random relics

relic cards aren't the draw that they used to be, that's for sure. questions about authenticity and overproduction have removed much of the luster from them.  the novelty that persuaded me to pay $20 for a pack of pacific game used back in 2001, only to get a piece of neifi perez's bat has certainly worn off.  these days, relic cards are practically a dime a dozen.

with that said, here are 10 that i am happy to have in my collection, even though they've been wallowing in my scanned folder without a post to display them for quite some time.  i'll note what each relic is, based on the guarantee on the back of the card.

2002 upper deck sp legendary cuts pee wee reese game used jersey

2005 upper deck classics bill russell game used pants

2005 upper deck classics pedro guerrero game used jersey

2001 upper deck sp game bat edition gary sheffield game used bat

2003 upper deck honor roll hideo nomo game used jersey

2004 donruss throwback threads hideo nomo game worn jersey

2004 upper deck vintage hideo nomo game used jersey

2004 upper deck shawn green game used jersey

because shawn green probably has the most dodger relic cards of anyone out there - at least from the peak era of relic cards.

2005 topps opening day paul loduca game worn jersey

you can see where the dodger script patch was removed from this particular swatch

2010 topps heritage james loney game worn jersey

on all of the cards except loney's, the guarantee on the back specifically ties the jersey, bat, or pants to the player on the front of the card and notes that said jersey, bat, or pants were worn or used in an official major league baseball game.  there is no guarantee on the back of loney's card, only the mention of "game-worn jersey" on the front.  i am left to assume that it is loney's jersey, but who knows for sure? also left unsaid is in what sort of game was this jersey worn?

i know this has all been said before, but i needed a vehicle to get these cards out of the scanned folder.  i'm still collecting these, by the way, as long as there's a dodger on the front of the card.

a condor and some pigeons

continuing with the st. patrick's day/green thing...

quite a while ago, i commented on the apparent scarcity of shawn green certified autos when compared to the availability of shawn green relic cards by saying something along the lines of shawn green certified autos : shawn green relic cards : : condors : pigeons.

to illustrate, this is the only shawn green certified auto i have in my collection - it's from 2002 topps gallery, and it's on-card

it's better looking than a condor, actually.  but the point is, there don't seem to be too many of these things available, and when they do pop up, they usually fetch a decent sum.  green's relic cards? those are a dime a dozen. or at least in the 3 for $10 range at your local card show.  here are just a few (and i mean just a few) of the shawn green bat and/or jersey pieces in my collection

this bat piece comes from 2000 fleer mystique

and this jersey is from the aptly named 2001 upper deck sp game used edition

not to be outdone, here is a piece of a bat from 2001 upper deck sp game bat edition

and another bat piece from 2001 fleer legacy

this next one is one of my favorite green relic cards.  it comes from 2003 ud authentics

i like it because it features green taking cuts at vero beach, but mostly because tommy lasorda is lurking in the background.  hello tommy!

this one is from 2002 fleer authentix (they spell things differently than upper deck did).

yes i am aware that fleer was playing off of the sometimes accepted abbreviation of 'tickets' for this release.  the card includes a facsimile of a ticket to the 2002 season opener between the good guys and the bad guys. the ticket features maury wills to boot.  for the record, green was 1 for 4 in the game.  the dodgers lost, and were, in fact, swept by the no-cals in that 3 game series.

moving on, here's a jersey card from 2002 playoff

and here's another shawn green jersey card, sharing time with jim thome's bat courtesy of 2002 fleer hot prospects

neither of these guys were prospects at this point.

next up is another dual bat/jersey card although this one is green's alone.  it's from 2003 donruss timeless treasures, and it actually features a patch

it may well be a fake, although that is part of a patch that the dodgers wore on their sleeves in 2002.  i bought this one well before i started reading about fake patches on scu.  the saving grace is that the card is numbered to 25, so it's possible that they used a premium swatch.

the last one of green's relic cards that i will show (there are plenty more, believe me) is from 2002 fleer showcase, and is also low numbered.

i'm a sucker for the red number on dodger jerseys.  even on st. patrick's day when i should be wearing green.