Hello:

We've just posted the poll for February. This time we are asking about autograph cards. Do you like it when card manufacturers make it so that one autograph can be included per box, even if you might get a couple lesser known stars included in the mix? Or do you prefer when the card manufacturer tries to stick with the more known stars which might mean there is only one autograph in every OTHER box (or some frequency less than one autograph per box)? Or are autographs just not your thing?

To vote, click here or use the "Monthly Poll" link at the top of this page.

Once you have voted, come back here and discuss it. Tell us your thoughts! Or do you have a better solution then those currently employed? If so, let us know.

If you'd like to view results of our previous polls, click here.

Harris

Visit Non-Sport Update at www.nonsportupdate.com

Well, there has been alot of discussion lately about the preceived value of a box of cards. Personally I like the idea of 1 auto per box even if it is lesser stars. I also like the fact that there are fewer of some of the main stars(that was fewer...not non existant). It makes finding one that much better. Sets contain different levels of chase cards, why not different level of autos.

If you can laugh at yourself....you will always be happy.

with The above statement - I like having more autos of lesser known persons associated with the show/movie - I just wish that when having "harder to find" autos, they would have a seperate numbering scheme much like RA did for Enterprise - the crew were marked "A" them AA for aliens etc... I LIKED THAT! Wish that they had done something like this for Nemesis (Oh and the Brent Spiner B4/Data dual numbered just KILLS ME) I would NEVER get the numbers to match the pages correctly!

For example: Complete Voyager had 2 sperate sets
Captain Proton (marked PA) and regular (marked A) not I have almost ALL the common autos and holes in both "sets" I still have 5 holes for the Proton sets and 2 on the regualr set, now the two "A"s I should be able to get eventually quite easily but the 5 protons are all hard to get! I wouldnt be so bad if all of them were harder to get, but 8 of them were $10-$20 autos, and the rest are $50 and up

http://mtlhddoc2.8m.com

Tennessee Titans 34, Pittsburgh Steeler 31
The refs were paid off!

I chose the one autograph per box option. I guess that my one caveat to that would be for the manufacturers to not go too far down into the barrel while choosing. I think that Rittenhouse has done a pretty good job so far, as even the secondary characters they've chosen for their sets have been either popular with fans or played by actors who are known outside the role they're represented by on the card.

Inkworks started by going for quality, not quantity, but even they've started to do the 1 per box thing. I think they went a little crazy with the MIB II set (i.e. 90% of the autographs seem to be aliens or Lowell Cunningham, no offense meant to Lowell or the aliens), but otherwise I think that they still do a great job.

I guess if push comes to shove, I'd say that if you're pool of popular or well known personalities is pretty small, don't try to reach down to the gaffer or craft services guy, or the fellow who played the French Dignitary and didn't have any lines (Skybox, this means you!), but I'm kind of a TV/film history buff and have no problems with director, producer, or makeup artist signing if they're fairly well known. I actually *love* that kind of thing, even if the cards don't necessarily end up being worth diddly squat.

-Bob-

"I'd take a bullet for safety."

Hi,

I posted for the first option, one autograph card per box. I don't mind autograph cards from lesser known actors or actors who only appeared in a couple of episodes as long as they are important to the story. So I guess you have to place it in context.

For instance one of the Xena autographs I would desperately like to have (even though it deson't exist) is Jacqueline Kim who played Lao Ma. She only appeared in two episodes (though I think she may have appeared in flashback in one other) but her character was pivotal to Xena's back story and was often referred to. Whereas Shiri Appleby also appeared in two episodes and I wouldn't care one way or the other if I got her autograph card. I wouldn't be upset if I got her card but there wouldn't be that wonderful YES! feeling you get. It's not because I didn't like her in the episodes but because her character contributed less to the overall story arc. Both her episodes were essentially stand alone.

