One-of-One - Revision history

Stalegum at 01:03, 20 March 2026

2026-03-20T01:03:49Z

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	'''One-of-One:''' A ~~card, usually~~ a ~~[[parallel]]~~, ~~that is (literally) a one-of-a-kind item~~.		'''One-of-One:''' A card—typically a parallel—that exists in a single, unique copy.

	The ~~gimmick~~ was introduced in 1997 by Fleer ~~with their [[1997_Flair_Showcase#~~Masterpiece~~\|Masterpiece]] cards in~~ [[1997 Flair Showcase\|Flair Showcase Baseball]] and Basketball. The ~~concept was so successful~~ that ~~variety~~ of one-of-one ~~iterations~~ for ~~inserts and parallels have been a Hobby staple ever since~~.		The concept was introduced to the Hobby in 1997, when Fleer added Masterpiece parallels to its [[1997 Flair Showcase\|Flair Showcase Baseball]] and Basketball products. The success of these cards led other manufacturers to adopt similar concepts. Later that same year, Pinnacle Brands, Inc. created its own version of a one-of-one with the [[Press Plate]], an aluminum plate used in the CMYK printing process (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) for the [[1997 New Pinnacle]] sets.

	~~After Fleer introduced~~ one-of-one ~~cards to the Hobby, Pinnacle Brands~~, ~~Inc. followed suit with their own unique version of a~~ one-of-one, ~~the [[Press_Plate\|Press Plate]]. These "cards" were aluminum plates featuring~~ one of the ~~four "CMYK" colors used for printing (Cyan~~, ~~Magenta, Yellow, Black) the actual cards in its [[1997 Pinnacle]]~~ and ~~[[1997 New Pinnacle]] sets~~.		Beginning in 1998, manufacturers increasingly incorporated one-of-one parallels, one-of-one versions of inserts, and one-of-one inserts themselves into their products. By the early 2000s, most major releases included multiple one-of-one offerings as companies attempted to differentiate products and meet collector demand for unique items.

	~~Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-~~of-~~one parallels, parallels~~ of ~~inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies~~ to ~~feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors~~. ~~This created~~ the ~~trend of card manufacturers in~~ the ~~early 2000s stocking their products with multiple~~ one-of-one card ~~offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down~~ of the ~~aggregate value~~ of ~~such~~ cards~~. The textbook example~~ of ~~this proliferation~~ of ~~contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set~~.		The most frequently cited example of this expansion is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set. The product contained 79 different parallel sets, including numerous combinations of autographs and game-used materials. Twenty of these parallel sets were limited to a single copy. In many cases, the only distinguishing feature between the twenty one-of-one versions of a given card was the color of a foil stamp or the style of a matted frame. This approach led some collectors to question whether cards with numerous one-of-one parallels could be considered “true” one-of-ones.

	~~With~~ a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), there were ''20'' parallel sets limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between the 20 different one-of-one parallel sets was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame on the card. For some collectors, this "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, thus leading them question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.		As a result, the informal term “True One-of-One” has emerged within The Hobby. It is commonly used to distinguish cards that exist in only one version from cards that have multiple one-of-one parallels within the same product.

	~~The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to personally establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus~~, the term ~~"True~~ One-of-~~One"~~ has ~~been unofficially coined~~ to distinguish ~~between a card~~ that ~~is truly limited to~~ only one ~~copy~~ from ~~one-of-one~~ cards ~~in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which~~ have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same ~~card~~.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]

Tidel144 at 20:14, 30 January 2020

2020-01-30T20:14:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:14, 30 January 2020
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	With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), there were ''20'' parallel sets limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between the 20 different one-of-one parallel sets was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame on the card. For some collectors, this "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, thus leading them question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.		With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), there were ''20'' parallel sets limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between the 20 different one-of-one parallel sets was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame on the card. For some collectors, this "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, thus leading them question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.

