16 January 2017

This Relic is Not Related to the Event Commemorated by This Card

My brother-in-law and his family came up for the weekend for a family event we were having. My mother-in-law has been here since before Christmas. They are good people and I don't mind them, but I am an extreme introvert and having extra people around really drains my energy. They headed for home on Sunday, and I am hoping to stretch my legs a bit and maybe get a few things done in the man cave downstairs during this week. We'll see how it goes. It seems like there are always things that come up when you have plans. For example, the unplanned events of this weekend for me are my wife's car breaking down and needing a tow to the shop, a trip to the vet for our (relatively) new dog who has come down with something, and maybe helping my sister dig her car out of a snowbank.


Here is a card I've been trying to hunt down for a while now. It pops up with some frequency, but sellers usually want more for it than I am willing to pay. This copy popped up in my price range, and I got it. It's a 2016 Topps Series 1 Postseason Performance relic card of pitcher R.A. Dickey. His 2015 postseason with the Toronto Blue Jays was a bit of a mixed bag, as he had a good start against the Rangers in the ALDS and a very bad outing against the Royals in the ALCS. One really interesting thing about this relic is the disclaimer along the bottom there, which reads: "ITEM IS NOT FROM THE 2015 POSTSEASON". So this relic card celebrating the 2015 postseason contains a relic, but not one from a uniform worn during the 2015 postseason.


Even better is the disclaimer on this side of the card, which reads: "THE RELIC CONTAINED ON THIS CARD IS NOT FROM ANY SPECIFIC GAME, EVENT, OR SEASON, NOR IS IT FROM THE 2015 POSTSEASON." The descriptor text under the relic window says it is game-used, but who knows? I just thought it was funny that Topps made sure to indicate that the relic piece was not from the 2015 Postseason on both the front and back of the card. They really don't want anyone thinking that it was. The card is numbered # 066 / 100.

R.A. Dickey signed with the Atlanta Braves back in November. My wife is from Atlanta, but I have never been a fan of the various Atlanta pro teams. I will root for Dickey wherever he goes, though, so whenever he gets some cards in his Braves uniform, I will be there trying to collect them. Hopefully the move to the NL will help his numbers.

11 comments:

  1. Well, I guess they're trying to be really upfront and honest? Very strange though.

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    1. Even Dickey, himself, seems confused.

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    2. He does look a little confused in that photo. I guess I should be comforted by Topps' forthrightness regarding the relic swatch, but it seemed a little odd to me that it warranted disclaimers on both front and back.

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  2. Very interesting. I guess it's better to be honest, than dishonest. I guess.

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    1. I don't really have an issue with it. I just think they went a little overboard with the disclaimers. I guess they really don't want people crying foul when they (somehow) discover that the relics in their Postseason Performance cards don't actually come from the 2015 Postseason.

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  3. It is somewhat comical...the disclaimers distract you from the actual card.

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    1. Yeah, they really steal the show for me. I can't look at this card and not think of them.

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  4. That's funny that they added that to the disclaimer.

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    1. It just seems oddly specific. There are so many different relic sets with disclaimers that are much less specific. Why did this one get such specific wording? No one knows outside of Topps, and they aren't telling (not that I reached out and asked them about it or anything).

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  5. Soon the companies are going to add disclaimers like "Not from any specific player, it may even be from that coat that Jane found in the Lost and Found box last week"

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    1. The 'Relic Truthers' out there would have you believe that is already the case, regardless of what the legalese says. I like to believe that card companies at least make an effort to get the memorabilia into the vicinity of the player in question, but who really knows?

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