Event Used- Why Bother? Seriously

In case you missed it last week, highly touted New Orleans Saints draft pick, Mark Ingram, tweeted this nugget and accompanying photo from the Topps table at the NFL Rookie Premiere: "Haha I'm at the #rookiepremiere and I have on like 17 saint jerseys LMBO!"

Yeah, real f@%#ing funny. I REALLY hope he was exaggerating by like 16 but unfortunately I doubt that's the case. Even if it's only 8 or 6 or 4 it's way too many. I mean technically doesn't the material need to come in contact with the athlete themselves to be considered event used anyway? Apparently not.

Did you know that one jersey is enough material to make 20,000 memorabilia cards with a 1"x1" swatch? (I have it on good authority from another mfg)

I have long though that a rookie's second most valuable card to their first base RC auto should be their first game used memorabilia cards issued their sophomore season because at that point the manufacturers will have had time to acquire legitimate rookie year used material. However, this recent stunt obviously isn't an isolated incident but sadly standard operating procedure and makes you wonder if any non-veteran relic card is EVER game used? WTF are they going to do with 340,000 jersey swatches? Sadly we know the answer and I better NEVER, EVER, EVER pull an Ingram card that says "Game Used" on the back.

20,000 memorabilia cards?!?!?! Shouldn't that be enough for an entire year's worth of product?!?!?! So what are the other "16" jerseys for?!?!?

Memorabilia/relic cards still have their place in The Hobby, but this is NOT it. This is exactly why the majority of these cards can't be sold for $.99c and are literally worthless.

I mean really, why bother? The thought that somebody told him he had to put on all those jerseys so they could be officially called "Event Worn" is pathetic and no wonder Ingram started his Tweet off with a laugh . . . at us the collector, probably.

Wouldn't it be less embarrassing for everyone to just put the jerseys on a table and have the athlete lay a hand on them and breath on them ,thus anointing them as "Event Used"? Or wait, why not just leave them in a big box, bring it to the event, leave them in the box and set a lamp on the box and then you could still call them "Event Used"

I'm sure Topps wasn't too happy with Mark Ingram but as a collector, I am disgusted by this practice and I am tired of constantly feeling that the manufacturers are always trying to "get one by us".

The last time I checked, jerseys weren't supposed to be the length of an evening gown either.

The BIG Move

I just returned from a rather humbling, tiring and nerve racking experience. Next month I am officially moving to Ohio in a unique situation where my wife and I are purchasing her mother's home. Her move was scheduled this week and I went back to help her. Additionally, I don't want the moving company to be responsible for my collection, so I rented a larger vehicle than ours and packed up box, after box, after box, after box. The realtor strongly recommended I disassemble my mancave prior to starting the home showings, so that's what I did last week.

The experience was humbling because, as is the nature with collecting and collectors in general, we always want more and sometimes don't take time to appreciate what we already have. Let me tell you, removing items from display one-by-one, dusting them, wrapping them and packing them will give you a new perspective on your collection. The last 2 weeks have been draining as you can imagine and then to transport the volume of material I did out of state, into a home I won't occupy for another month and just leaving it there is where the nerve racking part comes in.

This is the second move we will be making in 10 years and I distinctly remember a valuable lesson I learned in my last move and that was, the difference between collecting and accumulating. In doing so I threw away several 5,000 count boxes of junk wax, once again doing the collecting universe a favor. This time around, I am proud to say that for the most part, everything that was moved, was part of my collection and not junk. Although the point could be argued that base cards from any product today are just as worthless as cards from the infamous junk wax era, but I digress as that is a story for another post. (Below is just one corner of the mancave and the closet is going to have to wait for the final move.)