Hey, I just saw this, and yes, I realize I am a little behind here.

http://www.nsu-magazine.com/the-results-are-in/

Grimm was the best set of 2013. I agree with the results of the poll. I also kind of think that it might have to be ranked as one of the best of all time. It was a great value and a ton of fun to open.

Would you rank in the top 10 sets you've collected? If not, what sets beat it? If so, where does it fall in your top 10?

Grimm!? TV series or movie?

TV Series

It's a good mix of drama, humor, and monsters. It's fun and has good re-watch value, which is important to me.

The cards were great. I recommend them.

The best sets containing autographs have to be Topps Lord of the Rings and Rittenhouse's James Bond sets.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:
The best sets containing autographs have to be Topps Lord of the Rings and Rittenhouse's James Bond sets.

Rittenhouse does a good job. I have not bought any Lord of the Rings, but Topps is a mixed bag. Their product is usually good quality, but they promise cards and NEVER deliver. Then, they are non-responsive or flat rude when I inquire. Maybe its just me, but I have two redemptions that I've been waiting on for more than a year. One for more than 2 years. The last time I called, they literally told me that they did not have time to research my situation, and that I should just wait patiently.

The last bit made me laugh because I have actually been fairly patient to this point. It was only my second call on that card...

Oh well... Hope you have had better luck than you. :-)

So, what did you think about Grimm?

I'm going to play Devil's Advocate and say that the best card set ever has not yet been made. I think you will need a combination of elements.

First, you will need a popular title, not some niche interest. And you will have to be able to make enough of it, not some 500 boxes that sell out in pre-release.

Second, you will need a solid base set, it still does count for those of us who read the backs.

Third, you will need the full spectrum of hits to satisfy all collectors. I mean autographs, relics, sketches, printing plates, insert set and maybe one level of parallel on the base set. No manufactured patches or medals pretending to be a hit.

Fourth, you will need to combine at least 3 of the 4 premium hit types per box or three hits per box. No autographs at 1:144 packs or sketches at 1:3 cases.

Fifth, keep it honest. Autographs of stars at the same ratio as minor players and include all the main cast. Sketches that all look like they were done by a professional artist. Relics with variety, not just one color swatches.

Sixth, there should be lots of variants. Autographs with inscriptions, different color ink, multiple photos or styles. Relics of real patches, multiple colors and designs. Prop cards, props are more than just costume card relics. And dual combinations of autographs and relics too.

Seventh, you will need to wrap the whole thing up at $85 or less per box.

When we get that combination it will be the best card set ever for me! It could happen, anything is possible.

I agree with you Raven! That would make for an awesome card set!

odds of that are less than winning Powerball twice in a row.

Raven, I think you have some great thoughts. I like auto's prop / relic cards. They aren't very common, but it's probably harder to get the much-desired on-card auto that way.

I love prop cards in general, and I have always kind of wished for a prop card from a show that was part of the name plate on a person's desk. Grimm Season MIGHT be a good opportunity for this....

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I'm going to play Devil's Advocate and say that the best card set ever has not yet been made. I think you will need a combination of elements.

First, you will need a popular title, not some niche interest. And you will have to be able to make enough of it, not some 500 boxes that sell out in pre-release.

Second, you will need a solid base set, it still does count for those of us who read the backs.

Third, you will need the full spectrum of hits to satisfy all collectors. I mean autographs, relics, sketches, printing plates, insert set and maybe one level of parallel on the base set. No manufactured patches or medals pretending to be a hit.

Fourth, you will need to combine at least 3 of the 4 premium hit types per box or three hits per box. No autographs at 1:144 packs or sketches at 1:3 cases.

Fifth, keep it honest. Autographs of stars at the same ratio as minor players and include all the main cast. Sketches that all look like they were done by a professional artist. Relics with variety, not just one color swatches.

Sixth, there should be lots of variants. Autographs with inscriptions, different color ink, multiple photos or styles. Relics of real patches, multiple colors and designs. Prop cards, props are more than just costume card relics. And dual combinations of autographs and relics too.

Seventh, you will need to wrap the whole thing up at $85 or less per box.

When we get that combination it will be the best card set ever for me! It could happen, anything is possible.

It doesn't hit every criteria of your ideal set composition, but reading through your criteria I immediately thought of The Complete Bond, IMO the best (overall) Bond set/product RA produced:

1. Popular title?
CHECK! It's James bloody BOND!

2. Solid base set?
CHECK! This base set was huge at 189 cards, with 9 cards for x21 movies. Crisp imagery of all the main players on the fronts along with a theatrical poster. No text on the back, but the reverses formed puzzles of the UK Quad poster images for each film which feature stunning artwork.

