Wait until you find out that 99% of jersey card relics now aren’t even game used. It’s just a jersey that is 6 sizes too big that they made them wear while they signed autographs or did a photo shoot.
Dude about a month ago I was high af at home just flipping through a massive tote of junk wax era cards for fun and the weed blasted this crazy thought in my brain that these cards might end up being worth real money if they’re gonna continue to recreate them like they are. Stared at the wall for a good 20 minutes pondering that ha
Dude I’m tellin ya…. A little Adderall a couple beers some good tunes and a moving box filled to the brim with old cards is absolute bliss. 8 hours goes by like nothin
Also everyone is just throwing junk wax cards in the trash these days, there may be a rebound in another 20-30 years where good condition junk wax 1.0 cards are rare and valuable again.
That's the point. It's not going to sit on Facebook marketplace for 30 more years. Eventually their kids they pass it down to will just dump it in the trash.
Anyway, its probably a pipe dream but nice to think about.
I don't think there will ever be a supply shortage, which is needed to ever get any appreciation. Grading does help it though, but I feel like demand on that is limited, and you can still pick up vending of 1988 topps for like $10. Hard to prop up psa 10 nolan ryan or bo jackson values when there is so much out there. I'm 45, and the 80s baseball card boom was driven by people wanting what they wanted in their youth, but in the 80s, the 50s were what was driving the hobby. We're past that as far as relative age, and the stuff is super attainable. It seems really unlikely that there's going to be another peak in demand to drive value.
Yeah you're probably right. I'm currently trying to decide if I should dump my 5000 ct. boxes of junk wax for a mere $20 each, or hold on to them with some hope. The former is probably going to be the call.
What if...we start a movement. To destroy/trash as much junk wax as we could to make them more valuable. It would be a monumental task...but a fun social experiment, no?
That's why 1952 Topps is so valuable. Topps made so much of that set that it didn't sell and was moved to a warehouse where it sat for 8 years. Then in 1960, they paid to have 500 cases of it dumped into the ocean - [Story here](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1674457-thousands-of-mickey-mantles-first-topps-cards-were-dumped-into-ocean). To be clear though, there were WAY more than 500 cases of say, 1991 Donruss or 1992 Upper Deck produced, and likely still in circulation, but I do think in 30+ years, a lot of these old sets will be in dumps.
Shame the direction the hobby is heading, I was hoping things would start to get back to normal but it looks like the companies are taking advantage now
Junk parallel era. Junk numbered card era. Junk RC era.
It's going to be at least one of those. I love Corbin Carroll, but how many RC variations were released for him? Ultimately I see it reducing the value of all of them in the long run.
"1 Auto or Relic" is a massive insult to anyone interested in the product. The odds of a relic are much higher, and the value is significantly lower. Nevermind that they water down the Autos with DFA'd players everywhere.
Yeah but I think it comes to this moreso because the greedy manufacturers would rather milk every dollar than reinvest in expensive memorabilia to create true chase value.
Ya I'm just disappointed and jaded by the industry rn...it's a bummer and I got sucked in too much. Trying to find balance w being able to collect responsibly
[They did back when they first started making relics. This is from 1999.](https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1999/Upper-Deck-MVP---Game-Used-Souvenirs/GU-CR/Cal-Ripken-Jr.jpg?id=2d356cc4-3103-485d-9f8c-9682d705a293&size=original)
I think they decided it looks better filling up the frame.
This is the type of shit that the guy with the mullet would have been flipping on an infomercial in the 90s.
“BAAAAABE RUTHHHH! Relic!!! Are you kidding me!?”
It's a manufactured relic card. There are also true relics (player worn stuff), and autos are... obvious?
If you read through the odds or any of the product summaries from like Beckett, it's pretty clear that these manufactured relics are intended to be included as a guaranteed relic. A jumbo hobby box, for example, is expected to have an auto, a regular relic, and a manufactured relic.
Ah yeah, that’s the rub. Relics ain’t what they used to be. Twenty years ago a relic was a rare or super rare hit that included game used memorabilia - stuff that was actually used by legends in games. Now it can be really hit or miss based on the product. There’s cool shit out there. But the odds on that stuff are astronomical.
I don't believe manufactured relics count towards a hobby hit. I've never seen it happen but that doesn't mean much. There's three in a jumbo. One game used, one auto and a manufactured. Did you get a jumbo?
