|
|
09-30-2022, 12:46 PM
|
#1 |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
 In anticipation leading up to the upcoming 2022 Marvel Masterpieces set- which I have no idea when will be released, probably 2023 sometime- and also as we approach the 30th anniversary of Marvel Masterpieces (debut set released Oct, 1992), I thought it might be fun to have an all-encompassing Marvel Masterpieces thread with an in-depth look at every Masterpieces set released. There have been exactly 11 MM sets released to date. The brand of Marvel Masterpieces has been synonymous with art, specifically painted art. It has become the fine art of the Marvel trading card world. This is one reason, in various Masterpieces ads, you see things like brushes, paint tubes, etc- the focus is the art. 8 of the 11 sets have all original art. Unfortunately the 3 2007-2008 MM sets used existing art UD owned, such as images used in their VS System gaming cards- but we'll get to that. The two most important releases in 90s Marvel cards were 1990 Impel Marvel Universe and 1992 Skybox Marvel Masterpieces. 1990 Universe brought the hobby out of sporadic sets- sticker releases, Comic Images trading card sets with rehashed images, etc, and into a new era of original art commissioned just for that set- in many people's views it was the inaugural Marvel set. 1992 Masterpieces introduced the idea of luxury painted trading cards on a whole different level- it was a new standard. If I had to pick a 3rd most important set, I'd probably go with 1994 Fleer Ultra X-men, which was a monster hit and introduced the idea of retail/jumbo variant packs, including ones found at Walmart, with exclusive inserts in those packs (a concept that is huge in sports cards today and almost second-nature). The plan is to start with 1992 MM, and slowly update this thread with subsequent MM sets over time. I will try to follow a very rough template for every set, for consistency, something along the lines of: Set facts (release date, print run info, basic set composition) My fav 4 base cards in the set My fav insert (for some sets) Extended look into various ads, promos, etc associated with the set Commentary of what I like/dont like about the set Minutia: random things that come to mind about the set Error rating, and some examples of errors. I will give a rating of 1-5 for this error rating. What I mean by this, is how often you are likely to come across errors in packs, imo: 5=errors are decently often (although with respect to total print run, still quite uncommon), and 1=barely ever come across an error. Brick rating. This will also be a scale 1-5, of how likely packs are to be bricked when opening (stuck cards), just from my very anecdotal experience. 5=most likely to be bricked, 1=almost certainly not bricked. Over the years I have collected Masterpieces, and a lot of this will be shown below. It is by no means comprehensive. There are Masterpieces collections out there that Im aware of that are way more comprehensive. There are rarities out there, rarest of the rare, which I dont have or have even sniffed. One such example was posted in one of promoking's threads recently of a 1995 MM Canvas Iceman promo. Another area of my collection that is lacking is uncut sheets, I havent put much effort into acquiring them. But I hope the rest can help other collectors who are also interested in these sets and collecting them. In nonsports, there are sets, then there are master sets (base and all the inserts), then there are ultra master sets (all the previous with promos, wrappers, etc), then there are ultra ultra master sets (all the previous with ads, magazines, other random stuff), then ultra ultra ultra master sets (all the before with uncut sheets, unique stuff like plates that came from the company), etc etc, it goes on and on. I have realized in my MM journey there is basically no such thing as a 'true' 100% complete master set, so it's pointless to even use this term- there is always something else. As a disclaimer, I may be wrong about some things, Im not perfect by any means, and welcome any corrections. I welcome everyone's thoughts....agree/disagree with my top 4 cards? Have anything from any of these sets not shown? What do you like/not like about the set? What do you remember as a kid about them? Maybe at the end will do a poll to see which is everyone's fav MM set (I think 3 in particular would be in the running for top spot, but opinion sharply divided on those). Sorry for the long intro post, I will update this thread with 1992 set eventually. I feel lucky that we have had 11 whole sets of MM to enjoy over the years (and counting!), who would have thought, back in 1992 this brand would be going strong in 2022.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 07-28-2023 at 11:16 AM. |
|
|
|
09-30-2022, 03:14 PM
|
#2 |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
1992 Masterpieces
 This is the set that started it all, with art all painted by the masterful Joe Jusko. When evaluating how much I collected/enjoyed a set, the litmus test I like to use is how well I remember where on a 9-pocket page a card from that set is, from memory. This set passes that test, in droves. Wolverine? Middle left pocket. Archangel? Bottom mid pocket. Spider-Man? Mid right pocket. Thing? Upper left. It’s easy with this after all those years as a kid looking at these cards. I can’t do this same thing with other sets, for example random Marvel Universe sets. Because it was more rushed than the 2016 set, Joe in his 2016 IDW book notes that 2016 is more representative of his best work- and it’s hard to argue- but I really do like this set, from pure nostalgia to the masterful paintings living up to the name Marvel Masterpieces. Set Facts Packs: 2 variants  Release Date: Oct, 1992 Retail component: None Print Run: 350,000 boxes. 35,000 factory tin sets (tin sets dated 1993) Base card print run: 780,500 (this many of each base card) Battle Spectra print run: 245,000 (this many of each spectra. Pack odds were not published but most boxes I've seen opened seem to have about 3, so I will roughly estimate 1:12 for the spectras) Tin exclusive ‘Lost Ladies’ card print run: 35,000 (this many of each Lost card) Basic composition: -100 card base set -5 Spectra Etch insert set -5 Lost Ladies set (Tin exclusive) Top 4 Base 4.  I don’t know how you come up with the idea of ‘let’s put the character in front of this gigantic moon’ but it works great here. Sort of like wolves howling with the full moon out, Sabretooth looks animalistic, very beastly here. 3.  A lot of my top pics align with promos/box art, such as this, and it’s no coincidence, as they are generally picked for their stand out quality to intrigue prospective buyers. This card basically symbolizes the set for me. 2.  Hulk is angry…and super bulked! 1.  There are people who are mixed on this card. It’s probably my favorite card in the set. I really like the backdrop landscape- this is raw, animalistic Wolverine, without the mask, out in nature in the forest- exactly where you might expect to find him. Wolverine in mid-motion gives a real dynamic feel to this card (compare to the static poses of the above 3 cards). Fav Insert  Might not be most others top pick, but I like the open air battle, mysterious castle in the background, Hulk standing his ground, and Thing- all in etched foil- getting ready for Clobberin time. Maybe because I've always been biased towards this rivalry from comics, but this has always been my fav of the 5. Set Composition  Note: The binders here and binders in all future sets are all custom done by talented graphics designers. There was never an official binder released for any Masterpieces set, which is odd since official binders were common for other 90s Marvel sets. The box shown above is the inner case. Base set  Battle Spectra  Lost Ladies tin exclusive  All the promos: Top 6 are no # promos, bottom 3 are Prototypes. The fronts are slightly different than the their regular card counterparts: color slightly off, and Jusko auto differently placed on some.   The prototypes came as 3 in one sealed clear packet, the 6 promos generally came in magazines such as the following:  Advertisement  Nonsport Update Magazine  Promotional poster signed by Jusko:  From the 13th National in 1992:  Marvel comics recently released a set of variant covers with 1992 MM art, this is the set. The two Spider-Man vs Venom variants were a sort of separate and prior release.  These were pop ups from a Marvel Power game. 27 in the set.  Dynamic Forces set /5000 (top card is autographed. Different sets have different top cards)   Dynamic Forces autograph 4 comic set/2500 (also the 4 copies in Newsstand variant below- differentiable by the bar code)  Marvel Power Game: game cards with 1992 MM art  Custom made collage made by someone on eBay.  CGC SS Joe Jusko signed comic  Vending prism stickers (unauthorized. There are 25 total, some with border/borderless variants)  See this thread for the complete set: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showpo...1&postcount=20 1992 MM X-plosion Scratch-Offs (72 card set, fronts look like 92 MM cards, backs have a scratch off game where the picture of the comic is. These are extremely hard to find today): Fronts of a few-  Psylocke back:  Commentary There is a ton I like about this set, and not much at all that I dislike. It’s nearly a perfect set to me. Obviously one of the most stand out aspects is the sheer realism. Some people prefer more comic-y style cards like Marvel Universe, but I’ve also been partial to realistic, painted art. There is a great blend of environments (e.g. Wolverine above, Storm, Silver Surfer, Lizard, etc) while also doing more simple concept images (no particular environmental background)- Like Bishop, Cyclops, Captain America, Iron Man, Iceman, Magneto, Dazzler, Thing, etc. It's a nice blend between the two- and it works. Jusko is great with the use of ‘energy’/lightning additions- they really add oomph and power to some cards (Archangel, Apocalypse, Iron Man, Electro to name a few). Minutiae 1992 is the only Marvel Masterpieces set out of the 11 to not have foil stamped cards (for the name, logo etc on the card). This is of relevance to error cards, many of which are related to misplaced foil. If you notice, every single base card features just one character- not team cards, battle cards, story event cards ('The death of Gwen Stacy', 'Doom unmasked', etc), or even Spring Break cards, which were found in other Marvel sets. Here it's just one painted character per card. This would go on to be the case for every future MM set besides the 2007/2008 sets (which are sort of the odd-one out in their own world). All base are just one character. Now in a set like 2016 MM there are visible characters on the same card (e.g. a tiny Thor on Lady Sif's card)- but that card is still labeled just 'Lady Sif'. The Hulk, Spiderman, and Wolverine Prototype numbering is off: the Prototype Hulk is #36 (he's really #32 in the set), Prototype Spiderman is #86 (he's really #87 in the set), and the Prototype Wolverine is #98 (he's really #94 in the set). One single card does not have a ‘Jusko’ visable anywhere on it: Kang #44. I’ve scoured this card for it, but it’s not there (unless someone else can see it).  Every other card besides the checklist all have the Jusko, even though it’s like playing Where’s Waldo sometimes trying to find it (I’m looking at you, Mr Fantastic, Nomad, and Silver Surfer vs Thanos!) A closer look at Galactus shows little alien beings running for their lives at the bottom corner, neat little addition!  I know Jusko is sometimes known for his wildlife/nature images, but the painting of technology here could even give Kirby a run for his money (who was famous for drawing all that tech in vintage FF comics)  Error Rating 2. It is very unusual to open packs of 1992 MM and find errors. There isn’t foil on the base cards, so no opportunity there for misplaced foil imprints. You generally see miscuts with slivers of the next card visible (but these are common and I don’t consider ‘errors’). You also see ‘crinkled’ errors, with uneven protrusions on an edge (also pretty common, and not considered errors). The most common error you come across is backs that are wrong. Example of wrong back error: Wolverine vs Sabretooth with partial 1-D and 2-D on back  Brick rating 4. The cards aren’t the heavy UV coated cards you see in some following year MM sets, nevertheless these are still somewhat glossy and 30 yr old cards in packs and bricking is an above average possibility with these- common to usually have some kind of sticking. . And this includes Tin sets. It obviously comes down to storage conditions.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 08-30-2023 at 09:10 PM. |
|
|
|
|
09-30-2022, 04:30 PM
|
#3 |
|
Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 10,195
|
Awesome. Looking forward to NAR sketches !!
