I have been thinking for some time now that it would be a brilliant idea if we started a thread which, for better or worse, I have dubbed Master Class.

This is a single post by volunteering members on a subject about cards or card sets of which they may have some detailed knowledge on. It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary but just a short essay that adds to the general canon of card collecting knowledge.

To give you some idea of what I am proposing I have kicked it off with the article below. If we all got behind this it could end up being an absolute mine of useful information for collectors as a reference library.

Anyway, as the saying goes try before you buy (into this idea).

Finally, to help the concept fly I have arbitrarily volunteered the next five contributors!
Can I please call upon the following people to share their vast knowledge.
Raven
Chesspieceface
Barobehere
Cordeliafan (Things that you might like to know about Buffy collecting.
STcardgeek (Things that you just might not know about Star Trek sets)

Here we go.
Comic Images Sets

From the tail end of 1993 to the start of 1996 Comic Images released 59 sets of cards. These sets all had (over and above the usual 6 card inserts and frequently a 3 card sub-set) a single stand alone insert card.

These were either a numbered special card called a Medallion Card or they were so called Bonus cards. In most cases the Bonus card were either box toppers or they were case toppers. Sometimes the Medallion cards were sequentially numbered by printing but mostly they were hand numbered. Insert ratios (at least according to Allender’s House of Cards) was 1:108 packs. Occasionally Comic Images gave the Bonus Cards a number such as 0 or 00 but more often they were called simply Magnachrome Bonus Cards. The only thing that seems unknown is the numbers of each card issued. Anyone with this knowledge might like to share.

Two of the Medallion cards came both numbered and unnumbered. They were Conan 2 and Olivia Studies In Sensuality.

All of these cards seem to be reasonably priced and apart from the usual gamut of optimists on the auction sites that expect to get $40 for a Medallion, in my experience most can be picked up for under $10.

The scan below gives some idea of what these cards look like. Examples from the set usually made up the face of the card.


Finally, here are a list of the sets involved.
SETNAME EXTRAS
ANIMAL MYSTIC 1xMAGNACHROME BONUS CARD "00"
ART OF HEAVY METAL, THE 1xMEDALLION CARD
BARLOW, WAYNE: ALIEN WORLD OF 1xMEDALLION CARD
BARR, KEN: THE BEAST WITHIN 1xMEDALLION CARD
BLUEPRINTS OF THE FUTURE 1xMEDALLION CARD
BONE 1xMEDALLION CARD
BONE II 1xMEDALLION CARD
BONERAGONSLAYER 1xBOX TOPPER CARD "0"
BORIS SER IV: MAGNIF.MYTHS 1xMEDALLION CARD
BORIS WITH JULIE 1xMAGNACHROME BONUS CARD
BORIS: THE BEST OF 1xMEDALLION CARD
CONAN ALL CHRONIUM SER II 1xMEDALLION CARD
CONAN ALL CHRONIUM SER III 1xMEDALLION CARD
CONAN: THE MARVEL YEARS 1xMAGNACHROME BONUS CARD #0
DALI, SALVADORE 1xMEDALLION CARD
DOUBLE IMPACT 1xBOX TOPPER CARD
ELVGREN,GIL: CALENDAR PINUPS 2 1xMEDALLION CARD
FIREBRANDS 1xMEDALLION CARD
FLIGHTS OF FANTASY: HILDEBRANDT', TIM: 1xMEDALLION CARD (GOLD)
FRAZETTA, THE BEST OF 1xMAGNACHROME BONUS CARD "#0"
G.I.JOE 30th SALUTE 1xMEDALLION CARD
GOLDEN AGE OF COMICS, THE 1xMEDALLION CARD
HEAVY METAL :THE MOVIE & MORE 1xMAGNACHROME BONUS CARD "0"
HILDEBRANDT, BROTHERS 1xMEDALLION CARD
HILDEBRANDT:SEPERATE&TOGETHER 1xMEDALLION CARD
HILDEBRANDTS, BEST OF THE 1xMAGNACHROME BONUS CARD "#00"
KIRBY, JACK: UNPUBLISHED ARCHI 1xMEDALLION CARD
KUNSLER, ART OF MORT:CIVIL WAR 1xBOX TOPPER CARD
LINSNER: DAWN & BEYOND 1xMEDALLION CARD
MASTERS OF JAPANIMATION 1xMAGNACHROME BONUS CARD
MORE THAN BATTLEFIELD EARTH 1xMEDALLION CARD
OLIVIA III:LADIES,LEATHER,LACE 1xMEDALLION CARD
OLIVIA IN OMNICHROME 1xBONUS CARD
OLIVIA METAMORPHOSIS 1xBOX TOPPER CARD
OLIVIA, THE BEST OF 1xMEDALLION CARD
OLIVIA: STUDIES IN SENSUALITY 1xMEDALLION CARD
PARRISH, MAXWELL:PORTRAIT OF 1xMEDALLION CARD
PHANTOM COLLECTOR CARDS 1xMEDALLION CARD
POISON ELVES 1xBOX TOPPER CARD
PRINCE VALIANT 1xMEDALLION CARD
RIZZUTO NATIONAL PASTIME 1xMEDALLION CARD
ROCKWELL, NORMAN II:SAT EVE PO 1xMEDALLION CARD
ROCKY HORROR P.S: 20 YEARS OF 1xMEDALLION CARD
ROYO, BEST OF (CHRONIUM) 1xMEDALLION CARD
ROYO2: FORBIDDEN UNIVERSE 1xMEDALLION CARD
SHI ALL CHRONIUM 1xMEDALLION CARD
SHI II:VISIONS OF THE GLDN EMP 1xBOX TOPPER CARD
SORAYAMA 2: CHRONIUM CREATURES 1xMEDALLION CARD
SPECIES 1xMEDALLION CARD
STOUT, WILLIAM II 1xMEDALLION CARD
STOUT, WILLIAM III :SAURIANS & 1xMAGNACHROME BONUS CARD
STRANGERS IN PARADISE 1xBOX TOPPER CARD "0"
TANK GIRL 1xMEDALLION CARD
U.S. MANGA CORPS 1xMEDALLION CARD
UJENA'S SWIMWEAR ILLUSTRATED 2 1xMEDALLION CARD
WARD, BILL: 50 YEARS OF TORCHY 1xMEDALLION CARD
WARREN,JIM:MORE BEYOND BIZARRE II 1xMEDALLION CARD
WHELAN, MICHAEL II:OTHER WORLDS 1xMEDALLION CARD

