Classic Cubs Cardboard

I remember when the 2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premiers set first released in the fall of 2001.  There were so many good autographed cards in the set at the time of its release, but one stood out head and shoulders above the rest.  The autograph of one Chicago Cubs pitching phenom: Mark Prior.  At a print of 1000 (go ahead and laugh) it was a hot and expensive commodity on the card market.  

Prior was viewed as a "can't miss prospect" and for awhile looked like he was going to live up to the billing.  In 2003 Prior helped the Cubs to a near World Series appearance before an infamous incident was a certain fan and Moises Alou.  I bet you are expecting a video of Bartman?  No, but I do like the word infamous.  Love it.  

Eventually Prior got hurt, bounced around the minors, and has appeared here and there in a few independent leagues over the past half a decade or so.  Ever spring it seems that there is a rumbling about Prior catching on with a minor league team, or something to that effect, but the man has not appeared in a Major League Baseball game since 2006.  During that time he has signed with the Padres twice, Reds, Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers.  He also pitched in the Golden Baseball League too.  Despite all the bouncing around the 2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premiers card of Mark Prior still remains a pretty popular card.

2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premiers 

I have owned several copies of this card over the years and always seem to walk into new copies every few years.  Surprisingly it's a pretty difficult card to find at times and outpaces the other autographed Prior rookie cards from 2001.  His Leaf Limited and SPx autograph are both easy to find for less than $5, but for whatever reason the Prospect Premier card seems to break the mold.  The card often drifts north of $20, and for high graded versions, can go as high as $50.  Shocking for a player who not only did not live up to his career hype and expectations, but cannot even be described as very memorable.  Maybe I am being hard on Mr. Prior.  Nice player, great card.  

30 Year Top 50: 2005 Prime Patches

#16- One of my personal favorites on the list and one of the best relics set of the past 30 years. The Prime Patches set was released late in 2005 and was one of Donruss last hurrahs into the world of baseball cards. Many people compare it to the 2001 Pacific Private Stock set. Both sets were relic based releases that were critically seen as a means for both companies to dump their baseball relic inventory.

While many of the cards share the appearance of many one pack/box products, the Prime Patches cards actually came with 4 packs per box and each pack with three cards. Two of the cards were autographs or relics.  Boxes are still floating around, but are often very pricey.  I would suggest collecting the singles of the players or teams that you

2005 Prime Patches Juan Gonzalez Bat/Jersey/Pants Autograph

While the set did have autographs, they were all sticker autographs and there seemed to be plenty of missable players included in the run of autographs.  However, some of the autographs are still cool to own.  Imagine if this Juan Gone autograph were actually on the card.  That would be an incredible card, but even on a sticker it has a nice place in my collection and is one of my favorite pieces I own from the set.

2005 Prime Patches J.D. Drew Jumbo Jersey

While there are simple pieces of jersey and bat in the set one of the best parts about collecting these cards is the availability of jumbo jersey pieces.  After nearly fifteen years of relic cards, there are plenty of half inch by half inch squares out there on the market.  I love sets that offer collectors a chance to own something unique.  If it's going to be plain, than at least give a larger piece of jersey.  

2005 Prime Patches Jim Thome Patch

Of course, there are also plenty of truly unique pieces in the 2005 Prime Patches set too.  Anything from buttons to patches can be seen on the relics cards and in many cases the set includes a little bit of everything for collectors to chase.   While the big pieces are nice, there are also some really nice smaller, and very unique, patch cards in this set.  One of my favorites is a Mark Prior I picked up this summer.  

2005 Prime Patches Mark Prior Bat/Shoe/Hat/Fielding Glove

While the pieces are quite small I love the hat patch with the New Era logo.  Really cool card, and while it's a Cubs player I despise, probably won't trade this one.  There are plenty of other cards like this one available on Ebay or COMC, but they often come with a pretty hefty price.  

Prior and Maddux Prime Patches

I picked up a pair of 2005 Prime Patches cards last week.  I really enjoy these cards and was excited to get both of these cards even though they are both Cubs.  The first card is a Greg Maddux dual jersey card.  This card features a piece of his jersey from both the Braves and Cubs.

2005 Prime Patches Greg Maddux Dual Jersey

The second Prime Patches card I picked up is pretty sweet too.  The card features four pieces from Mark Prior.  The pieces include a bat, hat, shoe, and fielding glove.  The hat is the highlight for me since the piece shows the New Era logo from the inside of his hat.  

2005 Prime Patches Mark Prior Quad Relic Bat/Hat/Shoe/Glove