Art Vandelay Sends a Warning

One of the biggest surprises from Panini’s high-end, National Treasures line this year is a supposed game used/event worn relic featuring Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander, numbered to just 99 copies. 2021 Panini National Treasures, an 8-card, $600+ box which has been out for barely a week, has received some major exposure thanks to the Seinfeld relic, with 7 copies already hitting the $1,000+ final selling price on eBay. While the hobby light will eventually dim on this scorching hot card, at the current secondary market price point, prices remain unreasonable to say the least.

When frustrated collectors began tweeting Jason Alexander earlier this week, the actor, comedian, and director flat out exposed Panini America by letting his fans know that he has absolutely no knowledge of the trading card and used a fancy Latin phrase that translates to “buyer beware”. What makes matters worse for Panini is that fans of Seinfeld have begun combing through all 180 episodes to find out exactly where this jersey relic may have been pulled from. There are several episodes in which George is seen in Yankees attire including a hat, jacket, and a jersey but none that come close to matching these relics.

The problem is that Panini America, one of the worst companies in the history of trading cards, based on the fact that they are trying to weasel out of fulfilling redemptions in court … also has a well-documented and long track record of committing fraud. Unfortunately, that hasn’t come close to stopping collectors from gobbling up just about every product Panini has produced over the past decade. Their basketball and football products have made collectors rich, which unfortunately is enough to lure them into helping Panini America sweep many of their controversies under the rug.

For now, until the dust settles and these cards come down in price, your best bet is to find yourself a Jason Alexander certified autograph trading card from the past. As usual, Leaf comes through in the clutch with their Pop Century line from way back in 2012. There are however, much more interesting cards produced by Rittenhouse Archives (unfortunate name) for multiple Star Trek sets. Unlike the Leaf autographs, these cards are hard-signed and frankly, much more interesting and can be purchased on eBay for a fraction of the dubious 2021 National Treasures Costanza relic.