Demmit! I cannot for the life of me get this data to stay in the right columns (sorry about that)

The one thing I was hoping you would have in the article... WHY are they called Medallion Cards?

It started off that Comic Images actually had an outline of a medal on the early cards. Look at the two cards at the bottom row of the scan

I had to chuckle a bit when I saw that you volunteered me, btlfannz. When it comes to non-sport card collecting I considered myself a Jack of All Trades and Master of None. I don't know that I have vast knowledge and I don't know that anyone is that interested in what knowledge I think I do have.

The primary focus of my collecting is certified autograph cards, but unlike the other members you mentioned, I am very random and don't concentrate on any particular products or titles. I therefore can't whip out any checklists or hard facts about certain sets. I rarily care about collecting a full list of signers in any set and, as an average budget collector, I probably couldn't afford it if I wanted to do it.

For me, the main thing is the individual signer, and the certified autograph card is the best, low risk way of getting an authentic signature of someone you like. To be sure it is not 100% guaranteed, as other collectors are quick to point out. Nothing short of seeing the autograph signed is 100% guaranteed, but that still only applies to the viewer and no one else. Its like in court, unless there is some evidence that goes beyond a reasonable doubt, certified autograph cards are the safest way to collect autographs short of obtaining them in-person yourself.

Unfortunately they are often not the cheapest way, because the market price includes not just the inherit value of the signature, but also everything that goes along with the card itself, including the popularity of the product and the production run of the card. If master set builders are after the product even common autograph cards can command prices higher than you would expect.

On the other hand, some common autograph cards are huge bargains if you follow character actors or get an unheard of young actor who suddenly hits it big. To be sure the majority of common autographs remain common autographs, but not always. The same way that expensive signers can tank. Which is the better autograph card buy right now, Megan Fox in Transformers at $400 book, or Amanda Seyfried in Veronica Mars at $30 book?

I have my opinion (P.S. its Seyfried), but its only an opinion. I have autograph collecting tips, but they work for me based on my experience, others might not agree. If you ask me a question I'll be happy to provide my best answer, but writing an unstructured article on autographs in a posting forum is kind of hard.

I do like the idea of members having a thread to provide insight on a variety of collecting subjects that they know best. If people are interested in reading something like that in Card Talk they should provide feedback here.

Hi Raven and thanks for responding. A couple of things. In the first place when I wrote this post I thought two things, a) this will fly immediately as an idea because everyone here is interested in cards and you can't have too much information about your favourite hobby. And secondly b) some folks just might say what a bloody waste of time the whole concept is.

What I never anticipated was that over 150 people would view my post and DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT IT. This tells me nothing!! Do they think that it is a good idea? Are they remotely interested in the concept? What??? I am more than aware that apathy rules in our world today but I hoped for more from card collectors.

Secondly Raven your modesty short sells you badly. You have a wealth of knowledge and experience in this hobby and I don't care if 150 others could care less about your contribution, I know that I am very much interested in it. I don't even collect autographs but I am very interested in learning everything I can about all facets of this absorbing hobby. So write away my man! You have an audience of at least one!!

quote:

Originally posted by btlfannz:


What I never anticipated was that over 150 people would view my post and DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT IT. This tells me nothing!! Do they think that it is a good idea? Are they remotely interested in the concept? What??? I am more than aware that apathy rules in our world today but I hoped for more from card collectors.

