A Patchtastic Artifact.

If you looked at my Want List anytime before roughly the beginning of October, you'd have seen this phrase in bold type: "Patches....I like patches." I've since amended that statement to more accurately reflect my cardboard desires: "Patches....I like patches (not manufactured)." It's not that I don't like a well-done manupatch from time to time, but my real love resides with good, old-fashioned patch pieces with a ton of stitching, a lot of color, and real character.

So when I come across an affordable one, and it happens to be of one of my main guys - say, Ducks' Captain and center Ryan Getzlaf - I can't resist the temptation to add it to my collection. That's exactly how the above patch/jersey combination, numbered 48/65, ended up in my mailbox. The patch, as you can imagine, is what caught my eye, as it's a beautiful three-color piece that appears to have most likely originated from the very front of Getz's sweater, somewhere in that big "DUCKS" emblazoned across the Captain's chest.