Card Companies and "Game Used" Cards

[coxfan]

Re: How do card companies get game used items?

Thanks to Suave1477 for his comments, which I read carefully and appreciate. However, I don't agree with the analogy that one doesn't buy the hood of car because one can't afford the whole car, because it doesn't apply to artifacts in general. My daughter bought me a piece of the Berlin wall from the Gerald Ford Presidential Library. I value it, even though I couldn't afford the whole wall. And I don't begrudge the Ford Library for making some money off of it.

Similarly, fossilized fragments of prehistoric animals are sold to folks who couldn't afford the whole animal. ( And yes, there are lots of authenicity issues there too!)

My point is that selling parts of artifacts is well-established in other fields. And I suspect there is close to one cracked bat, on average, for each of the 2430 MLB games yearly; not to mention thousands of other g-u items. That still seems like plenty for the relatively small world of collectors in any form.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: How do card companies get game used items?

Think of it like this also (Math quiz) - This is just a hypothetical example!!

You spend $10 a card for 5 cards - $50
$50 can get you an actual bat or Jersey

The card company that cut up that bat or Jersey. is cutting it up into small pieces.
Which your paying $10 on and for the thousands of pieces they are getting out of that item.
They are making $1,000 off an item that they now ruined that they orginally paid $50 for and your paying $10 for a piece.

OK, I'm playing lotto tonight...I agree with Suave.
Cards are cool. Every member has collected them at one time or another. I think you are only kidding yourself if you collect "game used" cards and call yourself a "game used" collector. You can get some really nice gamers of common players for cheap. They're great conversation pieces, and you can spend hours researching the items. A "game used" card is a 1 inch x 1inch piece of fabric that has already been authenticated and researched by some idiot at a card company. I own 100s of jerseys and live in a cramped apartment with an adult woman and an adult cat. Duffle bags+closet=both-teams-played-hard archives. By the way, I'm broke as a joke.

[suave1477]

Re: How do card companies get game used items?

Thanks to Suave1477 for his comments, which I read carefully and appreciate. However, I don't agree with the analogy that one doesn't buy the hood of car because one can't afford the whole car, because it doesn't apply to artifacts in general. My daughter bought me a piece of the Berlin wall from the Gerald Ford Presidential Library. I value it, even though I couldn't afford the whole wall. And I don't begrudge the Ford Library for making some money off of it.

Similarly, fossilized fragments of prehistoric animals are sold to folks who couldn't afford the whole animal. ( And yes, there are lots of authenicity issues there too!)

My point is that selling parts of artifacts is well-established in other fields. And I suspect there is close to one cracked bat, on average, for each of the 2430 MLB games yearly; not to mention thousands of other g-u items. That still seems like plenty for the relatively small world of collectors in any form.

Your comparing my analogy of a bmw to the berlin wall?? Not quite the same!!

Especially since the Berlin Walls siginificance was about standing up and being knocked down. Also I don;t think owning the whole berlin wall would realistically be within the financial means of anyones reach - except for Warren Buffet.
But then again I am not sure even he would like to try to ressurect the wall in his livingroom.
So basically your comparing apple to oranges.

These 2 are your statements:
Coxfan "My point is that selling parts of artifacts is well-established in other fields"

So basically what your saying is because this may be the norm for other hobbies then it should be ok with this hobby?? We should follow in other hobbies footsteps??

Not to mention hobbies such as bone collecting would naturally come in pieces. As in this hobby the Jersey didn't start of as being cut up before the player wore it!!

Coxfan "And I suspect there is close to one cracked bat, on average, for each of the 2430 MLB games yearly;"

Again your assuming, that 1 cracked bat for every game is the exact same one the card company is using. Trust me on this one, they use more then just the cracked bats.


Coxfan I am not saying your right or wrong, you collect your hobby as you see fit. I am just trying to understand your thoughts on it. That is all!!

[coxfan]

Re: How do card companies get game used items?