	The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.		The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to personally establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been unofficially coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]

Tidel144 at 20:12, 30 January 2020

2020-01-30T20:12:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:12, 30 January 2020
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	Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.		Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.

	With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), there were ''20'' parallel sets limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between the 20 different one-of-one parallel sets was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame on the card. ~~This~~ "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, leading ~~some collectors to~~ question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.		With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), there were ''20'' parallel sets limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between the 20 different one-of-one parallel sets was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame on the card. For some collectors, this "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, thus leading them question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.

	The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.		The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]

Tidel144 at 20:11, 30 January 2020

2020-01-30T20:11:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:11, 30 January 2020
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	Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.		Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.

	With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), there were ''20'' parallel sets limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one ~~and another~~ was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame. This "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, leading some collectors to question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.		With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), there were ''20'' parallel sets limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between the 20 different one-of-one parallel sets was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame on the card. This "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, leading some collectors to question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.

	The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.		The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]

Tidel144 at 20:11, 30 January 2020

2020-01-30T20:11:12Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:11, 30 January 2020
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	Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.		Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.

	With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), were 20 limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame. This "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, leading some collectors to question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.		With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), there were ''20'' parallel sets limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame. This "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, leading some collectors to question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.

	The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.		The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]

Tidel144 at 20:10, 30 January 2020

2020-01-30T20:10:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:10, 30 January 2020
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	Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.		Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.

	With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), were 20 limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame. This "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, leading some collectors to question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.		With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before at the time. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), were 20 limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame. This "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, leading some collectors to question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.

	The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.		The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]

Tidel144 at 20:08, 30 January 2020

2020-01-30T20:08:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:08, 30 January 2020
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	'''One-of-One:''' A card, usually a [[parallel]], that is (literally) a one-of-a-kind item.		'''One-of-One:''' A card, usually a [[parallel]], that is (literally) a one-of-a-kind item.

	The gimmick was introduced in 1997 by Fleer with their "Masterpiece" cards in [[1997 Flair Showcase\|Flair Showcase Baseball]] and Basketball. The concept was so successful, that ~~ones~~-of-one have been a Hobby staple ever since.		The gimmick was introduced in 1997 by Fleer with their [[1997_Flair_Showcase#Masterpiece\|Masterpiece]] cards in [[1997 Flair Showcase\|Flair Showcase Baseball]] and Basketball. The concept was so successful that variety of one-of-one iterations for inserts and parallels have been a Hobby staple ever since.

	~~In 1997~~, ~~a California dealer attempted to purchase all three Ken Griffey~~, Jr. ~~Flair Showcase Masterpieces. '97 Flair Showcase Baseball had a fractured, three-tiered, base set, and there was~~ a one-of-one ~~Masterpiece produced for each tier~~. ~~He was able to purchase two~~ of the ~~three~~ for ~~$14~~,~~000 and $15~~,~~750~~, ~~respectively. The third Masterpiece was found by a teenager~~ in ~~Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $24,000. He refused~~.		After Fleer introduced one-of-one cards to the Hobby, Pinnacle Brands, Inc. followed suit with their own unique version of a one-of-one, the [[Press_Plate\|Press Plate]]. These "cards" were aluminum plates featuring one of the four "CMYK" colors used for printing (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) the actual cards in its [[1997 Pinnacle]] and [[1997 New Pinnacle]] sets.

	~~While in retrospect that might have been a mistake~~ -- ~~he probably couldn't get anywhere near that much~~ for ~~it now -- you have to admire the kid~~. ~~He found~~ the ~~ultimate~~ card of ~~his favorite player, and refused temptation. As a post~~-~~script~~, in the ~~fall~~ of ~~1999 the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay~~. The ~~final bid~~ of ~~$6800 didn't even come close to meeting the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there~~ is ~~nothing completely resistant to~~ the ~~power of economics~~.		Each subsequent year after 1997 featured more one-of-one parallels, parallels of inserts, or inserts in general in an attempt by card companies to feed collector demand for these unique parallels and distinguish their product offering from competitors. This created the trend of card manufacturers in the early 2000s stocking their products with multiple one-of-one card offerings, which led to predictable result of driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this proliferation of contrived scarcity is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.

