Marvel 1990 Vending Prism Sticker Cards (Impel-style)

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by glorbgorb

I collect Rhino and Firestar in terms of Marvel cards. I kinda wish they appeared on some of these vending sticker sets just to give some variety to the collection. But at the same time, I'm kinda glad they don't. Getting complete checklists are a pain, and the OCD in me can't handle all the variations that might or might not exist in some sets!

I can sympathize with this. That list of patterns in 1993 MM above is uncertain in terms of being exhaustive, so anyone feel free to add to it if you find another exists- the number of patterns is known to be 4, but unsure if some variants exist vs dont exist for each character (the other sets, 1992 and 1994 in that post are complete). As unlicensed as these stickers were, there was still a definite rhyme or reason to what was released (e.g. they didnt just release all kinds of patterns for every 1992 MM sticker, the gambit for example only comes in cracked ice, only certain ones were made as borderless, etc).

There is an instance of this "might or might not exist" issue arising in another Marvel card situation: the 1995 Marvel Metal Silver flasher checklist #138, and many OCD collectors have wondered whether this card exists or not putting together their Marvel Metal master sets- partly thanks to Jeff Allender's site listing the card as existing and being scarce in the checklist. People poring over copies of 1995 Marvel Metal Checklists to glean a minute discrepancy in coloration or lighting that might distinguish it from usual #138 checklists (I was one of those people doing this in the past!). I am almost certain now that Jeff Allender is indeed wrong* on this issue, and the silver flasher checklist does not exist....the official packaging itself supports this view (says silver flasher set of 137 cards on the boxes). Another piece of evidence going against existence: a picture of one and its difference has never been produced anywhere!

But yea I guess the 1993 MM Rhino just didnt make the cut, only 30 total out of 89 in the base set were selected. That's the one way he could have made it in with the Masterpieces stickers.

*: and this is not meant to take away from Jeff Allender's site- it is an amazing resource for nonsports. Just a minor nit-pick on that one issue

[DynaEtch]

These aren’t stickers, they are regular cards, but of a similar prism nature. I picked them up because the 1994 Masterpieces connection (Holofoil and powerblast). It is a 25 card set.









Background of the Marvel Pepsi cards. In the mid 90s Pepsi sponsored a set of Marvel cards in Latin America. The base set was just 1994 Flair Marvel cards with a Pepsi logo on the back.

In terms of inserts, there are two different types. The regular inserts, for the set mentioned above, originating in Mexico and Puerto Rico, are a 9-card prismatic set (of 1994 Marvel universe power blast cards), and a 4 card hologram set. These are relatively common to find. The 9 card prism set looks like the first 9 cards above, but they say "of 9" on the back, not "of 25" like the ones above.

The second insert set, supposedly originating from Guatemala, not Mexico, is what is shown above, a 25-card prismatic set featuring 1994 Marvel Universe power blasts and 1994 Marvel Masterpieces inserts. This set is relatively rare, probably because it mainly came out of just Guatemala.

It should be noted that the regular Mexican base set, 9-card prism set, and 4 holos are being reprinted in large quantities, recently- so watch out for these. There is a seller out of Peru on eBay listing these, and they look like the usual 90s, but listed as reprints. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with these, but it seems those cards are now being reproduced in modern times- they were not original Pepsi cards coming out of packs. I have not encountered this happening with the Guatemala set.

[exotechktx]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

snip

That psychedelic Wolverine is insane! How did you come across it, and where can I get one for myself?

I'm currently trying to put together a 90s era sticker collection myself. Seeing you provide posts like this one is incredibly useful, thank you so much!

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by exotechktx

That psychedelic Wolverine is insane! How did you come across it, and where can I get one for myself?

I'm currently trying to put together a 90s era sticker collection myself. Seeing you provide posts like this one is incredibly useful, thank you so much!

Awesome stuff, good luck your 90s sticker collection! Always love these prism vending stickers.

I got the Wolverine with the full-psychedelic prism background off eBay a long time ago. I don’t think I’ve seen another example of it anywhere, so I’m not sure exactly what it is. I also have yet to come across any of the other 4 characters with a full prism background like that. So if anyone has any info I’d love to know.

