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10-20-2022, 05:06 PM
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#26 |
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Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Southern California
Posts: 23,956
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Terrific!
I can tip in a bit with this set by showing the uncut sheet, available through the Upper Deck website for basically 500 of those points cards that were found one per pack in series 1 & 2. The codes had to be entered manually, one-by-one. Given how rife with errors this particular set was, I found it astonishing they would offer an uncut sheet of it as a redemption prize as opposed to shredding any overages immediately so as to get rid of the remaining evidence of an obvious rush job.   The sheet was mailed flat between sturdy cardboard pieces, so the package was huge, with good care taken by UD customer service to prevent damage in transit. The only other MM related prize available for redemption was the 2007 Series 1 preview folder that obviously had not sold out its 1000 set run at SDCC. The preview folder required only 15 of the point cards, if I'm remembering correctly, so a real bargain given that those preview sets quickly appreciated in value and have sold for $100 or more for well over a decade now. Both the sheet and the folder were limited to one per account, and fairly briefly, to the point where I got one of each item before they were gone, leaving only CCG promo cards from "Marvel Vs." and "Warcraft" to use the remainder of my points on. The entire points/reward program was eliminated shortly after.
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10-20-2022, 05:26 PM
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#27 | |
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Quote:
You are absolutely right prices are higher across the board in Marvel. Thankfully they cooled off a bit from months ago, but still way higher than they used to be. If going for a set, buying boxes of these 90s sets is almost prohibitive (92 MM boxes continue to go for nearly $500...and heck the box might be bricked). Best best is to buy singles and lots, or even the whole set, but that's not as fun. Good luck in your quest to complete them 
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10-20-2022, 05:44 PM
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#28 | |
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Quote:
 Amazing stuff jdandns!! I dont think I've even seen an uncut sheet from 2008 MM series 2 on the market, what a rarity. Was hoping this thread might bring out some rare MM stuff like this to see. Although that Preview folder is a heck of a steal for 15 point cards as well...that uncut sheet simply takes the cake.
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10-20-2022, 06:13 PM
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#29 |
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The amount of love that has gone into building your collections DynaEtch and Jdandns, is commendable. It's nice to have found kindred spirits on this site who really appreciate their hobby as much as I do!
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10-20-2022, 07:43 PM
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#30 | |
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Location: Southern California
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My MM collection is seriously lacking next to Dyna's, and I think I was actively collecting for a lot more of the stretch when the cards were new than he was, so my hat is off to him for what he's attained. (And I don't wear hats. I had to go buy one to take it off to him!)
I'm delighted to share a little first-hand information when I can, maybe a picture of something unusual, but I'm just enjoying the show we're lucky to have DynaEtch and promoking providing. What good is this stuff if it isn't shown off? Loving it!  Quote:
It was basically a little over a case (about 14 boxes) of MM cards (Series 1 or 2) to get to the needed 50,000 points, so I have little doubt plenty of other collectors had the required points, but might not have wanted to take the time to type in the codes one at a time. I know it took me a few hours, at least, to do that many. I was actually expecting a rolled up sheet with at least minor damage (and a little part of me hoped that the sheet would feature corrected versions of the mis-named cards, a pipe dream), but I will say, when I received it, packaged well despite free shipping, and in really nice shape, I felt like it was time well spent entering those codes even back then.
