Not sure if an artist list is really that compelling, probably hard enough to pull a sketch from anyone. I never expect to pull a sketch out of an RA product driven by autograph hits.

Since we're wishing, I wish RA would either drop the whole scarce, limited, extremely limit etc. thing or say exactly how many copies are in boxes. The ranges tell us nothing and never have. With inscriptions its even more pointless. When everything is scarce, so what?

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
Since we're wishing, I wish RA would either drop the whole scarce, limited, extremely limit etc. thing or say exactly how many copies are in boxes. The ranges tell us nothing and never have. With inscriptions its even more pointless. When everything is scarce, so what?

Of course the quantity range tells us something... it tells us an approximate quantity. Far more info. than what many companies offer.

I would rather know exactly how many of anything are made but have no issue with how they designate rarity tiers. I don't think it would be good to get rid of their system just because they won't release exact numbers. Sometimes I think it helps collectors when exact numbers are not known: sellers can find it harder to pimp every card for sale as "!!!RARE!!!"

The only thing that annoyed me was on the rare occasion back when RA only had 'Very Limited' as their rarest tier, certain cards were massively short printed and still designated as VL because 'Extremely Limited' and 'Scarce' categories did not exist at the time. So collectors thought there were many more cards out there than there really were.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
Of course the quantity range tells us something... it tells us an approximate quantity. Far more info. than what many companies offer.

First of all as far as autograph card quantity goes, we all know that common signers are going to be, well common, and star signers are going to be short printed. The only surprises come when, for some strange reason, a signer who you would expect to be easy is short printed. That's unfortunate because you are than forced to pay more for an autograph that probably means little to you besides needing the signer. You will never see any of the star signatures produced in common ranges.

For the record and based on the latest RA key for Picard, here are the current ranges:

Scarce 100 or less, EL 100 - 200, VL 200 - 300, L 300 - 500, Normal over 500.

Now RA runs multiple designs, which are often signed at the same time, so there are various ways to cut quantity up as each design is leaked into product. One signer could do 1000 cards in 4 different designs and all would be VL as each is released separately. A star could do 500 cards in 5 designs and all would be Scarce as each is released. A star could also do only 5 of any design and it would still be Scarce, although collectors might expect 100 copies.

On the other hand, Scarce doesn't necessary mean 100 or less. With the inscription design, some common signers are doing a dozen or more different inscriptions. RA has been designated each one as Scarce, which may be true. However if there are 12 different inscriptions at 100 each, the real total could be as high as 1200 copies with varying words for a common signer.

I could go on, but the point I'm trying to make is that it's easy to look like you are being more transparent when you are just as vague as everyone else. Card makers know the actual numbers, they don't make them public. We are guessing about these numbers and the guesses are often just as accurate as the quantity ranges we are given. Sometimes they are even better because you can play with numbers and you can make them look better or worse, depending on the presentation created.

Adding more categories may be an improvement to you, but the ranges are still too broad and you can still make quantity look larger or smaller than it really is. The new Scarce is especially vexing to me because of the lump of inscriptions in certain products, while you are lucky if you have 10 of an elusive star.

As before, the key word I used was "approximate".

In regards inscription autos, as you know, the rarity designations apply to the card type itself, not the total number of autographs a signer may have signed across multiple styles, or inscription variations.

I don't see what the problem is.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
As before, the key word I used was "approximate".

In regards inscription autos, as you know, the rarity designations apply to the card type itself, not the total number of autographs a signer may have signed across multiple styles, or inscription variations.

I don't see what the problem is.

There is no problem. RA will do whatever RA does. Our difference is one of interpretation, as you say "the rarity designations apply to the card type itself". I'm not sure that it does since RA went to the trouble of separately listing individual inscriptions done by the same signer and calling each one Scarce, but for exceptions. To me, those exceptions mean it is not a hard and fast rule on the card design itself.

If the contention is that the inscription "design" is the Scarce part, why are the Eugene Simon and Eros Vlahos inscription cards in the GoT Season 8 set designated as VL, between 200 - 300 copies. Both Simon and Vlahos offered only one inscription. Yet they each had 200 - 300 cards to sign in that design. Clearly it was not the design that was Scarce.