	~~Another example~~ of the ~~power~~ of ~~economics, has been the recent trend~~ of ~~certain card manufacturers (read: Donruss~~-~~Playoff~~) to ~~load up their products with multiple ones~~-of-one ~~for~~ each base set ~~card. The predictable result~~ of ~~which has been~~ the ~~driving down~~ of ~~the aggregate value of such~~ cards~~. The textbook example of this~~ "~~proliferation~~ of ~~contrived scarcity" is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set~~.		With a dizzying array of parallels, 2004 Diamond Kings was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and/or combinations thereof), were 20 limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp or a matted frame. This "stretched" the definition of the one-of-one concept as each individual card in this base set had 20 different one-of-one parallels, leading some collectors to question the veracity of referring to cards like these as "true" one-of-ones.

	With a dizzying array of parallels, '04DK was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and combinations thereof), were 20 limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp, or a matted frame. This has led many a collector to ask: If each individual card in a base set has 20 different one-of-one parallels, can it really be called a "one-of-one?"		The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is and what is not a one-of-one. Thus, the term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy from one-of-one cards in products like 2004 Diamond Kings which have multiple one-of-one parallels of the same card.

	The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is, and what ~~isn't~~ a one-of-one. ~~The~~ term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy~~, and~~ products like ~~'04DK~~ which have multiple ~~ones~~-of-one.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]

Stalegum at 15:58, 28 December 2015

2015-12-28T15:58:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:58, 28 December 2015
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	'''One-of-One:''' An [[insert]] card (usually a [[parallel]]) that is, literally, a one-of-a-kind item. Ever since the concept was introduced in [[1997 Flair Showcase]] Baseball, one-of-ones have been highly sought-after. In fact, many brands now have their own versions of one-of-ones. Fleer called them "Masterpieces," while Upper Deck might call them "Exclusives." Whatever they are called, if you have one, you have cornered the market on that card. While the proliferation of one-of-ones has driven the prices down overall, they can still command great premiums for the stars.

	When they first appeared in 1997, a dealer in California tried to buy all three Ken Griffey, Jr. Flair Showcase Masterpieces ('97 Flair Showcase had a three-tiered base set, and there was a one-of-one produced for each subset). He bought the first two for $14,000 and $15,750, respectively. The third was found by a teenager in Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $25,000, but refused. While that might have been a mistake, as he probably couldn't get that much for it now, you have to admire the kid. He found the ultimate card of his favorite player, and refused temptation. In the fall of 1999, the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay. The final bid of $6,800 didn't meet the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there is nothing that is completely resistant to price slippage.

	'''One-of-One:''' A card, usually a [[parallel]], that is (literally) a one-of-a-kind item.		'''One-of-One:''' A card, usually a [[parallel]], that is (literally) a one-of-a-kind item.

	The gimmick was introduced in 1997 by Fleer with their "Masterpiece" cards in Flair Showcase Baseball and ~~Flair Showcase~~ Basketball. The concept was so successful, that ones-of-one have been a Hobby staple ever since.		The gimmick was introduced in 1997 by Fleer with their "Masterpiece" cards in [[1997 Flair Showcase\|Flair Showcase Baseball]] and Basketball. The concept was so successful, that ones-of-one have been a Hobby staple ever since.

	In 1997, a California dealer attempted to purchase all three Ken Griffey, Jr. Flair Showcase Masterpieces. '97 Flair Showcase Baseball had a fractured, three-tiered, base set, and there was a one-of-one Masterpiece produced for each tier. He was able to purchase two of the three for $14,000 and $15,750, respectively. The third Masterpiece was found by a teenager in Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $24,000. ~~Believe it or not, he~~ refused.		In 1997, a California dealer attempted to purchase all three Ken Griffey, Jr. Flair Showcase Masterpieces. '97 Flair Showcase Baseball had a fractured, three-tiered, base set, and there was a one-of-one Masterpiece produced for each tier. He was able to purchase two of the three for $14,000 and $15,750, respectively. The third Masterpiece was found by a teenager in Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $24,000. He refused.

