A mixed lot of 93 Biosphere promos from 1991, with supposedly newly discovered color variations, sold for $ 841 ! See below

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-o...rksid=p2047675.l2557

Yeah, and there were some oddball singles that also ended the same day. Collecting Biosphere promos has become an expensive hobby. You really had to be there early to get them cheap. In the late 90's you could get most of them for about 10 bucks a piece. At the time the word was that there were 500 of each printed and 31 different. I think there are at least 35 known now with the print runs for at least some of them unknown.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
A mixed lot of 93 Biosphere promos from 1991, with supposedly newly discovered color variations, sold for $ 841 ! See below

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-o...rksid=p2047675.l2557

jess,
I'm aware of the Prairie Dog variation with the different color circle which makes 32. Which are the other 3 variations?

Albert, according toe Jeff Allender's checklist:

Card 60 comes in 2 versions, one which says Scarlet King Snake and one which says Scarlet Milk Snake.

And Card 55 has a variant with an Alpha box, while the other is missing the box.

And now there is a card # 1 and a variant checklist, which no one knew existed back in the 1990s, or up until just a few years ago.

We all thought that card # 5 was the first one in the promo set.

Thank you for the information David.
I will check my Biospheres for these variants.

Here is a list I put together based on what Jeff Allender has, what's in PCE2008, and the auctions that ended last Sunday. One of the auctions says there are 72 cards in the set (here's 64 of them). If anyone has a correction or extra information, please let me know.

1 The Biosphere (number in a yellow circle on back)
5 Gopher Tortoise (number in a white circle on back)
5 Gopher Tortoise (number in a yellow circle on back)
10 Blue-spotted Salamander (number in a white circle on back)
10 Blue-spotted Salamander (number in a yellow circle on back)
15 Rim Rock Crowned Snake (number in a white circle on back)
15 Rim Rock Crowned Snake (number is in a yellow circle on back)
Note: Jeff Allender lists a #15 card as "Pine Rock Crowned Snake" which appears to be a mistake
20 Spotted Turtle (number is in a white circle on back)
20 Spotted Turtle (number is in a yellow circle on back)
25 Florida Bog Frog (number is in a white circle on back)
25 Florida Bog Frog (number is in a yellow circle on back)
Note: Jeff Allender lists the #25 card as "very scarce" and PCE2008 lists it as the rarest card in the set. A recent Ebay auction claims
the "blue back"variant ("white circle") is rarer than the "tan back" ("yellow circle").
30 Marbled Salamander (number is in a white circle on back)
30 Marbled Salamander (number is in a yellow circle on back)
35 Florida Softshell (number is in a white circle on back)
35 Florida Softshell (number is in a yellow circle on back)
40 American Coral Snake (number is in a white circle on back)
40 American Coral Snake (number is in a yellow circle on back)
45 Cuban Treefrog (number is in a white circle on back)
45 Cuban Treefrog (number is in a white circle on back)
50 Northern Snapping Turtle (number is in a white circle on back)
50 Northern Snapping Turtle (number is in a yellow circle on back)
55 Alligator and Crocodile (number is in a white circle on back)
55 Alligator and Crocodile (number is in a yellow circle on back)
Note: Jeff Allender lists a #55 card as an "error: with white 'Alpha' box"
60 Scarlet King Snake (number is in a white circle on back)
60 Scarlet King Snake (number is in a yellow circle on back)
Note: Allender lists a #60 card with a Scarlet "Milk" Snake [variation]
65 Florida Snapping Turtle (number is in a white circle on back)
65 Florida Snapping Turtle (number is in a yellow circle on back)
70 Eastern Box Turtle: Adult Male (number is in a white circle on back)
70 Eastern Box Turtle: Adult Male (number in a yellow circle on back)
75 Canebrake Rattle Snake (number is in a white circle on back)
75 Canebrake Rattle Snake (number is in a yellow circle on back)
80 Deimatic Behavior in the Smooth Green Snake (number is in a white circle on back)
80 Deimatic Behavior in the Smooth Green Snake (number is in a yellow circle on back)
85 Red-spotted Newt (number is in a white circle on back)
85 Red-spotted Newt (number is in a yellow circle on back)
90 Red Eft (number is in a yellow circle on back)
Note: Jeff Allender lists a #90 card as "Red Imp stage of the Red-spotted Newt" which appears to be a mistake
95 American Rat Snake (number is in a white circle on back)
95 American Rat Snake (number is in a yellow circle on back)
100 Florida Box Turtle (number in a white circle on back)
100 Florida Box Turtle (number in a yellow circle on back)
105 Eastern Garter Snake (number is in a white circle on back)
105 Eastern Garter Snake (number is in a yellow circle on back)
110 Northern Snapping Turtle: Baby (number is in a white circle on back)
110 Northern Snapping Turtle: Baby (number is in a yellow circle on back)
115 Bald Eagle (number is in a white circle on back)
115 Bald Eagle (number is in a yellow circle on back)
120 Eastern Box Turtle: Baby (number in a white circle on back)
120 Eastern Box Turtle: Baby (number in a yellow circle on back)
125 George Bush on Turtle Protection (number is in a white circle on back)
125 George Bush on Turtle Protection (number is in a yellow circle on back)
130 Black-tailed Prairie Dog (number is in a white circle on back)
130 Black-tailed Prairie Dog [rare] (number in a light green circle)
130 Black-tailed Prairie Dog (number is in a blue circle on back)
130 Black-tailed Prairie Dog (number is in a yellowcircle on back)
135 Bill Bradley on Turtle Protection (number in a white circle on back)
135 Bill Bradley on Turtle Protection (number in a yellow circle on back)
140 Florida Manatee (number in a white circle on back)
140 Florida Manatee (number in a yellow circle on back)
145 Mario Cuomo on Turtle Protection
145 Mario Cuomo on Turtle Protection
150 Nassau Coliseum Destroys Prairie Acreage of the Hempstead Plains (number in a white circle on back)
150 Nassau Coliseum Destroys Prairie Acreage of the Hempstead Plains (number in a yellow circle on back)
n.n. checklist; 30 cards listed
n.n. checklist; 31 cards listed