The ‘regular’ Wolverine comes in two prism patterns- just around the character, not the background. They are both shown above- one has a wavy prism pattern and the other has a checker board prism pattern.

[exotechktx]

I'm waiting to grab a copy of that Guatemalan set but it's so pricey!!! So are some of the 90s stickers, specifically those 5-card Marvel Universe ones.

The 1994 die-cut set of 12 that has mostly Marvel w/ Batman & Super-man is so rare, I've never seen it in the past 2 years. I think there was a single Cable & single Magneto posted not too long ago...

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by exotechktx

I'm waiting to grab a copy of that Guatemalan set but it's so pricey!!! So are some of the 90s stickers, specifically those 5-card Marvel Universe ones.

The 1994 die-cut set of 12 that has mostly Marvel w/ Batman & Super-man is so rare, I've never seen it in the past 2 years. I think there was a single Cable & single Magneto posted not too long ago...

You're not kidding, those are rare....not even sure if I've seen some of these before. You can tell its definitely not licensed with the DC next to the Marvel haha

I mainly just PC the ones containing Masterpieces art like the above, so some sets above are kind of off my radar. Unless Im mistaken most of the art there doesnt look like it's from 90s cards directly, rather from comics (with the exception of like the Cable which is a 1994 Flair Power Blast, but which was itself rehashed from a comic). I might be wrong. Either way looks really cool, the Surfer and Venom are awesome.

[exotechktx]

Yea, this particular set is an oddball for sure! Within the past year, I saw the Cable & Magneto go up and sold ~$50. I can't justify that pricing but I understand why it's so high given the frequency in which it appears.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by exotechktx

Yea, this particular set is an oddball for sure! Within the past year, I saw the Cable & Magneto go up and sold ~$50. I can't justify that pricing but I understand why it's so high given the frequency in which it appears.

Id say that sounds about right given the scarcity. *Most* of the stickers I showed above go in the $10-20 range individually, since they are relatively common to find. That seems to be the going rate. But anything that rarely comes up on ebay I could see doing $50+

[jdandns]

Thought you might get a kick out of this, Dyna...

In the new Abrams book collecting the original 1992 Skybox X-MEN Series 1 Trading cards, there's a written introduction at the start of the book which tells the story of how the set, which, in Marvel Masterpieces fashion, featured all-new commissions from a single artist (Jim Lee), came to be. One page of photo illustrations actually shows one of the bootleg vending stickers that was based on art from the set. I never expected to see one of those in an official Marvel X-Men book. Here's the page in question, along with the cover of the book.




This is a dazzling little hardback book which features the complete art in all its glory (including some production art and behind the scenes info) with crisp clean images of the cards, front and back including the holograms and the original clear wrapped 5 card prototype pack. The inside of the dust jacket doubles as a mini-poster featuring multiple members of the X-Men by Lee. Best of all are these 4 standard sized promo cards which are included with each book.




Numerous vintage Topps trading card sets (most notably the original Topps 1977-1983 Star Wars sets) have been collected by Abrams in books like these, but this is the first comic book superheroes card set to be given the treatment. Hopefully this one, and I would assume, a forthcoming volume for the followup X-Men set will sell well and Abrams will move on to volumes featuring the original 1990's Marvel Masterpieces sets, as well as the mid 90's X-Men and Spider-Man sets from Fleer Ultra, among others, all with promo cards, which has been a standard feature for all of the books in this line.

[DynaEtch]

jdandns, amazing stuff!

It's nice to see the unauthorized vending sticker get some 'official recognition', if you will. I dont have that storm, but it's great (I actually dont have any non-masterpieces stickers because of my collection focus, but they are just as nice). These vending stickers were made with just as good quality as official cards imo.

But how awesome is that book, with the original Magneto box cover art....and those promos! First time we've seen Jim Lee's classic X-men 1 cover on a trading card?