	While in retrospect, that might have been a mistake -- he probably couldn't get anywhere near that much for it now -- you have to admire the kid. He found the ultimate card of his favorite player, and refused temptation. As a post-script, in the fall of 1999 the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay. The final bid of $~~6,800~~ didn't even come close to meeting the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there is nothing completely resistant to the power of economics. ~~BOW DOWN!!!~~		While in retrospect that might have been a mistake -- he probably couldn't get anywhere near that much for it now -- you have to admire the kid. He found the ultimate card of his favorite player, and refused temptation. As a post-script, in the fall of 1999 the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay. The final bid of $6800 didn't even come close to meeting the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there is nothing completely resistant to the power of economics.

	Another example of the power of economics, has been the recent trend of certain card manufacturers (read: Donruss-Playoff) to load up their products with multiple ones-of-one for each base set card. The predictable result of which has been the driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this "proliferation of contrived scarcity" is the 2004 Diamond Kings baseball set.		Another example of the power of economics, has been the recent trend of certain card manufacturers (read: Donruss-Playoff) to load up their products with multiple ones-of-one for each base set card. The predictable result of which has been the driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this "proliferation of contrived scarcity" is the [[2004 Diamond Kings]] baseball set.

	With a dizzying array of parallels, '04DK was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and combinations thereof), were 20 limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp, or a matted frame. This has led many a collector to ask: If each individual card in a base set has 20 different one-of-one parallels, can it really be called a "one-of-one?"		With a dizzying array of parallels, '04DK was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and combinations thereof), were 20 limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp, or a matted frame. This has led many a collector to ask: If each individual card in a base set has 20 different one-of-one parallels, can it really be called a "one-of-one?"

PlayerPCCollector at 02:59, 25 June 2011

2011-06-25T02:59:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:59, 24 June 2011
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	When they first appeared in 1997, a dealer in California tried to buy all three Ken Griffey, Jr. Flair Showcase Masterpieces ('97 Flair Showcase had a three-tiered base set, and there was a one-of-one produced for each subset). He bought the first two for $14,000 and $15,750, respectively. The third was found by a teenager in Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $25,000, but refused. While that might have been a mistake, as he probably couldn't get that much for it now, you have to admire the kid. He found the ultimate card of his favorite player, and refused temptation. In the fall of 1999, the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay. The final bid of $6,800 didn't meet the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there is nothing that is completely resistant to price slippage.		When they first appeared in 1997, a dealer in California tried to buy all three Ken Griffey, Jr. Flair Showcase Masterpieces ('97 Flair Showcase had a three-tiered base set, and there was a one-of-one produced for each subset). He bought the first two for $14,000 and $15,750, respectively. The third was found by a teenager in Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $25,000, but refused. While that might have been a mistake, as he probably couldn't get that much for it now, you have to admire the kid. He found the ultimate card of his favorite player, and refused temptation. In the fall of 1999, the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay. The final bid of $6,800 didn't meet the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there is nothing that is completely resistant to price slippage.

			'''One-of-One:''' A card, usually a [[parallel]], that is (literally) a one-of-a-kind item.

			The gimmick was introduced in 1997 by Fleer with their "Masterpiece" cards in Flair Showcase Baseball and Flair Showcase Basketball. The concept was so successful, that ones-of-one have been a Hobby staple ever since.

			In 1997, a California dealer attempted to purchase all three Ken Griffey, Jr. Flair Showcase Masterpieces. '97 Flair Showcase Baseball had a fractured, three-tiered, base set, and there was a one-of-one Masterpiece produced for each tier. He was able to purchase two of the three for $14,000 and $15,750, respectively. The third Masterpiece was found by a teenager in Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $24,000. Believe it or not, he refused.

