to alleviate problems with obtaining player autos, but have instead turned into an exercise in laziness and disorganization. When a company like Upper Deck can put out almost 100% of their calendar on card, including multi-signedVeteran cards, there is no excuse when a company like Topps cannot offer ONE SINGLE HARD SIGNED VETERAN CARD FOR AN ENTIRE FUCKING YEAR. Panini is almost worse, but they are at least making an attempt to do better. People may hate the unethical practices of Upper Deck as a company, but you cannot deny that they brought the big guns to EVERY fight.

The Diecut Window

Diecuts have become more of a patch faker deterrant than a design element these days, but for most of the cases, it looks awful. I don’t see a need to die cut the window to spell out something or to represent the team insignia, and when it comes to Triple Threads and Topps Sterling, there is nothing worse in cards. Its one thing to cut the window to fit the design, but its completely different to create the design to fit the shit spelled out in the windows. SP Authentic looked amazing each year because of simplicity, not because Upper Deck spelled out the player’s position with a symbol. Get this crap out of my house.

Foil Coated Card Stock in General

I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to the use of foil board in cards, but I cant stress enough how shitty it looks. Don’t believe me? Look at Threads this year, and compare the non-foil base cards to the holo-foil parallels. It practically destroys any appeal created by the great photos. Topps may have the market cornered with their faaaaaaar superior Chromium technology, but that doesn’t mean you have to challenge for the crown, Panini. The cards get easily damaged, they look like they should have pictures of little ponies and kitties on them like supermarket stickers, and it only highlights design problems that much more. STOP. NOW.

Stupidly Named Subsets

I have commented quite recently that there is no need to name your subsets. Different design elements and different pictures do MUCH more than naming each part of the set. It would be so much cooler to have “Donruss Elite Auto Jerseys” rather than “Dress Code Auto Jersey” or “Freshman Orientation Auto Jerseys”. Hall of fame signatures? Fine. Canton Absolutes signatures? Fuck off. There is nothing more annoying than seeing an awesome card ruined by an junky name for the set.

Base Cards

Yeah, I said it. Base cards, especially in football, arent worth the time of the companies to produce any more. If more products moved to tin format, it would definitely cut cost, but it would also lend itself better to organization and value. If a product costs thirty bucks a box, go ahead and make a 500 card base set, but anything above that should be in one pack format. I don’t even take base cards home with me anymore. I leave them at the shop as freebies for people who have no regard for space in their collections.

Printing Plates

If there is one thing on this entire list that needs to go, its printing plates. They are such a boring and stupid addition to any product, mainly because they were never really meant to be inserted in the first place. The cards cater to those collectors who want nothing more than to pull a one of one, even though just about every plate is actually 1/4. They are ugly, stupid, and should be cut from every product.

EDIT: This specific entry has brought about some debate from bloggers on twitter. I found it quite interesting to find out that they are never used in the printing process anymore. They are specifically manufactured to be hits in products. After thinking about it, that should have been pretty obvious when the plate image is not the reverse of the card image.  Shows how observant I am…

Player Exclusives/League Exclusives

This is more a marketing tactic than anything, but it still affects cards more than anyone would know. I think its safe to say that cards would be in a much better position without companies dogfighting over who has exclusive rights to sign for them. You should have cards that perpetuate brand loyalty, not exclusives that do the work for you. Its completely counter-productive, and has shown miserably in both the NBA and MLB.

Excessive Parallels

Parallels are used as a way to fill out a product rather than a tool to bring about more value. Because Parallels have almost become more concentrated in each set than the base cards, they arent valuable any more. Chrome has become the ONE exception to this rule, and its only because of the way their cards are structured. Again, Panini is one of the worst in the Parallel game, mainly because each card of theirs has about five hundred versions. I actually would say that the base card is no longer the common in a Panini set.

The Scrub Auto

The reason scrub autos exist is to have a cheap way to fill out an auto checklist. When Adrian Peterson charges 200 bucks a card, it forces the manufacturers to use lower tier rookies to fill out their box hits. Well, this is where the strategy breaks down. Instead of loading up on cheaper position players, they cast a wide net to include guys that probably wont make the practice squad. Honestly, if a guy has a shot, plays QB, WR or RB, have higher numbers of their cards instead of shitty defensive and non-position players. There is not going to be many Tom Brady like players who are undrafted and play free safety for the Lions.

Cut Autographs

When cut autographs become a case hit, its time to let it go. Cuts need to be a once in a lifetime pull, not some guy that played for a few years and happens to be dead. Walter Payton and Johnny Unitas make good candidates, not the center for the 1969 Colts. Its even gotten to the point that companies have stopped using photos on their cuts due to licensing. That is completely inexcusable.

Redemptions for Sticker Autos

Its one thing if a company is waiting on a hard signed card from a player. Ill wait for those any day of the week. But if they are waiting on a sheet of stickers, that’s their own fucking fault for not being prepared. If the player was a rookie at the premiere, its almost a felony level crime. Company commitment to delivering quality products has drastically fallen off the face of the earth, and shit like this shouldn’t fly. Right Panini?

Outside of these, there are about a million more, and Im sure you guys have your own. Feel free to comment below with your suggestions for the list, I will most definitely add ones that I like.

Jumping The Shark and Its Relation To The Industry

Posted on by
Reply

Since 1996 its been all memorabilia all the time, sometimes to the point of annoyance. However, with some of today’s relic cards, there are many more reasons that they are as relevant as ever. Over the last few weeks, the NFL Rookie Premiere has taken center stage due to what happens at the event, which has lead many to say that the jersey card has jumped the shark. I want to look at both sides of the argument.