With the new Charmed set coming out, I've already said that I would like Patty, Penny and Melinda Warren's autograph, so that there is a complete Halliwell line - kind of like a family tree. The actress who played Melinda Warren only appeared in one episode (not counting the episode where she was a baby ), but her character is often referred to - she is pivotal to the series.

I know I've seen some auto lists and thought Who?? . If I can't remember who the character was, even after seeing the face on the card, then I think the manufacturers are running the risk of spreading themselves too thin. However, they have the difficult job of trying to please everybody - it comes down to a balancing act in the end, sometimes they get it wrong and sometimes they get it right.


Lesley

I'm probably pretty much alone on this one, but I chose the "Rather they didn't include autos and lowered the prices" option.
I'd rather see more interesting chase sets and more imagination used to produce sets. I know I'm an old fogey(sp?), but I've always enjoyed sets with unique artwork that told a story, in the manner of Mars Attacks. I know individual pieces of art are expensive and time consuming, but with computer images and digital photography, an excellent set could be produced at lower cost. I don't get into autographs of stars. These people aren't that interesting to me for the most part. Creators/artists/writers I would find more intriguing perhaps. It just seems that the card companies spend an awful lot of money getting signers. I'd rather pay for more interesting cards.

Find out what you like in life... and collect it!

I voted for one per box - but not if means cards by people who where background fodder or whose characters didn't add much to the show/film. Remember the auto card in the Star Trek Insurrection set from the person whose scenes were cut from the film?

The only exception to that would be people who are well known outside of the show - wouldn't you like a Kelsey Grammer Star Trek auto card?

Personally, i'm hoping RA produces a ST:Nemesis update set with Bryan Singer's auto card. I'd be one oof the first in line for this one.

Kurgen

Others have already sort of mentioned this but it's not so much how many different autos are inserted or even how big the stars are but more that they are relevant to the the show/movie. Some of my best autos are from actors that were virtually unknown at the time they signed but were a big part of the show. It is annoying when they include people who had bit parts in one or 2 eps of a show or were just in the background in a movie (the bird lady in MIB2 is a perfect example). The exception would be a well known star making a guest appearance since people are likely to want it.

Buffy: "Sorry, I'm the only one that can pass the retinal scan."
Xander: "The. Ewww. I don't wanna see that."
Buffy: "Retinal scan Xander."

I voted for the first option - 1 per box including lesser known names - because it was this approach that got me interested in cards in the first place.
I'd be unhappy, however, if this was stretch to include the extras! However, I feel that (perhaps) too much focus has been placed on the 'guest stars' who appear in very few episodes, and not enough on the backstage creatives who work on the show, season in season out. Skybox did well with the three TOS autograph sets - people like D.C.Fontana, Bob Justman, Matt Jeffries and Herb Solow (and RA continued the idea in Trek 35 with the Alexander Courage auto card!)
I'm not suggesting that the Foley Artist or the Continuity people sign cards, but some of the directors, screenplay writers or producers might be nice! Give these people some recognition!

Oh, and I'm pretty certain that RA DID use different card numbers for their Nemesis autographs - there were two different sets, the movie cast (NAxx) and the Romulan History (RAxx)

Au Res.,
Paul

Sometimes, one pack is not enough...
http://www.users.waitrose.com/~paulbines

When I say "different number schemes" I am looking more for the harder to get, or the ones which will be pricier, to have their own scheme - Nemesis had bigger names stuck in the number run like so many sets, I have this issue with holes in my numbering! LOL

http://mtlhddoc2.8m.com

Tennessee Titans 34, Pittsburgh Steeler 31
The refs were paid off!

And just what is wrong with foley artists and continuity people.

On behalf of all these people i would just like to say where are our autograph cards you just try making the film without us see how far you get.

I,ll be in my dressing room.

quote:

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And just what is wrong with foley artists and continuity people.

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You never let the Best Boy or the Gaffer have a chance. You beat everyone else out to the doughnuts.