|
|
|
|
|
09-30-2022, 05:00 PM
|
#4 |
|
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Southern California
Posts: 23,979
|
Top shelf content delivered here by DynaEtch.
Looking forward to more. Bravo, sir! 
__________________
I'm aware of the treasure that I hold. |
|
|
|
|
09-30-2022, 10:26 PM
|
#5 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Thanks! I’m curious….what is everyone’s favorite Marvel Masterpieces set? If you had to pick one, as hard as it is.
Quote:
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ |
|
|
|
|
|
09-30-2022, 11:30 PM
|
#6 |
|
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Southern California
Posts: 23,979
|
I'm partial to '95 and '96 for the base cards (and '95 holoflash, which are amazing in hand), but in terms of actually opening packs, there was none more enjoyable to me than the 2007 relaunch, thanks entirely to the quality of the sketches.
My own MM collection which began in 1992 currently ends with 2016, which I luckily picked up enough of on ePack when they were live to be able to trade my way to everything I wanted (base regular and What If 1-81, plus regular Gallery 91-100, and regular spectra and holofoil sets), all except for 82-90. I would've loved them, of course, but I was priced out of the high numbers and the mirages along with the 2018 and 2020 editions entirely. I could see myself spending again on 2023(?), but it would depend on the artist
__________________
I'm aware of the treasure that I hold. |
|
|
|
|
10-01-2022, 12:05 AM
|
#7 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
Quote:
2007/2008 MM is an interesting bag for me. Sadly I wasnt actively collecting during those releases and only got back into Marvel cards around maybe 2012ish. On the one hand the sets have the rehashed art/lackluster base....but so much else about the sets I actually really like. From the chance at stellar sketches, to the designs of the cards and inserts, even down to the updated logo (shown in OP). I've been on a mission to fully understand the retail release of these sets, and actually made a breakthrough on this recently- on its way in the mail as we speak. But I still have questions about that. Id say you did a lot for 2016! It might go down as the best 'epack time' in the history of epack: 2016 Jusko MM. When we can all look back from today and long for those $150ish high quality boxes.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 10-01-2022 at 12:31 PM. |
|
|
|
|
|
10-01-2022, 05:09 PM
|
#8 |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
1993 Masterpieces
Set facts  2 pack variations  Release Date: Oct, 1993 Print Run: 350,000 boxes Retail component: None Base print run: 840,000 (that many of each base, note slightly more than 1992) Dyna Etch print run: 175,000 (note less than 1992 spectra) Basic Composition Base set: 90 cards Dyna Etch X-Men 2099 set: 8 cards 93 MM is sort of the ‘red-headed stepchild’ of 90s MM, and gets an undeserved bad rap. It had to follow in the footsteps of Jusko’s 1992 set, so of course it wasn’t bound to be as popular. It is this set my namesake on here is from, so I cant be too negative on it! My fav 4 base cards: 4  I really, really tried to make this top 4 not mostly Jusko, but alas, he has 3 of the 4 spots. I have to be objective and list my favs. Here is an example of his brilliant usage of energy/lightning mentioned in the last set. 3.  Probably the best pose I’ve ever seen on a trading card. Julie Bell is an expert at painting the human figure. The circular arc of Psylocke's psionic sword/powers here is such a great addition, enhancing the sense of motion (that is somehow captured so well in a static painting). Julie also painted the Iron Man, Silver Surfer, and Colossus in this set, and is well known for her metallic/silver style with those characters. 2.  This was early Deadpool. He looks serious and means business- certainly not the comedic joker we see today. The blood splattering, especially on the sword, sets a tone for the painting. 1.  No words, beautiful art Fav insert  Sacrilege! I didn’t even pick my avi. I do like the Krystalin a lot along with her brilliantly painted crystals, but Xi’an, who looks adequately masked up for the pandemic here, is fantastic. The desert tone and the sand seeping through that outstretched giant hand. It almost reminds me of Scorpion from Mortal Kombat....'Come here!!' Set and extras Inner case box on the right. Again these binders aren’t official.  Base set  Dyna etch set  Promos (3 promos + She Hulk prototype)   Pogs  Advertisement  3 comic set, with sealed box of the 3  Tuff Stuff Collect magazine  Dealer sell sheet(with 2 Marvel power game cards)  Vending prism stickers (unauthorized)  The different variations of vending prism stickers for 1993 are complex and numerous. See this post again for more info https://www.blowoutforums.com/showpo...1&postcount=20 The back cover of X-Men 2099 #1 Gold Edition is this pin up of Bob Larkin’s Skullfire dyna etch insert (just the gold version. Blue editions don’t have this back cover)  Commentary As mentioned, the set was ok received, but not super popular. It was a compilation work of many artists- rare for a Masterpieces. But this set had several artist legends contribute, from Jusko and Julie Bell to Jim Steranko and Bob Larkin, among many others. Even if every piece isn’t to my taste, and the styles can be drastically different, the diversity does make it interesting. It’s not my favorite MM set by any means, but I do think it’s underrated. I like the 8 card insert set by Bob Larkin, and what he was able to do with obscure X-men 2099 characters not a lot of people even knew about (heck I’d wager many got to know the characters from those cards- including me). The Marvel Trading Card Editor of the time even published a response to some of criticisms going around in issue #3 of the MM1993 comic series above  The gist is: one reason dealers were left with more unsold stock of this is because due to the success of 1992, they over-ordered this 1993 set compared to 1992. Plus that art is subjective. Of course art is subjective. Take two pieces of art, A and B 1. Artwork A is better than artwork B 2. Artwork A is more popular than artwork B (1) is meaningless since art is subjective. Even if artwork A is a work from Boris Vallejo in 1996 Marvel Masterpieces, and artwork B is my awful attempt at drawing an X-men character (and I can’t draw!), it still doesn’t have an independent objective meaning- even if every person personally thinks so, including me. (2) has meaning though and can be true or false, and obviously is true in this example! I think people just have different tastes, and while many weren’t big fans of 1993 MM, it’s an interesting set with great art imo. I think what *really* bugged most people was that it was a multi-artist set and the sheer differences in style from once card to the next. Minutiae The box and pack covers say "Final Edition from Skybox". This does not mean there were multiple variations of packs in the run, such as first edition or final edition....every box and pack says Final Edition. The reason it is saying this is because it was the final Marvel Masterpieces to be released by Skybox, which would merge with Fleer shortly after this set, and all future Masterpieces 94-96 would be from Fleer. The promos each have text on the bottom with the copyright info that lists the card as ‘Psylocke’ and ‘front painting by Julie Bell’. Of course this is wrong and none of them are Julie’s Psylocke, which is a card in the regular set. What this means to me is that Psylocke was likely intended to be a promo, but they changed their mind (and forgot to change the text). There is a silver foil variant checklist, it is very rare (see post 170)  Nslists (Jeff Allender's site) lists two different variations of the Venom promo above, which likely came from the National convention: a 'black' and a 'gray' printing. Since I have never seen a different version of this promo, Im going with the assumption it does not exist, unless some evidence to the contrary is presented (e.g. in the form of a picture illustrating the difference). If you open a box of 93 MM, the Dyna Etch inserts you get (likely 4, sometimes 3 or 5), will very likely be in consecutive order (which includes wrapping around #8 to #1). So maybe 1-2-3-4, or 3-4-5-6, or 6-7-8-1, etc. Jim Steranko painted a tryptich of the original three Golden age Marvel heroes in this set, although it’s not consecutive in the set:  Finally, if you see the 