Given the odds of the redemptions (1:5760 packs) and the total number of redemptions made (21) it looks there will be 420 cases (5040 boxes) of this made.

I guess I must be missing something here. Why exactly is this the best CZE set ever? Why is it the premium set collectors demanded?

It looks pretty much like any other Crypto product to me. One hit per box guaranteed and 3 sketches per case.

The dual autographs look good and the set should please Hobbit fans, but I would not call it loaded by any means or even premium. So why all the superlatives for a fairly ordinary box formula?

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I guess I must be missing something here. Why exactly is this the best CZE set ever? Why is it the premium set collectors demanded?

It looks pretty much like any other Crypto product to me. One hit per box guaranteed and 3 sketches per case.

The dual autographs look good and the set should please Hobbit fans, but I would not call it loaded by any means or even premium. So why all the superlatives for a fairly ordinary box formula?

Originally I thought there was going to be more than 3 apiece made of the oversized dual autograph redemptions but I still think it's a great set. 3 sketches per case instead of the usual 1 is a big deal. Walking Dead only averaged 1 per case and Downton Abbey didn't even average that. That's a lot of value added.

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I guess I must be missing something here. Why exactly is this the best CZE set ever? Why is it the premium set collectors demanded?

It looks pretty much like any other Crypto product to me. One hit per box guaranteed and 3 sketches per case.

The dual autographs look good and the set should please Hobbit fans, but I would not call it loaded by any means or even premium. So why all the superlatives for a fairly ordinary box formula?

Originally I thought there was going to be more than 3 apiece made of the oversized dual autograph redemptions but I still think it's a great set. 3 sketches per case instead of the usual 1 is a big deal. Walking Dead only averaged 1 per case and Downton Abbey didn't even average that. That's a lot of value added.

Very true, there is a better chance of pulling a sketch. But as this has not been released yet, the average sketch quality is not known. So if they are close to the WD sketches that's good, but if the increased quantity produces lesser quality its not.

On the other hand there are no relics in The Hobbit, which WD does have.

Crypto owns some really nice titles and they do a good job of the sets in general. I just have a problem with any title that guarantees only one hit. Unless every autograph is from a major star, which just doesn't happen, it is hard to get good value from a box without catching that extra random hit.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
Crypto owns some really nice titles and they do a good job of the sets in general. I just have a problem with any title that guarantees only one hit. Unless every autograph is from a major star, which just doesn't happen, it is hard to get good value from a box without catching that extra random hit.

That's a good point and I completely agree with you there. I was thinking of the value as a case purchase. But yes per box it is more of a gamble than usual without the wardrobe card there as the second hit.

Small sample of mine rest will be up on my website www.richmolinelli.com later today.



These are the 6 cards I asked for in Return:

Here are 9 of my pack-inserted sketches for The Hobbit. I did 24 total and 3 Artist Proofs. Thanks for looking!

Rich & Scott

Thanks for putting up some samples. - they look great to my eyes. I just wish people would be more positive about this release. I still maintain that this will be a great release. Another Tolkien triumph.

Here are a handful of mine. I don't want to overload this thread, but if you want you can see all of mine on my Facebook page. Just look me up, they're in a public folder. I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link.



The top-right Gollum sketch was previewed at the Philly show.

Thanks Steve if anyone wants to see them all just visit my site. They are all up.

Looks like this set is starting to take off. Pre-orders are selling out everywhere.

With a limited run, I think the sketch collectors alone would've bought all of this up. They were rabid for the LOTR masterpiece sketches, and these are far more limited.

Add the autograph collectors to the mix, and the amazing dual-signatures you can find, and I had no doubt these would sell like hotcakes once the final lineup was set. (As more of a Topps/Upper Deck collector lately, it is very refreshing to still see $60 boxes from the likes of Rittenhouse, Breygent, and Cryptozoic.)

Print runs are much more limited these days (which is good and bad), and some of the cards are expensive right out of the gate, but in terms of the average quality of the companies making cards today, it has never been better.)

I'll pick up a minimaster and an autograph or two once the set is out, but I don't (yet) like the Hobbit movie series as much as the LOTR Trilogy, and I didn't even buy a box of LOTR cards until "Two Towers", so I hadn't planned to pick up much of this anyway, so I don't feel like I'm missing out.

Turns out I won't be missed. Good for Cryptozoic and the hobby. Big hits and fast sellouts are especially welcome news these days. Like so many other blockbusters that would've had card sets in the past, I thought this would be another to miss the proper treatment with the second film long ago released and the finale on the horizon, but Crytozoic went back in time, and did it right.

Can't wait to see the hubbub when that "One Ring" card turns up. I only hope Sauron doesn't pull it. Good luck to everyone who gets this. Please post your breaks.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: chesspieceface,

I for one can't wait for this release. I have a bunch of cases coming and I am super excited for this break. It's been a long time since I got to open an LOTR product!

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:
Looks like this set is starting to take off. Pre-orders are selling out everywhere.

My GTS rep told me today that they were oversold and were waiting to hear from Cryptozoic on exactly how much product they were going to get.

Yes, the horrible word Allocations was brought up. This shouldn't happen when you have just 4 worldwide (2 US) distributors ordering product.

Not a happy camper.

Ed

Dang, normally I don't preorder stuff and now I am concerned I should have. The set looks great and I was wanting to at least get a box. After seeing the posts here, I just looked around and the preorders seem to be gone.
I really will not be happy if I have to pay twice the price for a box. The Hobbit is a must have set for me.

I was going to pass but had second thoughts and confirmed with my dealer for three boxes today. Hope I pull a nice sketch!

^ Ditto - 3 boxes ordered from 2 different dealers, so fingers crossed I get something!

really looking forward to this release, think it is one of the best overall sets put out in recent memory (I am a big LOTR & Hobbit Fan so I am partial to this statement).

A statement from Sara Erickson, Cryptozoic Entertainment's National Hobby Channel Manager:

quote:

On July 9th, we will be releasing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trading Cards. As fans of pop culture, we knew that The Hobbit would be a big deal, but the response that we’ve had to this set has far surpassed our expectations.

When creating a set with such hype, we always do our best to walk the thin line between producing enough and over producing. Our fans want more because the set is very exciting, but we are incredibly careful to avoid printing so much that the value is diminished. These are collectible items and mass producing them would ruin it for everyone.

Our other goal with every set is to ensure that only the top quality products make it into the hands of our dedicated fans. When doing our final checks for The Hobbit, we found that some of the boxes we produced did not meet our high production quality standards. These boxes were removed from the production line and will not be distributed.

Due to the slightly decreased total product and the incredibly high demand, we know that The Hobbit will be a little more difficult to obtain than we originally intended. We would like to apologize for this shortage and encourage our fans to watch for the upcoming set, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Thank you for your understanding,

Sara Erickson
National Hobby Channel Manager
Cryptozoic Entertainment
http://www.cryptozoic.com/

Can't think of anything nice to say...

Ed