quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
I thought the promos (or in this case, unmarked prototypes) said "Produced & distributed by Impel Marketing, Inc." on the backs. That info was stated in "Comic Cards and their Prices."

The promos from Diamond say that, but the singles from that 20-card cello-pack do not have the Impel line.

Thanks. I'll have to look. I have the Diamond 4-card sheets and maybe one of those unmarked prototypes - might be from a different set.

I see some crazy sales of sealed Marvel Masterpieces (1992) 3-card prototype packs: one sold for $89.99 on July 11; another sold for something less than $175 on June 1.

I guess that means the buyer of a 6-pack lot for $299.99 on July 19 got a good deal. The seller has a photo of the packs and points out the dealer stickers still stuck on them (the price he bought them at)...25 cents each! Those were the common promos for that set. I got singles for a buck a piece and believe I bought a sealed pack for that (or not much more) as well. There were so many available at local shows but I picked up just one or two of them for my collection - might've traded the extras long ago.

Demand has overtaken even the once-abundant supply.

A DC vs. Marvel Mirage promo ended at $500 with 1 bid on July 28.

Another one sold for $361.54 after 16 bids on July 19.

A Simpsons II (Skybox, 1994) mail-in Bartscreen Decoder card sold for $120 on June 30.

Another one went for $250 on June 16.

Not every Simpsons collector mailed in for it back then so the value continues to jump as people realize they want it for their set. Twenty-five years ago, the one that was inserted with a comic was easier to find than this one. I have the comic-inserted one but the mail-in card was always offered for more - more than I wanted to pay.

Slabbed or "raw".?

They were both ungraded. That $250 sale had to have gone to someone who just had to have it. I don't remember what it used to sell for 20 years ago but the comic-inserted decoder card has been a $5-10 card (maybe $10-15 now) so I think it was being offered for something like $30-40 in the past.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/32718...tkp%3ABk9SR5yL-JWLaA

A "Back to the Future III 8-card set sold for somewhere south of $325 on June 28.

Here's another hand-cut card but this one isn't marked as such and it got past the "experts" at PSA - not noted on the slab. This card was cut from rather common Simpsons 4-card sheet and the component cards were never distributed as singles. Of course, the seller points out the low population number and the seller does not take returns.

It sold for $148.88. Buyer beware.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/36559...tkp%3ABk9SR_LcnZeLaA

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

A Marvel Annual 1994 (Fleer Flair, 1994) oversized (6 1/2 x 10 inches) "Omega Red vs. Wolverine" promo Flair Print sold for $150 just yesterday (August 30). This was given out at the Diamond Annual Sales Conference.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/19555...tkp%3ABk9SR6DukpuLaA

You can see a 17-card lot of Simpsons II promos that sold for $172.50 after 14 bids on June 4. It's a mix of 7 B1 Willy "The Dupe" Dipkin promos plus 9 B4 Black Belch promos and a B6 Radioactive Man promo. The seller considered them low-mid grade but somebody took the plunge.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26768...tkp%3ABk9SR_q7vLSLaA

A 2019 Star Wars Celebration Chicago Volunteer 5-card promo set, serial-numbered out of 200, sold for $199.99 on July 26.

An X-Men Ultra '95 6-card Toy Biz variant set of the Suspended Animation cards sold for $199 on August 9. Those were the cards that were inserted with X-Men Classics action figures - each capable of some action. Beast has "Mutant Flipping Power."

Below is the Storm card from the Suspended Animation chase set and below that is the Toy Biz insert.