90-card base set in 9-pocket pages, you may have noticed the color of the foil (name at bottom, masterpieces at top) is the same for each page of 9. An astute observer may have noticed there are two exceptions to this: the Dr Strange #8 is different than its page, as is the Capt America #15. There is a reason for this, as shown on the uncut sheet in post #122 ITT where each row of 9 has the same foil color scheme: the Dr Strange and Capt America cards were placed differently on the sheet so that the Steranko triptych above could be consecutive (and continuous red foil along the bottom). The cyclops and human torch were also affected, but since they are in the first 9 anyway, the red foil stays the same for them. Error Rating 5. This set is error heaven for those digging for error gold. (Although still small compared to the total print run of the set. I’d very roughly estimate an error 1 every 4-5 boxes or so) Most of the errors involve the foiling- either missing or misplaced. There are different degrees of missing foil. Example of missing just the foil name, but not the 1993 Masterpieces at top  Example missing the Marvel Masterpieces at top, but with the name at bottom  Example of foil entirely missing on the card:    Example of misplaced wrong foil name (see post 122 ITT, it has been explained):  The following 3 inserts are rare errors that do not have foil anywhere on the card. Left is the regular w/foil. Right is no foil, just a bare printed card. I’m sure there are more of the 8, but only have these 3. Notice you can make out the painting much better without all the added foil, particularly in scans.    Brick rating 5. This is probably the most likely to brick Masterpieces set. Each MM set has its own unique amount of gloss/uv coating used in the material, and for whatever reason these heavy UV coated 1993 cards stick a lot. Probably like a 50-75% chance of some extent of bricking for a random box.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 04-11-2025 at 11:58 AM. |
|
|
|
|
10-01-2022, 09:12 PM
|
#9 |
|
Member
|
The 1992 MM and 1994 MM sets are my favorites, those are the ones I collected as a kid in the 1990s. When I got back into card collecting a number of years ago, Marvel Masterpieces was a priority.
My master set of 1992 MM includes base, inserts, promos, and prototypes. For 1993 MM I'm only missing the Hulk 2099 and Venom promo cards. My 1994 MM master set is a work in progress. My Gold Signature parallel set is maybe 3/4 complete and I only have four of the 10 Masterprints. I don't have any of the Gold and Bronze holofoils. I've started collecting 1995 MM but have a long way to go to finish just the base set. I know I'll never own the two Mirage cards. I doubt I'll even try 1996 MM. |
|
|
|
|
10-02-2022, 10:12 AM
|
#10 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Quote:
The 95 mirages have been gaining some traction over the whole marvel craze, I'd roughy estimate they go for 500-750 a piece now (before all this they'd go for like 200 to maybe 300). Unfortunately with 96 MM, it's a much better proposition to purchase a base set outright ($2k-$2.7k) than piece it together (100 cards, you'll pay ~$23 for commons, not to mention all the cards going for $30, 40, 50, and even some around $100+). I say unfortunate because it's much more fun to collect sets- but financially doesnt make a ton of sense with 96 MM. 92 and 94 MM are solid choices though. I've noticed when it comes to a favorite Masterpieces set, most dont say just one set (including me, since it's so hard to pick only one). I think this is a testament to the popularity of the line. Might be fun to do a poll after to see what everyone's #1 fav MM set is-in retrospect should have added one to this thread, but didnt think of it.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ |
|
|
|
|
|
10-02-2022, 12:11 PM
|
#11 |
|
Member
|
DynaEtch,
This stuff is Marvel..ous! Please keep the info and pics coming. Just beautiful. Your collection is the epitome of perseverance and dedication, thank you for displaying it. I especially admire the error cards. It probably took you eons to amass all of those. Last edited by promoking; 10-02-2022 at 12:21 PM. |
|
|
|
|
10-04-2022, 12:08 AM
|
#12 |
|
Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 13,120
|
Great stuff -- thanks for taking the time to put this together. You have a strong passion for Marvel Masterpieces and it really shows in this thread.
I think I like the Bob Larkin 2099 X-Men cards more without the foil. The Jusko 92 MM comic books included his artwork from the 93 set. I remember buying multiple packs of the 93 set as a kid and being disappointed in the artwork -- I expected it to be a follow up to the 92 set, with the same artist doing all the artwork again. Obviously, knowing what I know now, Jusko busted his butt to paint the cards on a tight schedule. No way was he going to do it all over again the following year. At least he painted some characters that were not in the previous set. The Doom 2099, in particular, is awesome. I remember buying the 92 vending stickers from a pizza restaurant I went to as a kid -- roundtable pizza, if you've heard of it. Jusko said he cut time on painting the 92 cards by making the backgrounds of several cards simple or less detailed. The first time I saw the lost cards from the 92 set was in a local card shop years after the tin set was released -- I had no idea they existed and was perplexed by them. |
|
|
|
|
10-04-2022, 09:26 AM
|
#13 | ||
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Quote:
If there's anything to add for the promos for any of these sets, etc, feel free to chime in/correct me...you're an authority on the subject in my book. Always nice to learn about where they came from and other details about them. Quote:
I had the exact same experience about the 1992 tin set, except for me it was at a random card show a year+ later when I first saw it and the lost ladies cards. Was perplexed as well. I dont know exactly when the tins were released, but they do say 1993 on them, so must have been somewhat after the fact, maybe an under-the-radar release. That makes perfect sense about why some of the 92 backgrounds were so simple, never made that connection to the tight schedule. The funny thing is I think it enhances many of these cards. The cyclops above, for example, with the basic green background. If that was a detailed environment instead, I argue it might actually detract from the card. Take the focus off cyclops and his beam. I like how some cards do have environments, and some dont. One example of an environment card that really does enhance the card imo, is Silver Surfer in space. And the Wolverine in the forest as mentioned. You are absolutely right, the 93 MM Juskos were in the 92 comic mags. Including the Carnage which isnt shown above and some others. It's a testament to the superb art of Jusko that most of my fav pieces in the 93 set happen to be Juskos. Julie Bell had some nice paintings in this set also, which unfortunately I didnt get to showcase. The psylocke is great, but she does nearly all the 'chrome' characters: Iron man, Silver Surfer, Colossus- she has a brilliant talent for painting that sort of polished chrome look.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ |
||
|
|
|
|
10-11-2022, 10:37 PM
|
#14 |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
1994 Masterpieces
