Uncle Buster mentioned in one of his recent diaries the Ben Sheets bobblehead--one of the least collectible "collectibles" out there, as they give away several thousand, and you can get them on eBay within minutes after the game.
As a matter of fact, I remember going to the Beloit Snappers game last season when the team gave away Prince Fielder bobbles. I had no idea when I made my plans that it was a promotion day, so I was shocked to find a few hundred people waiting in line. If any of you have been to games in Beloit, you know that a few hundred people is more than they usually get to turn out for a weekend series. But the line was long, and I feared I might not even get a ticket. Then, when the gates opened and the line started moving, I noticed that more people were turning around and leaving than were continuing into the park. People were actually cutting back into line with other family members so that they could redeem more bleacher tickets for Prince bobbles. It made me wonder a bit about what minor league baseball is coming to, but it was another nice, sparsely attended game in Beloit, and the Snappers probably made quite a bit of dough off the promotion.
Believe it or not, I didn't intend to tell that story when I started this post--the catalyst was this story about the unlikeliest baseball card promotion I've ever heard of, and I thought I'd heard them all:
His name: Pope John Paul II.
A one-of-a-kind card featuring the pontiff's autograph was released earlier this year by Topps, the best known maker of baseball cards. When the pope died last month, collectors wondered whether anyone had found the card and what it might fetch in a marketplace suddenly sizzling for all things John Paul.
I thought it was weird when I started pulling Michael Jordan inserts out of Upper Deck packs in the early 90s, but watching the hobby from the outside has been a bizarre experience for the last decade. But rather than start a rant I've probably indulged in before...
...I'd rather hear what y'all think are the most ridiculous/unexpected/worthless/surprising collectibles out there.