Follow the link to a fascinating read on “The Economy of Relics” from the Sightings Web page.

To think of baseball cards as religious relics fascinates me on several fronts. As writer Spencer Dew’s reference to John Calvin notes, relics were a favorite target of Protestant reformers as an example of the over-commercialization of Roman Catholicism. Yet, as “Lutheran” as I am, one of my favorite artworks at the St. Louis Art Museum is a medieval reliquary of a saint’s hand. I’m drawn to it every time I’m there.

On a more personal note, I was an avid baseball card collector into my teens. Matter of fact, I think there’s a few boxes of my cards still stashed somewhere in my parent’s home. And the more I think about it, even before there was “DNA” and shreds of jerseys encased in cards, just cardboard squares glossed over with full-cover photos and rows and columns of stats, I did revere my cards as relics of our national pastime. I took great care to keep them in “mint” condition in viewable display cases. I purchased and exchanged them as prized possessions. And I would pour over their values in my favorite collectibles magazines. There was indeed an economy to my collection of relics. Even today, I revere them as a valuable treasure of my childhood, both in emotional and financial terms.

I just never thought I’d admit to owning a relic collection.