I'd not heard of the 500 per card print run. If the yellow backs were 500, I wonder what the white had a print run of. They seem far more difficult to find that the yellow circle ones. Of the ones up on the 'bay at this moment, none are white.

It was very interesting to see the previously unknown card # 1 and the variant checklist on ebay last year, as well as those other variants.

Wonder if they were legit ?

Being that Biosphere is one of my 3 favorite promos(set), I have what I think is a considerable amount of info on these. There is a rumor which has been circulating for decades that the guy who originally produced the first promo set may have absconded with some dealers' monies after the regular 100 card set was never produced. I have no idea if that is true or not. Regardless of whether that occurred or not, there is a sports card dealer from NY that occasionally lists these Biosphere promos, including the hard ones. Last year he listed at various times the white/blue backs and the regular yellow/green#1. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that even the hardcore promo card collectors had seen these, including myself. I also know that the original Biosphere card set manufacturer was from NY. I'm guessing that the dealer I mentioned earlier is either the man himself who is selling surplus etc.. or it's a friend of his through whom he is disposing of material. If my memory serves me, he also had an uncut sheet of both the regular promos and of the blue backs for sale. I am convinced that the white/blue backs are legitimate as well as the #1 card and the variant checklist and that they come from the original printing plates.

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

Well done Albert, yeah, they're a bit of a fav of mine too, only have two of them, number 85 and 120, and was super excited when I got my first one back in the late 90's, your set must look pretty impressive, well done mate...

quote:

Originally posted by cardscout182:
Well done Albert, yeah, they're a bit of a fav of mine too, only have two of them, number 85 and 120,

Cardscout,
Are you saying you only have those numbers from the original set or from the White/blue one? If it's from the original one, I can send you a couple of the ones you don't have.

Thanks for the info, king. Yeah I thought it interesting that Fran Ross or Michael Beam had never mentioned the white ones back in the day. Are the whites the same thickness? Same type of coating? I'd love to compare them. Someday.

So the list Jess provided above is complete? 64 cards?

I compared them. They're exactly the same except for the color variation.

Thank you sir. Very helpful.

I noticed that recently some good deals have been popping up on ebay for the Biospheres.

While I, myself, have a complete set of the "original" promos, I did not have the "new" promo #1 which only surfaced for the first time around 2018 or so. Before that, we all thought that # 5 was the first promo. I grabbed the promo # 1 this week for a mere $ 10.

With all of the color variations, there are close to 100 different Biospheres known.

Someone on ebay is asking 3K for a set of the blue back promos, and the regular set with the yellow circles.

I am now slightly confused. Weren't the "original" promos the ones with the yellow circles on the backs and then the "white circles" surfaced around 2018/2019 ?

If that is the case, why did I just see a promo #1 with a yellow circle ? Maybe my eyes are bad

Thanks Albert, sorry mate, just saw your reply and kind offer.
The cards I have are the original yellow green backed ones

Here's that #1 promo for the time after the listing disappears.

quote:

Originally posted by David R:
I noticed that recently some good deals have been popping up on ebay for the Biospheres.

While I, myself, have a complete set of the "original" promos, I did not have the "new" promo #1 which only surfaced for the first time around 2018 or so. Before that, we all thought that # 5 was the first promo. I grabbed the promo # 1 this week for a mere $ 10.

With all of the color variations, there are close to 100 different Biospheres known.

I have examined a few of the "new" Biospheres which surfaced in 2018/2019 including the card # 1 and the ones I saw are larger in size than the old 1990s ones.

Has anyone else noticed that ?