Relic (memorabilia) cards: the allure and the risk

Another common insert found in seemingly more and more packs of sports cards is the relic card (or memorabilia card as others refer to it).

There’s a very good article on the trouble with relic cards, but before we get into that, a quick definition of what they are is any card with a piece of memorabilia (hence the alternative name) embedded into it.

The sports cards usually include a patch of “game-worn” jerseys but they’re certainly not limited to them. Other memorabilia can be pieces of a bat, a baseball, a football, and even coins, buttons and stamps.

Now back to the trouble with relic cards. They’re so many of them! Like all things when they’re new, the initial idea was novel.

Who wouldn’t want a piece of something worn or used by a favorite player of theirs?

Overtime though, it’s become more of a cheap gimmick.

I think the overall price of relic cards reflects my thinking and in my humble opinion, sports card companies are heading in the wrong direction trying  to entice hobbyists with relic cards as potential “hits” in packs.

The article linked above goes more in depth with other troubling issues surrounding relics (ie. question of authenticity; preserving the whole memorabilia in tact).

Maybe the way to go is to have more autographs in packs or  cards that have a combination of a piece of memorabilia with an autograph (like those listed below). Or just end the gimmick all together unless the memorabilia can be authenticated with more details on when and where it’s been used.

Take a listen to our weekly podcast Cards To The Moon for in-depth talk on all things sports cards!