Thanks Logan, I see the mention now.

Since GoT is the only title I truly follow, I'm not happy about this if it is another full set. Once a year is more than enough and has worked fine so far. I get that RA is short on titles now, but overusing GoT is not the answer.

Oh well, this is just like Buffy. Series 2 has not been released and Series 3 has already been announced in NSU, although strangely it doesn't appear on that schedule. RA needs new blood, literally.

I think Rittenhouse probably got burned on a lot of the licenses they released as premium packs - they never finished the runs of Falling Skies, Spartacus, or Warehouse 13 - but there are a lot of genre shows out there that would make for nice premium pack sets. I know I would spend a ton of money on sets for The 100 or Man in the High Castle. The problem seems to be that they no longer can take risks on boxed products for untested franchises. Smaller licenses with an altered premium pack format (really, all I would change is adding more base cards - feel free to still serial number them, but 5+ a pack instead of 2 would be a nice start and allow people to actually complete sets) would fill the gaps in their release schedule.

I also would think that RA would have the inside track for any Westworld license since they have done such a great job with Game of Thrones.

There have also been unsubstantiated rumors flying about that the Bond set coming in May could be the last RA set. No one knows for certain, but if RA loses that, then what ? Just Star Trek and Game of Thrones ?

In regard to an inquiry on Bond cards posted on the RA website as of February 5, 2017, Steve Charendoff replied, "We are still trying to get Javier Bardem to sign cards. Sometimes it takes awhile". That would seem to indicate they are still in the Bond business.

I think his original statement about the upcoming Final Bond Archive title has been misleading and RA should clarify it. I would be shocked to hear that RA isn't going to continue with Bond cards. Anything is possible of course, but I think it's just the end of the throwback sets and having Archives in the title. Fingers crossed.

Well, if the Bond license comes up for renewal and someone else outbids them, then that is the end.

Look how Crypto lost Walking Dead to Topps, and how Rittenhouse lost the DC Comics sets to Crypto. Anything is possible

True, but no one is even saying if the license is due to come up anytime soon. And who knows if another company would even be willing to get into a bidding war for it if it were due.

As a title, Bond has really been well mined by RA. There is an established fan base that is still chasing prior sets, but that doesn't make Bond a hot property for TOPPS or CZE to steal. Bond is not a title for much growth, like you have with Star Wars, Marvel or even WD. And its not even like Doctor Who that had cards, but no premium, bells and whistles sets.

I don't think any card maker could do more with Bond than RA has done and I would hope will continue to do. I would say the same thing about Game of Thrones. I don't give them a pass on everything, the whole new Buffy series does not work for me at all. I think RA blew it, but that's just my opinion.

Same thing here, just an opinion. Since I don't know, I would rather believe that there is nothing to the rumor. If it turns out to be true, than it does, but we won't be better off for it.

Looks like RA is no longer producing WNBA cards, as it lost the license to Panini

Interesting, I didn't even realize RA was still making WNBA sets. . .

They did WNBA sets every year from 2005 to 2018

I think that the last few were factory boxed sets, not traditional packs

Marvel TV shows, Bond and now WNBA, plus GOT has to be winding down. . .

I hope they pick up some new licenses soon.

Seems like they're just doing Star Trek, GOT, Twilight Zone, and Orville these days...

RA also has Lost In Space Both the original and Netflix series.

Rittenhouse didn't lose Bond, I think they dropped it because they were informed to stop the gun barrel autos and the Rittenhouse leader was famous for collecting them, could be wrong but it was more like sour grapes, full bleed Bond autographs were my main reason to keep up the hobby, but Twin Peaks is here, as a long time fan of the show that even remembers dreaming about finding a card box in a local newsagents, I'm also going to love (as another life long fan of)a Twilight Zone 156 card base set, if they get it right of course.

quote:

Originally posted by cheifbrody:

full bleed Bond autographs were my main reason to keep up the hobby,

I wonder what happened to the full bleed Ursula Andress autographs when Rittenhouse let the license go?

