Dear Card Manufacturers, A Suggestion You’ll Ignore

I’ve been in retail for all of my adult life.  At first I was a store associate, then an Assistant Manager, a Manager and finally at the corporate level.  I might understand at least some of the basics of retail.  One of those is to figure out how to get more units/dollars into a transaction.

Today, I saw a tweet that got me thinking.  It seems like a pretty logical thing to me, but I’m sure it’s “more difficult than” I think, at least that’s what the companies would tell me <insert eyeroll>.

Help! I want to complete this collection! I need the O, N and K. Thanks! pic.twitter.com/xZgFK57H7P

— WillowSportsLane (@WillowSportsLn) September 12, 2018

Nameplates/Lettermen cards are pretty popular, when they are out there.  Maybe not to the same level as the overplayed rainbow, but there’s a solid market for them.

While it may not drive the actual box sales themselves, it does create a secondary market demand when people want to put player names together.  A solid secondary demand for a set creates more demand for said product in the future.  That’s nothing but common sense.

The card in the tweet that I referenced is probably five years old.  I can’t remember the exact year, but I know I acquired one of those same Jeremy Roenick cards shortly after I moved to Texas four years ago.

Why not create more of these cards as autographs?  First of all, autographs aren’t really anything special any longer.  Unless you hit a superstar, you’re likely disappointed with autographs that you pull.

Also, notice that I used the word “create?”  The card companies that so many of you defend rarely use game-worn product anymore.  It’s event worn, if you’re lucky.  It might only be fantasy camp worn.  Heck, at this point, if it’s in the same room for more than two seconds with a player, it’s being considered a relic.

Also, we’re seeing more and more of the (garbage) manufactured relics.  I’m far from the only one that considers them junk.  However, if you want to manufacture the letters to have autographed, you’ve added some value to a manu-relic and saved yourself a few bucks by not having to use that jersey that a fifth round pick wore for three minutes while he had a few pictures taken.

But hey, what do I know?  I’m just a guy that’s been in the hobby for 30 years and can’t get a job in the hobby.  My opinion is nothing but a fart noise.  Nobody cares about this suggestion, right?

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