Smith's search gradually turned to those items bearing his image, as it usually does, when he discovered something he just had to have: The original painting used to create his 2003 Donruss Gridiron Kings card.
"The first thing I noticed was how detailed it was," Smith said. "You always get people painting you, but I've never seen anything that detailed, even with other players. Every time I see stuff of me, it's still kind of hitting me like, 'Oh, I'm in the League.' "
Smith was so taken with the original artwork that he contacted Donruss officials in an effort to procure it for his personal collection. Once there, it will hang proudly in the basement of his South Carolina home.
"When I was in high school I didn't really like doing the yearbook thing, so I don't have a whole lot of pictures of myself playing football," said Smith, whose 100-yard receiving game last Sunday against the Saints helped the Panthers to their sixth victory in seven games. "I missed out on all that, so now I'm trying to make up for it; and my kids will have this stuff when I'm gone."
Although Smith admits that he's not much of a card collector, he makes good use of the cards he receives from Players Inc. "I use those and give them out to kids in the neighborhood and to kids after games. After the games I'm usually pretty tired so instead of me sitting there signing cards, I just bring like 25 cards with me already signed and give them out to the kids; only to the kids."
The third-year veteran from Utah isn't much of a signer on the road anymore "because two or three weeks later you see the stuff popping up for sell that you signed."
As for the Panthers' auspicious start to the 2003 season that includes a 6-1 record and a two-game lead over defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay in the NFC South, Smith's not surprised.
"It's just hard work paying off," Smith notes. "We're a young team and usually hard work doesn't pay off that quickly. Only time can tell how far were going to go and how successful were going to be. There's a lot more football to play."
And a lot more eBay surfing. At the top of Smith's wish list currently is a Bo Jackson Oakland Raiders throwback jersey.
"That's one that I'm having a hard time finding, but at the same I'm not spending a lot money for it," Smith said.