It would be very, very cool if we ended up with an entire library encompassing the 90s Marvel sets with the history of each and complete card checklist in photos- they deserve that treatment (but then....would that make our trading card collections obsolete? ). I would love to have a book shelf basically covering the entire decade. Admittedly it'd be a lot more compact and neat- and lighter- than all these unwieldy binders full of cards in 9-pocket pages....but being a card person I'd still keep the cards too hah.

Great stuff. This 1992 X-men Jim Lee set was one of the greats.

[PurplesaurusRex]

Are the scans in the book the same size as the original cards? Or did they blow them up?

[jdandns]

Cards are shown front and back, but is presented slightly larger than the original cards, approximately 3.3 inches by 4.3 inches. Paper stock is high quality.

I think the inside of the dust cover features the art for a Marvel Press Poster way back when, a rare and highly collectible poster today. It's a great bonus in addition to the 4 promo cards which are regular sized.

[PurplesaurusRex]

Originally Posted by jdandns

Cards are shown front and back, but is presented slightly larger than the original cards, approximately 3.3 inches by 4.3 inches. Paper stock is high quality.

I think the inside of the dust cover features the art for a Marvel Press Poster way back when, a rare and highly collectible poster today. It's a great bonus in addition to the 4 promo cards which are regular sized.

That's awesome. I might have to pick this up!

[exotechktx]

https://i.imgur.com/tp9xaCA.jpg

Just lucked out on that psychedelic Wolverine and I couldn't be happier ;_;

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by exotechktx

Just lucked out on that psychedelic Wolverine and I couldn't be happier ;_;

I saw that listing, and thought it was a great deal, would have been all over it if I didnt have it. Congrats

I still dont know much about the all-prism wolverine. Was it an error or intentional or what. Since these are unlicensed vending stickers, I dont think there will be much in the way of answers. I almost never see it though. My other question is....why just the Wolverine? There were 5 characters in the '93 MM die-cut sticker set, yet I've only seen the Wolverine in all-prism.

[perf]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

Love the way Sabertooth is drawn here. I had gotten a Gambit one of these. I didn't particularly like Gambit at the time, but having little money and this being my "pull," I grew to like him.

[DynaEtch]

^^^
It's neat how cards can influence interests in characters/stories. Like when I was young, the spectra etch I had from 92 Masterpieces was the Thing vs Hulk card, so I ended up really liking them and that rivalry. To this day, I still dont think Thing gets a fair shake in terms of popularity (how many Thing collectors do you know out there?)...while he's unquestionably the most interesting/complex/funny character of the FF.

On the topic of stickers, it is interesting to compare any of the snazzy vending stickers posted in this thread to the recent official Backscatters stickers UD put in Marvel Annual.

Unlicensed 90's vending stickers:






2021-22 Marvel Annual stickers:






The Marvel Annual stickers follow the rather uninspired formula UD uses of superimposing some digital comic art over some generic foil pattern. Is it me, or are the unlicensed stickers from 30 years ago better than this official product...? Im trying to put my finger on it, and at the least UD could have continued the prism pattern over the character itself, so as not to look so obviously superimposed. But it's the art too, something seems so artificial about the UD effort. I know it's beating a dead horse, but this is one reason for my sig.

[Rictor]

The bootleg stickers look better because they have a solid color background. Also, comic art in the nineties was more simplistic with fewer lines, so it looked better when shrunk down to trading card size.

Oh, and pretty much all comic art is colored digitally now instead of by hand, giving it a more polished look, but losing that old comic book charm.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by Rictor

The bootleg stickers look better because they have a solid color background. Also, comic art in the nineties was more simplistic with fewer lines, so it looked better when shrunk down to trading card size.

Oh, and pretty much all comic art is colored digitally now instead of by hand, giving it a more polished look, but losing that old comic book charm.

Yea I think that's it. UD uses comic art from modern comics which always has the digital art, and its shrunk down. The no background makes it look obviously superimposed. As for the bolded, if Im being totally honest, Im not a big fan. Give me a comic out of the silver age over a 2023 comic...not talking about the stories, but just the presentation- hand drawn line art and coloring, and broken into discrete panels. This might be me just being old fashioned though. I also like the charm of hand-drawn disney animation over pixar type films, even though the latter many would consider technically much superior.

