As much as it pains me to say this, the hobby functions more on the content of a patch, than it does on the look or design of a card. That has bred a situation, where ALL card companies have taken to artificially generating logo patches by using that many more jerseys at the rookie premiere, and spreading them out over a lot of their products. This is contrary to the usual fake busting research methods that use numbering as a way to disqualify ridiculous patches. However, it has also created more cards with higher values, which can be both good and bad.

So, this begs the question, is it better to have a bunch of cards with crazy patches, or go back to the previous situation?

The answer is very complicated, no doubt, and I have had many a debate over the validity of my analysis of the evidence. No ifs, ands, or buts, I hate fake patches, and I hate people who make them. Its just a bush league thing to do, regardless of whether or not its legal. More importantly, have card companies unintentionally made it easier to pass a fake because they use so many logo patches in the normal parallels?

Check these out – all high numbered cards that would have screamed fake 5 years ago:

2012 Finest Russell Wilson Seahawks Logo Auto /250

2012 Finest Ryan Tannehill Pulsar Dolphins Logo Patch Auto /25

2012 Platinum Justin Blackmon Jaguars Logo Patch Auto /99

2012 Finest Nick Foles Pulsar Eagles Logo Auto /10

Additionally, has the advent of using logo patches drastically devalued the normal patch cards that most of the collectors out there pull? Has this practice phased out the acceptance of jersey cards in general? For someone like me that wants well designed cards over “OMG SIZCK MOJOS!!!11!” patches (no player picture at all? REALLY?), the answer is no. But for the majority of people out there, the answer is yes. In fact, its gotten so bad that I was legitimately floored when I saw how much these RGIII basic jersey cards and Andrew Luck basic jersey cards are selling for.

When one considers the place of logo patches in the hobby, I don’t think a set like the National Treasures rookie patch autos from 2011 should ever be replicated. Not only does it show just how many jerseys the players put on for two seconds at the premiere for Panini, but it takes the special-ness out of these types of cards. Almost every player in the set had an insane number of logo patch autos. When everything has a logo patch, logo patches are no longer unique. On the flip side, Topps’ rookie patch auto booklets from 2011 Five Star were almost a complete failure because the nice patches were not included in any card. Panini is poised to do this all over again for 2012, as is Topps, and that is scary. To think that each rookie might have worn close to 50 jerseys at the premiere, makes those 200 logos that can be generated from that result, almost worthless.

On the other hand of things, this practice does serve two functions – it devalues the fake logo patches and does it so much that the people wont opt to make them as much. That is powerful. Why waste your time making a fake logo patch card if its only going to net you a few extra bucks over a normal patch?

Personally, I would do away with the focus on jersey relics all together, as I don’t find it appealing. Outside of my opinion on the appeal, the general populace does not find them valuable anymore. That by itself should signal its time to change.

Maybe the wave has already started.