Cryptozoic updated their website. Notably, they added Rick and Morty Season 3 Premium Packs (Not boxes).

quote:

KEY FEATURES
Premium packs with 3 Sketch Cards and 1 Autograph Card guaranteed
Randomly inserted "Final Cut" memorabilia cards
Cards feature images from fan-favorite Season 3 episodes like "Pickle Rick"

Also interesting is that this new entry also has the release date of 4Q2019, which means December.

I'm trying to shake down some more info on the set, and a price point. But seeing as this work week ends Wednesday, I'm not sure I'll have anything more until next week.

Going to be a tough sell since I still have Season 2 well in hand. But the premium format is interesting.

Ed

When cards for Rick and Morty first became advertised as a new Crypto title I didn't have the slightest idea what they were. Never heard of the thing. Then I saw other R&R merchandise at an FYE near me and read that the cable series was some kind of Gen Z favorite. OK, that leaves me out.

I heard that the initial series blew out with much of it selling in these chain retail stores that attract under thirties. CZE did make Season 2 cards, so it wasn't cut out for slow sales as some of their other titles were. So it must have been a success.

Now they are changing the format for Season 3 and I'm sorry that you still have inventory from Season 2. When card makers go to premium packs or complete sets in midstream it only means one thing to me. They can't sell it in traditional boxes/cases. They are trying to move it fast.

As a card title my own opinion is that few card collectors are interested, not because the cards aren't good, but because they don't watch it. They just don't know these people. As for the fad, even the Simpson cards petered out for lack of viewer interest, and you don't get animation better than that. Gen Z doesn't stick with anything very long because only things no one has heard of are wanted. Once word gets around, they find something else no one but them knows about.

As such, I would agree that this is going to be a hard sell, especially if your clients are mainly card collectors. Again its not because the cards are bad, I have seen some of those inscriptions autographs hit the top of sales lists in NSU. They look fine, somebody must be buying them. Just not from you and apparently not from CZE either or they wouldn't be trying this fast and furious move.

Curious to see the price point on this. . . I might be interested.

Didn't the same thing happen with Big Bang Theory ?

The first card set was HOT, and then as time went on, there was dwindling interest in the later sets...

Big Bang Theory cards were very successful. Their demise was, pretty much, the result of Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki refusing to sign anymore. Jim and Johnny signed for season 5, but no Kaley made it a tough sale. The addition of Leonard Nimoy helped, but no Kaley hurt. None of the big 3 signed for seasons 6/7. Not Crypto's fault really. If you can't get the big guys, it's tough to sell the cards.

As for Rick & Morty, here is what I posted on Blowout before they updated their product page for the actual details..

Here is an update from what I heard.
It might change, but I doubt it.
We shall see.

Season 1 sold really well.
Season 2, not so much. Tons of left-over product at distributors. Will probably be heavily discounted soon.
The license for R&M cards expires at the end of this year. Not sure if also true for the board games and other R&M products.
Decision was made to not renew the license since the cards (season 2) didn't sell so well.
Since it has been past practice to obtain autos/sketches/etc from actors/artists/etc for multiple seasons at once, Crypto has materials for season 3 in-house. Since the license expires at the end of the year, they legally have up until that time to have a product released before they are no longer allowed to release anything new. If they do get a product released, they then are allowed a 90 day period to sell everything, after which, they must destroy anything left in inventory- per terms of the licensing agreement.
So- what to expect...
A premium product format for season 3 items that are in-house. Probably an auto and 2 or 3 sketches packaged up like Orphan Black seasons 2 and 3 were. 12 packs per box with a few other hits like totally fabricated randomly inserted into a few packs per case. Not sure if they will be sold on Crypto's website exclusively or will be sold through distributor channels, but they will want to sell it somehow before they are no longer allowed to do so.

My advise- don't touch it at initial pricing. It will have a 90 day shelf life at Crypto before they are required to get rid of it any way they can. That means deeply discounted to usual sources. Those usual sources will not want to hold on to it for too long either, so will sell for almost what they paid, if not less, pretty quickly. Happens all the time. How hot was GoT Inflexions? BO had boxes for Wholesaler cost as a doorbuster last week. All you have to do is have a little patience and wait it out.

quote:

Originally posted by cubby5454:
Big Bang Theory cards were very successful. Their demise was, pretty much, the result of Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki refusing to sign anymore. Jim and Johnny signed for season 5, but no Kaley made it a tough sale. The addition of Leonard Nimoy helped, but no Kaley hurt. None of the big 3 signed for seasons 6/7. Not Crypto's fault really. If you can't get the big guys, it's tough to sell the cards.