Whatever the case, I dont think the shrunk down modern comic art works well on a trading card. I wont even get into new UD 'holograms' in these Annual sets and how they are not in the same stratosphere as the 90s marvel holograms (tech...decreased in 30 years? or is it just the company being lazy).

[DynaEtch]

--->



in 30 years

[PurplesaurusRex]

Guess we'll have to wait for the knock-off version of these new ones.

[DynaEtch]

Took forever but found these two ‘Pizza Hut’ Vending Stickers. This was a rare sticker set, notice the text font in the black box and the sticker number in the star at the bottom, is how you tell it’s this set. There are clearly many more than 2 (as seen in #12 sticker), but I’m only collecting Masterpieces, and as far as I know it’s just these two, the 1992 MM Shatterstar and 1993 MM Cyber with Masterpieces art.

Nslists does list this Shatterstar on its 1992 Marvel Masterpieces page. These are opposite the norm of the 90s vending stickers in that there is no fancy prism pattern overlaying the sticker, it’s just a basic foil image. Like other 90s Masterpieces stickers, the painting was transformed to make a sticker- these aren’t simple rehashings of the painted images, they look redrawn and colored. See the difference in the stubble on Cyber’s chin in the card vs the sticker (might be hard to make out, but hairs are differently arranged).
Would be curious if anyone has a list of the rest of the cards in this Pizza Hut sticker set.

[jdandns]

Wow, love those!
I don't think I've ever seen this variation before.
These are thought to have only been sold from vending machines located in Pizza Huts?

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by jdandns

Wow, love those!
I don't think I've ever seen this variation before.
These are thought to have only been sold from vending machines located in Pizza Huts?

I *think* so, but info on the origins of these 90s vending stickers is very hard to find unfortunately. The reason Im saying Pizza Hut for these particular two, is based solely on Jeff Allenders's page on 1992 Masterpieces which lists the Shatterstar from Pizza Hut vending machines towards the bottom (whether it is true, I cannot say):

https://www.nslists.com/mrvmas92.htm

This Shatterstar is noticeably different than the regular 1992 MM vending stickers which all had prism patterns, shown above. As far as I know, it's the only 1992 MM art that got the treatment in this set- why they would pick an obscure character like Shatterstar of all characters is curious.

I wish we knew more about the origins of all these 90s prism vending sticker sets. Unfortunately I didnt personally get any when I was young. They definitely seemed to come from those coin op vending machines like the one someone above posted. There seems to be a common theme in anecdotal stories I see (on reddit, etc about the topic): Pizza Hut. Whether these machines were in other places like bowling alleys, arcades, retail stores, etc I cannot say. Pizza Hut seems to have been 'the' go-to place for them.

[sthoemke]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

I *think* so, but info on the origins of these 90s vending stickers is very hard to find unfortunately. The reason Im saying Pizza Hut for these particular two, is based solely on Jeff Allenders's page on 1992 Masterpieces which lists the Shatterstar from Pizza Hut vending machines towards the bottom (whether it is true, I cannot say):

https://www.nslists.com/mrvmas92.htm

This Shatterstar is noticeably different than the regular 1992 MM vending stickers which all had prism patterns, shown above. As far as I know, it's the only 1992 MM art that got the treatment in this set- why they would pick an obscure character like Shatterstar of all characters is curious.

I wish we knew more about the origins of all these 90s prism vending sticker sets. Unfortunately I didnt personally get any when I was young. They definitely seemed to come from those coin op vending machines like the one someone above posted. There seems to be a common theme in anecdotal stories I see (on reddit, etc about the topic): Pizza Hut. Whether these machines were in other places like bowling alleys, arcades, retail stores, etc I cannot say. Pizza Hut seems to have been 'the' go-to place for them.

Didn't Pizza Hut have a Marvel Comic give-a-way circa 1991(?). Maybe the stickers had something to do with that.