Wow! Some big names in this one! Still the metal garbage to give collectors some of the ugliest cards on the planet.

http://www.blowoutcards.net/im...21lfpopcenturyNS.pdf

Damn, I love this stuff, ugly or not, as long as the autographs are genuine, but I'm going to tell you my problem.

Before card collectors bought hodge-podge sets like Americana and Pop Century with the expectation that you would probably get some cheap signer who you had no interest in, but you COULD BE LUCKY and pull some signer you wanted and/or had bigger value.

Now card collectors have to buy 2021 Pop Century with the expectation that YOU MUST pull some signer you wanted and or/has a bigger value because you have already paid for that in the cost of the blind box. Only your odds of actually getting that autograph are probably no better than in previous products that cost way less.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to see more Pop Century signatures hit the market and get into collector hands eventually. What I am lamenting is the fact that I want to try MY LUCK and bust Pop Century boxes for myself like I used to, but I won't. I'll just look for single cards at good prices, which isn't as much fun as opening a pack of cards and finding a good one, or even laughing at the junk ones you get, but I can't afford to pay good money for something good and not get it.

The price of the big hit can't be taken upfront when its not promised to be there and probably won't be there. You can say the same thing about any of the titles with $100 and over boxes, but Pop Century especially offers surprises because of its variety and it should be experienced as pack and box breakers just for the anticipation. Alas I will not be doing that, but I want to.

Just checked, looks to be around $250 a box.

Definitely some cards I'll chase. Looks like quite a few cut signatures this year taking advantage of a lot of celebs selling signed books and CDs while they were stuck at home. Not sure how I feel about that. . .

I still really wish they would go back to the non-metal cards.

I hope they don't keep that Heartbreakers design. All of their breasts look like red Micky Mouse ears.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
I hope they don't keep that Heartbreakers design. All of their breasts look like red Micky Mouse ears.

Yeah, the Stunning Starlets design is also terrible, as is Keeping It Real.

I don't even know what "Keeping it Real" is supposed to mean. Are those supposed to be candid shots or something?

All of the Pop Century card designs are pretty bad, but its more than that. Some of the pictures are unflattering themselves, many just private candid shots, and the way they get cut to fit makes it even worse. It was much more OK when Pop Century signatures were a cheap alternative to those in better titles.

However its all about the autographs and I don't like cuts of living people who sign or can sign regularly. It adds the element of third party authentication on cuts from items that may have no supporting verification. The signer is not under contract to guarantee anything, so the sole authentication lies within the card maker's process of getting it approved by someone before they stick it on the card. More problems can arise from "cuts" taken from items that may or may not be too sellable on their own, than from on-card or even sticker autographs that are commissioned directly from the signer. I think its fair to say that much.

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

Seems to be coming out at a little over $200 a box, 4 hits (autographs or relics) per box, no base cards.

So in practical terms, if you think every hit can clear $50, that would be enough value. Now its a slog for the relics, because swatch cards don't have the high demand anymore, even with any manufactured numbering rarity. Any relic may not clear the bar.

You have to get at least 3 autographs, half and half could be a problem. Any no name celebrity autograph also won't clear the bar. They can't put all the pressure on pulling one big autograph and if they do, it has to a be a really big autograph that everyone wants.

This is one of those products that by the time you find out if boxes are worth buying through the breaks of others, it will be too late to get a box if its good and a big regret if you ordered and it isn't good.

This is going to be my annual case purchase. I have never purchased Pop Century new product before so I figure why not?

Getting it for a bit cheaper from a dealer friend but still not what I would call a comfortable purchase.

I will either hit it big time or once again learn my lesson.

Will post the break either way.

You have more guts than I do, I'm agonizing over a box.

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
I hope they don't keep that Heartbreakers design. All of their breasts look like red Micky Mouse ears.

Yeah, the Stunning Starlets design is also terrible, as is Keeping It Real.

I don't even know what "Keeping it Real" is supposed to mean. Are those supposed to be candid shots or something?

That subset refers to stars of reality television, in as much as they are stars.

Good luck with your case, mykdude.
It's a bold play.