Apart from that, nothing!
Au Res.,
Paul

Sometimes, one pack is not enough...
http://www.users.waitrose.com/~paulbines

I like the idea of having at least one auto per box. If I spend $50-60 a box and don't det an auto, I feel ripped off.
If the auto is not one of the big stars, that's okay, as long as it's someone who was IN the movie. I bought a box of Babylon 5 cards and got an auto of a guy with a scraggly beard and wearing a Hawaiian shirt, the producer or something.
In certain cases, I think the writer, creator or director is all right, Joss Whedon or JJ Abrams, for example.

- I like what Rittenhouse started and has continued to do with their boxes. I like the guaranteed 1 autograph/costume (or 2 or 3 or 4) or combination of autograph/costume card per box. I don't really mind the minor or secondary signers as some of the characters that they play are sometimes cool or important to some of the shows. And who knows if their careers will take off later on.

@@@ ScottEvil

"I am a WATCHER, part of a secret society of men and women who observe and record but never intefere, we know the truth about immortals ....... In the end there can be only one !"

I did chuckle at your reference to a MIB-II auto..."It is annoying when they include people who had bit parts in one or 2 eps of a show or were just in the background in a movie (the bird lady in MIB2 is a perfect example). The exception would be a well known star"

I assume you are referring to THE Villain in the movie, Serleena, played by Laura Flynn Boyle.

Maye it's a geographic thing.but in addition to being what i would consider a major character in this film (and I was thrilled to get her auto)..she is a very well known movie/tv star here in the States. She's been in tv shows going back to "Twin Peaks" and is currently in "The Practice" which has been on the air for 6 years I think, playing the Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble. Hardly a 'bit player' by my sense of the phrase.

quote:

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Originally posted by Byrna:
I did chuckle at your reference to a MIB-II auto..."It is annoying when they include people who had bit parts in one or 2 eps of a show or were just in the background in a movie (the bird lady in MIB2 is a perfect example). The exception would be a well known star"

I assume you are referring to THE Villain in the movie, Serleena, played by Laura Flynn Boyle.

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I think the reference is this card: Bird Lady autograph

I never saw the film, so I have no clue what kind of role she played.

-Bob-

"I'd take a bullet for safety."

Yup, I was responding to 'the bird lady". That was Serleena played by LFB.

A few people commented above about prices either please take them out and lower the box price or if I spend $60 a box, it better have an auto in it or whatever, this cracks me up big time (but in a loving, non-demeening way, of course!!!) and I've said this before so I won't pound it over people's heads, but have we all forgotten where we came from Stunningly enough, auto cards were added to boxes, first one per box, two per box and for a few THREE per box with ALMOST NO PRICE CHANGE from the time there were none!! It amazes me what gets packed in a box from today and 1996 with a chance of a gold plaque card every OTHER box, a couple of foil cards and maybe one die-cut card (oh and possibly a skymotion card, but they were like 1:180) The box prices by wholesale from the until now are about $5 apart. I consider that pretty wild, actually. I really do.
Anyway, if we kept it at one auto per box AND a good name only, we'd likely have to see some sort of a price increase. Trying, as RA is doing with TAS, to include bigger names at every other box is an interesting thing, I'd like to see how it plays out, but only if they work reallllly hard to make sure those every other box odds stay true, cause I don't wanna spend days consoleing poor souls who got nothing!

Hi Lynne:

I think about this a lot too. I guess that's why I posted the poll in the first place. I wonder if some of this comes from collectors who have not been in the hobby that long. I mean, I know *You* know about what was, and was not, packed in boxes in 1996 (and I do as well) but how many of the people who made the comments you point out were collecting cards in 1996? In fact, it would be great if some of you would ring in and let us know. I simply think there is a different mentality today then there used to be and us old-timers have to learn the new ways. Or somehow convert newer collectors to the old thinking, though I don't know if that's likely. What do you think?

Harris

Visit Non-Sport Update at www.nonsportupdate.com