I'm sure we all agree that getting whole items is preferable, and I have about 15 entire items ( including a base and two bats) to go with my 30 or so cards. But collecting whole items has practical limits, so I'm glad there's room for adding to one's collection in other ways. But I'm curious above Suave's statements regarding how the card companies acquire bats. I'm limiting my question only to current players, as I usually avoid retired players on the assumption that authenticity is more questionable for earlier periods, since the older items are more likely to have gone through more private hands. So how do you, Suave1477, believe that companies are acquiring current players' bats, when they all should have an ample supply of cracked ones available? Thanks in advance.

[suave1477]

Re: How do card companies get game used items?

Coxfan well I would up at this point since there are current players the card companies can rely on going through current mlb teams/players. But unfortunately that has already been proving wrong. I am not sure if it is on this thread or another but it has even been proven that card companies actually placed retail model pieces of bats in cards. So I think from that it is safe to assume. That do not exclusively go through team/player.

Again you assumiong they are collecting cracked bats. Do you really think the card companies care what bats they cut up?
Did they care about cutting up a Babe Ruth Jersey?

Just as stated earlier in this thread these items come put of my collection your collection and everyones here at some point. They come from auction houses and personal peoples collections as well as players and teams. Maybe charities too.

[nyjetsfan14]

Re: How do card companies get game used items?

I own 100s of jerseys and live in a cramped apartment with an adult woman and an adult cat. Duffle bags+closet=both-teams-played-hard archives. By the way, I'm broke as a joke.

LMAO! Nice to know I am not the only one

[MJB14]

@ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

I guess you can say its kind of like looking at a group of cows grazing in the pasture just outside the slaughter house:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxi4ZijlBgE&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs4o-kz6Hx8&feature=player_embedded

[dcgreg25]

Re: @ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

I guess Pannini is doing their part to thin the herd with the flood of GU jerseys coming to market. That video is just disturbing listening to the guy talk about how excited a collector is going to be to pull out a 1 inch patch of that jersey. Almost comical at the end how he says "look for these jerseys....er at least pieces of these jerseys to be in packs soon".

[indyred]

Re: @ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

Yeah, people crying about too many jerseys can be happy they do cut some up. The Jared Allen and Lee Evans are nice jerseys with sweet use. Evans is from NFL auctions. I wonder if they got Sanchez, LT and Allen jerseys from JO Sports. I have never seen a card yet with their hologram and thermal game info patch on it. Seen a few card with MeiGray tags on them.

[Dach0sen0ne]

Re: @ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

That's a damn shame.

[spartanservitto]

Re: @ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

what a tragedy, all in order to make worthless cards that flood the market. What a joke and a crime. That Alex English jersey was awesome, as was that Cunningham jersey... what a joke. Makes me upset.

-Tony

[solarlottry]

Re: @ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

What a shame. Too lose those classic pieces of history to worthless cards is tragedy. Those shirts are irreplaceable. The card companies must be paying BIG $$$$ to whomever owns those shirts in order to obtain them. It is also a shame in that collectors get shut out as the prices paid by the card companies are often inflated thus making the shirts unaffordable to the collector. I recently was bidding against Upper Deck for a 49ers gamer and i had to go several thousand $$$ higher than expected to win the shirt. I didnt know until the auction was over who i was up against.

JO sports and others are out to make $$$ so if they do indeed sell these shirts to card companies then they are doing what a successful business does albiet a bummer for collectors.

[Ollie]

Re: @ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

This one is very painful, especially when they showed the the Mantle pants cut up...

Inside The Topps Relic Room

[AWA85]

Re: @ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

This one is very painful, especially when they showed the the Mantle pants cut up...

Inside The Topps Relic Room

I think I am going to get sick..... watching him hold the bag of the cut up Mantle crossed the line with me.

[allstarsplus]

Re: @ videos that can bring a tear to a GU collector's eye

Here is a Strasburg card out of Triple Threads and where does it even state this is swatches of his game used jersey?

These cards are selling for a few $100's