Speaking only for myself (but I suspect for more than a few of the aforementioned 150) I clicked on this topic to see what something called "Master Class" was all about. Then I "did nothing about it" because the subject matter posted in this thread at the time was of little interest to me personally as I have no interest in Comic Images or their products. As the post count on this thread increased, I checked in again to see if anything of interest to me had been added. As posts about various aspects of collecting get added to this thread, one would hope that participation would increase but try to have a little patience as this thread isn't even a couple of days old yet.

Point taken. Thank you very much for your comment.

Another thing is that some viewers (like me) don't have english as their original language. Because of that they might not feel up to writing long posts.
Just my 2 cents.

Btlfannz,
Thank for thinking of me as someone one might be able to contribute to something like this. I think it's a great idea, and shown by your own excellent discussion of the CI Medallions.

The problem for me is that I have only mastered "sounding" like I know what I'm talking about, and now, I'm afraid you've spoiled that for me.

Actually, whatever knowledge I do have on cards from these last 25 years or so really stems from me simply having been there when the cards were new. I'd like to write something like you've suggested for the line of Tempo cards from Australia and I've also made something of a study of Simpsons trading cards. I'm still working on being able to post pictures again, and once I can, I'll see what I can come up with.

There really are a lot of specialists on here and this kind of information can be very valuable. I routinely find myself looking at old posts, and not just the box breakdowns, and finding information I can use. That's exactly what I try to "give back" with my own posts, so thanks for thinking of me for this.

quote:

Originally posted by Szym:
Another thing is that some viewers (like me) don't have english as their original language. Because of that they might not feel up to writing long posts.
Just my 2 cents.

I think if you have something useful for this, you can write it in French and then either you or the reader can use a translator engine to change it into their own language. I have very little knowledge about European cards in general and would definitely like some more, whatever the subject.

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
I'd like to write something like you've suggested for the line of Tempo cards from Australia and I've also made something of a study of Simpsons trading cards.

A post about about Tempo would be really wonderful from my perspective, being as I have a local interest in cards from that big island of the coast of New Zealand. However, an informed comment of "what you need to know about collecting The Simpsons" would I suspect have a more universal appeal.I look forward to it with great interest.

I think all my vast knowledge is fading. One thing I do know about is that I have been on cardtalk and Non Sport Update reader for a very long time. Back when Pete's cards and Comics opened it's doors in 1990(he would be gone by 98) I found my first issue of Non Sport Update there and be reading ever since. I was there when comic Images and Impel were king, then Skybox then a couple of upstarts named Inkworks and Rittenhouse came into play.
I have collected base sets, stickers, holograms, autographs, sketch cards. You name it I was there. I think my prime in the hobby was 1996 to 2008. My daughter was born in 2010 and well, with 2 kids, my card budget took a big hit. I also loved Inkworks. I liked the 1 box topper, 3 cards of the puzzle, 2 inserts and 1 or 2 hits a box system.
I do know this. The price point has changed so much for an average stand point that it is hard to keep up. When I was buying packs of Greg Hildebrandt from the local card shop at 30 bucks a box or 75 cents a pack for 10 cards, it was easy to make a set and If you hit an autograph-wow you had something special. I looked at Marvel Retro this year and 200 bucks for 100 cards a sketch and 2 autographs and a ton of "chase cards". Well, for the average man, he just could not do it. I noticed a ton of case purchases and almost all the inserts that have been on sale on ebay have been from dealers who opened it. It makes me sad, that cards are getting to where they are a "high end" collectable. Not of the local shops carry non sports cards anymore because the price point is "too high" for the average collector.
I think once Dowtown Abbey is released I will be down one box of big bang theory on each release and it will only be the budget bin to finish up sets I am working on or can get in on cheap.

I have the The Medallion Card from G.I.Joe 30th Salute (#1336). In November 2011, I made a little review and the possible number I think about was 1500 to 5000. I based it in how Comic Images like to made a lot of boxes for a product. Some days later a search in eBay and found cards #2092 and #2367.

Is Comic Images still around ? What was the last set it did--a wrestling CCG set in the mid-2000s, maybe ?

The last non sports I can recall that they did were The Apprentice (Donald Trump) and American Idol.

Comic Images has been gone for a while now. Their art sets from the early 90 to late 90's were great. I think FPG ate into that market and they both faded away.

Actually, their website shows that they are STILL around.

But not doing trading cards. They are selling Star Wars, and Marvel Comics plush toys !

I'm of course happy to answer any Trek card questions It's my favorite thing to do (excepting pricing, I don't care for pricing questions!)

I have a Star Trek question--on the 1991 Impel set, do the promos with the Diamond backs really exist as single cards, or just on the sheet that came in Previews ?

There is some speculation that the single cards were just carefully cut from the sheet

The assumption we've had is the same-that they were just cut form the sheet. But, it's not been anything that's been verified in any way.

quote:

Originally posted by STCardGeek:
I'm of course happy to answer any Trek card questions It's my favorite thing to do (excepting pricing, I don't care for pricing questions!)

Whats your favorite Autograph,costume card or autographed costume card????