Anyone Remember Matt Barkley?

As a USC fan, I can't remember too many days that surpassed the day that Matt Barkley announced he was coming back to USC for his senior season.  I recall exactly where I was when I heard the announcement (pulling into my driveway with the door open and my family inside) and how I reacted (pumped my fist, yelled in pleasure and honked my horn).  After years of deal with the unfair sanctions (if there is anyone out there who really thinks the NCAA treated USC fairly, I would love to hear the case), it was time for USC to Return to Glory and take their place at the top of the national polls.

Well, it hasn't quite worked out as I thought on that glorious day but I am still a huge fan of Matt Barkley.  With Nick Foles' injury, Barkley moves to the #2 spot on the Eagles depth chart behind another USC alumnus Mark Sanchez.  He played in 3 games last year but has yet to take a snap this year.  That could change, hopefully in a blowout and not due to a Sanchez injury.

The good news with Barkley not elevating into super stardom is that his cards are pretty reasonable.  Here are a few I have picked up over the last few months.

 This trio of cards come from the 2013 Fleer Retro release.  I really enjoy this set, the players are featured in their college uniforms and are modeled after classic Fleer designs from the past.  I miss Upper Deck being involved in the baseball market, they do a really nice job on new designs and in using past designs.  Note how different photos are used in all 3 designs as well.

This is another Upper Deck release from 2013 Ultimate. I think this is a sharp looking card with a nice low serial number.  Again the players are featured in college uniforms and 3 of the better college QB prospects are featured here.

Here is a quad relic from 2013 Topps Prime.  This and the rest of the cards feature Barkley in his Eagles uniform.  This one is limited to 99 copies.  I don't think Topps Prime has that big of a following as cards from the set can be found at very reasonable prices.

 I used to be a big fan of Prestige when I did more collecting and set building of football.  I had a knack for pulling a big hit or two that would pay for the box (and sometimes more).  It has been a few years since I bought a box but this Draft Tickets auto card is a pretty nice design and very reminiscent of the Prestige brand.

Elite was another set I would pick up a box or two of and typically go after the set.  This 2013 Elite card of Barkley looks pretty good, the green color scheme of the border goes well with the Eagles.  Great looking card.

These final 3 cards are all from 2013 Topps inception and I picked them up in a lot with the Elite and Prestige card.  For under $20, I was able to score 5 certified autos of one of my favorite college players of all time.  I thought about possibly super collecting Matt Barkley but he had over 1750 cards released in just 2013 (nothing in 2014) so I quickly decided against that.  I will however be on the lookout for nice looking cards of his to add to my collection.