Many of the larger ticket game used items were very transparently purchased at auction by the companies back through the mid 2000s. Not too sure after Panini entered the mix.
Patchworks was a weird set that did have nice patches with high print runs. Once upon a time I had a Nomo with a piece of a logoman that was numbered /150 or /250. Still, buyer beware.
There are a couple theories…
Post in thread '2005 Absolute Memorabilia Collector's Thread'
https://www.freedomcardboard.com/forum/threads/2005-absolute-memorabilia-collectors-thread.35466/post-2662892