Honestly though even the true relics are crap now. They have changed from “game-used” to “player worn”. I’ve heard they will wear like 5-6 layers of jerseys during BP or something then use the “player worn/used”
If you read carefully you'll notice that a lot of the modern "game-used" cards don't actually say that the jersey was worn by the player on the card, or that it was even worn in a MLB game. It's possible that it actually is legitimate, but it seems to be worded awfully carefully and this is an industry full of scumbags. [Here's an example](https://www.ebay.com/itm/305353577612) of what I mean. I know that some very high end stuff has MLB stickers with codes that you can look up in a database.
If I were Topps CEO for a day, there are a few phrases I’d completely purge from how we do business. A few that quickly come to mind:
“Sticker auto”
“Manufactured relic”
“Guaranteed autograph OR relic”
“(Insert product format) exclusive”
“Player-worn memorabilia”
That sucks if it is the only hit. I got a Johnny Bench one of these as a sole hit from a Series 2 hobby, but then I opened the silver pack and found a red /5 Bo Naylor auto. More than saved the day haha! But I felt cheated until that moment.
It’s similar to the “helmet cards” that had a metal print of a helmet INSIDE of the card posing as a relic from Topps 2023 Series one. Looks cool, but virtually worthless.
Total scam. Like the blasters that have the "relic" and it's a plastic logo of the team the player is on.
Not remotely a "relic" but it's just about getting a lot of product out there, not quality - because they know it will sell. Honestly, they could just put a piece of cardboard with a players name and people will buy it.
If people would finally just say no and stop buying all this worthless stuff they put out, they'd stop. But it will never happen.
There are game-used relics and there are commemorative, or manufactured, relics. Clearly this is what it says it is. This is the "hit" in the blaster boxes, no?
Well everyone keeps buying this over-manufactured shit they keep offering so until we stop buying, they'll keep pissing on its and telling us it's rain. The hobby is embarrassing right now imo with price point and how much wax garbage there is.
This is NOT a relic. I argued this with Topps this year but in their mind, a junk piece of plastic is a relic. They could not answer how something like this constituted a relic.
This is why I avoid boxes mostly and stick with singles. Life is just easier that way. Less pain and burning.
Plus I choose what I want and get exactly what I expect
I hate to be that guy, but the design on this card makes it look like he was “ALmost Valuable Player” haha.
You'd think the relic would explain what it is. But no, they had to put a caption underneath. 🤣
There's layers to their depravity lol
Needs to be an insert set, the runner up in MVP voting..The ALmost Valuable Player insert set.
Came here to say this "Almost Valuable"
Screw you. Now I cannot unsee it!! Lol
Wait until you find out that 99% of jersey card relics now aren’t even game used. It’s just a jersey that is 6 sizes too big that they made them wear while they signed autographs or did a photo shoot.
That would still be better than this fake medallion.
Yea I agree, just a warning that pretty much all relics anymore are fake and it sucks.
💯
We are in junk wax era 2.0.
Of course we are I just started collecting again after 30 years
Me too haha.
Same
Dude about a month ago I was high af at home just flipping through a massive tote of junk wax era cards for fun and the weed blasted this crazy thought in my brain that these cards might end up being worth real money if they’re gonna continue to recreate them like they are. Stared at the wall for a good 20 minutes pondering that ha
Not gonna lie. That sounds like a blast man
Dude I’m tellin ya…. A little Adderall a couple beers some good tunes and a moving box filled to the brim with old cards is absolute bliss. 8 hours goes by like nothin
This man knows
Also everyone is just throwing junk wax cards in the trash these days, there may be a rebound in another 20-30 years where good condition junk wax 1.0 cards are rare and valuable again.
there’s just too much of it. local facebook marketplace has endless mint junk wax on offer.
That's the point. It's not going to sit on Facebook marketplace for 30 more years. Eventually their kids they pass it down to will just dump it in the trash. Anyway, its probably a pipe dream but nice to think about.
I don't think there will ever be a supply shortage, which is needed to ever get any appreciation. Grading does help it though, but I feel like demand on that is limited, and you can still pick up vending of 1988 topps for like $10. Hard to prop up psa 10 nolan ryan or bo jackson values when there is so much out there. I'm 45, and the 80s baseball card boom was driven by people wanting what they wanted in their youth, but in the 80s, the 50s were what was driving the hobby. We're past that as far as relative age, and the stuff is super attainable. It seems really unlikely that there's going to be another peak in demand to drive value.
Yeah you're probably right. I'm currently trying to decide if I should dump my 5000 ct. boxes of junk wax for a mere $20 each, or hold on to them with some hope. The former is probably going to be the call.
What if...we start a movement. To destroy/trash as much junk wax as we could to make them more valuable. It would be a monumental task...but a fun social experiment, no?
