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A baker's dozen


I think everyone can agree that the relic card isn't the thrill that it once was. I know that, after several incidents and rants over the past couple of years, I have stopped pursuing them.

If I pull one from a pack -- and I can't remember the last time that happened -- I stop and stare for a second, maybe chuckle in an ironic way, and that's about it. The relic card is basically dead to me.

But that's a fine thing to say when The Junior Junkie went out of his way to send me this Shawn Green relic (you'll see some really great cards from him on another post). So I need to say that this one is notable because it actually commemorates an event, Green hitting four home runs in a game on May 23, 2002.

That's pretty cool.

It's also cool because it gave me the opportunity to count up all my Shawn Green relics. I've always known that I have more relics of Green than any other player. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there are more relics of Green than anyone in the history of the game (although I fear it's someone gross like Alex Rodriguez).

But I've never known exactly how many I have.

So it's time to officially count:


One.



Two.



Three.



Four.



Five.



Six.



Seven.



Eight.



Nine.



Ten.



Eleven.



Twelve.



Thirteen.


That's all of them.

I didn't even know I had both a jersey version and a bat version of that Leaf 2005 card.

When you look at those relic cards, it's cool to see the different designs of them. I wish that some insert cards were designed with that kind of enthusiasm and thought.

But I'm not going to pretend that 13 different Shawn Green relics is a lot. I'm sure that there are a few hundred people out there that have a few hundred different relics of their favorite player.

My point is it's a lot for me.

Because I don't pursue relics.

In fact, not a single one of these Shawn Green relics were obtained by me.

They were sent to me by fine traders like you.

And that's my point, too.

I guess there's a little value left in a relic card after all.

Comments

I still get excited as well. I stopped collecting just around when they started to get popular and didn't come back to the hobby until about a year ago. So pulling a relic is still pretty fun for me. Plus I love them for the tactile treat they provide that you don't get otherwise with cards.
Anonymous said…
I'm not excited by the mere presence of a tiny swatch of relic on a card anymore. I still collect them, but only if I like the design of the card and/or I can acquire them cheaply enough. When I see the number of Mike Schmidt jersey cards that Topps and Panini are still issuing, however, I cannot help but wonder where the hell they are still getting jerseys from -- that is, if they are not just handing Schmidt a jersey to wear for a few minutes just to say it was worn, but not from "a specific event, game or season."