Gemma Whelan inscription cards have just been added to the bottom of the checklist.

At this time I would like to formally take credit for reminding RA that her autograph cards are in their product (see last post).

Initial look at ebay prices for dealer breaks thus far show some very average autographs at some very high prices as dealers try to claw back the money they spent on the Emilia Clarke lottery.

I suddenly feel very uninterested in this set with prices as they are.

It's because of the abundance of inscription autographs. One inscription is guaranteed in every box this time and sellers are trying to move the common and lower mid-range names between $30 - $60 right now, which is way too much a premium for the quality of most inscriptions. But I'm happy about it because there is going to be a surplus of these autograph cards on the market for years to come, especially since Iron II is likely to double the number from Iron I.

Game of Thrones card collectors will be able to find who and what they want, at the prices they want, for everyone except Clarke and a few top tiered others on specific cards.

My boxes are still arriving. I had to pick up a couple, but I want to see the seal. I still can't find where anyone says for sure how many boxes were made. I think its a lot.

18000 boxes

quote:

Originally posted by ctacker:
18000 boxes

Yikes, I did see that number estimated, but I thought it was too much. That's 36,000 autographs at minimum, half of which are inscriptions, not counting any extra hits and Iron II will be at least as large. Years to come.

Wow, 18,000 is quite a number.

Have RA ever done a print run as high as that?

Looks like RA are making bank on the Emilia Clarke hype. Saw a post in a facebook group that a breaker didn't hit one of her autos in 40 cases...

I honestly don't get it though. We've seen the premiums that come with 'attractive actress' auto cards, like Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek etc. and even though none of them ahave ever been on my radar, I understand the Clarke cards even less. A very 'normal' looking person IMO and is not a great actress at all.
I truly scratch my head at people paying a couple thousand dollars for her first two GOT autos. Some lunatic has one graded on eBay for $125,000.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
Some lunatic has one graded on eBay for $125,000.

So now tell us what you really think?

No, I could be wrong, but I think 9,000 or maybe 12,000 may have been tops. No more than that and certainly not near 18,000.

We agree on Clarke personally, but in this title she is the single most essential autograph and she has been limited, so her cuts and auto cards will hold long term value. I'm not even sure that some other lunatic might not come along and pay $125,000 if its a gem mint 10 or Black Label. I mean I've basically given up trying to find common sense in certain portions of this card market, so why not?

One thing seems likely just going by the moaning coming from the early breakers on Blowout, some bulk buyers are not finding what they need to cover costs. Win a Clarke or Die, may be the motto here.

For those keeping track, Kerr Logan has been added to the inscriptions checklist.

As far as that speculative $125,000 card, I suppose a fool and their money are easily parted. Or a ridiculously rich person, who buys it just because they can.
If I see graded cards I scroll on by(same with GSP too)...they know what they can do with their ugly lump of plastic. I couldn't give a flying duck if a card is supposedly a 7, or 8.5 or 10 or whatever, it's all in someone else's opinion, however experienced or licensed they're supposed to be. I'd rather go without a card than buy into that ghastly culture in card collecting.

And the growing inscription list for this set is daft. Still don't really understand why the boxes were more expensive when they're far from being more rare in content or different, with the same zero chances of pulling a really good "scarce" and in fact much more likely to get dross. Looking at some of the breaks, just really glad I didn't go for any boxes at all, and will only pick up those three new signers at some point. It's not like I need any more base and chase cards with images from the show, especially owning most of the behind the scenes books in full glossy colour pages.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

One thing seems likely just going by the moaning coming from the early breakers on Blowout, some bulk buyers are not finding what they need to cover costs. Win a Clarke or Die, may be the motto here.

As I suggested earlier in the thread. This set has basically been the Clarke Autograph lottery. Dealers are looking for stupid prices for average cards. I have picked off a couple with a decent price but I think this set will be a big loss for the dealers which makes Series 2 an interesting prospect.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

quote:

Originally posted by X:
Some lunatic has one graded on eBay for $125,000.

So now tell us what you really think?

I forgot to say I think her signature is appalling as well.

quote:

Originally posted by gmmk1964:

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

One thing seems likely just going by the moaning coming from the early breakers on Blowout, some bulk buyers are not finding what they need to cover costs. Win a Clarke or Die, may be the motto here.

As I suggested earlier in the thread. This set has basically been the Clarke Autograph lottery. Dealers are looking for stupid prices for average cards. I have picked off a couple with a decent price but I think this set will be a big loss for the dealers which makes Series 2 an interesting prospect.

Oh they'll do the same thing again and RA knows it. This is half a set, so if you bought into it, you almost have to get Iron 2 or what do have? Collectors like me will lay back, but I'm still in for 2 boxes just because I have done all the others and it is the Clarke lottery so you take a chance. The bulk buyers will still sell it out, all 18000 more boxes probably.

Iron 2 will have Kit and like I said, Clarke's big duals are all missing. So either they will all show up or they just don't exist. That plus a few other decent actors that are missing in inscriptions and other random designs will be enough to sell Iron 2 even to the ones who don't do well here.