3. Spectrum of hits?
CHECK (IMO):
- 3 different chase card sets that were 'expansion' cards to different sets produced previously, so all in all, 9 different styles of chase cards to get.
- 18x relic cards featuring a prop list that will be hard to beat with items spanning the franchise and going all the way back to Goldfinger. Casino Royale playing card anyone? Screen used Casino Chips? Or one of Jane Seymour's Tarot cards from Live And Let Die?!?
- 25x autographs in the 40th anniversary style spanning the breadth of the series and making up one of the strongest line-ups I have seen for a Bond set, Ursula Andress, Famke Janssen, Honor Blackman, Mads Mikkelsen and Dame Judi Dench to name but a few. No 'bit-part' players here.
- Double costume card case topper of the main star Daniel Craig
- Another style of auto card in the very popular 2-Case and 6-Case full-bleed autos of George Lazenby and Denise Richards respectively.
...ok no sketches, printing plates, or parallels as you describe Raven. All I would say is that sketches can be of a far less consistent quality and nont necessarily the best 'hit' for a topic like this. This set was released before printing plates started to get inserted as hits, and I consider parallels a cheat hit as no real thought or effort usually goes into them.

4. A good combination of premium hits?
CHECK (IMO):
Each 40 pack box (lots of packs to open) had 1x auto + 1x relic (so 1:40 packs each). This doesn't meet your requirement of "at least 3 or 4" but that is an arbitrary number. How says it couldn't be 5? At the end of the day I want value from my box and unusually for any set, nearly all the props and autos from this set hold their values very well and features some of the rarest and most valuable of all the Bond cards released to date.

5. Keep it honest?
CHECK! As mentioned already, a good selection of mostly big stars with few minor players at all and the rare cards inserted in good quantity and at the same (overall) odds. The relics have variety in the films covered and there were PLENTY of variety: playing cards, paper documents, flags, fabric swatches, grenade sacks, paper programs, parachute etc.

6. Lots of variants?
This point might be more contentious... there were no inscriptions or different colour inks for the autographs in this set, however we do have two styles of autograph cards on display and even with 25 of the cards being in one style, one could argue that they are all variants as we all know RA release there Bond signers on several cards, with different pictures, just not at the same time!
With the relics, there were LOADS of variants, with some proving very rare and valuable (still not sure if I should have let my Parahawk Parachute with half the white star go!).

7. $85 a box or less?
CHECK! (From what I recall) RA were flogging these for $82 or $84 a box.

The Complete James Bond a close contender?!?

The best sets are the full image cards like the recent Skyfall set from Rittenhouse, it also had the slim white border to avoid noticeable chippings/scratching, can't go wrong

Hey X, why am I not surprised that you vote for Bond?

I agree the Complete Bond has many of the elements I listed for my imaginary best card set ever. It has nothing to entice sketch card collectors, but I love the Bond prop cards.

The thing that keeps me from a wholehearted endorsement is something that a lot of collectors may like. The recent Bond sets have been huge. It is indeed a project to collect the base set and the insert set. The last one with the Goldfinger set was exactly like trying to make two sets.

A big plus for the best card set ever for me has to be that the base set and the insert set can be completed with a box, two at the most. People always say they want a challenge, but the truth is, new sets like the upcoming Star Wars and Star Trek that have so many levels of cards are now driving collectors crazy. They know they can't complete them and they are getting disgusted. Maybe an overreaction, but there it is anyway.

So yes, RA does a nice job with Bond, and its closer than most.

Serenity- doesn't cover the sketches or parallels, but you got every single main cast member at fairly even odds, costume cards, at least one base set...

I was thinking about Serenity as well!

Serenity was an excellent auto/costume set. All the Warehouse 13 sets have had excellent ratios as well. For sketch cards, the latest Perna set - Classic Mythology II is just amazing, consistently good sketches and a real stunner (Cherniga, Perna, Soni and several others) every 5 or 6 packs.

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Davy Crockett orange or green.
- slightly larger format
- excellent photo selection and clarity
- full story on back but photo with simple caption on front effectively tells the whole story
- no chase cards
- no promos
- multiple generations of "kids" are still collecting them

Bill and I are on the same wavelength. My set is the original Mars Attacks. Man do I miss that feeling of anticipation opening each pack. Every card was something I'd never seen before and I really didn't know what to expect. It was a strange, sometimes scary experience for a nickel and I could never wait for my next pack.

I am old school as my favorite sets are the 1966 Batman black,red and blue bat painted sets. The detail on many cards is incredible! I too remembering opening many packs and throwing away the wrappers what was I thinking!

Didn't collect Grimm because I never have watched the show, but it does look like a great release.

If I had to name my favorite set to open it's probably between Mandy, Angels and Demons, and Razor's Ink Vault.

Mandy was the first set that I've ever opened that seemed to really have high quality sketch cards. The artist list on Angels and Demons was phenomenal. . . pack after pack of great sketches. . .

Ink Vault was a ton of fun and a great value -- it got me collecting cards I'd never consider and opening boxes I never would have opened.

There are a ton of honorable mentions, but those would probably be my top releases for most fun for me to open.

Jon

Some individual sets I'm particularly fond of are Breygent Hollywood Movie Posters, Simpsons Mania from Inkworks, Topps Universal Monsters Illustrated, Groo from Wildstorm, Marvel Comics Silver Age from Skybox, and from Rittenhouse, The 5 Twilight Zone sets have been a joy as Games of Thrones is shaping up to be, so comprehensive are the autograph choices.

But if I have to choose one line, it's Star Wars Galaxy all the way. It's seven amazing sets (so far) and each one loaded with base cards that made each series worth buying, never mind the premium hits (which have ranged from good to excellent) found in the various series since it was restarted with Series 4 just a few years ago after a 10+ year hiatus.

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