RA was asked a few months ago what happened to the 4 missing Bond autos. 1 number is missing from the Women of Bond series, # 48, I think. Steve said it was never signed.

There are also 3 autos missing from the A series, 3 gaps in the numbering. Steve said he could not comment on those, and he would not say which actors appear on those cards. The 3 numbers are in the A 290 range, I believe.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:

quote:

Originally posted by cheifbrody:

full bleed Bond autographs were my main reason to keep up the hobby,

I wonder what happened to the full bleed Ursula Andress autographs when Rittenhouse let the license go?

They never had them on the list when they contacted her, they only had 40th Anniv and women of, she literally took years to get back with those ones, so there was no going back with a by the way.

Full bleeders were left behind with so many signers, I'm still waiting for a Don Stroud from Licence to kill

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
RA was asked a few months ago what happened to the 4 missing Bond autos. 1 number is missing from the Women of Bond series, # 48, I think. Steve said it was never signed.

There are also 3 autos missing from the A series, 3 gaps in the numbering. Steve said he could not comment on those, and he would not say which actors appear on those cards. The 3 numbers are in the A 290 range, I believe.

As far as I know they left only 3 missing auto slots, the mentioned WA48 and A291 and A294.

RA did seem to stop Bond because the license holder didn't want anymore 40th style designs put out. I don't know why it bothered anybody either way, but I guess RA didn't want to try and get more cards signed than what they were already holding.

If that were the case and it was RA's decision to drop it, I think it was probably a mistake. The UD Bond cards seem will received and many of the repeat signers are very welcome in a different design. UD did use the same 007 logo with the gun, although the gun is not in the background graphic.

As for the future, I don't see these limited full set with hits releases as being a profitable strategy. If their licensed titles are too well mined or too niche to be popular enough to support a reasonable production of a full traditional release, they had better find other titles. They aren't going to make it on 300 set production runs.

Yes, my mistake. Only 3 missing Bond autos, not 4

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C

RA was asked a few months ago what happened to the 4 missing Bond autos. 1 number is missing from the Women of Bond series, # 48, I think. Steve said it was never signed.

So the blank WA48 exists, i wonder where they are?

I guess it will always be a mystery as to who is on card WA48.

As you can see from the list below of cards WA40 to 58, there is no pattern as to the films, in terms of how they organized then numbers. It could be ANYBODY from any of the 25 movies:


WA40 – Virginia Hey/Rubavitch – The Living Daylights
WA41 – Catherina von Schell/Nancy – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Very Limited)
WA42 – Shirley Eaton/Jill Masterson – Goldfinger (Limited)
WA43 – Fiona Fullerton/Pola Ivanova – A View To A Kill (Very Limited)
WA44 – Mary Stavin/Kimberley Jones – A View To A Kill (Very Limited)
WA45 – Tania Mallet/Tilly Masterson – Goldfinger (Limited)
WA46 – Jan Williams/Masseuse – From Russia With Love (Limited)
WA47 – Martine Beswicke /Zora – From Russia With Love (Very Limited)
WA48 – ?
WA49 – Halle Berry/Jinx – Die Another Day (Extremely Limited)
WA50 – Nadja Regin/Bonita – Goldfinger (Extremely Limited)
WA51 – Serena Gordon/Caroline – GoldenEye (Limited)
WA52 – Teri Hatcher/ Paris Carver – Tomorrow Never Dies (Extremely Limited)
WA53 – Bérénice Marlohe/Severine – Skyfall (Limited)
WA54 – Naomie Harris/Eve Moneypenny – Skyfall (Very Limited)
WA55 – Oona Chaplin/Receptionist – Quantum of Solace (Very Limited)
WA56 – Yvonne Shima/Sister Lilly – Dr. No (18-Case Incentive/Archive Box Exclusive, approx. 39)
WA57 – Lizzie Warville/Pool Girl – For Your Eyes Only (Very Limited)
WA58 – Sheena Easton/Singer – For Your Eyes Only (Extremely Limited)