I was just about to post the same thing about BBT. If Cuoco autos had continued to be in that product they would have killed it every release, in the good way. Even the later Parsons and Galecki signatures did not hold the value of the Season 1 cards. Card collectors and other hobby collectors had a natural link to that show and it was on a major network with a huge audience. CZE was very young when it scored BBT and, although I won't fault them, I can't help but think that if RA had the license, they would have gotten out one set or more for 12 years.

As for your analysis of R&R, it sounds about right to me.

One of my friends is in his late 50's and he told me I should be watching "Rick and Morty." He has bought cards too.

Yeah, well Gen Z sounds like the hipsters and some sci-fi fans of any generation. They stop liking things that go "too commercial" which just means they started selling well.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
When cards for Rick and Morty first became advertised as a new Crypto title I didn't have the slightest idea what they were. Never heard of the thing. Then I saw other R&R merchandise at an FYE near me and read that the cable series was some kind of Gen Z favorite. OK, that leaves me out.

I heard that the initial series blew out with much of it selling in these chain retail stores that attract under thirties. CZE did make Season 2 cards, so it wasn't cut out for slow sales as some of their other titles were. So it must have been a success.

Now they are changing the format for Season 3 and I'm sorry that you still have inventory from Season 2. When card makers go to premium packs or complete sets in midstream it only means one thing to me. They can't sell it in traditional boxes/cases. They are trying to move it fast.

As a card title my own opinion is that few card collectors are interested, not because the cards aren't good, but because they don't watch it. They just don't know these people. As for the fad, even the Simpson cards petered out for lack of viewer interest, and you don't get animation better than that. Gen Z doesn't stick with anything very long because only things no one has heard of are wanted. Once word gets around, they find something else no one but them knows about.

As such, I would agree that this is going to be a hard sell, especially if your clients are mainly card collectors. Again its not because the cards are bad, I have seen some of those inscriptions autographs hit the top of sales lists in NSU. They look fine, somebody must be buying them. Just not from you and apparently not from CZE either or they wouldn't be trying this fast and furious move.

It appears this will be a direct sale item from CZE, not dealers. Much like the Orphan Black premium packs were.

So check their website if you're interested. I'm not sure how many of these there really will be. There appears to be only 6 autos, and some of those may be short prints as well.

Ed

Aren't all those signers just repeats from the previous sets?

These are live and for sale on Crypto's site. $75 a pack for 3 sketches and an auto. If you buy 10 packs they come in a sealed box with a guaranteed "Final Cut" memorabilia card featuring an authentic piece of Justin Roiland's personal copy of the script for the episode "Rickmancing the Stone" (300 made total). There's also a 1/1 redemption card for a "Rickmancing the Stone" script page signed by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland. There are 11 signers total. Here's the signer list:

Autograph Signers:

•Justin Roiland as Pickle Rick
•Sarah Chalke as Beth Smith, C-137 Beth, Young Beth
•Spencer Grammer as Summer Smith, C-137 Beth
•Chris Parnell as Jerry Smith, C-137 Jerry
•Keith David as The President
•Tara Strong as Presidentress of the Mega Gargantuans, Stacy
•Tom Kenny as Conroy, Gene, Million Ants, Secret Service Agent, Secretary of the Interior, Shnoopy Bloopers, Tour Guide
•Ryan Ridley as Assassin, Alien Waiter, Customs Alien, Slave Owner
•Maurice LaMarche as Crocubot, Federation President, Gordon Lunas, Waiter
•Kari Wahlgren as Diane Sanchez, Jessica
•Brandon Johnson as Mr. Goldenfold

And here's the pdf checklist:

https://www.cryptozoic.com/sit..._s3_webchecklist.pdf

The autograph list grew to huge.

34 different cards

Serial numbering makes 2113 total autos.

So probably near 2000 packs, if they have that many sketches.

That's a LOT of year-end product.

Ed

The base sets and regular chase were very well done for the first two seasons, so it's a shame there'll be none of that this time around.

Bigger picture, if a TV property as popular as "Rick & Morty" can't sustain a card line, going forward, it's hard to imagine any other that could.

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
Bigger picture, if a TV property as popular as "Rick & Morty" can't sustain a card line, going forward, it's hard to imagine any other that could.

Before the card set was announced I never heard of Rick & Morty. When I googled the show, it wasn't anything I'd be interested in. As I look down the large checklist, the only names I even recognize are Sarah Chalke and Keith David.

While I am certainly not an authority on what people are watching, saying that if Rick & Morty cards failed no other show stands a chance as a card franchise seems pretty much confined to the walls of the Rick & Morty fan club, if there is one.

This was a niche title at best and it was risky as a card license from the start. You have to understand that even show fans won't necessarily buy the trading cards if they don't have a taste for cards. And card collectors won't buy them unless they watch and like the property. There is just too many products and too little money to spread around these days for collectors to randomly try new entertainment titles when they have no knowledge of the subject. That's what happened here and I wouldn't take it as a sign of anything more than that. The cards may be great, but it always come down to the demand. Without demand nothing else matters.

