FIRST EVER 1/1 Game Used Jersey Patch Auto Charles Barkley (read description) - Video Slots

Watch Ross Bybee Video: FIRST EVER 1/1 Game Used Jersey Patch Auto Charles Barkley (read description).

My followers always ask me if I'm really that lucky. What is the biggest jackpot you ever hit? Well.. It wasn't on a slot machine. It wasn't the WSOP-c Ring I won by outlasting over 2000 other poker players at my favorite casino Choctaw in one of the largest live tournaments to date outside of Vegas.

It was a basketball card.

Back in 1997 Upper Deck released the first ever Game Used Jersey cards for basketball. At 1:2500 they were EXTREMELY rare to find but when you did you knew you had something special. A piece of a Game Used Jersey from one of the superstars of the game! Bringing fans closer than ever to their sports role models!

There was a window on the card and you could reach thru and touch the same Jersey the player wore in an actual game! Holy Cow that was cool!

22 cards were made that first year including Michael Jordan, who was a surprise last minute addition to the inaugural set. Great Call Upper Deck!

That first year Upper Deck sent out the Game Used Jerseys to be processed by a 3rd party who meticulously cut the jerseys up into little tiny squares. They left the thicker name plates and numbers behind and only used the thinnest areas to keep the integrity of the packs

What ever happened to those left over Name Plates, Numbers, Team Names and logos?

The "Patches", as they would later be coined in 1999-00 by Upper Deck, ended up in the following years high end Hobby Exclusive SP Authentic packs as a 1 of 1 redemption card.

Not all 22 of the players from the inaugural set were converted into redemption cards. Others were used for testing and in future products.

At the time I was working an almost weekly sport card show in Arlington Tx when SP Authentic Basketball was released. I had known a kid that had redeemed two from the football set, Jerry Rice and another player and they were beautiful redemption cards! We couldnt wait for them to return. We honestly didnt know what to expect!

Well... things happen. For one reason or another there were problems with the second player. So the kid talks and talks to Upper Deck to get it resolved. He ends up with 2 of the same player, Jerry Rice.

Not a bad way to end up but I do remember us being slightly disappointed to lose the other superstar.

Now I want to get the basketball ones!

I had just got promoted from entry level IT job and had to move to Dallas to be closer to work. One thing I learned was to script just enough to get myself in trouble, but luckily never did. I was searching eBay, I was searching message boards, I was searching newsgroups and I even had my brother in Albuquerque looking for them. He helped run the largest Sports card shop, Noble Collectibles, and had close contacts with distributors.

I ended up finding 2 of them. Barkley and Olajuwon and I bet the farm on them. Albeit a very small farm, it was my farm none the less.

I called Upper Deck. Double, triple quadruple checked on what to do because the redemption card asked me to deface the front of the card. I was hoping to get it back or even hole punched and added to the piece but to no avail. Upper Deck needed the card signed and would not be able to return it to me after. Darn it!

Some time goes by and the HUGE boxes arrive at my work. I didnt want the piece going to my apartment when no one would be there.

All the excitement and anticipation was finally coming to its conclusion... or was it...

To my dismay, the Charles Barkley pieces did not include an autograph. Ut-Oh!

I called Upper Deck and they said they would look into it. Knowing what had happened with the football jerseys I began to worry, just a little...

A little background... I owned GameJersey.com, among other sites, at the time. I talked with Upper Deck many times and loved hearing about future products like the patch cards that were "in testing" to be released for future products as well as more autographs will be on Game Jersey cards of all sports. Even college and rookie cards with jerseys were being thrown around at the time.

Imagine a world with no RPA's. (Rookie Patch Auto)

As of this video I believe there has been a $5.2m LeBron James RPA as a record holder. Thank You Upper Deck for perfecting the concept over the years.

Upper Deck finds a solution. I send the framed piece back to California. Not too long after, but seemed like 50 lifetimes, I got another box.

It was like Christmas but better.

I opened up the box and carefully removed the protective layers. I pulled the Barkley out and there it was... The original 1997-98 GJ1 Charles Barkley card with his beautiful signature on along with an UDA sticker for authentication on the autograph!

Holy Shit!

They could NOT have picked a better card! Dont get me wrong, the SP Authentic Autos were beautiful but this was exactly the right card for this historic of a piece.

Thank You Upper Deck!

Sometimes I get lucky! :-)

Ross
amateur comedian
sports card trader
y2k specialist
virtual gold farmer
professional poker player
youtuber

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