The 1999 Bowman Chrome Interstate set displays a classic scene from the player’s birth state in the background. What makes this card special is that Eddie Kennison is one of the few players in the set who is featured as playing for a team from his birth state, so the scene of downtown New Orleans not only speaks to his birthplace, but to his team as well.

Recently grabbed this auto of Broderick “$andman” Thomas. He gave himself that nickname because the opposing team would see him in their sleep. Love a nicely-signed auto that features a nickname, with bonus points for coming from my favorite-ever set and showing the player signing stuff.

I recently nabbed this Chiefs jersey of Brett Perriman that he wore in a thrilling Monday night game against the Raiders in 1997.

As a ‘90s kid, I’m stoked about getting this one. Brett Perriman was an under-appreciated receiver throughout that decade, with his biggest year coming in 1995 when he and Herman Moore became the first teammates to ever tally 100 catches each in the same season.

Perriman signed with the Chiefs in ‘97 after being let go by the Lions. This jersey was listed on eBay as an issued jersey rather than a game-used jersey, likely because it shows minimal signs of wear. I pulled up Getty Images and found image 1784871 of Perriman from that season wearing this style of jersey, and after carefully comparing it against the listing photos for about an hour (really), I felt confident it was the same jersey. That opinion was conclusively proven once I had it in hand and was able to look even closer.

Perriman only caught 2 passes for 37 yards in this jersey, but both were critical to the Chief’s 28-27 Week 2 victory. The first came late in the second quarter and helped set up a field goal, and the second came on a 3rd and 10 with 30 seconds left in the game that led to a Grbac-to-Rison touchdown pass to seal it with 3 seconds left. Al Davis looked pretty unhappy in the telecast.

Perriman was waived by the Chiefs weeks later, signed with the Dolphins to finish out the season, then rode off into the sunset.

This is the oldest NFL gamer in my collection and it brings me joy to know that I own one from a great player I watched growing up.

In the process of collecting and photo-matching game-used football jerseys, I’ve encountered situations when I’m pretty sure a jersey was worn in a certain game but I can’t find definitive visual proof. I went on Amazon and bought a handheld magnification loupe and it’s already one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.

I examined a game-used 2004 Cowboys jersey of Richie Anderson and found clear evidence of yellow paint transfers on one of the sleeves, demonstrating that the jersey was also worn in a game against the Redskins, which I suspected.

These would be helpful for anyone who wants to examine cards closely before deciding to send them for grading, or if you have autos that you want to verify are live signatures. They’re marketed as a kid’s toy but they’re great for anyone. I’m not providing the name of the one I bought - just recommending you give this kind of product a look.

Now that all things Jordan are scorching hot, seems like a fitting time to show off my 1995-96 Topps Spark Plugs card of MJ. I still remember the moment I pulled this from a pack at Oregon Dairy (Lancaster, PA) when I was 10 years old. Doesn’t matter what it’s worth - this one stays in the PC forever.