			While in retrospect, that might have been a mistake -- he probably couldn't get anywhere near that much for it now -- you have to admire the kid. He found the ultimate card of his favorite player, and refused temptation. As a post-script, in the fall of 1999 the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay. The final bid of $6,800 didn't even come close to meeting the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there is nothing completely resistant to the power of economics. BOW DOWN!!!

			Another example of the power of economics, has been the recent trend of certain card manufacturers (read: Donruss-Playoff) to load up their products with multiple ones-of-one for each base set card. The predictable result of which has been the driving down of the aggregate value of such cards. The textbook example of this "proliferation of contrived scarcity" is the 2004 Diamond Kings baseball set.

			With a dizzying array of parallels, '04DK was a product unlike any The Hobby had seen before. Among the 79 different parallel sets (some of which had featured articles of game-used equipment, autographs, and combinations thereof), were 20 limited to only one copy. The only distinguishing characteristic between one and another was either the color of a foil stamp, or a matted frame. This has led many a collector to ask: If each individual card in a base set has 20 different one-of-one parallels, can it really be called a "one-of-one?"

			The contrived scarcity issue has led some collectors to establish a new guideline between what is, and what isn't a one-of-one. The term "True One-of-One" has been coined to distinguish between a card that is truly limited to only one copy, and products like '04DK which have multiple ones-of-one.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]

Stalegum at 19:32, 3 April 2011

2011-04-03T19:32:50Z

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	'''One-of-One:''' An [[insert]] card (usually a parallel) that is, literally, a one-of-a-kind item. Ever since the ~~gimmick~~ was introduced in 1997 Flair Showcase Baseball, one-of-ones have been highly sought-after. In fact, many brands now have their own versions of one-of-ones. Fleer called them "Masterpieces," while Upper Deck might call them "Exclusives." Whatever they are called, if you have one, you have cornered the market on that card. While the proliferation of one-of-ones has driven the prices down overall, they can still command great premiums for the stars.		'''One-of-One:''' An [[insert]] card (usually a [[parallel]]) that is, literally, a one-of-a-kind item. Ever since the concept was introduced in [[1997 Flair Showcase]] Baseball, one-of-ones have been highly sought-after. In fact, many brands now have their own versions of one-of-ones. Fleer called them "Masterpieces," while Upper Deck might call them "Exclusives." Whatever they are called, if you have one, you have cornered the market on that card. While the proliferation of one-of-ones has driven the prices down overall, they can still command great premiums for the stars.

	~~In 1997 when~~ they first appeared, a dealer in California tried to buy all three Ken Griffey, Jr. Flair Showcase Masterpieces ('97 Flair Showcase had a three-tiered base set, and there was a one-of-one produced for each subset). He bought the first two for $14,000 and $15,750, respectively. The third was found by a teenager in Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $17,000, but refused. While that might have been a mistake, as he probably couldn't get that much for it now, you have to admire the kid. He found the ultimate card of his favorite player, and refused temptation. In the fall of 1999, the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay. The final bid of $6,800 didn't meet the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there is nothing that is completely resistant to price slippage.		When they first appeared in 1997, a dealer in California tried to buy all three Ken Griffey, Jr. Flair Showcase Masterpieces ('97 Flair Showcase had a three-tiered base set, and there was a one-of-one produced for each subset). He bought the first two for $14,000 and $15,750, respectively. The third was found by a teenager in Alaska who was offered an amount rumored to be around $25,000, but refused. While that might have been a mistake, as he probably couldn't get that much for it now, you have to admire the kid. He found the ultimate card of his favorite player, and refused temptation. In the fall of 1999, the two other Griffey Masterpieces were auctioned on eBay. The final bid of $6,800 didn't meet the seller's reserve price. This just goes to show that there is nothing that is completely resistant to price slippage.

	[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]		[[Category: Hobby Definitions]]