To be honest, I doubt it's so much to do with popularity of the property - after all, most people do appreciate that Rick & Morty is, somehow, one of the most popular things on TV, especially in America. It's a guarantee as large a chunk of the card-buying market watches Rick & Morty as any other TV show getting a set right now, so the opportunity for interest within the field is as good as anything else. It's just that card sets of animations don't do well. They never have. Entertainment card collectors just aren't that bothered about collecting the autographs of voice actors. And they all know their autograph cards aren't going to be worth much - so there's no return on investment either. As likely as it is with all sets these days that the contents of boxes/packs aren't going to be worth the price paid, it's a stone cold certainty with this.

The biggest failure here is the autograph lists only really include regular cast members (which they have to), but none of the name guest stars. The list of people to cameo in R&M over four seasons is already starting to get up there with The Simpsons and Family Guy, but none of them have signed. There would be far more interest in buying packs if there was the chance of pulling a Gary Cole, Stephen Colbert, Nathan Fillion, Susan Serandon, Christian Slater, Liam Cunningham, Alfred Molina, Jermaine Clement, etc.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ravenheart,

quote:

Originally posted by ravenheart:
To be honest, I doubt it's not so much to do with popularity - after all, most people do appreciate that Rick & Morty is, somehow, one of the most popular things on TV, especially in America. It's just that card sets of animations don't do well. They never have.

Yeah, that's a good point about animation shows in general. If its a celebrity autograph you want, most people would rather not have it on a picture of a drawn character, unless the person is known solely for that character. The Simpson didn't even make it that far on cards considering the number of seasons.

However I do not know and have never heard that Rick and Morty is one of the most popular things on TV in America. If it weren't for Card Talk, I probably would still be ignorant of it. These "popular" things depend very much on who you are talking to at any given time.

I must admit, I never heard of Rick and Morty either until the announcement of the card set. And when I read around online about how popular it is I was surprised that I had never heard of it before. But then again, it's not in my sphere of anything I would ever watch or pay attention to. I don't watch "Adult Swim" or Cartoon Network at all. And I still haven't watched a second of Rick and Morty.

Add me to the list of people not familiar with Rick and Morty before the card set. . .

There are MANY more factors to a card set's popularity than the number of people who watch it.

I personally am shocked to see how much Justin Roiland autographs are selling for. I guarantee you that no one I know will know who Justin Roiland is if I mention his name to them, yet he's selling for more than tons of people who are much more famous. Clearly Rick and Morty fans are driving those prices . . .

It wouldn't surprise me if over a long period of time the Rick and Morty cards dry up as fans can absorb all that were produced -- for a long time Simpson's sketches were cheap. . .

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
There are MANY more factors to a card set's popularity than the number of people who watch it.

Actually I can think of only two other factors besides buying the cards because you watch and like the show, which of course is not really what happens at all because most loyal viewers still won't buy the cards. Imagine if all Walking Dead and Game of Thrones loyal viewers ran out to buy the cards just as an example. There would be no WD and GoT cards on eBay.

But as a second factor, you could say that card collectors might buy an unknown title or a title they don't actually like simply because the cards were really well made and they like what's in the product. This used to be a good reason when box prices were under $70. Not so much anymore. Collectors may pick up a few individual hits, but the increased cost prohibits random, non-focused spending. I should know, random card purchases used to be a weekly occurrence for me. Now I can go for months without picking up any boxes and save up only for the entertainment titles I am watching or have watched.

The third and last factor is simply buying with the idea of selling, either flipping everything or as a way to finance a collection by selling some cards. This is following a completely different agenda because full time or part time dealers or flippers are gaming the market to see what they think others will buy, while not being interested in the products themselves. In that respect someone who has never heard of something like Rick and Morty might buy cases if they thought they can make a good profit either on the breaks or by moving sealed product.

So to me, in short, card buyers either follow the card's title, like the cards content at the price, or think they can make money on it. In the end all cards have to wind up with someone who wants them for what they are. Cards.

Specifically the demand must be for the cards, which may not be the same thing as the show's popularity, however I have found that the difference goes only one way. I can think of a number of good titles that did not translate into successful card products. I can also think of a few bad shows and lousy movies that had pretty nice sets that were much better than the subject. Yet they never became successful card products either. So there is no demand unless there is sufficient popularity, but popularity still doesn't guarantee card demand. Is it any wonder that everything is being driven now by star autograph cards first and everything else second?

I think there are a number of sets that are more popular on cards than many people who aren't collectors would expect.

For example Twin Peaks.

My card collection includes numerous card sets whereby I have not seen and/or read the TV or Film or Comic Strip therein depicted and incidently does include a Twin Peaks set from 1991. I still have not seen the program. I do watch television which does include programs made in North America most of which have never had cards issued.