First -- I REALLY ENJOY getting my NSU magazines and actually read the articles, so, this is NOT a slam.
You listed the top 15 card sets that changed the industry in the early 90's. 1990 - 1991 to be more specific and gave a brief description of the importance of each series. Good Choices, though I do not agree with many. That's another topic.
You mention Marvel Universe I, but you pictured (on the cover and in the article) a card from the Marvel Universe II series produced in 1991?
It's a minor mistake, but worth mentioning. I actually liked the card art from the first set.
Originally posted by Bill DeFranzo: Aside from the flaw in the article was there any set of the 1990-91 era not mentioned that you feel should have been?
Hi Bill, I Love Lucy, T2 and TMNT would have been reasonable choices. I love Lucy was much more of a TV hit than Andy. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was popular with kids at the time and let's face it T2 was a great movie and it still sells. That was the main dislike I had with some of the 15 NSU choices. All My Children, Music Superstars, Comic Ball have NO Value anymore and are dumped product. I believe the strongest staying power of these "Fantastic 15" has to be The Simpsons and Marvel Universe I. Also, there were many sets released in 1989 such as Batman, The Movie which still has appeal to collectors. Don't get me wrong, I realize how hard it is to make choices from any given period of time and maybe a future online poll with all the sets from 90-91 (or other years) would yield the true 15 for card collectors.
Don't get me wrong, I realize how hard it is to make choices from any given period of time and maybe a future online poll with all the sets from 90-91 (or other years) would yield the true 15 for card collectors.
Mike[/QUOTE]
But only for a "majority" of collectors not all. Any Poll or article is always subjective and depends on a persons own likes/dislikes.
Posts: 7470 | Location: UK | Registered: September 16, 2003
But only for a "majority" of collectors not all. Any Poll or article is always subjective and depends on a persons own likes/dislikes.[/QUOTE]
Agreed, but, Bill had a good question. I think a poll taken from all who frequent this group would be more realistic and the Magazine could state results in article(s). Has this been done before? I know that the gummies are voted on (polled).
Originally posted by Bill DeFranzo: Aside from the flaw in the article was there any set of the 1990-91 era not mentioned that you feel should have been?
Didn't want to reply in the thread with this title, but what the heck. From my viewpoint, there was one set from 1990-1991 that deserved to be added: Boris 1. We usually think of the fantasy-art card explosion as coming a bit later, but Boris premiered in April 1991, with Frazetta close on its heels in November.
I first got hooked on the card hobby from the Sci-Fi and Fantasy literature and media links, and 1990-91 was indeed an important time. The Star Trek 25th Anniversary cards were in the mass markets, but the fantasy-art cards led me to start searching for card shops wherever I went. That opened my eyes to what else was out there, too.
It was great to find cards that collected the artwork that graced the covers of my favorite SF magazines and paperbacks, and the real gold mines were the shops that sold both cards and books.
So I'd have to say that the birth of the fantasy art card universe was something that "changed the world" for me, at least!
Posts: 1783 | Location: North Augusta, SC, USA | Registered: November 28, 2002
I guess I took this article with a grain of salt seeing it for what it was. It was more of a celebration of 15 sets that came out 15 years ago to mark the 15th anniversary of NSU. In my opinion a pivotal card set changes the way the hobby thinks, manufactures or collects. No single year in card collecting history would have 15 sets to accomplish such a task. One example would be that most of these sets were the victim of overproduction. I would find the first set that decided to let the presses roll and call that a pivotal set in which most future sets would follow for a period of time. The first set that implemented holograms, inserted autographs, costume cards, subsets, started a collecting explosion, produced mulitple series..etc are sets that I would call pivotal that changed the face of non-sports.
____________________ Checklist League 2007!!!
Posts: 2505 | Location: Tennessee | Registered: March 09, 2002
Originally posted by mykdude: I guess I took this article with a grain of salt seeing it for what it was. ... One example would be that most of these sets were the victim of overproduction. I would find the first set that decided to let the presses roll and call that a pivotal set in which most future sets would follow for a period of time. The first set that implemented holograms, inserted autographs, costume cards, subsets, started a collecting explosion, produced mulitple series..etc are sets that I would call pivotal that changed the face of non-sports.