Good luck.

I went to a local amusement park Friday night. It was $25 to park, $10 for a bucket of popcorn, $14 for a 3-item plate at Panda Express, $10 to play the basketball toss game with the best prize being a rather small stuffed animal, and $15 for a funnel cake (my admission was covered by my brother so I don't know what that was - probably at least $25). It seems you have to pay up to have any kind of fun these days.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
This is going to be my annual case purchase. I have never purchased Pop Century new product before so I figure why not?

Getting it for a bit cheaper from a dealer friend but still not what I would call a comfortable purchase.

I will either hit it big time or once again learn my lesson.

Will post the break either way.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
You have more guts than I do, I'm agonizing over a box.

Of course this case is also my annual box purchase too. Last case I bought was the first Mandalorian and I made out pretty good. Which means I am probably pushing my luck.

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Good luck.

I went to a local amusement park Friday night. It was $25 to park, $10 for a bucket of popcorn, $14 for a 3-item plate at Panda Express, $10 to play the basketball toss game with the best prize being a rather small stuffed animal, and $15 for a funnel cake (my admission was covered by my brother so I don't know what that was - probably at least $25). It seems you have to pay up to have any kind of fun these days.

Absolutely! Not to get off topic but I have been toying with the idea of spending the first half of 2022 living like I normally do and tracking all my spending. Then the second half being as cheap as I possibly can. Paying close attention to the low price siphon method so many businesses use to separate us from our money. The government has been doing it for decades but I also want to track exactly how much I pay in various taxes. Since ebay has added tax some of my final purchase prices gave me a bit of a shock.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
Absolutely! Not to get off topic but I have been toying with the idea of spending the first half of 2022 living like I normally do and tracking all my spending. Then the second half being as cheap as I possibly can. Paying close attention to the low price siphon method so many businesses use to separate us from our money. The government has been doing it for decades but I also want to track exactly how much I pay in various taxes. Since ebay has added tax some of my final purchase prices gave me a bit of a shock.

Prices on a lot of things are giving me a shock lately. . .

And they are talking about raising taxes on top of the inflation. Sheesh.

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:

Prices on a lot of things are giving me a shock lately. . .

And they are talking about raising taxes on top of the inflation. Sheesh.

Awww cmon! The super rich are going to pay for EVERYTHING. That's what "they" said.

Of course, if I was the super rich I might have other plans.

Look on the bright side, maybe the card bubble will bust and we all can afford it again.....someday.

One other thing I think you can be certain about, is that several of those big name signatures will not look half as good in reality, as these mock-ups look.

Keifer Sutherland and Ben Affleck, for instance, will definitely not sign such neat, legible autographs on the real stickers.

I'd say that Orlando Bloom is legit though... he makes absolutely no effort with his signature anymore. Even when he's being paid silly amounts for personal signings. The days of those great signatures of his on the old Topps Lord of The Rings cards are long gone.

quote:

Originally posted by ravenheart:
One other thing I think you can be certain about, is that several of those big name signatures will not look half as good in reality, as these mock-ups look.

Keifer Sutherland and Ben Affleck, for instance, will definitely not sign such neat, legible autographs on the real stickers.

Absolutely! I have one of the few legible Affleck sigs from the old Daredevil set. His stuff is so all over the place I don't know how he can be authenticated. Keifer has a nice signature if he decides to use it. His normal sig is high like JDM and will most likely go off the sticker or look like **** trying to make it fit.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
Absolutely! I have one of the few legible Affleck sigs from the old Daredevil set. His stuff is so all over the place I don't know how he can be authenticated.

Affleck is a wise guy and I really believe he does it on purpose. Consecutive signatures in private signings will be radically different from each other. The only way you can authenticate anything with him is if its witnessed at signing. A third party authenticator would be rejecting as many genuine signatures as he would be approving the fakes. No one can tell good from bad on Affleck and I think he wants it that way.

Release bumped out to November

That hurts because it runs straight into GoT Iron 2, but on the other hand its easier to rationalize a Xmas present for yourself.

I'm not going to order, but if I just find them laying there I think I MUST try one.