Hello fellow collectors,

I was wondering how completists like me feel when doing a Marvel, Star Wars or Mars Attacks master set anymore from Topps and Upper Deck.

I feel that collectors like me who try to complete master set from those franchises (not counting all artist sketch cards in one set, base parallel, costume variant, etc) need to spend between $4.000 to $10.000 on average to complete a master set. And even then, still missing about one card to complete a master set. Is there a market for those collectors?

Movie cards is what I like to collect but with the recent releases I have started to stop collecting them like Star Wars and now Thor the Dark World.
When looking for one single autograph from Thor 2 for about $400 each and there are 17, I wonder how people can manage that kind of money.

I feel sad to not been able to complete a Star Wars or Marvel movie anymore because of the recent gigantic card sets from Topps and Upper Deck. There are not possible to complete or almost not possible.

I am still please we have Rittenhouse Archived and Cryptozoic to create master sets for a reasonable price compare to Topps and Upper Deck.

I like to get your opinion about it for those how like collect Star Wars and Marvel movies card set.

The truth for me is that I can't complete a master set of any of these releases, so I get a base set and try for what I can in my budget. In the past three months I have acquired over 60 different Star Trek autographs from .99 cents to 5.00 (my max) and I have been feeling really good. I got a Star wars Biggs Darklighter auto from Jedi Legacy for 5.99+ 2.09 shipping. Again, I was pleased.I just can't think about the hobby in the terms of completion. I am working on Iron Man 2 and 3 and I am still missing basic insert cards and I am ok. One day, I will find them in my budget and that makes getting them that way a lot sweeter.

I tend to just pick up base sets now. Maybe a couple of insert sets if I can get them cheap. That's cool for me. On the flip side, I like the fact that Topps and Upper Deck are putting so much effort into their releases. I think the huge variety of cards is good for the hobby.

With all the large sets and the dozens of Star Wars sets there have been I wonder how close we are to being able to make a flip book out of our cards and watch the movie that way?

I know it's not Topps or Upper Deck, but I am upset that the most recent james bond set by Rittenhouse cost me $ 600 more than any prior Bond set to complete-- and I didn't even get the gold parallel set, which would have cost alot more.

I love the large sets. It makes card collecting fun again. I love the chase. I have much bigger feeling of accomplishment when I go after these large sets. I might not have a master set, but I'm going to try my hardest to get the cards that I want from a particular set.

I think it's somewhat pointless to buy a box of cards and get a complete set. It kinda devalues the set when there are tens of thousands of sets readily available.

When we were kids, we had to buy lots of packs and trade to finish sets - the good ole days. Now there seems to be a sense of entitlement.

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I am still please we have Rittenhouse Archived and Cryptozoic to create master sets for a reasonable price compare to Topps and Upper Deck.

You must not collect Big Bang Theory. While attainable, they take some money to complete.


I love Star Wars cards, but I stopped being any kind of completest with the introduction of autographs. I am content now with a base set, base to mid-end inserts, and promos. I don't collect parallels unless they are relatively easy to finish (like Jedi Legacy Blue) and the high end hits are just bonuses. I keep all the autos I get but sell/trade most sketches and parallels to help finance the case purchase and complete the set I am keeping.

Get as much as you can of whatever it is.
Eventually, you'll get it all.
(I believe in you all!)

I think you must choose your card products carefully if you want to complete. There have been several recent sets that could still be done because the high cards are not so high and not so scarce.

I'm talking about sets like Grimm, Psyche, Warehouse 13, Castle, Alphas and a couple of more in the same vein.

As for the gigantic sets or the sets with a short list of autographs that are 1:520 packs, forget it. Buy one box and just forget it.

I think too many card collectors seem to be stressing themselves out over self-imposed rules and its ruining their enjoyment of the hobby. As barobehere said, there are some awesome bargains out there now if you look for them. It's a new year coming, so it's a good time to start new collecting habits that will bring back the fun without making you feel like you are missing out on something.

I gave up when Upper Deck released Marvel Beginnings. I was Marvel completest until then. With work and other collecting hobbies, I don't really try anymore. Missing a bunch of Marvel Rittenhouse cards and the ones that you gotta mail in the wrappers for too.

I like to get at least one sketch card at an affordable price with my budget, and CZE odds on TWD have ruined that for me too.

It's an interesting question, although I must admit I've always been one to just go after the individual pieces of a set that pique my interest, I've never been much of a completest at all.

At the end of the day it's all economics. . .

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Originally posted by archifou:
Movie cards is what I like to collect but with the recent releases I have started to stop collecting them like Star Wars and now Thor the Dark World.
When looking for one single autograph from Thor 2 for about $400 each and there are 17, I wonder how people can manage that kind of money.

Quite simply there are enough people managing to pay $400 for Thor 2 autographs because that's what they are selling for. I doubt the selling price could be sustained much higher than that, so some may argue that Upper Deck hit the perfect combination of popularity and rarity with these. . . I say that because in my opinion if you halved the number of each autograph produced the price wouldn't change much (as a matter of percentage), but if you doubled the quantity of each autograph produced I think the price would drop substantially.

Personally, I prefer cards to be plentiful and inexpensive, so this isn't the right value for me -- in fact I've only targeted a single card from this set.

For that reason I enjoy better completing the old sets from the '90s.

Regarding Thor, it sounds like you have a budget to complete the base, aether, inserts, and wardrobes. So maybe go for those and then focus on the inexpensive single autos. keep looking for deals or when you have more funds fill in the gaps on the single autos. maybe let the wardrobe autos go or the duals go. or - maybe in time you go for one of those sets too. or just one card. i think you need to pick one category and go for it (marvel movies only) and cut out another (say star wars) to help you budget for the one you do go for.

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snoopy351

I wish to have your Thor cards snoopy351.

You did pretty good so far with all the Thor cards I have seeing.

Thanks to all of you. I am not sure what to do since they are a few more released that I am interested in 2014 like Walking Dead Season 3 and the Hobbit.

I calculate Thor will cost over $6000 for a master set. So for one movie card about one hero I think it's way too much.