Set Facts 4 Box Variations Hobby:  Gravity Feed Jumbo:  Jumbo:  Walmart Retail:  3 Pack variations (L to R: Hobby 10 cards, Jumbo 14 cards, Walmart 11 cards)  Release Date: Oct, 1994 Print Run: Unknown. Unlike the 92 and 93 sets, it was never published for hobby, jumbo, or walmart. There is a number stamped on the interior of boxes, but as far as I know, no one has cracked the code of what they mean. It is interesting to speculate what the print run is. On one hand, you’d think since the boxes are no longer numbered, this means many more than the 350k of previous years. It is interesting though that there are less sealed 94 boxes at anytime on the market than 92 or 93- check eBay. That could mean many things though, including more 94 boxes were opened back in the day. My guess, and nothing more than a guess: 94 print run is larger than 92 and 93s. Totaling all the channels of release, I could see it being 400k-ish boxes. Retail Component: YES. There was a retail channel through Walmart, and a channel through other stores, mainly other retail stores, supermarkets, etc (this is where you’d buy jumbo packs). Basic Composition Base Set: 140 cards Gold Foil Signature set: 140 cards Power Blast set: 9 cards Silver Holofoil set: 10 cards Gold Holofoil set (Jumbo exclusive): 10 cards Bronze Holofoil set (Walmart exclusive): 10 cards Background This would be the first Masterpieces set produced by Fleer, owned by Marvel at the time (the previous two MM releases were from Skybox International, which was formerly Impel). There are some major firsts in this set: first Masterpieces parallel set in the gold signatures (taking a cue from the popular 1-per-pack Topps gold parallels from baseball cards). And a new concept of retail packs with exclusive Holofoil inserts. This is a huge concept that would go on to become a major aspect of sports cards today in retail exclusive parallels- it mainly started around these mid 90s Marvel sets, 1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men was the first. Today the gold and bronze holofoils are highly sought after. The set was masterfully and exclusively painted by the Brothers Hildebrandt, identical twin brothers Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, known for Star Wars poster art and much other Fantasy art. Tim is no longer with us today, but Greg continues to paint and the output has been outstanding. I believe Fleer went with a 6-color printing scheme for this set (as opposed to the standard 4 color CMYK scheme), as they did for 1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men. The result of this is a deeper, more vibrant color, particularly with the blues and violets. My top 4 cards 4.  Rogue looks happy, in her element above the clouds. I like the Space Shuttle addition in the background. 3.  The 4th of July in a card, nice juxtaposition of Cap with the Statue of Liberty, particularly with Cap mimicking the raised hand with the torch, instead with the shield. 2.  I really like this card of Thing towering over us, symbolizing his might. It’s something I could see being used at like an art school as an example of a concept shot. The Thanos base has a very similar concept, and ironically is the card immediately preceding Thing in the set. 1.  Wolverine- classic, standard Wolverine here- in the snowy mountains. Like the Rogue above, an example of art being majorly enhanced by the environment. He’s in mid-stride, claws ready for action. This is my favorite painting in the set. The actual painting- this masterpiece- sold within the last couple years at auction for “only” $25k-ish (consider for a second that people are paying $40k+ for printed Spider-Man PMG cards of rehashed art …). Fav Inserts: Power Blast:  The pink effect of dusk is great, but what really makes the painting is the emotion of Rogue. Im a big fan of the Wolverine in this power blast set as well, but edge goes to Rogue. Holofoil:  Set and Extras In the middle are 5 4-panel promos, each with different characters. The poster on right I believe was a case topper. The middle is an official print of the Spiderman Holofoil art.  Base set  Gold Sig Parallel set  Power Blast set  Silver Holofoils (Hobby)- note #10 not shown  Gold Holofoils (jumbo)  Bronze Holofoils (Walmart)  Rare Marvel Pepsi 'Guatemala Edition' variants   Magazine Ad  Magazine and Comic ads  Comic ad and 9-panel promo  National promo on left, SDCC promo on right  Dealer promo kit with Sell sheet  10 Masterprint set, with some signed examples  Sealed pack of 40 Masterprints  94 MM Display: I don’t think I have it constructed quite right, but the cardboard is kinda fragile and didn’t want to mess with it. I’m also not certain which boxes went on this, or where it would have been (hobby shops?). Notice 3 of the 4 characters on this display match my top 4- not a coincidence! Promotional art is usually the 'top' pieces that are most popular.  Book that covers the set and goes through all the cards and art process. Highly recommended.  Commentary This set makes many peoples’ list of favorite masterpieces sets. The art of the Hildebrandts is spectacular. They were masters of lighting and color in their paintings, and great realism. In the book he shows how models (including bodybuilders) would be used in posing for the paintings. I think the inserts are fantastic- they have most of my fav art in the set, and the retail Holofoil variants make things extra interesting. If I have one complaint, and it’s hard to complain with such a great set, it’s that so many of the cards have a dark bluish background, and so it makes the entire set more homogenous compared to say, a 1992 or 1993 MM. Granted there are exceptions like the open air ones in my Top 4 above, but if you have this set in a binder, flip through the pages and you’ll see what I mean….it’s a lot of blue, and the ones that arent blue, are generally red. So not a ton of color variety in backgrounds. Greg did mention in the book above he intentionally emphasized reds and blues in this set, since they are traditional ‘superhero colors’ a la Superman. Regardless, the art is top notch and this is a very solid addition to the MM line. Minutiae The Venom #131 base lists a copyright of 1944. The character wouldn’t even be invented for another 44 years! It’s an uncorrected error and every Venom has this.  There was an unreleased female Captain Universe card that didnt make it into the set, but did make it as a promo card included with special print-to-order personalized comics.  See this thread for a complete discussion https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?p=18371355 This set is notorious for condition issues. The base cards are condition sensitive- typically minor chipping on the backs, etc. more so than previous MM releases. The holofoils can often be off-center. The 2 insert sets- powerblast and holofoil- are clearly divided between marvel genres: Powerblast feature X-Men, and Holofoil feature Avengers/Spider-Man type characters. The only way to tell the holofoils apart is the color- there are no markings on the cards that differentiate them. This has created some confusion with some about the gold vs bronze, and people unfamiliar with the set mix them up at times when listing (and also mistakenly think the gold are worth most, which would make more sense, but bronze are the most valuable). The easiest way to tell: gold holofoils are bright yellow-gold like a gold coin. Bronze holofoils are an orangish-copper..on scans they come out as a more dullish brown. This is the only Marvel Masterpieces to have horizontal-facing cards (not including promos). It's only vertical cards in all the other sets. Error Rating 3. While it’s not common to finds errors in this release, they do exist. They primarily fall into two camps, (1) missing or misplaced foiling on the base fronts and (2) Holofoil foiling issues. Power blast errors are either very rare or nonexistent. Offset foil  Offset printing  Off-color printing  Next to regular:  Holofoil streaking: these aren’t scratches, they are actual foil streaks in the card made in production.  Miscut (notice the offset of the foil. The empty sections devoid of foil where Carnage's extensions should be- look around Carnage's head- are slightly offset from where the actual printed extensions are).  Extra Foiling  Medium extra foiling, regular in middle, most extra foiling on right  This is an odd error that I can’t explain. The regular Carnage Holofoil has a darkish blue purplish background, shown on right below. The error is on left and the background is a mysterious lighter blue, even more apparent in person. It’s not faded or anything…the color is part of the card.  I did not escape my notice that many of these holofoil errors seem to be Carnage. Im not sure if that means anything or not. Since you'd think an error in the printing process would affect the whole uncut sheet similarly, and a sheet has all the various characters on it, that it wouldnt make sense for one character to be more prevalent for errors. It is possible it is just a coincidence the ones I found are mostly Carnage. I have also seen base that are entirely blank white on the front except the name. They are very rare and I don’t have any examples. Brick Rating 3. While you do see minor sticking pretty often, they don’t usually seem to be entirely bricked, and I’ve had pretty good luck opening these.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 10-20-2025 at 01:35 PM. |
|
|
|
|
10-12-2022, 08:42 AM
|
#16 |
|
Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 12,160
|
Yeah… it’s cool to see all the images and descriptions. Thanks for posting!
