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".?