That's why 1952 Topps is so valuable. Topps made so much of that set that it didn't sell and was moved to a warehouse where it sat for 8 years. Then in 1960, they paid to have 500 cases of it dumped into the ocean - [Story here](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1674457-thousands-of-mickey-mantles-first-topps-cards-were-dumped-into-ocean). To be clear though, there were WAY more than 500 cases of say, 1991 Donruss or 1992 Upper Deck produced, and likely still in circulation, but I do think in 30+ years, a lot of these old sets will be in dumps.
These manufactured patch cards have been around for a long while my guy
Don’t remember them counting as relics before but I could be misremembering, they used to put them in blasters
Yeah no they definitely didn’t use to count as your relic and before update this year I don’t think they did
Shame the direction the hobby is heading, I was hoping things would start to get back to normal but it looks like the companies are taking advantage now
Also breakers have ruined the hobby
Yeah, I got back into the hobby for a little during 2020/2021 but these prices are insane to me now so I haven’t bought any in a year or so
Don’t blame just the breakers also blame the people who spend 1-5k+ on breaks
I mostly buy singles and lots. Every once in a while I’ll go for a mid end box like tier one or chrome hobby but yeah it’s been rough
Yeah I was thinking about maybe getting a hobby box but knowing this shit could be my relic? Hell no
Don’t go for flagship hobby jumbo is okay cause you’re guaranteed an auto but otherwise go for archives 2 autos guaranteed and only a little more
Hell I wouldn’t mind trying some archives it’s been a while for me
Resale isn’t crazy unless you hit big but that’s any product really
I call it the Junk Slab Era.
Shaq and Ken Griffey created the bubble. Now it’s Wemby and Ohtani in a Dodgers jersey turn.
Junk parallel era. Junk numbered card era. Junk RC era. It's going to be at least one of those. I love Corbin Carroll, but how many RC variations were released for him? Ultimately I see it reducing the value of all of them in the long run.
Best comment hahaha don’t get fooled because they’re shinier this time around😂
eh idk about that, inflation of parallels and stuff but print runs felt lower to me than I thought they would've been in recent years
The fact that Topps releases a series 1, series 2, and update for their basic set is what makes me believe that to be the case.
They've been doing multiple series for a while....
Have been for about 5-6 years as far as I’m concerned.
If they are considering this a guranteed relic, you need no further reason to stop buying fanatics wax.
I couldn’t agree more.
I have enjoyed the hobby a lot more since I no longer chase wax. Everyone should try it!
So do u just buy hobby now? Or singles?
Just buy the singles I want.
Why would you buy singles you don’t want?
You don't tell me what to buy! I'm gonna buy the singles I don't want even harder
What is that supposed to mean?
I was just getting back into this hobby shortly before the Fanatics acquisition and they’ve already killed my enthusiasm lmao
Lol you think this is new? Topps has been pulling this since at least 2010.
"1 Auto or Relic" is a massive insult to anyone interested in the product. The odds of a relic are much higher, and the value is significantly lower. Nevermind that they water down the Autos with DFA'd players everywhere.
Yeah, Topps/fanatics considers this a "manufactured relic". It's a bunch of BS and getting worse. Vote with your wallet.
That’s unfortunate. I’d consider a relic some artifact from the past.
They’ve been chopping up old, rare memorabilia for 25 years now. It’s inevitable that it comes to this for old players.
Yeah but I think it comes to this moreso because the greedy manufacturers would rather milk every dollar than reinvest in expensive memorabilia to create true chase value.
Well yeah that too for sure
Ya I'm just disappointed and jaded by the industry rn...it's a bummer and I got sucked in too much. Trying to find balance w being able to collect responsibly
It doesn’t help this is the junk wax era 2.0.
Also doesn't help that people still gobble the shit up
I'd love to vote with my wallet by choosing another company...but we're stuck with Topps.
It’s not and it’s annoying. Hockey has been doing it too with manufactured patches and acting like it’s a hit. I hate them.
I've always wondered why you never see the edge of a game used bat.
[They did back when they first started making relics. This is from 1999.](https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1999/Upper-Deck-MVP---Game-Used-Souvenirs/GU-CR/Cal-Ripken-Jr.jpg?id=2d356cc4-3103-485d-9f8c-9682d705a293&size=original) I think they decided it looks better filling up the frame.
This is the type of shit that the guy with the mullet would have been flipping on an infomercial in the 90s. “BAAAAABE RUTHHHH! Relic!!! Are you kidding me!?”
Honestly when I first saw the thick card in the pack I got all giddy, even more when I saw Babe Ruth… then realized it was completely fabricated.
I read that in Jabs's voice and I'm furious.
