I am starting to appreciate the "junk" jerseys from 10-20 years ago

[ddearing]

I just picked up a collection of lower end relics that are mostly 10-20 years old. Guys that I enjoyed watching play with plenty of HOF guys and everything is Game Used instead of player worn and they are typically valued in the $5-20 comp range. The collection I bought was particular about only buying actual game used cards.

These cards give me so much more enjoyment than a random $10 relic of a current RC that will never make a pro bowl. Most of the current ones I see are, at best, a player worn rookie premier piece, but is likely a store bought jersey that the player was never within 100 miles of.

This same collection did have a nice amount of 2021 and 2022 "Certified Gamers", which is a subset I never paid any attention to. Unlike the rest of Panini's current offerings, these are all cards that are Game Used and also have some pretty cool looking patches mixed in. They don't really sell for any more than the non-Game Used pieces out there, but seem so much more collectible in my opinion.

I know I'm getting old and will start yelling at the kids "to get off my lawn" soon, but this collection makes me appreciate the olden days (of the early 2000's).

[Jazz Chisholm]

Old school jersey cards rule!

-the guy who recently paid nearly $20 delivered for a Ryan Leaf one




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[ThatGuyPal]

I think anyone genuine in the hobby not trying to flip their "not from any specific game or event" RPA will agree with this.

When I got back in years ago, I would pull a napkin relic and it didn't make my day but I would think this is cool, wonder what game it's from etc. Now you don't even turn the card over unless it's a vet as you know it hasn't even touched the player. I could get the worst guy and still think it's kind of cool I have a piece of the game, now it's only exciting to get top guys as for some reason people will at least still pay for their janitor relics lol

[PrimeTimeScott]

As a group, we are all to blame because the collective we kept buying the player used cards, so why not just use those if you are Panini? I know some will say they don't have any player used, but most of us do have them, whether we like it or not.

I love to look at my game worn Eddie Royal jersey cards and being able to tell, on a bunch of them, that they are from an actual game jersey!

[imbluestreak23]

[marinocollector]

I am working on earlier GU sets bc of this. Some are surprisingly more difficult bc its the players first GU or bc the player doesn't have much.

It sucks.

[jplarson]

Originally Posted by marinocollector

I am working on earlier GU sets bc of this. Some are surprisingly more difficult bc its the players first GU or bc the player doesn't have much.

It sucks.

Counterpoint to this, I completed the 1999 Playoff Absolute EXP Team Jersey Tandems which might be the first off-the-rack not player worn set. I should take new pictures sometime, neat in hand, horrible on a scanner.

[marinocollector]

Originally Posted by jplarson

Counterpoint to this, I completed the 1999 Playoff Absolute EXP Team Jersey Tandems which might be the first off-the-rack not player worn set. I should take new pictures sometime, neat in hand, horrible on a scanner.

1998 Momentum Team Jerseys I think were the first off-the-rack set. Just a store bought jersey, chillin in a card.
1999 Momentum Team Threads and 1999 Absolute SSD Team Jersey Quads also land in these categories.


A cool variance is 2001 Leaf Rookies and Stars which is the first single swatch game used AND player worn jerseys!!! (DLP had the rookies at the Rookie Premier put on gamers of NFL greats for the photo shoot)

[bear0555]

Originally Posted by marinocollector

1998 Momentum Team Jerseys I think were the first off-the-rack set. Just a store bought jersey, chillin in a card.
1999 Momentum Team Threads and 1999 Absolute SSD Team Jersey Quads also land in these categories.


A cool variance is 2001 Leaf Rookies and Stars which is the first single swatch game used AND player worn jerseys!!! (DLP had the rookies at the Rookie Premier put on gamers of NFL greats for the photo shoot)

Was busting a box at the shop and was excited about feeling the circle on the back of a pack, as I knew it meant I got my first jersey card. I got the Bears. A really nice card, but I had no idea it wasn't game worn. I would just wonder what player the swatches were from.

As for now, I mostly collect 2005 and earlier game used relics, mostly baseball DLP stuff. Some of the rarer stuff is actually cheaper now than 10 years ago. And some isn't.

[JohnnyAppleseed]

Welcome to the club, where a jersey swatch from HOFers with an authentic COA on the back can go for less than a new pack of shiny junk.

[Coug46n2]

Originally Posted by Jazz Chisholm

Old school jersey cards rule!

-the guy who recently paid nearly $20 delivered for a Ryan Leaf one




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Money well spent!! Nice pickup.

[Tiger23]

The DLP cards with the actual pictures of the jersey on the back are still under appreciated especially given today’s guarantee of nothing

[Chris P]

I'm loving more and more picking up older game used cards of HOF'ers because they are very affordable, and who knows if we'll ever see game used cards of these guys again? We can't even get game used cards of today's players much less HOF'ers. Here are my two most recent pickups. Got them both for a little under $60 shipped

[jason122883]

I'd prefer they go back to strictly game used. Obviously there would be far less in products, but they'd be cool to hit again

[oldgoldy97]

Originally Posted by jason122883

I'd prefer they go back to strictly game used. Obviously there would be far less in products, but they'd be cool to hit again

This.

[Gigantor]

I started picking up GU stuff in the late 2000s as I ran across them. I'll upload a few scans and share

[Gigantor]

[csmtampa]

UD & DLP purchased a lot of memorabilia from dealers. ASI sold a ton of modern game used to them and a lot of it was doctored by ASI to look game used. They would take issued bats to the baseball field and hit BP for ball marks. Game cut Jerseys would get dirtied and thrown in the wash a few times to add wear. This was all brought to light when one of the guys was arrested a few years later doing the same thing at the auction house he started.

There are bat barrel cards UD put out that feature barrels from promo bats and game model bats from companies a player never used.

So beware as fraud has always been an issue in the game used world as well. If I remember correctly Mike Cramer of Pacific never purchased game used on the secondary market. He got everything directly from the player or the players agent. So Pacific game used cards are probably a safe bet for modern players.

[marinocollector]

Originally Posted by csmtampa

UD & DLP purchased a lot of memorabilia from dealers. ASI sold a ton of modern game used to them and a lot of it was doctored by ASI to look game used. They would take issued bats to the baseball field and hit BP for ball marks. Game cut Jerseys would get dirtied and thrown in the wash a few times to add wear. This was all brought to light when one of the guys was arrested a few years later doing the same thing at the auction house he started.

There are bat barrel cards UD put out that feature barrels from promo bats and game model bats from companies a player never used.

So beware as fraud has always been an issue in the game used world as well. If I remember correctly Mike Cramer of Pacific never purchased game used on the secondary market. He got everything directly from the player or the players agent. So Pacific game used cards are probably a safe bet for modern players.

Pacific Game Used does not mean to came from the player depicted though. Many of their GU sets were jerseys from lower end players with a picture of a super star on it.

[vol_in_nc_cards]

Originally Posted by marinocollector

1998 Momentum Team Jerseys I think were the first off-the-rack set. Just a store bought jersey, chillin in a card.
1999 Momentum Team Threads and 1999 Absolute SSD Team Jersey Quads also land in these categories.


A cool variance is 2001 Leaf Rookies and Stars which is the first single swatch game used AND player worn jerseys!!! (DLP had the rookies at the Rookie Premier put on gamers of NFL greats for the photo shoot)

lol, I found this thread after seeing a 99 Team Threads Quad of McNair/Eddie/Dyson/Yancey and then spending 15 minutes searching for pack odds (unsuccessfully), not even realizing it wasn’t game used. Once again, thanks to Tim for the education!!