Updated July 4, 2025
Why do collectors participate in the destruction of historical documents? Collector cards offered by Eternal Cultural Co., Ltd, claim the following, "You have received a dual history relics card. The front of this card features the following types of authentic and original relics: Original Handwritten Letters, Time Period Manuscripts, Letters, and Documents, Books, Tickets, and other relics that were attributed to the subject on the front of this card. We hope you enjoy this piece of history!"
 |
| 2024 Eternal Cuts World Celebrities Edition, printed in China. |
 |
| 2024 Eternal Cuts World Celebrities Edition, rear of card. |
No information is provided concerning the original document from which the cut pieces were obtained. The author of the document is not provided; the date written and the content of the letter is unknown. Likely, buyers make the assumption that one "relic" represents handwriting of Orville, and the other "relic" represents the handwriting of Wilbur. The Item doesn't make this claim. It only states the "relic" is attributed to the subject on the front of the card. What does that mean? Someone wrote about aviation history in a letter, and mentioned the Wright Brothers? What proof is offered? The bigger question to ask is, if the "relic" was genuinely cut from an historical document associated with the Wright Brothers, why would a collector choose to participate in the destruction of that historical document? The collector is just as guilty as the company that cut the letter into multiple pieces; if there was no market for this sort of thing, these items wouldn't be produced. (1)
Super Products, Inc. states on their 2024 Pieces Of The Past 1800s Edition collector series, "The front of this card features the following types of authentic and original relics: Original newspapers, original handwritten letters, time period manuscripts, letters, and documents, land grants, presidential documents, handwritten words, books, tickets and other relics that were attributed to the subject on the front of this card." Again, no information is provided concerning the original document. What has been destroyed?
 |
| 2024 Pieces Of The Past 1800s Edition, by Super Products, Inc. |
 |
| 2024 Pieces Of The Past rear of card. Congratulations! You've participated in the destruction of historical documents! |
Another means of historical document destruction is through the collecting of cut signatures. Why is it more desirable to cut a signature from a document in lieu of preserving the entire item? The signature pictured below has been cut from a check signed by Orville Wright. From which bank is this check associated with? What is the date of the check? To whom was it written? Who wrote the body of the check? Lorin Wright? Orville Wright? Mabel Beck? All unknowns now that the rest of the document has been pitched in the trash can. Surprising that such a reputable grading service as Becket has no issues with this practice. (2)
 |
| 2019 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Cut Signatures, Orville Wright. Available on E-bay at the bargain price of $11,999! Or, you could purchase an entire uncut check signed by Orville from another source for an average price of $350.(3) |
 |
| "Congratulations! You have received a trading card that includes the cut autograph of Orville Wright. The cut autograph was independently authenticated by a third-party authenticator. Enjoy your cut autograph card!" |
Topps Transcendent Collection is another source for mutilated Orville Wright checks. The one below is available on E-bay this June of 2025 for only 10 times the cost of a complete uncut check! Orville Wright checks are often offered in groups of ten at auction by reputable auction houses, and often sell for less than $300 per check in the group. A collector could save much time and trouble by having Topps cut out all those Orville signatures, and throw away the remaining history of each. Or, if they're environmentally minded, they could recycle the remains of the checks such that Mabel Beck's or Lorin Wright's handwriting doesn't just end up in a landfill. Recycled paper can be made into toilet paper; wouldn't that be great?
 |
| 2020 Topps Transcendent Collection. Cut signature from check signed by Orville Wright made out for $100 to someone on some date from some bank. Wow, you can have a real piece of history for just $2500.00! Or you can buy a complete Orville Wright check from another source preserving all the history at an average price of $350.(3) |
 |
| "You have just received an Oversized Cut Signature Box Topper of Orville Wright Aviator from 2020 Topps Transcendent Collection." Topps certifies the authenticity of the cut signature found in this card. Oh, ok. |
Pop Century Leaf Trading Cards is another provider of chopped up Orville Wright checks. And so affordable! The one below is only four times the cost of an uncut check, and the owner is spared of dealing with all that additional paper that fortunately was cut away.
