Packer Fans Chase Favre Memorabilia

It was the first thing I saw when I logged onto the 'net this morning, bowl of Apple Cheerios in front of my monitor.

"Goodbye, Brett".

I knew what was up even before I got to the headline, though. The picture of Brett Favre waving told me what was up. And somehow the Packers explanation of that little 'accidental' slip of a Favre retirement story onto the club's web site last week wasn't holding up well. I wondered about it then. But what's done is done. And Brett is done. Unless, of course, he unretires, which although a little uncomfortable to fathom, is appreciably better than misremembering.

Today was a day Packers fans chased Favre memorabilia like NFL defensive linemen used to chase him. Favre jerseys, Favre football cards, Favre autographs. Local stores in Green Bay and around Wisconsin were crazy busy.

Web sites selling Packers memorabilia were doing brisk business and Packers eBay specialty site PackFanatics.com buzzed with news about the retirement and saw tons of new items listed by folks looking to make a quick buck from those who 1) suddenly wanted some Favre memorabilia to commemorate his career or 2) thought it was going up in value. The Favre jerseys on the site's home page were selling as well or better than they were when the team was making its remarkable run during the 2007 season.

It's hard to say what will happen. But we do know now that the NFC Championship game will be his last. I'd expect ticket stubs and programs from that game to surge a bit in price. Favre autographs will jump--at least momentarily. Favre rookie cards, especially graded ones, will find new buyers even among those who aren't really football card collectors.

Favre had some rare football cards--those 1 of 1 type autograph and memorabilia cards you see the companies put out. His rookie cards aren't hard to find, but there is plenty of demand. Five years from now, I suspect it will still be there on a lesser scale. Joe Montana's been retired for what, 13 years now and there are still plenty of buyers even though he's not adding any more Super Bowls to the resume'.

It's a good time to be a seller--even a good time to be a buyer since there is all kinds of new memorabilia out there thanks to the big announcement. It's not such a good time to be a fan of #4 and hoping it's all a dream.

Is one more year too much to ask?