Let me say this right off the bat, I don’t get why people are buying boxes of Famous Fabrics. I just don’t get it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the set, its an unlicensed set that is built around jersey cards of people from all sports. This includes the big four, as well as golf, racing, boxing and a few others I saw. The problem is, there are no pictures, no logos, and no fucking first names because of licensing. Despite the fact that the cards look horrible, and the swatches are mostly single color, collectors are still buying this shit at 100 bucks a box and louding its “accomplishments.”

After watching a case break this past weekend, I was shocked that someone would drop a cool grand on a bunch of cards that I could make in MS Paint. I mean what is the point? When there are more jersey cards out there than one can count, having cards like this isnt as much of a novelty, especially with the way they are designed.

I have said recently in regards to Unique, Triple Threads, National Treasures and Sterling that collectors have become so enamored with multi swatch jersey cards and large patches that they will give up on looks. If the card is low numbered, they will even pay through the nose to get it. Personally, I don’t think a cool patch can make a card, which is more evidenced when the card has no pictures or first names on it.

Lets break down a few of them I saw on eBay:

Peyton Manning/Eli Manning Dual Patch – first off, I was wondering how they were going to pull this off without divulging which manning was which. They went with P and E to distinguish, which I thought was kind of funny. The only redeeming factor of this card is the case, as I wish more companies would encase their hits. Other than that, im not sure why this is a card anyone would want. Creating a set like this is pointless unless you are someone who could easily just buy a similar card, break it out, and build and awesome custom.

Randy Johnson Jumbo Swatch – this card is pretty funny because Im not sure why they used the color scheme they did, nor a reason why it just says “JOHNSON” in the way it does. At least make it visually appealing instead of just doing crap like this. I fell asleep twice while writing this.

Cardinals Famous Franchises – How is this even legal, especially after what Upper Deck just went through? They severely cropped this logo, but its still easily recognizable. Interesting.

Tim Duncan Emblem Patch – this is one of the chase subsets for the product, and is an illustration of every one of my complaints. The patch is unbelievable, but the card is horrible. This card gives a lot of what many Duncan collectors would want, except for the fact that the patch IS the card, rather a complement to a well designed one.

See, these cards are just a small sample of what this set is bringing to the table, and I am not one of those people who would support it. Licensing isnt everything, but it sure makes a hell of a difference when there are no autos, no pictures, no names, no reason for me to buy. I can find Peyton and Eli dual swatches in a bunch of different products that look ten times as good as these. Plus, they don’t cost anywhere close to these. Bottom line is this. Famous Fabrics is banking on a hobby from fifteen years ago when jersey cards were actually something more than just a card in a commons box, and that will not work for me. If it does for you, knock yourself out.