 |
| Pop Century Authentic Cut Signature. Check written for $84.77 to someone, somewhere, sometime, from some bank. Wow, history preserved! Was $1499, but you can have it for a limited time for just $1274.99! Or, you can buy a full uncut Orville Wright check from another source for the average price of $350.(3) |
 |
| "Congratulations! You have received a cut signature card from Leaf Trading Cards. This card bears the authentic cut signature of: Orville Wright. Leaf guarantees that the signature on this card is authentic. We hope you enjoy this piece of history." Or at least, what is left of it. |
Collectors are not limited to just Wright Brothers items. Other Celebrity "relics" have also been offered for those who find no fault in destruction of documents. The following note written by Thomas Edison was sold by RR Auctions in November of 2017 for $490. The note was then cut into pieces by the purchaser and individually sold with the intent to make a profit on the original investment. In this case, the original document is known, with a copy of RR Auction's certificate included with each sale such that the purchaser at least knows what the original document consisted of prior to being destroyed.
 |
| Per RR Auctions, The note, addressed to his associate Peter C. Christensen, in full: "Have [James T.] Phelan send me up by Ed 25 lbs of fine zinc dust used for Benzidine-." Lower portion bears a provenance notation dated March 29, 1951, in full: "The preceding memorandum is in the handwriting of Thomas A. Edison, written late 1916 when I was working as a chemist with him in his laboratory at West Orange, New Jersey. Richard G. Berger. 1928 North Ave., Bridgeport, Conn." |
 |
| Framed Thomas Edison cut piece from the above note was offered for sale in December of 2017. The item sold for $121.80. The portion cut from the document is shown below. |
 |
| The framed item was described as "The custom framed display measures 19" x 23" in size. Features (1) cut word from a Thomas Edison hand-written letter. The cuts includes the work "Bridgeport, Conn" penned in the hand of Thomas Edison. Each cut work includes a copy of an official RR Auction LOA for authenticity purposes." |
Did the buyer of the above framed item obtain words penned in the hand of Thomas Edison dating to 1916? No, he did not. He received some words written by Richard C. Berger in 1951 from the lower portion of the document. A similar frame was sold with the cut word "hard" (last four letters of Richard). Again, not in Edison's hand, but part of Richard Berger's name, from the lower part of the document, all written by Berger in 1951. Thomas Edison died in 1931; he did not assist Berger in writing the lower part of the document.
 |
| Framed cut portion of Edison note, but not from the portion written by Edison, but rather that written by Richard Berger, the last four letters of his first name. You can't make this stuff up. |
Perhaps if enough collectors showed an interest and financial backing, one of these companies will provide a Leonardo da Vinci collector's card such as the following:
 |
| "You have received a history relics card. The front of this card features the following types of authentic and original relics: Original Painting relics that were attributed to the subject on the front of this card chopped into little pieces just for you. We hope you enjoy this piece of history because no one else can!" Available on E-bay for $200,000,000 or make offer. (4) |
Of course the other parts, such as each eye, or an ear would be offered at a lower price. Just as long as the company providing these pieces of history can make a profit on their billion dollar investment. The background pieces likely would only sell for $100,000 each, and anything left over could hit the trash can.
Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright
Related Posts:
Notes:
1. As offered on E-bay, June of 2025 at this price. These "relic" cards generally sell for a just a few dollars, but will often sell for much more.
2. With some time, I could likely identify the bank, and the decade the check was written, and with some luck, perhaps even the very check itself. I've studied the Wright's Financial records archived at Wright State University, and much information can be gleaned. Nonetheless, how sad that the check was mutilated in such a fashion to satisfy a collector's desire for a signature.
3. Of the dozens of these "relic" products offered, I've yet to see one with a genuine handwriting sample of either Orville or Wilbur (thank goodness). I'm not concerned that actual historical documents of any relevance are being destroyed (yet). I'm simply dumbfounded that so many individuals would want to purchase these items, believing that they actually do contain something of historical significance, and yet have no concern whatsoever that the history associated with that document has been destroyed.
4. Eternal Cultural Company has not produced this card, but perhaps would if enough collectors would pool their money together to enable the purchase of the Mona Lisa, such that they all could obtain a small piece of it enclosed in a collector's card.
