Eye of the Beholder

"Beauty" is definitely in the eye of the beholder.  What one person finds gorgeous... another might consider plain.  My colleagues and I recently debated whether or not Rachael Ray was attractive.  It was split pretty much down the middle with me leaning on the "cute" side.

Obviously this also applies to our hobby as well.  Some collectors love sports cards that are "simple" and "plain", while others prefer "shiny" and "extravagant".  I myself am attracted to both... it just depends on the individual set design and the particular mood I'm in.

This morning it was drizzling here in the Bay Area, but a few hours ago the sun finally broke through and its light flooded my townhouse.  It was the perfect setting for me to take out my most recent set purchases:  2000 Topps Gallery "Gallery of Heroes".

Topps produced this line of inserts for their Topps Gallery products from 1997 to 2000 and the first time I laid eyes on them, I fell in love.

They're obviously meant to resemble stained glass windows... which back in the 70's... I remember seeing hanging in peoples' houses.  Some would have it mounted on walls, while others would use them for lamp shades.  My brother actually made a bunch of stained glass decorations for friends and family members back in the day.

Then overnight they seemed to disappear.  The only time I'd see them was when I attended a church service or when I went to this little strip mall bar in my neighborhood that used them as dividers between booths.  

It's actually a shame, because I really enjoy the look of stained glass windows, which explains why I'm so attracted to these brightly colored, die-cut pieces of acetate. 

Now I understand that these aren't for everyone.  They're not old and made out of cardboard, so fans of vintage might not appreciate these.  They are also missing that classic bubblegum scent which many of us remember from our childhood.  And since they don't contain swatches of their jersey or signatures of the athletes, there will be some collectors who don't consider these "hits".

But from my point of view, cards don't have to be vintage, autographed, or contain a piece of memorabilia to be appreciated.  Sometimes all I'm looking for... is a little "eye candy" and that's exactly what these inserts are to me.

So what do you think?

Are these cards "hot"... or "not"?

Happy Thursday and sayonara!