2024 Masterpieces Monster Edition
 

Looks like a new set coming in the Masterpieces line, looks interesting!

[url]https://gogts.net/2024-skybox-masterpieces-monster-edition-trading-cards/[/url]

Huh. I'm not sure what to think. Nor do I know whether there's a market for this sort of set, particularly if it has a high price point like Marvel Masterpieces. The base cards like nice but the Movie Poster Variants are very amateurish, in my opinion. Lots of parallels and lots of inserts.

2024 Masterpieces Monster Edition
 

So it’s basically a monsters set on the UD masterpieces template. Huh.

I think at a higher price point, anything remotely close to Marvel Masterpieces….no chance this gets interest. For resale value and people to pay those prices, it needs a brand like Marvel and no-brand sets like this will be a very hard sell. There’s a whole community based around collecting Marvel, people character collecting the likes of Gambit, Spidey, Jean Grey, Spidey Gwen etc. No one is character collecting the one-eyed beast from mythology.

So that said, if UD understands how the secondary and singles market works enough, maybe they will make this an affordable box to buy. As a fan of art I think it’s a cool looking set, looks like the artist Daniel Horne put a lot of work into it (admittedly not familiar with him since Im not part of the DnD scene).

Interesting to see UD branch out its Masterpieces line with the painted card motif. If the movie posters variant is done right I think that especially would be neat.

I know this is a post about monster masterpieces (to which I’ll say I have no clue who the market is UD is tapping into other than adjacent collectors of other genres) but something like this makes me think UD continues to test the waters with some of their more well-received trading card sets in anticipation of losing the marvel license.

I have heard wholesale is sub $100, it is an interesting concept if box prices are able to hover around the $150 mark IMO

With the other news of UD securing the DC license this announcement makes me feel like they maybe losing the Marvel license or it is coming up for renegotiation. Maybe UD wants to establish a Masterpieces brand for other licenses to help them defend against another brand like Topps making a Masterpieces line if they get the Marvel license. After all they have this and I guess DC Masterpieces...not to mention the sports brands back in the day.

But then again who knows.

This looks like some low budget kickstarter set.

2024 Masterpieces Monster Edition
 

[QUOTE=baseballbunez;19504605]I have heard wholesale is sub $100, it is an interesting concept if box prices are able to hover around the $150 mark IMO[/QUOTE]


I can get on board with it at sub 150ish price. Looks like a fun, more classic ‘nonsporty’ set…art and monsters. I would go in realizing resale value will be low (like any non-brand set like Cosmic), but could be a fun one to collect.

Heavily allocated set and the cost is very low compared to marvel masterpieces

[QUOTE=finfangfan;19504939]This looks like some low budget kickstarter set.[/QUOTE]

That was my first thought as well. Not sure who the target market for this is, maybe trying to get flippers to open with rare inserts but without it being licensed and a major IP, I can't see this doing well

[QUOTE=PrinceVegeta;19504970]Heavily allocated set and the cost is very low compared to marvel masterpieces[/QUOTE]


Does heavily allocated suggest a small print run so fewer cases to go around? Or the usual distribution shenanigans with certain big players getting a lot and smaller retailers and shops getting the leftovers?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like garbage.

I don't see it. If there was a sketch card per box, I could see a price of $125-150/box. But it sounds like sketch cards will be rare hits. I could also see it if this set was done by a big name fantasy artist, or if the art was top notch.

I can't imagine the demand will be there for this set based on the sell sheets, and it will drop quickly to sub-$100. But maybe I'm wrong, and just the names Upper Deck + Masterpieces will make the set work.

[QUOTE=BobCollects;19505255]Does heavily allocated suggest a small print run so fewer cases to go around? Or the usual distribution shenanigans with certain big players getting a lot and smaller retailers and shops getting the leftovers?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

I got what I wanted for cases but assuming over half going to epack

I think the preliminary art cards look better than the finished ones. Some people are riding this pretty hard, but I hope it does well and keeps the door open for more outside-the-box sets from bigger guys like UD.

It reminds me a little bit of the Dinosaurs set that was released almost a decade ago (time flies!). That one was in the style of Marvel Premier (I.e., a premium set) and pretty much sat at a premium price at the hobby level until UD bought back the surplus and released on ePack at $2.99/pack in a new configuration.

I guess we got an answer to our question, "who owns the Masterpieces license?". Looks like UD can use it on anything.

