Cryptozoic News

July 14, 2026, 02:04 PM

Raven

Cryptozoic News

quote:
Originally posted by David R:
Each super-premium CZX® box contains 11 exclusive oversized cards, including either an Autograph Card signed by one or more stars from the Jurassic Park franchise or a one-of-a-kind Sketch Card. Every box also includes nine oversized Base Cards and one oversized DINO PWR Card

I don't know if card makers are ever card collectors themselves or if they ever consult anyone who is before designing product. It has been my experience that very, very few card collectors like oversized cards. If they want bigger than the standard card size or shape for an autograph, the 8x10 photo becomes the instrument of choice.

Oversized cards, be it the tall boys or the squarer 5 x 9s, vertical or horizontal, have to be stored differently and stand out like a sore thumb in a collection. To make base cards oversized is really pointless. Every time a card maker has altered the standard card size in a release, it was for one time and not again. Even when Donruss made 8x10 cards, they didn't sell well enough to do again. Why doesn't anybody ever pay attention to what buyers want?

July 14, 2026, 04:00 PM

chesspieceface

The "tall boy" cards have worked well when the set really called for them, some examples being the Coca Cola billboard signs set from Collect-A-Card and the various Topps Star Wars Widevision sets in particular, as they allowed for the first time full width images from the films on a trading card. I also like those larger than normal Movie Poster cards Breygent made. All of these cards look great in binders once you can find the right kind of pages to hold them, but yeah, they should probably all just stick to the standard size.

July 14, 2026, 04:50 PM

Raven

Yes, those Breygent Movie Poster cards are a definite exception where the oversize concept really worked for the product. I picked up a few of the signed ones.

Breygent was so good at making the thick, weird relic cards and changing ink colors and using multiple material swatches. They really were not just inventive for the sake of being different, but for improving card designs. A lot of their ideas got copied by others but not done as well.

July 14, 2026, 04:54 PM

catskilleagle

Right, there are collectors who don't want oversized promos even when they are new and free. The funny thing is some of them become somewhat valuable later because collectors rediscover them years later after they've become hard-to-find.

quote:
Originally posted by Raven:
quote:
Originally posted by David R:
Each super-premium CZX® box contains 11 exclusive oversized cards, including either an Autograph Card signed by one or more stars from the Jurassic Park franchise or a one-of-a-kind Sketch Card. Every box also includes nine oversized Base Cards and one oversized DINO PWR Card

I don't know if card makers are ever card collectors themselves or if they ever consult anyone who is before designing product. It has been my experience that very, very few card collectors like oversized cards. If they want bigger than the standard card size or shape for an autograph, the 8x10 photo becomes the instrument of choice.

Oversized cards, be it the tall boys or the squarer 5 x 9s, vertical or horizontal, have to be stored differently and stand out like a sore thumb in a collection. To make base cards oversized is really pointless. Every time a card maker has altered the standard card size in a release, it was for one time and not again. Even when Donruss made 8x10 cards, they didn't sell well enough to do again. Why doesn't anybody ever pay attention to what buyers want?

July 14, 2026, 05:10 PM

catskilleagle

Yes, the original Star Wars Widevision cards got me back into collecting cards in late '94/early '95. They were so cool-looking at the new size.

I like those Empire Strikes Back Widevision movie posters that were 4 x 6 inches and 1 per box.

Those Coors Nature Series promos look great in the larger size too (promoted large barroom-type mirrors that Coors sold on its website in the mid-90's when websites were a new thing). Three of them were 4 x 6 and the other three were 4 x 5 1/2. They fit easy in 4-pocket pages.

quote:
Originally posted by chesspieceface:
The "tall boy" cards have worked well when the set really called for them, some examples being the Coca Cola billboard signs set from Collect-A-Card and the various Topps Star Wars Widevision sets in particular, as they allowed for the first time full width images from the films on a trading card. I also like those larger than normal Movie Poster cards Breygent made. All of these cards look great in binders once you can find the right kind of pages to hold them, but yeah, they should probably all just stick to the standard size.

July 15, 2026, 11:21 AM

Ted Dastick Jr.

quote:
Originally posted by Raven:
quote:
Originally posted by David R:
Each super-premium CZX® box contains 11 exclusive oversized cards, including either an Autograph Card signed by one or more stars from the Jurassic Park franchise or a one-of-a-kind Sketch Card. Every box also includes nine oversized Base Cards and one oversized DINO PWR Card

I don't know if card makers are ever card collectors themselves or if they ever consult anyone who is before designing product. It has been my experience that very, very few card collectors like oversized cards. If they want bigger than the standard card size or shape for an autograph, the 8x10 photo becomes the instrument of choice.

Oversized cards, be it the tall boys or the squarer 5 x 9s, vertical or horizontal, have to be stored differently and stand out like a sore thumb in a collection. To make base cards oversized is really pointless. Every time a card maker has altered the standard card size in a release, it was for one time and not again. Even when Donruss made 8x10 cards, they didn't sell well enough to do again. Why doesn't anybody ever pay attention to what buyers want?

I made a limited 3.5"x5" oversized version of my Jersey Devil set because:

1. I like oversized cards
2. You can see more detail in the art

If you store your cards in binders they make 4-pocket pages that are the same size as standard 9-pocket.

If I were going to SDCC I'd be more excited about these oversized cards than the regular ones. I know I'm in the minority. I will say I sold out of the JD sets on the first day of the last Philly Show I set up at, so there are at least 13 other people who think like me.

July 15, 2026, 02:49 PM

David R

More new stuff at SDCC:

Rediscover the unimaginable night lives of four vampires living together in Staten Island through the What We Do in the Shadows Trading Cards Seasons 1-2: Convention Preview Box, created exclusively for San Diego Comic-Con 2026.

Each convention preview box contains 11 cards, including one Autograph Card signed by Harvey Guillén, Kayvan Novak, or both. Every box also includes nine oversized Base Cards and one exclusive Wardrobe Card.