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Patch Swapping - With Verification?

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mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
A thread somewhere else got me to thinking a bit about this. Someone posted up a Mike Trout 1/1 TTT with a plain jersey swatch. While I don't think ANYONE would be upset with any Trout 1/1, it could easily be a prime target for a patch swap.

So, here is my question. There are countless cards out there with plain swatches. Some of us have full gamer jerseys, some have damaged cards with patches, some have player-worn, jerseys and some have jerseys bought off the rack at the store.

With the excitement of the "game-used" portion waning, and the drive for having a patch card becoming more and more for the aesthetics, what are your thoughts about this?

Taking a card such as this: (this was the 1/1 ... I photoshopped out the serial # so it looked more like a base card)

front.jpg


and turn it into this:

frontnewpatch.jpg


(Pause for gasps and yells of blasphemy)

with a tamper-proof sticker on the back of the card like this:

back.jpg


From there, the website would have a lookup code function that could tell you where the patch is from, with proof (if necessary) and a picture of the original card.

I'm not exactly about to build the site and offer this as a service, but this thought literally just came into my brain about 30 minutes ago, and thought it would prompt some good discussion.

So, what are your thoughts? Stupid? Cool? Indifferent?
 

psj

Active member
Jul 24, 2015
2,058
0
Long Island
What about if a company like Topps or Panini, sold precut game used swatches, with an authentication sticker to put over that plain grey jersey swatch
 

bstanwood

Well-known member
Sep 24, 2016
3,666
332
Mystic, CT
It's not a bad idea, I wish it didn't have to be an idea, what if every card, particularly a 1/1, was worth owning as it was produced by the company. To me the cons outweigh the pros and I wouldn't like it but the idea itself is interesting.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,187
4,092
People typically going to do something like this would be for profit and are hardly likely to admit it or take the time to document it. Not sure if a site like that would be useful. Now, if the card makers would create master data base with photos of special issue cards, say numbered to 10 or less copies (even that would probably be a great time investment), that would be a valuable service to help reduce counterfeiting and alterations.
 
Jul 22, 2016
187
18
Sorry Mouschi, I don't like it. I think it's the sticker that says modified that turns me off. I consider modified cards as a frankenstein type piece. It's not something I would purchase but that's me and I am sure some people have no problem. Interesting idea though.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
Dislike... I think the companies are so far behind though. What [MENTION=4047]mrmopar[/MENTION] pointed out is what should have happened from the jump. And / or all jersey / patch cards should have a plastic window over it basically encasing it, so the only way to access it would be to cut it and then that would expose a tampered card. There will be enough 1/1 Trout patch cards that altering a plain one isn't worth it.

Ryan
Will Clark / Mike Brown Collector
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
I think the card companies don't want to invest in technology (and long as they have a legal leg to stand on creating these products, there is no motivation to invest in technology to prevent the situation).

I think the best thng we have to date is the "Clearly Authentic" where the jersey/patch and MLB authentic sticker are all sandwiched inside the card making it harder to do a switcheroo.

I hope eventually the card companies use imagers to image all their non-plain jersey cards. If the USPS can send me images of my mail daily, certainly card companies can use a imagers to create the image and log cards in an instant.

Alternatively, how about high resolution imagers? I know there is at least one photographer out there who creates photos in such high resolution you can zoom in a long ways and still make out small rocks or other features that
are not visibile in the zoomed out image. If sending cards through an imager individually is too time consuming, lay the cards out side to side and end to end as if it were a huge uncut sheet and take one super high res image and if needed for verification, zoom right in on the desired card to check the patch shape, color, numbering on the card, etc.
 
Last edited:

johnryno

Member
Mar 23, 2017
520
0
Country Club of Maryland
Not a stupid thread at all. I've never collected relics and wouldn't claim to be knowledgable when it comes to the cards. Everyone loves your custom cards, and you have an honest rep in the hobby, so I think it comes down to cost-benefit analysis. If you can ballpark your overhead, interest in this idea might be easier to gauge with an approximation as to what your fees would be like for the service.

Boom. Business School.
 

gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
No thanks. Bad enough I have to trust one company's authentication, now I have to trust 2 companies that their items are authentic. I like my cards untampered with from the factory.

Oh, and you forgot the disclaimer.

back.jpg
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
To add to this, as well as to put my .02 in ...

1) The sticker on the back would have to be tamper proof, so there would be no way to remove it.
2) I think this would be best used on base swatch cards that are worth $1-$10 by themselves.
3) I don't know how well this would go in terms of resale value, but think it would be an interesting idea for folks that have doubles of a cheap jersey card, and plan on keeping it, but just want to add something more interesting to their collection.
 

gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
Wouldn't this be a lot of money tied up in buying game used uniforms? After the cost of the uniforms, security stickers, shipping and handling, shipping insurance and incidentals, plus time and labor especially to scan and store the images of changes like you want, would it be worthwhile? I can't see the market demand recouping expenses, or the pricing being way too high for most.
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
If you want to take a cheap jersey card and turn it into a altered non GU patch card for astetics , just spend the $ and buy a pack issued patch card. Not feeling this idea.

Ryan
Will Clark / Mike Brown Collector
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
No thanks. Bad enough I have to trust one company's authentication, now I have to trust 2 companies that their items are authentic. I like my cards untampered with from the factory.

Oh, and you forgot the disclaimer.

back.jpg

Oh, I don't know - I think the original Topps disclaimer has this covered already!
 

johnryno

Member
Mar 23, 2017
520
0
Country Club of Maryland
To add to this, as well as to put my .02 in ...

1) The sticker on the back would have to be tamper proof, so there would be no way to remove it.
2) I think this would be best used on base swatch cards that are worth $1-$10 by themselves.
3) I don't know how well this would go in terms of resale value, but think it would be an interesting idea for folks that have doubles of a cheap jersey card, and plan on keeping it, but just want to add something more interesting to their collection.

I'll give you some start up money for a percentage in the company so we can get rich, while these other knob goblins are still clipping coupons for shake n bake.
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
I'll give you some start up money for a percentage in the company so we can get rich, while these other knob goblins are still clipping coupons for shake n bake.

My people will be in touch
 

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