[QUOTE=PurplesaurusRex;19506099]I guess we got an answer to our question, "who owns the Masterpieces license?". Looks like UD can use it on anything.[/QUOTE]


The question still remains I guess whether another company can come in with a Masterpieces set. Or is it somehow included within the Fleer/Skybox brand UD owns, which made the first MM set back in 92. Im not sure how a generic term like masterpieces could be protected though, as long as the other company doesn’t use the Fleer/Skybox symbol. Like could Topps/Fanatics come out with “Star Wars Masterpieces”, with all painted art. Probably, but im not totally sure. They already have Masterwork, close enough I guess.

During the 80's & 90's Golden Age heyday for Marvel Press Posters (basically 22x34 wall posters sold almost exclusively at comic stores and thru subscription services), the artist of this set, Daniel Horne, was responsible for an excellent Spider-Man poster, but I'm not familiar with much of his work otherwise.
You can see it about 5 rows down on this page:

[url]https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a0e417c138758ffa&rlz=1CAOBDQ_enUS1011US1011&sxsrf=ADLYWIL1L2AGWAGxjs05TI2HGiAhqu1pqw:1718731909612&q=daniel+horne+artist&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0A-5VTqs5rweptgTqb6m-Eb3TvVcv4l7eCyod9RtZW98xhblUVZPzVv1Bs6vKE1-BNpBZmVjXeMAEihQ07BrNjgBSVvptKTZ7uCSG2sfXEVsGKrhcWP4sObo66efMvpnraWqdYJUcDf3Tvbeum96jL-99eQ8IuThaqZpMfgFCFtZHxNWVELfpDyyiNO3kvEzYpeGIlIj0NgZ3gLHGHG3z82CX2eYg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiz4b6n1-WGAxUUHEQIHWtVBNgQtKgLegQIChAB&biw=1366&bih=633&dpr=1[/url]

I'm a little curious why they didn't just use the multitude of Marvel monsters that exist so as to make it another Marvel set, albeit heavily monster-centric.
Horne clearly has a love for the classic Universal Monsters and it shows in his work.

This does add more fuel to the fire that there might be some truth to the speculation that UD might be bracing itself in case it eventually loses the Marvel license.

By broadening the “Masterpieces” brand to extend to DC and now Monsters, it looks like UD is hoping the popularity of MM wasn’t just the first M and that the second M can be used to succesfully launch other properties with the Masterpieces branding. We will see.

2024 Masterpieces Monster Edition
 

[QUOTE=finfangfan;19506271]
By broadening the “Masterpieces” brand to extend to DC and now Monsters, it looks like UD is hoping the popularity of MM wasn’t just the first M and that the second M can be used to succesfully launch other properties with the Masterpieces branding. We will see.[/QUOTE]

The first M is the huge part, I have no doubt. As mentioned there aren’t Facebook groups, character collectors, established master set collectors year in/year out associated with a no-brand set like this, like in marvel.

I think a set like this possibly could appeal to ‘classic non sports collectors’, if there is such a thing. Monsters, quirky cards like this, all right up the alley of general nonsports. Reminds me of non-brand art sets from the 90s you don’t see as much anymore, typically fantasy art… “Art of …..” sets.

Another group this might appeal to are the people who dabble in epack across the board, no matter what it is. There is a hardcore epack crowd out there. Whether it’s the gambling, or just using a set like this as a pawn for epack trading leverage.

But overall, MM should be in another stratosphere than a release like this, and I think singles prices will reflect that.

The biggest question nobody seems to be asking - why aren't they called [B]MONSTER[/B]pieces? :)!

[QUOTE=dd316;19506445]The biggest question nobody seems to be asking - why aren't they called [B]MONSTER[/B]pieces? :)![/QUOTE]

That would have been a great title!

I do think there are probably battling lawyers in the background as to who owns and/or can use “Masterpieces” in cards. I don’t believe UD is mentioned anywhere in the indicia of the recent Marvel Comics that used the nonstylized name “Marvel Masterpieces” on the bottom of the front cover. So maybe shots were fired with that one and now UD is attempting to flex its own “Masterpieces” muscle.

I suppose an easy workaround for someone else picking up the Marvel card license would be to simply use another name like Marvel Masterworks (which Marvel used in its old HC collected editions.

[QUOTE=dd316;19506445]The biggest question nobody seems to be asking - why aren't they called [B]MONSTER[/B]pieces? :)![/QUOTE]

Chase the hellofoil inserts.

I dont think the name itself makes much difference to be honest, yes its got history but if Topps/Fnatic get the Marvel license and release a similar set called it Marvel Masterwork or Marvel Masterful works or even something left field Marvel Treasures as to separate themselves from UD I really dont think it would make much difference to collectors - maybe I am wrong.

There will certainly be people that dont collect it if they change the name, but there will also be people that dont collect it because its changed companies, even if they keep the name with the thought process that its not the same thing because its done by someone else as I am sure they will put their own spin on the set.