An Old-School Actress Grab

I have talked a bit about “other” releases, non-sports cards that have made their way in to many collectors’ personal collections. One of my favorite sets is from the 2007 Donruss Americana release, the Hollywood Legends insert. Some of the greatest actors/actresses ever are included in the set and there are base, relic, jumbo relic and autograph versions.

Lillian Gish is one of those amazing actresses who were around from the origin of film. She made her first film in 1912 when she was 17 and between 1912 and 1987 she appeared in over 100 films and television shows. Her first big break was when she played Elsie in The Birth of a Nation, an AFI Top 100 movies of all time. I first saw her in the Scarlett Letter and had an old-school crush on her and I have been hoping to find one of her relics for a reasonable price. This card, a flowered swatch from her coat, was less than $5 shipped from a dealer in Toronto.

Lillian Gish has shown up in a number of products over the past 5 years, along with this 2007 Donruss Americana Hollywood Legends relic card she also has 2 relics in the 2008 Donruss Americana release, she has a cut signature in the 2009 Razor Cut Signature National Edition and finally two relics in the 2011 Panini Americana release.

Drawing Lines

Are the lines of the hobby becoming blurred in relation to what is considered a sports card? Recently there have been releases that were entirely non-sports related as well as some sports sets containing both base cards and inserts that are not related to sports in any way.

I ask this question because according to the Razor Twitter site they will be releasing the 2009 Razor Poker set within a couple of weeks. Poker may be entertainment to some but by no means is it a “sport” to any.

In the last few years we have seen releases that include actors, presidents, hoaxes, criminals, DNA, insects and pieces from various locations. Don’t get me wrong, I love some of these cards and have picked a number of them, in fact one of my favorite all-time hits was when I pulled a James Cagney jacket swatch from a pack of 2007 Donruss Americana. I do think that Donruss got it right when they created the Americana release, this gives collectors the opportunity to pull some interesting hits but it remains a set for a specific type of collector.

I can only imagine what it would be like to pull a George Washington Cut Signature or a piece of Lincoln’s hair but that is not why I buy Legendary Cuts, I want my hits to be of legendary ball players. I would rather pull a Gehrig Cut Signature or a Cap Anson hair strand. Just my 2 cents.