|
|
|
|
|
10-12-2022, 04:33 PM
|
#17 |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
1995 Masterpieces
Set Facts 3 Box Variations Hobby  Jumbo Retail Rack (Hard to find)  Gravity Feed Jumbo Retail (Scarce)  Hobby Packs (4 color variations): 10 cards  Jumbo Retail Packs (4 color variations): 12 cards. Price listed on front. These came in the gravity feed box.  Retail Rack Pack- the pack itself is a masterpiece  Edit: 2 versions! US pricing and Canadian pricing-  Release Date: Nov, 1995 Print Run: Unknown. Like the 94 set, the print run was never published. However, it is clear the print run was much lower than any previous MM set, due to the comparative rarity of these cards and boxes on the market. The Wikipedia Marvel Masterpieces page states there were less than 15,000 boxes made: this is adamantly false, and was probably written by someone trying to inflate the prices of their boxes to sell. 15k boxes would put it at less than (half that of) 1996 MM, which is clearly not the case. Here is my meager attempt to roughly approximate the print run. If we knew the number of Mirages that exist, we could then deduce the print run since they are stated at a whopping 1:360. Alas, they aren’t numbered. But with how few seem to hit the market, my best guesstimate would be just a few thousand of each- a rarity among a (relatively) junk 90s era- think sort of like the Donruss Elites from baseball: 5000 sounds like a lot- but that’s rare compared to the print run. So let’s just throw a number out there: 4000 of each Mirage, for a total of 8000 mirages in existence. Doing the math that translates to some 80,000 boxes or so (totaling hobby, gravity, and rack boxes). It’s probable the mirages were even less, 2000 of each or so- which would translate to 40k or so boxes. I think a fair estimate of total number of boxes, across all 3 versions, is around 40k-70k boxes. Which is very low for a 90s Marvel set. But this is mostly a guess. I welcome others' input on what they think the print run was, or equivalently, how many mirage exist out there. Retail Component: YES (the gravity and jumbo rack boxes). Basic Composition Base Set: 151 cards Emotion Gold Signature Set: 150 cards Holoflash Set: 8 cards Canvas Set: 22 cards Mirage: 2 cards Background  1995 Masterpieces is hands-down the coolest of all the MM sets. While some other Masterpieces sets might be even higher on the list of personal favs, this set has the cool factor nailed down. Even down to the way this set was branded, with the ‘Dare to Compare’ theme, and awesome packaging/ads/inserts. It is a combination of great card art and stellar branding that makes 95 MM what it is. One of the biggest differences from earlier MM sets was the production number. This is the first relatively lower print run MM set, and thus you see prices for this set higher on the secondary market. Upwards of $200 for a base set. $1500-$2500 for a box. Mirages go for $500+ a piece. Why the lower print run: the heyday of 90s Marvel was unfortunately in the twilight phase by the end of 1995. Early in 1995 it was still showing solid popularity with the likes of Fleer Ultra X-men, Fleer Ultra Spiderman, and Marvel Metal. But by the end of the year in 1995, Marvel cards were finally slowing and going out of popularity. After this 1995 MM set, 1996 and beyond saw more or less sporadic, under-the-radar sets, and the end was near for the golden age of 90s Marvel cards. Simply put: the vast number of kids were no longer collecting Marvel cards by the end of 1995. This set took a different approach, having 4 different artists, DeVries, Nelson, Patelis, and Scanlan contribute, each painting their version of the character, allowing people to ‘compare’ their takes on the character in the base set (so there would be 3 Spider-Man’s, 3 Venoms, 3 Wolverines etc in the set to compare). It was a brilliant idea and I wouldn’t mind seeing a new MM set use this template for maybe one set to change things up. My Top 4 cards I thought with the 4 artists, it would make sense to give my top pick card of each artist, since that works out nicely. I will then give what the artist’s top pick of their own work was, as communicated in an interview in an old Cards Illustrated magazine (shown below). 4. Ghost Rider by Nelson  It’s a great looking Ghost Rider. I appreciate the detail that went into painting the jacket. Nelson painted the Gambit canvas card also with a similar attention to his coat and its detail and folding…helps the realism of the painting. The fire and black of Ghost Rider against the solid red background works well. Nelson's pick: Thing 3. Jubilee by DeVries  The reflection of her powers in her glasses is perfect. Dazzle and color well done. She is smiling, enjoying using her powers…very fitting for the character of Jubilee, happy go lucky and having fun. I couldn’t see the painting working as well with a blank or serious expression here. Devries' pick: Sub-Mariner 2. Jean Grey by Patelis  If this isn’t a masterpiece worthy of the name, I don’t know what is. Patelis' pick: Sabretooth or Carnage 1. Venom by Scanlan  Those teeth, the tongue…Venom looks nasty here. Scanlan's pick: coincidentally this Venom! Fav Inserts Holoflash: Carnage by Patelis  Canvas: Silver Surfer by Patelis  It’s rare to see motion so effectively captured by a painting. This is no static Surfer….he’s zooming the cosmic highways. Set and Extras  Base set  Emotion Gold Sig set. Each card has an emotional tagline fitting to the painting.  Holoflash set (all Villains)  Canvas set (card texture mimics an artist canvas as if these were mini paintings)  Mirage set: 2 cards, #1 Avengers and #2 X-Men. A near impossible 1:360 pack odds, these were the holy grails of 90s Marvel for many. Unlike the new mirages in 2016-2020 MM, these actually contained new art not found in the set. There are 4 images on each card you see by tilting the card- lenticular technology.  Marvel Power Game cards  Dealer Promo kit and Sell sheets (there were 2 versions of the dealer promo kit, version A and B. They differ in the contents of the pages.  Comic ad  Magazine ad  4-panel promo. Note the Wolverine on the lower left (Patelis) is not in the base set anywhere. Indeed it is the Wolverine image on the X-Men Mirage above.  Magazines with 95 MM art, the one on right from a fellow board member  Commentary The Cards Illustrated above has an article on 95 MM and says a few things Fleer told the artists were: use bright color (contrast to recent UD MM sets), use traditional versions of the characters, and don’t tell stories with the paintings. The last falls in line with MM tradition: distilled character takes, not as much story telling in art- and 95 MM fits that bill well (if you ignore the one instance where Nelson’s Wolverine is literally fighting a bear). There is a nice blend of up close portraits with larger character shots. Some of my favorite pieces in the set are the up-close ones: Venom, Sub-Mariner, Jubilee, Mr Sinister, etc. It’s a testament to all 4 artists that I can’t even decide who I like the best if I did dare to compare. They each have a unique style and the diversity helps make this set what it is. A fun game if you have a base set is go through the cards and see if you guess which of the 4 painted each card (then turn over the card to see if you’re correct). There is so much this set does right, and the low print run enhances it even more. One thing I like is the minimal design of the regular base…not much there to distract from the art. Minutiae The Venom Holoflash and Carnage base are analogs…something I didn’t realize until someone on this board mentioned it. I’m not sure why they were separated into different parts of the set.  There is a super rare Iceman Canvas promo that promoking posted in Marvel promo thread. I don’t have it or have even seen it in person ever, but the picture is in that thread. The following 10 Canvas are slightly short-printed compared to the other 12 (only at 4/5 ratio). #2 Beast #3 Bishop #4 Cable #7 Gambit #9 Human Torch #12 Jubilee #16 Psylocke #17 Punisher #19 Silver Surfer #22 War Machine This was determined from the uncut sheet shown in this thread https://www.blowoutforums.com/showth...uncut+question The 1995 Fleer Ultra Spider-Man set had a preview insert set of this set titled, appropriately, ‘Masterpieces’. It featured the 4 artists of 1995 MM. One of my fav insert sets of the whole era.  The 'M' logo on the card fronts is color-coded by artist: Red- Nelson Green- DeVries Blue- Patelis Purple - Scanlan (Note these are also the 4 pack colors- this is a very coordinated set). Each of the 4 artists in the 95 MM set painted the same number of paintings: 47 (38 regular + 9 Masterpieces picks). If you count up the number of insert paintings: Canvas- 22 Holoflash- 8 Mirage - 8 (since 4 images on each card) ....you get 38, which is exactly the number of 3-character sets in the base set (the regular base that's not the Masterpieces picks). This is no coincidence: at first glance when you see the base has just 3 of each, and not 4, people assume that only 3 of the 4 painted that character, but actually all 4 did, just the 4th is one of those 38 inserts. For example, the 3 Galactus base are done by Scanlan, Patelis, and Nelson. Thus without even looking at anything, we can deduce there must be a Galactus by DeVries somewhere among the inserts- and indeed there is, the Galactus canvas. The above actually lets us deduce who painted the 8 mirage, which is not otherwise listed on the card. You just go to the 3 base of that character and see which artist is left out- thats who painted the mirage image. So for example, Scanlan, DeVries, and Patelis did the 3 base Thors, that means the Thor on the Avengers mirage must have been painted by Nelson. If you take this even further, you can figure out that each Mirage has all 4 artists represented on a single card- Dare to Compare on a single card by tilting it! I never made that connection before between the 4-ness of the mirage and number of artists in the set, and it's neat how this set was planned perfectly like that. Error Rating 2. It’s pretty unusual to ever come across an error in this set. They do exist, and typically involve missing or misplaced foil on the base. Missing Foil entirely (note blue M still there on the lower left- it was printed on- it’s just the outline and text of these M’s that were foiled)  Offset (to get in the mind of an error collector….most collectors wonder ‘what the heck is the big deal here’- or barely notice this/perhaps are annoyed by the subpar quality control. But to an error collector- that tiny bit of room where the M logo is apart from the foil makes all the difference. It separates this card from the countless ordinary copies you which are a dime a dozen.)  It doesn’t translate to scan that well, but there is an extra M picks logo stamped behind his name, and the right side of the Deathlok name area is blackened.  Storm with gray box on back error (all other examples you see are a black box):  Brick Rating 3. They do brick, sometimes severely, and I was close to making this a 4. But I’ve opened enough that were fine and/or separable without damage that I’m just going to call it a 3. The Emotion card in each pack is a slightly different/thicker card material and doesn’t brick in the same manner the regular base might.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 11-04-2024 at 07:19 PM. |
|
|
|
|
10-12-2022, 05:18 PM
|
#18 | ||
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Quote:
Quote:
The Guatemala Pepsi inserts are pretty rare compared to most other Marvel Pepsi. Most names are the same, but some are different, Spiderman is "Hombre Arana" Iron Man is "Hombre de Acero" Scarlet Witch is "La Bruja Escarlata" Rogue is "Titania" I dont know Spanish at all, but it makes sense that some of those names would have Spanish translations because there are Spanish words for things like 'Spider', 'Iron', 'Witch', etc So 'Hombre Arana' literally translates (I think) to Man Spider, 'Hombre de Acero' translates literally to 'Man of Steel' (Iron Man).