First, I can remember back to the late nineties when people would go diving for those thick packs, enough that a decoy system had to be instituted. It was like a whole new hobby had sprung, and of course, the manufacturers were loving it. However, there are large differences between those cards and the cards you have today, mainly in the quality of the production and the possibilities of what can be inserted. This has led to major developments, many of which I would not collect without.

The Patch Card

Since 1996, the focus has shifted from having a swatch period, to having the best possible swatch you can. This means that the crazier the patch, the crazier the value of the card. Because the technology to create the cards has evolved, so has the card itself. The good thing about this is that the manufacturers have seen what is valuable and seen what we like, and created products to make sure we get those things. Exquisite, National Treasures, and other products of the sort have more crazy patches than you could shake a stick at, even going so far as inserting ENTIRE letters into a card. That is awesome, no doubt, and is great for player collectors who want a little more than a quarter sized jersey piece.

Without a doubt, the league logo is at the top of the ladder for desired patches, and some people pay the price of a car to have the card of their favorite player. This was not a possibility in 1996, but all of the companies have incorporated it into the reservoir in the years since. Most now consider it to be the pinnacle of a player’s year of cards, even going so far as buying cards that don’t have player pictures on them. Yet, the logos only go so far, so the manufacturers have also included the team chest stamp as a substitute, which I think is 10 times cooler than the league logo. I will say that its now gotten to the point where patches are becoming as common as the jersey card, but for most people, having a ridiculous patch is just as cool as ever. I am one of those people.

Now, with every success comes the drawback, as patches definitely have created their share. The monster known as the manufactured patch, or as I call it, the manupatch, has become as much of a standard as anything due to the success of the patch card. Most of the time I couldn’t care less, as the cards will also contain an auto, but when you have Topps Lettermen, it all goes out the window. This set, the highest treason of modern cards and one fugly set, has actually resorted to sticker autos ON TOP of fucking manuletters. I almost barfed on my keyboard when I saw the result.

Also, we have a number of people who like to replace the 1 color swatches with logo patches or team logo patches, and it has led to a general feeling of suspicion with every cool patch. Most of the time these people are so fucking stupid that its actually funny, which balances it out, but the question is still there in the back of our minds.

The Auto Relic Card

I love the auto relic cards, they are my bread and butter. Why buy the tiny swatch when you can have the auto to match? Add in the above, where patches are getting larger and crazier, and I am like a pig in shit. As an auto collector above a card collector, you can imagine why this part of the industry is so important to me, and many others like me. Most old school collectors criticize the move towards high end, but I am definitely in support of creating the most mind blowing cards you can – no matter the budget. I wouldn’t be around anymore without the auto relic, or the auto for that matter, and most people are following suit with that. You can yell and scream all you want about the way the industry is heading, but having a signed card from your player with a piece of his game in there will ALWAYS make you happy to have it.

Draw backs are a plenty, as it has become more expensive to produce the cards than to buy them off eBay. Players want exorbitant prices for their signatures, and it has led to a lot of problems with production. This has led to deeper and deeper checklists, and more problems for people like me who hate pulling Jerome Simpson as our box hit. Because people wont buy without this element, manufacturers are forced to comply to meet those expectations.

Personally, of all the elements, the auto cards and the auto relic cards need to stay to keep as many people as you can. It’s the other parts that most of us could probably live without.

The Event Used Relic Card

If anything is a testament to the direction of the hobby, its this type of card. Players who havent worn jerseys in a game put the jerseys on to give the companies the ability to fulfill everything above. I have come to terms with this type of card, and after this past weekend, I can see that players feel similarly to the way we feel. Add in a public that is craving rookie relics, and possibly one or two jerseys per year TOTAL for the players that actually make it on the field, and you can see where the problem lies. You wont see me buying singles of cards like this without autos on them, but I am not going to poo-poo them as long as the hobby is what it is.

Yet, we cant help but feel a little cheated that these types of cards are being produced, especially with the fucking stupid ass “event used football” cards. I think that if I could do without non-game worn cards, I would, so I just stay away. As Gregg said, we have the power of choice, and we should use it.

The Single Color Swatch Card

This is the bread and butter of just about every product out there. Buy a few jerseys and use them for 3000-4000 swatches, most of which are just the plain color part of the shirt. If anything could go, it would be these, but Im not sure how many people would consider a product to be worth it without 3-4 hits per box. Of course, there are those players who played so long ago, that the rules are a little different, thus leading to a jumbled existence of what is a good pull and what is not.

However, as long as products like Topps Triple Suck and Topps Suckling dress up the swatches with awful diecut windows, there will be people to buy products and cards that make use of them. Its almost like a drug you cant get off of, sadly. If anything has jumped the shark, its this, but still the wonderful people at Topps have made this a staple of every high end product they do. There are also those cards you get as a high end box hit in Exquisite that are the one color demon, but at least you still get other hits right?

Overall, much to the chagrin of most nostalgic collectors, these cards are never going to die. They have become the rule rather than the exception. I know I am probably going to get a condescending comment from Mario on this post, but I don’t think I want to be a part of an industry that doesn’t provide me with some sort of connection to a player. We could go back to 4 all base products a year, but where is the fun in that? It would be boring. Its gotten to the point now where its not just a collecting hobby anymore, and not many people are willing to admit that. It’s an auto hound hobby, a game used collector’s hobby, it’s a hobby based on rarity not quantity. Most people say things are worse now than they ever have been, I think there are many more reasons to stick around thanks to many of the reasons I discussed in this post. There will always be people saying that jersey cards ruined everything, but I am one of the people who say that they wouldn’t be here without them.