But I think that would be it. I mean sure there is the potential for Women of GoT, Men of GoT, Heroes and Villains of Got, Art & Images of Got, all those snappy titles. But can you really see it after we have so much. At some point even the habitually obsessed collector gives it up and the sellers will quit as soon as they lose money twice in a row. Which makes after Iron 2 the make or break time to me.

Opened my first case. Four number 19 for the base set and no cards from 10 to 18. Were these printed? Have had serious eye problems for the past year but can see most of the numbers on the back of the cards. Maybe it’s just me.

quote:

Originally posted by non-sportcards:
Opened my first case. Four number 19 for the base set and no cards from 10 to 18. Were these printed?

No, not for Iron 1, they will come out in Iron 2. You will find many numerical gaps, as this is half of a base set. Gaps are in consecutive nine numbered cards that are alternately skipped for each character. Consult RA's checklist to see which characters are included in this portion of the base set.

Yeah, I know, it was a surprise to me too.

quote:

Originally posted by X:
Wow, 18,000 is quite a number.

Have RA ever done a print run as high as that?

Looks like RA are making bank on the Emilia Clarke hype. Saw a post in a facebook group that a breaker didn't hit one of her autos in 40 cases...

I honestly don't get it though. We've seen the premiums that come with 'attractive actress' auto cards, like Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek etc. and even though none of them ahave ever been on my radar, I understand the Clarke cards even less. A very 'normal' looking person IMO and is not a great actress at all.
I truly scratch my head at people paying a couple thousand dollars for her first two GOT autos. Some lunatic has one graded on eBay for $125,000.

Clarke's also got the Marvel hype working for her with an announced role in the upcoming "Secret Invasion" series and is herself co-writing a comic book series due to release in a month or so. She's definitely striking while the iron is hot.

My 2 boxes are in the break section. Got absolutely hosed on one and the other was not that good, but average. I didn't mind the second set of inscriptions Should have stayed away, but hope springs eternal. Now I will be content to hunt. Tried to describe the cards a bit, since images are not up yet. Two boxes will leave you 19 cards short of the base set half portion, just so you know.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
But I think that would be it. I mean sure there is the potential for Women of GoT, Men of GoT, Heroes and Villains of Got, Art & Images of Got, all those snappy titles. But can you really see it after we have so much. At some point even the habitually obsessed collector gives it up and the sellers will quit as soon as they lose money twice in a row. Which makes after Iron 2 the make or break time to me.

Maybe they’re just trying to keep it going until they can roll out sets based on the spinoff series (which I won’t be buying, or even watching, until it’s over and only if ends well).

Yeah, after the near universal disdain for how the show ended, I'm surprised anyone bought Season 8, let alone the sets that followed.

For my own part, I didn't think it ended badly, but hoo boy, so many missed opportunities to make good on the promise of the material from the first 7 seasons. I actually bought an Archive Box of Season 8 to keep my autograph set current, and did OK recouping some costs thanks to the then-novelty of the inscription cards, but I knew I was out of the GoT sealed product game pretty much the second I finished ripping those loaded packs. I don't think I'll ever be regretting that decision.

That said, we all saw what happened to the 258West Emilias after Clarke became so reticent to sigm after hitting it big. For those intending to collect the spin-off/prequel cards, if any, I highly recommend getting now whatever autograph cards that already exist for the announced stars of the upcoming Targaryen show, particularly the female characters. You may well end up sellihg them directly to RA for a pretty penny someday so they can chop them up and mount them in their generally poorly designed series of GoT cuts.

I absolutely HATED how Game of Thrones ended. Not just in the who gets to be King department, but also how badly every personal pairing was lost, except for Sam and Gilly. And how inglorious the deaths of Daenerys, Jaime and Cersei were, not to mention what a dope they made out of the whole Jon Snow character. I won't be starting any related shows, in any eras.

However I am an autograph collector and I had the cards. It isn't in my nature to give them up after so long, so of course I had to continue.

I think Iron 1 & 2 is my finish line though, no matter what RA does. However I think there are signs that they may not be holding these licenses anymore. I have no information, just a feeling. The print run of 18,000 boxes, with probably another 18,000 to follow in only 4 or 5 months is enormous. What can be left unreleased in the vault? The inscriptions have to cost more money to acquire, but it doesn't mean value to collectors unless its a good line and a decent autograph. Also RA has made a huge commitment to Doctor Who and will still be cranking out Star Trek shows, with maybe Umbrella Academy, Twilight Zone and Twin Peaks.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything gets announced after Iron 2 drops. Spin off shows could even go to other card makers, if they want to pony up more, but I'm not in regardless.

Game of Thrones ended?

The main problem I have with the ending of Game of Thrones is that it was so rushed. I could live the fates of the characters even if I didn't agree with them, but I've never seen a show end in such a rushed way before. It felt rushed as I was watching it. In early seasons it would take characters several episodes to go from point X to point Y, but in the final season it would take them 5 minutes. And a death and it's impact in the earlier seasons would again be spread across several episodes, but near the end you have several major characters' deaths in a single episode that were just glossed over. The showrunners wanted out and they just ruined the end of that show to me. And it was such a great show up until that point.