How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

[bigaust001]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

I buy memorabilia cards of my favorite players in pretty much exactly the same way I buy non-memorabilia cards: if it's not more than a few bucks and I really like the design, I buy it. I have full bats and jerseys of my favorite players, so to be honest I really couldn't care less whether the little slivers of wood and cloth on these cards are authentic - I buy them because they look cool, period. The most I've ever spent on a memorabilia card is ten bucks, for a three-color Randy Johnson patch card that I really liked the design of. Most I buy for one to three dollars.

I am the same way. I think of it as a decoration.

[godwulf]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

I buy memorabilia cards of my favorite players in pretty much exactly the same way I buy non-memorabilia cards: if it's not more than a few bucks and I really like the design, I buy it. I have full bats and jerseys of my favorite players, so to be honest I really couldn't care less whether the little slivers of wood and cloth on these cards are authentic - I buy them because they look cool, period. The most I've ever spent on a memorabilia card is ten bucks, for a three-color Randy Johnson patch card that I really liked the design of. Most I buy for one to three dollars.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

How do you guys feel about this? Is this a fake?

Aaron Tag Card

Tag Database

Is that not a post-76 patch?

I believe you are correct on that, though it still could have been on a jersey worn by Aaron. In the 1980s, Aaron had jerseys issued to him virtually every year, for Old-Timers Games, occasions to appear in uniform at home, and the like. There were some in 1987, when the big Wilson patch was first used by the Barves, and possibly later, as well. This illustrates another potential boondoggle on these game-used swatches...even if the player ID is accurate, were they worn in an actual career game, or in an Old-Timers game or some sort of similar post-career event?

Dave Miedema

[bigaust001]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

Mays Tag

McCovey Tag

Cronin Tag

Clemente Tag

Baylor Tag

Marino Tag

Payton Tag

Payton Tag 2

Brown Tag


Do any of these look off? With the pieces being slaughtered and then placed into the cards, we have limited judgement as to what is legit and what is not. The tag cards are one of the few peeks we get into the jerseys used.

[bigaust001]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

How do you guys feel about this? Is this a fake?

Aaron Tag Card

Tag Database

Is that not a post-76 patch?

[Buccaneer Madden]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

Card companies did not number their limited cards until I launched my lawsuit.

http://espn.go.com/sportsbusiness/s/2003/0714/1580511.html

I regret settling. I had a chance to destroy them. Companies that cheat collectors should not be allowed to function.

How do you prove it with bat and jersey cards? You can't unless you have an inside employee within the company.

I had always thought about doing something like that but never had the funds to try it. Nice to catch somebody in a bold face lie.

At first I was interested in the GU cards but once they became so common and I realized most of them were more "even worn" like for 10 seconds at a practice I lost interest. I'd much rather have the entire jersey / bat even if I have to save up for it.

[Chess2899]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

Card companies did not number their limited cards until I launched my lawsuit.

http://espn.go.com/sportsbusiness/s/2003/0714/1580511.html

I regret settling. I had a chance to destroy them. Companies that cheat collectors should not be allowed to function.

How do you prove it with bat and jersey cards? You can't unless you have an inside employee within the company.

[CPuente57]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

I have always been so confused by these bat knob cards. People are spending 70% of the price of a legit game-used bat to have one sliver of it on a card.

$305 Utley
$670 McGwire
$200 Jay Bruce
$185 for an Aramis Ramirez?!?!
$338 for one-third of an A-Rod knob
$500 Robinson Cano
And the most baffling: $1000 for a Stanton knob?!

The first Google result for "2012 game used giancarlo stanton bat" is a 2012 PSA/DNA GU 8 LVS that sold at Goldin in February for $850.

I'm not the only one who thinks this is completely insane, right?

Yeah that's insane..I bought a Stanton MLB Authenticated photomatched HR bat for like 650 last year, and yet a knob card goes for a grand?!

[Chess2899]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

I have zero trust in card companies doing the right thing. They finally numbered limited cards after my lawsuit in 1999.

http://espn.go.com/sportsbusiness/s/2003/0714/1580511.html

I regret settling. I should have sunk the whole company. I despise having companies take advantage of collectors. I think bat cards and jersey cards are questionable. Who can prove it?

[CPuente57]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

Since I was still a a teenager when Game Used cards first came out, I initially thought they were cool and the holy grail of card collecting. As I got older though, the market became way over flooded (when you're able to afford "game used" cards of guys like Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth etc..you know it's overflooded) and then I was like "I can get a card with a logoman for this price, or get a certified jersey for either same price or even cheaper". I decided to sell my entire card collection to convert to Game Used. I still visit forums like Blowout Cards, and it boggles my mind how many card collectors could actually care less about the authenticity of the memorabilia used. I see a lot of "I don't care about it being fake or not, as long as it looks cool". To each their own, but using fraudulent items would absolutely turn me off to collecting those kind of cards. Don't understand that kind of thinking at all. And the biggest argument I've heard from card collectors as to why they pay so much for a sliver of something than the whole thing, is they are card collectors and not game used collectors, so they collect for the card aspect. Again, it's all personal preference but for the prices, I'd much rather have a legit whole item, then some questionable small swatch.

[VintageGamerNoob]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

I have always been so confused by these bat knob cards. People are spending 70% of the price of a legit game-used bat to have one sliver of it on a card.

$305 Utley
$670 McGwire
$200 Jay Bruce
$185 for an Aramis Ramirez?!?!
$338 for one-third of an A-Rod knob
$500 Robinson Cano
And the most baffling: $1000 for a Stanton knob?!

The first Google result for "2012 game used giancarlo stanton bat" is a 2012 PSA/DNA GU 8 LVS that sold at Goldin in February for $850.

I'm not the only one who thinks this is completely insane, right?

[Jags Fan Dan]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

Wasn't there a bat card with the label of the bat and it showed an underlined 125 from a LVS? I seem to remember a post with that in it on here quite some time ago.

[bigaust001]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

Also posting some of my own research

[bigaust001]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

I have just been made aware of this Paul Waner bat being an alleged fake. THoughts?

[Jayworld]

Re: How do you guys feel about card companies and GU cards?

I don't like the idea of taking vintage jerseys and cutting them up. The more they cut up, the less chance I have of owning one some day. The concept was cool in the beginning, but the fraud and the old jerseys being cut up gives me a real distaste for them.

+1 on this. Never have really understood the concept of having a "piece" of a jersey. In the end, something has been destroyed to create a jersey card. It is so common in the modern card hobby (at least since the early-to-mid 1990s I think) but unknown of prior to that. I remember when I got back into baseball cards about 2001 after leaving the hobby back in 1984, and I had to "educate" myself on new terms such as relic, parallel, foil, chrome, jersey card, autograph card, etc.

Much would rather have the complete jersey, cap, pants, etc. Heck, many companies are now cutting up movie props and costumes for cards, too, and facing legitimacy issues as well.