See that's my point and it is an assumption, but it would be within the rules if RA was doing it. If one signer has 5 different inscriptions, you could list each one individually as they have and call all of them Scarce, while the totality could be as high as 500 copies.

Now I'm not saying RA is doing that, I'm just playing Devil's Advocate and saying that it wouldn't be against the rules if they were.

Has RA ever said that the number of cards made is based on any type of card design? I don't think so. It's what appears on the checklist that determines what class they have put that autograph card in and inscriptions are being broken down by each separate inscription. Hope that better explains my observation, but its just one of those assumptions that comes when everything is approximate and there are no actual numbers given from any authority.

Release date is 7 April now.

quote:

Originally posted by Raj:
Release date is 7 April now.

Must be waiting on someone or something to keep delaying. Or maybe they just took a closer look at side by side autographs. Kidding.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

quote:

Originally posted by Raj:
Release date is 7 April now.

Must be waiting on someone or something to keep delaying. Or maybe they just took a closer look at side by side autographs. Kidding.

April 21st as of today.

quote:

Originally posted by STCardGeek:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

quote:

Originally posted by Raj:
Release date is 7 April now.

Must be waiting on someone or something to keep delaying. Or maybe they just took a closer look at side by side autographs. Kidding.

April 21st as of today.

Yes, I saw that - have they given a reason?

I imagine covid related. Card making is apparently affected as some of the companies are making PPE's. Heck, who knew there'd be a top loader shortage!

quote:

Originally posted by STCardGeek:
I imagine covid related. Card making is apparently affected as some of the companies are making PPE's. Heck, who knew there'd be a top loader shortage!

Top loader shortage? How many of their Picard cards could be going into top loaders with those gold seals? Wouldn't have thought it was that, but I doubt RA will even mention the subject of delays. They are great compared to UD.

Steve mentioned today that they base cards had a printing problem and will have to be re-printed. This is the reason for the 2 week push.

I imagine it's not just like, print it again tomorrow. More like get back in line, we're printing baseball today and basketball tomorrow.

Ed

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi Cards:
Steve mentioned today that they base cards had a printing problem and will have to be re-printed. This is the reason for the 2 week push.

Ed

He was reading Card Talk.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

quote:

Originally posted by STCardGeek:
I imagine covid related. Card making is apparently affected as some of the companies are making PPE's. Heck, who knew there'd be a top loader shortage!

Top loader shortage? How many of their Picard cards could be going into top loaders with those gold seals? Wouldn't have thought it was that, but I doubt RA will even mention the subject of delays. They are great compared to UD.

I was just mentioning the top loader shortage as an example of the weird ways covid affected things , not that every Picard card was going in a top loader. That'd be quite a thing, wouldn't it?

Hey Lynne. No, I didn't think there would be many Picard cards in top loaders at all. I just figured they might be waiting for a couple of more signers to send in their cards. I love pulling a card in a top loader because then at least RA thinks it's a good one.

I've been waiting for this one to arrive as you know. The cards look nice and I can get the show, but I haven't actually looked at it yet. Hopefully it will make it out the door on the 21st.

TNG has always been my favourite Trek show and I thought they did a great job with Picard.

I understand many viewers were not happy with how they ended the series (NO SPOILERS!) but I have to think those people can't have seen or been paying attention to TNG, it's themes or characters if they're that upset by it.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
TNG has always been my favourite Trek show and I thought they did a great job with Picard.

I understand many viewers were not happy with how they ended the series (NO SPOILERS!) but I have to think those people can't have seen or been paying attention to TNG, it's themes or characters if they're that upset by it.

I thought it was a superb series

quote:

Originally posted by hammer:

quote:

Originally posted by X:
TNG has always been my favourite Trek show and I thought they did a great job with Picard.

I understand many viewers were not happy with how they ended the series (NO SPOILERS!) but I have to think those people can't have seen or been paying attention to TNG, it's themes or characters if they're that upset by it.

I thought it was a superb series

Looking forward to the set. Best 1st season of any Trek spinoff. Really enjoyed it.

Season 2 teaser dropped today, btw.

Out tomorrow, hopefully

On the street. The Isa sigs are rolling upward.