I wasn't aware of this one, but here it is.

I wonder if this is only a Kickstarter, or will there be a retail version, as well ?

https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...t&term=Bettie%20Page

And it has 3 promo cards

You need to pledge $ 10 to get the FIRST one

$ 170 to get the SECOND and $ 220 to get the THIRD promo !

At $1000 a box i think this is one kickstarter that will not be happening.

The Kickstarter has 7 days to go, and it seems to be only 1/2 way there

Doesn't seem like it will be funded

David R emailed me about his today. I assume Versicolor did okay with the two Bettie Page sets they did but are there enough big fans who are also card collectors and have the money to go big with a set like this? I know about her but my pinup favorites were in the late 70's-80's.

It's true she has fans of all ages but Dynamite is probably getting the message that they're aiming at a shrinking target.

This is confusing, as it says that backers get certain items "not available in the retail packs"

So is this going to be like those Topps Mars Attacks Kickstarters from awhile back, where dealers are able to purchase these separate from the Kickstarter ?

And if this Kickstarter fails, will these cards still be available from dealers ? I do not know.

As far as I can tell they are calling this crowd funding for an "upgrade in packaging", not that there won't be any cards, retail or hobby, without hitting the goal. Not sure how a better package matters.

Anyway the two prior sets were nice and some of the sketch cards were really good. I don't think I ever saw an awful sketch from Bettie Page packs, so they did seem to have a standard of quality missing from some other manufacturers in the past.

And if you are going in at $1,000 a box, you should probably take the next one at $1,395 and get 2 boxes. As Alexander Dane said in Galaxy Quest, "By Grabthar's hammer . . . . what a savings!"

If I read this correctly, some or all of the 3 promo cards (the ones you have to pledge $ 10, 170 and 220 to get) will not be available in the retail packs, just through the Kickstarter

So what does this mean ? Are these 3 promos out there already, having been sent to dealers ?

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
And if you are going in at $1,000 a box, you should probably take the next one at $1,395 and get 2 boxes. As Alexander Dane said in Galaxy Quest, "By Grabthar's hammer . . . . what a savings!"

If the box is all you want. For the $1,000 you also get other stuff, including a resin statue which by normal market standards will be worth over $100, possibly as much as $200 depending on the size. You don't get that in the two box deal. You also don't get the graphic novel (there's a Bettie Paige graphic novel?). You actually need to go to $1,600 to get two boxes and all the other stuff.

But the two-box deal upgrades the four-panel sketch puzzle to a six-panel one. So yes, for someone who wants to spend that much on this, and is only interested in the cards, not the other stuff, that is the best deal.

It's all still nuts for something that's already been done to a good standard. The new sketches really don't look that different to the old ones.

Here's the real head-scratcher though: the price difference between the three-box offerings is $2,800. The content difference is "a set of printing plates"

I emailed Dynamite about the 3 promos offered and they said that they are ONLY available through this Kickstarter as an incentive to people who pledge, and that they will never be available anywhere else.

I asked them what if the Kickstarter is not funded, and the person said that they are confident that it WILL be.

6 days left to go, and they need $ 2,000 more. I think they are being overly optimistic !

That is only two box buyers, at these prices.

Apparently a set of printing plates is worth more than that.

For the record, every Kickstarter sketch set so far has been like this.

Promos are exclusive to the Kickstarter, but retailers like myself can purchase product at wholesale to sell.

Kickstarter fulfillment normally is done first, then shipping wholesale orders.

Retailers CANNOT get the promos unless they buy from the kickstarter at the listed prices.

And, unless something has changed with this set RRP is around $69 a pack and $750 a box when released to retailers.

Ed

I don't understand the Jerry Lawler connection -- I watched the video and apparently the connection is that they are both from Tennessee? Is Lawler a draw for collectors?

I saw that they had signatures and I was excited, hoping for more Bettie cuts like Leaf did, but not so much.

Looks like it reached its goal, so these cards will be produced.

Still, I think $ 170 and 220 is too much to pledge to get the 3 promo cards

For $ 10, you just get promo card #1.

I'm amazed this reached it's goal. I'm sure the cards are nice but the price?? wow.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:
I'm amazed this reached it's goal. I'm sure the cards are nice but the price?? wow.

It's actually comparable in price to the Versicolor set released a few years ago. That was around $35 a pack with one sketch and this is around $73 a pack with two sketches if you buy 3 packs.

I am more surprised it was funded because of the Versicolor set which covered everything very well . I can only think this is catering to superfans and collectors who never got the Versicolor set.

Suddenly, the pledges are up to $ 8,500 plus.

Too bad the promos are out of reach for most, including me. Unless you want to spend $ 220

I think that it is great that a company produces exclusives to something and actually keeps them exclusive.

Tommy C -- would you care so much about the cost of these cards if they were called 'Kickstarter Insert #1, #2 and #3'?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tommy C:

Too bad the promos are out of reach for most, including me. Unless you want to spend $ 220

/QUOTE]

You could also ask how they can be promo cards as they were never released to promote the set, the promotion was done online in the kickstarter.

No, I would not collect them if they were not marked "promo."

There really are some extreme examples of cards labeled "promos" in recent years. I can think of 2 horror stories that come to mind

1) That Mars Attacks Kickstarter which had a promo P2 in the limited edition binder, that you had to pledge $ 750 to get. The P2 has since popped up frequently on ebay, but for big bucks

2) Going back further, the UK company Futera had a "Red Dwarf" binder limited to only a few hundred. Each sealed binder had 1 of 7 different cards inside, which (going from memory) were promo versions of 7 diff auto cards, actually marked PROMO. To frustrate matters, you didn't know which of the 7 promos were in the binder until you bought it and opened it up. Second, not all 7 were made in equal amounts, that is, some were more plentiful that others. I think that at least 1 of the 7 promos was limited to 10 or less.