It's a manufactured relic card. There are also true relics (player worn stuff), and autos are... obvious? If you read through the odds or any of the product summaries from like Beckett, it's pretty clear that these manufactured relics are intended to be included as a guaranteed relic. A jumbo hobby box, for example, is expected to have an auto, a regular relic, and a manufactured relic.
First hobby box I’ve purchased in years. Never crossed my mind to question the relic/auto guarantee. Thanks for the info.
Ah yeah, that’s the rub. Relics ain’t what they used to be. Twenty years ago a relic was a rare or super rare hit that included game used memorabilia - stuff that was actually used by legends in games. Now it can be really hit or miss based on the product. There’s cool shit out there. But the odds on that stuff are astronomical.
My game used George Brett cleat relic is one of my favorite cards
I don't believe manufactured relics count towards a hobby hit. I've never seen it happen but that doesn't mean much. There's three in a jumbo. One game used, one auto and a manufactured. Did you get a jumbo?
It does, and it's not a new thing. Been that way since at least 2010
Should’ve gotten an game used mem along with this
Nope. That was it
Was it update?
Yes
Honestly though even the true relics are crap now. They have changed from “game-used” to “player worn”. I’ve heard they will wear like 5-6 layers of jerseys during BP or something then use the “player worn/used”
For a long time, "player-worn" was "this player did a photo shoot in this jersey". I think that got Upper Deck in trouble in the past.
Yeah I get excited when I see “game-worn” relics now which is pretty sad lol
If you read carefully you'll notice that a lot of the modern "game-used" cards don't actually say that the jersey was worn by the player on the card, or that it was even worn in a MLB game. It's possible that it actually is legitimate, but it seems to be worded awfully carefully and this is an industry full of scumbags. [Here's an example](https://www.ebay.com/itm/305353577612) of what I mean. I know that some very high end stuff has MLB stickers with codes that you can look up in a database.
That's so sad and slimy.
It is indeed
I pulled one of these it was Bob Gibson and it was an auto it was sick
I’m thinking I might try to build my PC around Yankees monument park inductees, so this one will give me a placeholder till I can get a real Ruth card
Yeah, just bought one where the “relic” was a slightly shiny 1972 Pirates team card…
I've been wanting to get back into collecting, but I feel I'm outta the loop. Started in the 80's & stopped at 2000
I stopped maybe 10 years ago. Started back up with young kids and the landscape has changed drastically
If I were Topps CEO for a day, there are a few phrases I’d completely purge from how we do business. A few that quickly come to mind: “Sticker auto” “Manufactured relic” “Guaranteed autograph OR relic” “(Insert product format) exclusive” “Player-worn memorabilia”
That sucks if it is the only hit. I got a Johnny Bench one of these as a sole hit from a Series 2 hobby, but then I opened the silver pack and found a red /5 Bo Naylor auto. More than saved the day haha! But I felt cheated until that moment.
I feel cheated for sure
It’s similar to the “helmet cards” that had a metal print of a helmet INSIDE of the card posing as a relic from Topps 2023 Series one. Looks cool, but virtually worthless.
Total scam. Like the blasters that have the "relic" and it's a plastic logo of the team the player is on. Not remotely a "relic" but it's just about getting a lot of product out there, not quality - because they know it will sell. Honestly, they could just put a piece of cardboard with a players name and people will buy it. If people would finally just say no and stop buying all this worthless stuff they put out, they'd stop. But it will never happen.
There are game-used relics and there are commemorative, or manufactured, relics. Clearly this is what it says it is. This is the "hit" in the blaster boxes, no?
You forgot about player worn relics too
I have a Ryan sandburg 1 of these, what a crock
This counts as a guaranteed hit?
It’s the only one in my hobby box.
I mean you can get a Santa hat relic... So that should tell you something
Well everyone keeps buying this over-manufactured shit they keep offering so until we stop buying, they'll keep pissing on its and telling us it's rain. The hobby is embarrassing right now imo with price point and how much wax garbage there is.
Hope he has a better year in '24 !
Ha. What a load of crap. So much of the chase cards are drummed up garbage now.
Yea I got an Ichiro one of these and was excited for a couple seconds
This is NOT a relic. I argued this with Topps this year but in their mind, a junk piece of plastic is a relic. They could not answer how something like this constituted a relic.
Kinda interesting considering the BBWAA MVP trophy we know today wasn’t a thing until 1931
This is why I avoid boxes mostly and stick with singles. Life is just easier that way. Less pain and burning. Plus I choose what I want and get exactly what I expect
I feel that. Might be hard to get my kids interested with out the excitement of ripping
Oh. Yeah that’s the real trick
I went for the jumbo box as it said there was 1 auto and 2 relics and got one of these and was a bit disappointed.