As a teacher... I'm the king of oddball phrases and words. It keeps the students entertained and on their toes. One of my favorite words to use in the classroom is "tomfoolery", which according to Merriam-Webster is defined as "foolish behavior".
Today... I introduce to all of my readers a new word: "cardfoolery". According to Merriam-Webster, the word "cardfoolery" does not exist. However, I definite it as a sports card creation that is quite simply: "foolish".
Thankfully, I don't have many examples of "cardfoolery" in my collection. But I have a two in store for you.
The first card in this series is a 2008 TriStar Signa Cuts autograph of 1982 NL ROY Steve Sax.
It should be pretty obvious why this card is being featured in this series, but just in case you're confused... I'll break it down for you.
Years ago manufacturers started cutting up autographed index cards, photos and documents, then placing these cuts into cards. Originally they were pretty rare and obviously a lot of collectors started chasing these "cut autographs".
Then TriStar came along and produced Signa Cuts, which included one "Signa Cut" per hobby box. I'm sure most collectors, including myself assumed that since it was called "Signa Cuts", it would include "cut autographs".
Well unfortunately, whoever originally pulled this Sax autograph received a cut index card with an autographed sticker mounted on it, instead of your traditional "cut autograph". Had that been me... I would have definitely cried "shenanigans"!
Okay... I'm not going to bash sticker autos today. I've made it known that I'm not a fan of them, but ultimately they have their place in the hobby and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. However... placing an autographed sticker on a white index card and calling it a "cut autograph" is "tomfoolery"... which makes this a piece of "cardfoolery".
Oh one more thing... I'm not a fan of cards that don't have a photo of the player either. Unless it's a checklist, sports cards should have pictures on them... at least in my humble opinion.
The sad thing is that I actually purchased this card knowing what I was buying... so I guess that makes me an even bigger fool. Why would I pick it up? Well... the price was right and I was a fan of Sax in the 80's.
What I didn't realize is that this card had two dinged corners (bottom left & upper right). And if you look carefully, you'll notice that the sticker is actually starting to peel off of the index card. Thankfully, I've given it a new home and it's now a proud member of my Damaged Card PC.
I know that some of you out there are fans of TriStar products... but personally I'd never purchase another Signa Cuts product again. Sure they have some sweet autographs in the product line, but to me the reward isn't worth the risk. On the flipside, I'm tempted to buy a box of their Obak and possibly more TNA wrestling cards.
I'd also like to add that TriStar also has nice card shows. In a few weeks, they'll be having their annual Cow Palace show with tons of autograph guests. The Bay Area definitely lacks quality card shows, so I'm excited to go to this one.
Okay... it's your turn...
Are there any cards that you think are good candidates for my "cardfoolery" series?
Let me know... I have one more that I'll be sharing in the future... but I'd love to add more to my collection.
Happy Saturday everyone... Sayonara!
Great mind DO think alike!
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