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ |
||
|
|
|
|
10-18-2022, 04:37 PM
|
#19 |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
1996 Masterpieces
 1 pack variation  Set Facts Release Date: Dec, 1996 Print run: 540,000 packs (30,000 18ct boxes). This is obtained from there being 9 original art painting redemptions which are an astonishing 1:60,000 packs. Print Run of each base card: 34,650 assuming equal distribution Print Run of each Gold Gallery: 30,000 assuming equal distribution. Print Run of each Double Impact: Unknown (since it is clear the distribution isn’t equal. If it were equal, it would be 22,500) Retail Component: NONE Basic Composition Base set: 100 cards Gold Gallery set: 6 cards Double Impact set: 6 cards Background The swan song of the golden era of 90s Masterpieces, 1996 MM was released at the end of 1996, by which time Marvel cards were way past their peak popularity. Print run was cut severely back, and many young collectors at the time were either not aware of the set or barely aware of it. This set commands very high prices for two reasons: because of the low print run, and because of the stunning artwork of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, the two artists of this set. Boris and Julie are masters at painting the human figure, often muscular and idealized, and were famous from classic fantasy art sets as well various Marvel sets in the 90s. The price of the set is pretty staggering…not even just talking Marvel, how many nonsports or even any sports base sets from the 90s go for around $2000? I cant think of any. Even highly sought after baseball base sets like 1993 Finest go for what, $100-$150. The combination of great art and low print run made this set a perfect storm. One of the most unique aspects of the set is it included chances at redemptions for original paintings at a staggering 1:60,000 pack odds. There were 9 paintings listed on the checklist. I have never seen a redemption card, nor even a picture of one, and I don’t think anyone even knows what it looks like. It is possible some still exist inside packs. A 96 MM redemption card, even though long expired, would be THE holy grail of 90s Marvel cards in my opinion. By far the rarest. I can’t even imagine what it would go for. Like 1995 MM, this set would be produced under the name Fleer/Skybox (Skybox was brought under the Fleer umbrella in early 1995). Unlike previous installments of Masterpieces that were more expansive and incorporated retail components, this was kept to hobby and just 30k boxes. Shortly after 1996 MM was released, Marvel (the owner of Fleer) filed for bankruptcy, and the sets that did continue to be produced after 1996 were very few and sporadic. This would be the last Marvel Masterpieces of the decade. Top 4 cards 4. Archangel by Julie  Maybe because it’s the first card of the set and I see it so much, but this card has a real classic vibe to it. Archangel is simultaneously flexing his muscles and in mid flight in an interesting pose. He could be a classical Greek or Roman sculpture here, perhaps a mythological god or an emperor/leader pointing troops into battle. Instead of the usual Archangel depiction, this character is more of a mish-mash between Angel and Archangel, with the color scheme and flowing hair of vintage Angel but with the wings of Archangel. 3. Iceman by Boris  Perhaps an unusual pick, but this card has an energetic feel to it and I love the pose- almost like a phoenix rising from the (ice) ashes. The image is nearly monochromatic and screams ice- I get cold just looking at it! I’ve read several artists say Iceman is one of the most difficult characters to draw/paint due to the ice (how to paint…more translucent? solid? etc, and making it look convincing). This take is almost more a chromium look a la Silver Surfer, and works magnificently. Another Iceman that I like a lot is Jusko’s in 1992 MM. 2. Mystique by Julie  1. Carnage by Boris  Top Inserts Double Impact:  What really makes this painting for me is the fire background behind Captain America, sort of like the poster of some 90s action movie flick. The protagonist bursting through some flame background. The emotion of Cap adds a lot too. Below you’ll see a lot of the 96 MM art used for various marketing and products featured this card- for good reason, it’s one of the coolest examples. Gold Gallery:  A different take on Spiderman with the mask half on, half off. Part Spider-man, part Peter Parker. He looks serious here, like a real person more than an idealized superhero. Some might not like that, but I like the unusual take. Set and extras  Base set  Gold Gallery  Double Impact  Masterprints (oversized 6.5”x10”)  Gold Gallery Promos: note these are the same as the regular gold gallery but with the lower left corner cut. They were given to dealers as promos as discussed in the product info pages below  Product info pages  Sell sheet: the checklist is preliminary and has inconsistencies with the actual set- see Minutiae section below.  The art was used in various products, including these with Greece Cheetos  Target gift card  The Cap was also used in this playing card game:  The ads Fleer ran for 1996 MM were pretty humorous (well, maybe darkly humorous). This one makes collectors play the role of Homewrecker, choosing between Boris and Julie for a long odds chance for the original Double Impact Wolverine painting. Has a ‘Prenup Legal Agreement’ etc. Also shown in this pic is the blister pack that packs came in.  This ‘Steal this Art’ ad suggests different (and funny) ways to go about owning original 96 MM art, including downright stealing it.  Wizard PosterMania issue with 96 MM  Examples of Wizard mini posters from the set (they are double sided)  These are rare, limited edition poster prints from 96 MM with the imprint Marvel Online and numbered to 500 (they picked 3 great examples of art imo). I don’t know a lot about them, and info is scarce. It is probably something to do with the Marvel Online program in association with AOL advertised on the back of packs   Commentary The art of this set is simply stunning. The characters are drawn like bodybuilders, in some cases even posing like bodybuilders- lots of muscles, 6-packs, etc- like a superhero should be! The realism is off the charts. I feel like this set is almost like ‘Fantasy art meets Marvel’ in some ways. Fantasy art being known for muscular barbarians etc and realism. It is considered by many to be one of the best, if not best Marvel Masterpieces set. If I have one complaint, and it’s not even really a shortcoming because I think the set was intended to be like this as a Masterpieces set as directed by Fleer, it’s that the characters are drawn in almost a vacuum, in super distilled depictions (bare environments or very minimal ones such as solid color backgrounds). There isn’t much narrative or context in any of the cards- but again I don’t think there was intended to be with the MM medium. The Double Impacts in particular deserve a shout out: an example of an art card’s main focus being: the art. There is no design on the card at all- no foiling etc. Both sides of the card are simply the paintings in their glory. In summary, this set is amazing and the pinnacle of Marvel cards for many. Original paintings of this set have been selling in the $60k-75k range recently, which is the highest amount I can recall original Marvel card art paintings selling for. Minutiae There is a strange aspect of the Double Impacts. Anyone buying these knows that #5 and #6 go for much less than any of the first 4. It’s odd because #5 and #6 contain Wolverine and Spider-Man, traditionally the most expensive characters. The only explanation is because those two cards exist in significantly greater numbers- a discrepancy large enough that the market picked up on it and prices established themselves accordingly. How much is the discrepancy? No one knows. Possibly like 3:1 or even 4:1. Until an example of an uncut sheet can be produced, which I have never seen to date... cant really say.. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fleer jacked up the number of Wolverines and Spider-Man’s because they wanted people to pull popular characters they like (although oddly don’t seem to have done this with Gallery, which also have a Spidey and Wolverine). The sell sheet above has a different checklist for the inserts- it shows what they planned, but decided to change:  It includes 8 Gallery (with the likes of Cap, Human Torch, Punisher, Surfer), and only 5 Double Impact (or ‘Embossed’), which are different than the released ones. It also has Gallery at 1:4, the more rare, and Double Impact at 1:3, the more common, which is reversed from the released pack version. There was a limited special edition comic Wolverine 102.5 (yes…not 102 but 102.5) that features 96 MM with Boris’s Wolverine as a cover and a pinup by Julie Bell. It is pretty scarce to find. An autograph version also exists. Interesting fact: the interior of the comic is the comic panels you see on the back of 1996 Fleer Ultra X-Men Wolverine cards, in case you were ever wondering where those comics came from. Front:  Back:  The Wolverine by Boris above uses the concept of the ‘Wolf and the full moon’, a motif we’ve seen before in Masterpieces and other 90s Marvel sets.  I've read that wolves don’t actually howl at the moon, it’s more of a mythical thing you see in art and literature going back to ancient times. But it makes for great art! Error Rating 1. Calling this a 1 because I have barely seen any errors in this set, not that I’ve opened almost any personally. So this is the first error section that will be vacant. There isn’t much opportunity to even have an error as the foiling is minimal. Fleer must have ramped up their quality control for this set. Brick Rating 3. They don’t seem as readily bricked as some other MM sets. Possibly because of the texture/material of the cards, but maybe even because the packs all came in sealed blister form. Hard to tell. You do see white specked 96 MM cards on the secondary market enough though (which is the result of peeling cards apart in packs)- this suggests it is indeed still an issue.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 10-19-2022 at 10:47 AM. |
|
|
|
|
10-18-2022, 05:46 PM
|
#20 |
|
Member
Join Date: Feb 2021
Posts: 1,201
|
Lots of great info here. Thanks Dyna!
|
|
|
|
|
10-19-2022, 10:58 AM
|
#21 |
|
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Southern California
Posts: 23,979
|
Spectacular 1996 display!
