Pop culture inclusions are now somewhat common in sports card sets. But this wasn’t always the case. 2001 Topps American Pie Baseball was one of the first modern sets to really meld baseball with history, celebrities and politicians. Taking a historical approach, it focused primarily on the ’50s, 60s and 70s. The 2001 Topps American Pie Relics, aptly titled A Piece of American Pie, bring small pieces of memorabilia from some of the era’s biggest headline makers.
The set has a total of five relics that fall under this category. Clothing swatches from some big-time singers get first billing. Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley both have cards with pieces of personally worn jackets. A Janis Joplin card has a swatch of her dress.
Rounding out the set are a couple of curious inclusions. John F. Kennedy is featured on a card with some ground up specks of the Berlin Wall. There’s also a card with dirt taken from Woodstock. Who knows what that bit of earth saw or felt?
Although not terribly common, all of the 2001 Topps American Pie relics can be tracked down without a lot of work. The JFK Berlin Wall card is the most common.
Topps continued the pop culture relic theme in 2002 with another set of similar relics, again with some big names.
2001 Topps American Pie Relics Checklist
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PAPM1 Frank Sinatra – Jacket
PAPM2 John F. Kennedy – Berlin Wall
PAPM3 Elvis Presley – Leather Jacket
PAPM4 Janis Joplin – Dress
BBWM-WS Woodstock Dirt
