Griffey game used bat card
 

Hi all,

I've asked questions a couple times on the authenticity of game used cards. I recently found a card that says it has a piece of game used bat used by Griffey Jr. while in the Minor Leagues. The thing is is that the wording on the back of the card says the bat was obtained directly from Ken Griffey Jr., I have never seen this statement before. Curious to see what other people think?

Others on this forum have mentioned how earlier relic cards have better memorabilia pieces. This appears to be one of those cards. It looks like the copyright is 2000, which would fit the time period. More recent cards simply state that there is a piece of game used memorabilia on the card, but not necessarily from the specific player. And, since UD had a contract signed with Griffey, they already had a good working relationship with him to procure it.

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That makes sense. I have heard earlier game used cards are said to be authentic. I am sure that with a good relationship with Junior they could get items such as this.

Have you ever looked up the Upper Deck "A Piece of History" game used cards? That was a REALLY popular set that ran in the late 90s and early 2000s. Those were with relics directly from the player. Those cards still carry significant value. They were one of the highlights released every year.

My best card I pulled was a Jackie Robinson 2001 Fleer Stitches in Time card with a uniform relic worn by Jackie. On ebay, that card is still over $125.

It seems clear that in the earlier years the manufacturers were ponying up more money for elite pieces.

I do think that the 2000's game-used items represent an incredibly underappreciated part of the hobby. Over the years I've picked up quite a few early Ruth, Gehrig etc game-used pieces, though I've kind of lost hope that people will one day discover that the designs they used then were far nicer, and the game-used materials were generally of much higher provenance.