 We still had a couple of local card shops when these originally came out, and two different ones stocked it, although briefly. They were $4 to $5 per pack which was a little rich for me and a friend of mine, so we went in on one box. We each got a partial/near set of base and a couple of inserts, and my collection ended there for a long time. I finished the regular insert sets relatively cheaply from a local comic/card shop and online Marchant Cards by the mid 2000's, and when the shop went out of business about 7 years later, I got a forgotten 3200 count box of partial sets, among them a 96 MM near set that had all 20 of the numbers I needed. That allowed me to finish my own master set about 10 years ago, so roughly 15 years after the set was released. At the 1999 or 2000 Comic-Con, one dealer had a pyramid of sealed boxes for $65 and they were some of the only cards in his booth, so it was odd to see that particular set, even back then, being sold that way. I very nearly purchased a box, but it was late in the convention, it was a cash only booth, and I only had about $80 left. As I recall, after some wavering, I purchased a case of Simpsons TV show action figures instead. D'oh.
__________________
I'm aware of the treasure that I hold. |
|
|
|
|
10-19-2022, 11:27 AM
|
#22 |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
Awww man.....what a story!
As frustrating as that is, that's pretty awesome you were able to get a box around release and piece together between that and other lots before the set really took off. I feel like not many people were lucky enough to buy these around release or even 10 years after when they were still affordable. I collected as a kid in the 90s, but I was out well before 96 MM (even before 95 MM) so these were off my radar and I had to acquire them much later unfortunately. A pyramid of sealed 96 Masterpieces boxes at $65  . If a time machine is ever invented, to heck with going back to play the lottery or bet on sports.....I'll be at that Comic Con loading up on 96 MM boxes lolEdit: here is Non-Sport Update’s price guide for 1996 MM in 2007.  Smh, this was as recent as 2007! Ignoring their 1:20,000 is wrong, check out those prices. -Set: $50 (goes for $2k to 2.5k now) -Double Impact set: $60 (singles go for hundreds now, set ~$1,500) -Box: $75 (goes for up to $10k now)
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 10-20-2022 at 11:30 AM. |
|
|
|
|
10-19-2022, 08:58 PM
|
#23 | |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
2007 Masterpieces
 1 pack variation  Set Facts Release Date: Oct/Nov 2007 Print Run: 13,000 numbered hobby boxes Print Run of each base: 27,155, obtained by subtracting inserts (by odds) from total cards in product. This is a great example of value not just coming down to supply. There are actually more of each 1996 MM card printed (~34k) than each 2007 MM card. Yet 1996 MM base sets go for like $2k-$2.5k, whereas 2007 MM base sets go for like 40 to 50 bucks. Of course less 1996 MM cards survived intact than 2007 MM cards over the years, but still that difference in current supply isn’t nearly enough to account for a 50x difference in price. Print Run of each Foil parallel: 4,333 Print Run of each Gold parallel: 867 Print Run of each Ross Ashcan Box Topper: 4,333 Print Run of each Adams Ashcan Case Topper: 361 (by far the rarest non-sketch card in the set. Only 361 3-card sets are possible, and surely many exist as isolated cards, so the actual number of 3-card sets of these is a good amount less than 361). Retail Component: NONE. This is my assumption unless evidence is presented that a retail version existed (different pack or box)- which I’ve never seen. Basic Composition Base set: 90 cards Foil parallel set: 90 cards Gold parallel set: 90 cards X-Men set: 9 cards X-Men foil set: 9 cards Spider-Man set: 9 cards Spider-Man foil set: 9 cards Splash Page set: 9 cards (3 Triptychs) Subcasts set: 5 cards (UDE point cards) Ross Ashcan Box Topper set: 3 cards Adams Ashcan Case Topper set: 3 cards Background  Advertisement for 2007 MM. Note the Wolverine card on left doesn’t exist. Part of it, just the upper part with Wolverine, exists as Promo P5. After Masterpieces (and largely Marvel cards in general) being absent and dead for a decade, like a phoenix, it rose from the ashes in 2007, starting the new chapter- the Upper Deck era- of the franchise. 2007-2008, comprising 3 different MM sets, would be the first phase of UD’s Masterpieces era. There were some good things about these 3 sets, and some VERY questionable things to the point of being laughable (which we’ll get to). The sets are a mixed bag, and for many these are lackluster sets that didn’t live up to the Masterpieces name- in short a somewhat lazy attempt by UD which happened to own the Fleer brand. Luckily, UD would majorly turn things around for the franchise starting in 2016 (which we'll get to). After Marvel (with its Fleer company) went bankrupt in the mid 90s, Fleer transferred to different owners, and the brand was eventually bought by UD in 2005 (for a great price in retrospect). So it was UD, with its Fleer/Skybox brand, that was the company that produced the 2007 set. The Masterpieces logo itself was updated by UD for this first phase into the logo seen at the top of this thread in the OP. The most creative and game-changing aspect of the set by far was the introduction of hand-drawn artist sketch cards, inserted 1 per box. This is a first for Masterpieces and would continue in each MM set through the present day. Unfortunately the regular set and inserts are largely existing art that UD owned, for example in its VS gaming cards, and not new to the set. Top 4 cards I won’t spend a lot of time on these since again, some aren’t new art for this set. 4.  A cool concept shot fitting to the character, compare to 1994 MM Thing and Thanos 3.  2.  1.  The title card by Jusko, original to the set. It’s the image on the cover of the box cropped. Set and Extras Base, Foil, Gold sets  X-Men, Spider-Man, and their foil sets  Splash page Triptych set  VS System Box with the Ross triptych  Examples of random VS system gaming cards 2007 MM base were taken from  Ashcan Box Topper Ross set (1 per box)  Ashcan Case Topper Adams set (1 sealed card per case)  Promo set P1-P5. 1-4 are from SDCC. 5 is from Non-Sport Update. None of these are actually cards in the set (d’oh!).  Non-Sport Update with 2007 MM  Joe Jusko signed set promo (2007 Allentown PA show)  SDCC preview folder, limited to 1,000 sets  …….and interior 9 card PT1-PT9 preview set. Most of these cards not in the regular set.  Subcast set  Commentary 2007 MM is a mixed bag for sure. On one hand, the base set seems more like a grab bag of mixed artists like in 1993 MM, but with the further shortcoming of much of the art being rehashed. I’m no art expert, but some of this set looks like digitally made art rather than actually painted. In short, the set doesn’t feel like a Masterpieces set. Granted some art from big names from comics was used- Jusko, Ross, Sienkiewicz, etc- but a good chunk of it isnt new. On the other hand….sketches! This makes up for a lot, and made it possible for collectors to enjoy some original art (without having to pull 1:60,000 redemptions in 1996 MM for paintings). While many of the sketches in this release were black-and white and are of mixed quality, there are gems abound, including some 200 (!) done by NAR among others and even a few by Jusko. It’s hard to gauge exactly whether a given sketch was really in the set because a lot of blanks would later be made into sketches. It’s interesting to consider that the 13,000 boxes made of this pale in comparison to even the 30,000 made of 1996 MM. Clearly this new era of MM will be quite different than the 90s era, and much more limited. However no cards in the 2007-2008 sets are numbered, which hurts the collectibility. What does really help the 2007 set, and is sorely missing from the 2008 series 2 and 3 sets, is the presence of parallel base sets (foil and gold). This makes it somewhat more interesting for set collectors to put together master sets, and those sets have retained pretty strong values. The most sought-after cards are the Adams Ashcan case toppers, being only one per case. Sealed boxes, much less cases, of 2007 MM are essentially scarce now. 2007 may not feel like a Masterpieces set, but the branding is on point, and also if I had to choose my fav of the 2007-2008 series of 3 sets, it would be 2007 from an artistic standpoint. Minutiae The backs of the base (and golds) say Skybox on the lower left. But the backs of the foil parallels have the Fleer company logo. Base on left, foil on right :  Sketch Examples MM sketches were already posted in a different thread, but just to give some examples of what they look like. You tell the 2007-2008 sketches apart from the color header at top (and also by the backs). Blue border at top are 2007 MM sketches (assuming artist didnt color over it). The sketch 'template' (if thats what you call the blank sketch) of the 2007-2008 sets are my fav design of the Masterpieces sets. Even though modern MM have a more unobtrusive/minimalistic design, for some reason I like these the most and they give the card a certain flavor. The cool updated MM logo gives a sense of officiality to the art.  Quote:
Error Rating 1 or 2. I rarely see any errors in this set. They are more plentiful with the subsequent sets. One example from 2007, thanks to a fellow forum member:  An ‘extra ink error’ of sorts with a darkened back. Brick Rating 1 or 2. It should be noted these 2007-2008 CAN be bricked- after all they have gloss and are 15 years old now. Still, the vast majority of these packs seem to be ok. I have run into a few packs that are severely bricked from these sets, but it's rare.