Yeah, I didn't intend it to sound nit-picky, just a personal story to show that the time period spawned another genre that itself led to a small explosion of card sets and companies. I know that the art cards brought bunches of us into the fold. It's all in fun, and we also need to pad the list so we can be ready for the 25th Anniversary issue!
Your other note made me think. Some of the Big 15 are still major forces today because they were overprinted - they offer chances for us to inspire new collectors today to catch up on the "vintage" cards that are available on a low budget. Look at the list, and there is something for _everybody_'s interest. I know that I got considerable pleasure opening lots of packs and building extra sets for half of the Honor Roll. Because I had more than I could ever need for trading, some of them became gifts to friends and family. Cool stuff endures!
Posts: 1783 | Location: North Augusta, SC, USA | Registered: November 28, 2002
Originally posted by mykdude: I guess I took this article with a grain of salt seeing it for what it was. ... I would find the first set that decided to let the presses roll and call that a pivotal set in which most future sets would follow for a period of time. The first set that implemented holograms, inserted autographs, costume cards, subsets, started a collecting explosion, produced mulitple series..etc are sets that I would call pivotal that changed the face of non-sports.
I think that your comments are right-on. The article mentioned Comic Ball as being one of the first to have holograms. Not having a monthly calendar of releases handy Superstars Musicards shares that honor. Not only that but Musicards was probably the first to have an "ultra rare" insert, its hologram. Many collectors of this series have never seen one. Comic Ball being one of the first to have a random insert. I'm sure that it was hard for Alan to limit this to only 15. Keep in mind that this is Alan's impression of the early 90's. Mine is a bit different (being so much younger than Alan ) as yours probably is. I think that it is healthy to express our own perspective of the era in Card Talk.
Ironically the only cards worth anything today are those for the one set of the 15 that never was!
Getting back to ProSet Musicards, did you know that some of the Legend cards were redesigned in Series 2? Did you know that the John Lennon card was corrected? In Series 1 the negative was reversed. In Series 2 the missing card number (was it #6 or #9?) is missing no longer?
Originally posted by mykdude: Getting back to ProSet Musicards, did you know that some of the Legend cards were redesigned in Series 2? Did you know that the John Lennon card was corrected? In Series 1 the negative was reversed. In Series 2 the missing card number (was it #6 or #9?) is missing no longer?
Hmmm, hadn't heard that about the Legends, I'll have to check. There were bunches of Series 2 cards where the logos were moved, but the only other one I know of with a changed picture is #224. The missing number was #90, but that seems to have been fixed in a second printing of Series 1, too. The Lennon card comes with both the reversed image and with the logo moved from the original, and it's hard to say just when the variations were produced!
That doesn't even cover the fact that most or all of the cards had back variations, either with no advertisements, Blimpie logo, or Rock Express log. So even though the product was dumped, there's plenty of opportunities for us anal-retentives to work on our master variation sets. ...
Posts: 1783 | Location: North Augusta, SC, USA | Registered: November 28, 2002
Originally posted by allender: Hmmm, hadn't heard that about the Legends, I'll have to check. There were bunches of Series 2 cards where the logos were moved, but the only other one I know of with a changed picture is #224. The missing number was #90, but that seems to have been fixed in a second printing of Series 1, too. The Lennon card comes with both the reversed image and with the logo moved from the original, and it's hard to say just when the variations were produced!
That doesn't even cover the fact that most or all of the cards had back variations, either with no advertisements, Blimpie logo, or Rock Express log. So even though the product was dumped, there's plenty of opportunities for us anal-retentives to work on our master variation sets. ...
I believe that it was the Legends where the logos were moved. I haven't looked at these cards in years! Thanks to Alan's article and your response I'm going to have to dig them out now. I must be missing a lot of the variations. Has anyone catelogued the set with all of its variations? It sounds like there are a slew of Premiums associated with this series too. I believe that the only premium I ever saw was a non-descript header card in a polypack of regular cards that was inserted in some cheese product.
If I do dig out these cards I'll start a thread posting what few variations I have. According to my database I have 16 unopened boxes hiding somewhere, split between the two series. Those were the days of dumping when you could buy a whole box at the local Dollar store! I was one of those guys who would ask the stupid question, "How much is this?" just to see the look on the dollar store clerk's face.
) as yours probably is. I think that it is healthy to express our own perspective of the era in Card Talk.
