Chasing the Rainbow: The Challenge and Satisfaction of Collecting Parallels

“One can enjoy a rainbow without necessarily forgetting the forces that made it.” – Mark Twain In the sports card community, the completed rainbow of a specific card is a badge of honor. It’s that victory flag that confirms passion and fandom for a player or team. The bigger the rainbow, the harder the work, and therefore, the greater the satisfaction when completed. And much like a rainbow in the sky, completed rainbows rely on the help of many forces that must come together perfectly. From the advent of sports cards through what some refer to as the “junk era”…