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 10-20-2022 at 03:07 PM. |
|
|
|
|
|
10-20-2022, 04:28 PM
|
#24 |
|
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,868
|
Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
2008 Masterpieces Series 2
  3 pack variations  Set Facts Release Date: July, 2008 (first MM set not released towards end of the year) Print Run: Unknown thanks to the retail component not being known. However, there were 18,000 numbered hobby boxes, and since sketches were 1 per hobby box, there exist about that many sketches (slightly more with retail etc) Retail Component: YES. Packs were available at Target and Walmart, and retail surplus could be found up to a year+ later at discount stores like Dollar Tree etc. Thanks to this thread https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1349404, the following was determined: Gravity Feed retail box (says 5 card packs they likely had 7)  The fronts of the retail packs are indistinguishable from hobby, the backs differ in UPCs. Below: hobby on left, what is likely retail on right  The most striking aspect of retail was the exclusive Iron Man/Hulk die cut B and Cs. There are anecdotes of them also appearing in Hobby which I cannot personally confirm, but they largely came from retail. B from Target (which dropped first), C from Walmart (which dropped later, and imo are the slightly more rare ones to come across). Sketches and FF costumes cards also are said to exist in retail, but if they did, they would have been long odds. Basic Composition Base set: 90 cards Avengers Foil set: 9 cards Marvel Heroines Foil set: 9 cards Fantastic Four Costume set: 5 cards Iron Man/Hulk Movie Diecut: 6 cards Oversize Box Topper set: 5 cards Set Background  UD ad for Alex Ross Litho, used in this set for a box topper. Almost astonishingly, Upper Deck decided to release not just one, but 2 MM sets in 2008, this being the first of the year. So in total, UD released 3 MM in the span of like 1 year (!) Unsurprisingly, there are some glaring issues with the set making it seem rushed, which we’ll get to. I suspect smashing so many MM sets into a short time period might have had something to do with UD’s Marvel contract expiring soon, and trying to milk the Marvel as much as possible. As it turns out, UD was able to secure another, multi-year deal with Marvel in 2009. This set, like the previous, got mixed reaction- especially regarding the quality of the base set (questionable decisions for art, most rehashed, and many not the classic, painted style of art people expect for a MM set). However, due to the return of sketches, the set still turned out to be popular. UD expanded into retail for the release and the highly sought after Iron Man Bs and Cs hark back to 1994 MM and its retail exclusive Gold and Bronze Holofoils. Besides the sketches, the retail exclusive Bs and Cs imo are what give this set any element of interest, and prevents it from being largely forgotten to history. Top 4 base  I tend to like depictions of Thing, and this is a pretty fun card.  The vampire in the cathedral with the stained glass motif works well. 2.  1.  A unique take on Venom, Spider-Man is utterly engulfed and helpless. Set and Extras Base set  Avengers set  Marvel Heroines set  Iron Man/Hulk Movie Diecuts. A is left column. B is middle column. C is right column. They are called ‘Movie Die cuts’ but are drawn art and nothing to do with the movies. The reason they are Iron Man and Hulk and called movie die cuts is because those happen to be Marvel movies recently released at that time.  Fantastic Four costume relic set. Imo this set is really out of place in a MM art set and shouldn’t be here, but again UD capitalizing on recent Marvel movie success.  There are variations in the fabrics. For example Doom comes in a dark color like above, or dark glittery fabric (below left) or red fabric (below right).  Promos: 5 cards, numbered P6-P10. Plus the points card.  Oversize Box toppers  Non-Sport Update  Nonsport Update SDCC exclusive variant cover, limited to 800. This is downright the coolest thing in the entire set imo, and major thanks to a fellow board member for this!  It is sealed and was supposed to include the Galactus Promo P9 (discussed below), but since it was rushed, the Galactus promo was not included in the bag, but instead was simply handed out at the show by a representative when people obtained the magazine. Commentary As mentioned, the base set got very mix reception for various reasons, but the retail exclusive inserts, FF costume cards, and especially sketches still made this an interesting release. One thing the base set was sorely missing was a parallel set, and obtaining a master set was pretty unchallenging besides the retail exclusives. Something else about this set- it kind of looks almost like 2007…similar type design, also a grab bag of various artists…it doesn’t really have an identity (granted, I think the trio of 2007-2008 sets were meant to be more of a similar whole). But if you show me a random base from 2007 or 2008 MM, I have to think for a second which release the card even came from. However if you show me any 90s MM base card, it’s immediate whether it came from 1992 MM or 1994 MM, etc. Head-Scratchers I am breaking from tradition of using the term ‘minutiae’ for this set. Because these are more things that just make you scratch your head. Perhaps the most mild example, the side of the box advertises cards that arent even in the set  That hulk/iron man movie die cut doesn’t exist, and the Thing costume card looks nothing like that. The sketch also is a blue header 2007 version. This happens I suppose, preliminary art and all that (although not usually on the box itself). But it gets worse. Notice above the promo P9 of Galactus for 2008 MM series 2. It’s not in the set. “Well that’s not unusual”, you might say, “promos aren’t always in the set”….and that is correct. But this Galactus card was in the first set from 2007 (scroll up to the last post, it’s one of the top 4 cards). So they are advertising for this set with a card from an already released previous set. Below: promo on left, regular Galactus 2007 MM base on right. Note the difference in the way Galactus is typed.  Back  They also used not only rehashed art, but rehashed art from this very same set. The Hulk Avengers insert, and also the Hulk Movie Die Cut B (unrelated insert set, not a parallel)  Similarly Thor. The base and the Avengers insert (not a parallel)  Imagine if in 1994 MM they said, ‘to heck with it, let’s make one of the holofoils just the base’ Some of these characters in the base set literally aren’t the correct character (!)  That’s not Enchantress on the left, it’s a curiously green photoshopped Scarlet Witch. It’s also not Nick Fury on the right, that’s clearly Punisher.  That’s not Hammerhead, it’s Tombstone. Also that’s not any Lady Deathstrike I’ve ever seen, she looks like a Skrull version of Rogue or something. These were all uncorrected errors and so they are in everyone’s sets, and when you open packs you get these odd incorrect cards left and right. It's kinda funny looking back at it now, but I’m astonished not one person during the entire process of this production pointed out…‘wait a second, that’s Punisher!’. It’s one thing if this was some obscure release, idk maybe Marvel Annual, but Marvel Masterpieces, which is supposed to be the pinnacle set of Marvel? These are pretty glaring mistakes. I shouldnt be too harsh on this set though, these are more just curiosities. All 3 of these MM sets in the 07-08 trio have a special place with me (and looking back I probably sound too negative about them in these posts- while I dont think they compare to other MM greats, they still are interesting and highly collectible sets). Sketch Examples The sketches in series 2 have a brown heading at the top. Sketches again are mixed- many are black and white, but some are colored too.  Error Rating 2. I don’t consider the above errors since they are uncorrected. But actual errors do exist and are more common in this set than 2007. For example cards that lack foil on the front (and so are NNOFs).  Brick rating 1-2. All 3 of this trio are similar in terms of chance of bricking (pretty minimal).
__________________
~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 07-29-2023 at 02:17 PM. |
|
|
|
|
10-20-2022, 04:53 PM
|
#25 |
|
Member
|
DynaEtch, LOVE this thread and appreciate all the work put into it!
I just recently pulled out my Marvel cards and decided to complete the sets I had going as a kid. As far as the Masterpiece sets I'm pretty close on the '92 and '94 sets. Apparently right now is not a great time to jump in on the Marvel cards; prices are crazy! It's the same way with comics right now though, great for sellers but as a collector I haven't been doing much buying lately. Just have to ride the wave out I guess. |
|
|
|
 |
| Bookmarks |
|
|
Linear Mode