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I feel the glow of your unspoken love. Last edited by jdandns; 10-20-2022 at 08:06 PM. |
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10-22-2022, 01:35 PM
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#31 |
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Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
2008 Masterpieces Series 3
 One pack variation:  Set Facts Release Date: Nov/Dec, 2008 Print Run: Unknown, thanks to the unknown print run of the retail component. Unlike 2007 and 2008 series 2, the hobby boxes were not numbered. However, from this thread on scoundrels, http://www.scoundrelpublishing.com/s...hp?f=67&t=3926, a post about halfway down says 38,000 sketches between series 2 and 3. With sketches one per box, and series 2 having 18k hobby boxes, it makes sense series 3 had about the same amount of hobby boxes, 18k. The remaining 2k sketches unaccounted for to make 38k are probably the scarce sketches in retail and extras UD had for replacements. Even though the hobby was ~18k boxes like series 2, for whatever reason they are slightly harder to find sealed today vs series 2, and tend to command a slight premium over series 2. Retail Component: YES. Gravity feed box:  The retail packs say 5 cards on front and hobby packs say 7 cards. The backs of the retail vs hobby have different UPCs. Hobby on left, retail on right:  Basic Composition Base Set: 90 cards Bronze Marvel Knights: 9 cards Silver X-Men: 9 cards Gold Moments: 9 cards Writer Autographs: 25 cards (see discussion below) Background Since this set is basically the second part of the 2008 MM set, not a lot will be said. The main draw of the set would be the writer autographs and sketches. Like series 2 this also had a retail component, but it’s not as flashy and barely anyone knows it exists because there aren’t retail exclusive inserts like the movie die cuts in series 2. As usual for this 07-08 trio, the art comes from a grab bag of artists and much of it is rehashed VS system artwork from UD. One thing strikingly different from other MM sets (every other MM set actually) is the presence of narrative base cards- battle subsets, multi-character base cards, mug shot subset, etc. The tradition of MM was to use a single character per base, usually in distilled portrait or pose- this set breaks with that tradition. Top 4 Base 4.  3.  The last 18 cards in the base set were mug shots of the Sinister Six. The subset seems out of place in a MM set imo, but mysterio’s is pretty funny. 2.  Classic battle scene between the FF and Galactus. Some time after this release UD would stop (generally) making cards of Marvel’s first family due to the character ban- and the FF have been sorely missed imo. 1.  Cool concept for a card. The title is, ‘To Court Death’, referencing the courtship of actual Lady Death by Thanos in the (complicated) storyline. That’s not Death across the table though, it’s Grandmaster, and Thanos is involved in a sort of cosmic game of chess which the fate of the galaxy depends on (at least this is how I interpret it). The only thing this art is missing is the chess pieces themselves (perhaps miniature characters or pawns). It’s a little odd Thanos is in contemplation of an empty board, but still this makes for a unique and interesting card. I like these cosmic characters in Marvel and they make for cool cards. Set and Extras Base set  Bronze Marvel Knights  Silver X-Men (by a curious happenstance these became known as the ‘X-men Secret Identities’ set. eBay titles, nslists, even PSA labels list them as such. Funny enough, the term Secret Identities isn’t anywhere on the card, and the cards aren’t even about that, they are just generic X-men related inserts. The actual name is just the silver ‘X-men’ set. But changing terminology that has become standard, even if wrong, is not readily done and probably won’t happen).  Gold Moments (the hardest to put together, and rarest set to find, only ~1 gold per box)  Writer Autographs: Typical example  Complete set of 25  These writer autos were tough pulls at 1:108 packs (3 boxes). It is nice to see writers get some attention and recognition, a rarity for a Marvel art set. The mysterious case of the two elusive Writer Autographs: Interestingly, dating back to the time of release there have been rumors of 2 additional writer autos not shown above in the set of 25: -Brian Michael Bendis -Warren Ellis to make the set 27 (originally 28, refined to just those 2 extra for 27). Nslists lists them as unconfirmed autos. There is a very fun-to-read thread of the time period debating (pretty intensely) the existence of these two cards on the soundrels art board: http://www.scoundrelpublishing.com/s...p?f=86&t=10118. These two writer autos almost certainly do not exist. The complete set is just 25 autos. Never one time has anyone produced an image or proof that they exist (and my philosophy in this situation is the cards do not exist until some kind of concrete evidence is provided). The above is a classic example imo of how incorrect notions get spread by rumor. It probably started on some single forum, then a trading card database or something uses the incorrect 'set= 27 cards' from that, then people on other forums repeat it, etc, and the notion of 27 cards becomes common. However concrete proof wasnt provided anywhere along the entire ride. Also complicating things is UD itself listed 28 cards in the auto set on their site at one point, and someone connected with UD in that linked thread saying he saw the 2 extra autos before....this doesnt count as hard evidence though since UD could simply be wrong in set listings online (as often happens with preliminary checklists etc, that are not updated), and the poster in question could either 1)have seen the extra 2 auto cards, but they didnt end up packed out, or 2)is misremembering/simply not correct. Either way, this set has 25 autos (it would be beyond preposterous if the Bendis or Ellis auto randomly surfaced for the first time after 14 years...we would have seen it by now). I will change my opinion if evidence is presented though. Commentary My critique of this set is similar to the series 2 set- the set doesn’t really have an identity, is largely rehashed, and many of the base don’t have that painted/luxury Masterpieces feel to them. It also is sorely missing a parallel set. However it’s still a fun set, and most of the chase is in the Writer Autos and sketches. The base cards this time are broken up into subsets, and they have more gold foiling than the previous two sets. Minutiae Again, UD reused a lot of art. For example this Moon Knight in the Bronze Marvel Knights insert set is just the 2007 Marvel Masterpieces 2007 base Moon Knight, which in turn came from the VS card game (left below is Marvel Knights insert, right is 2007 base).  The Magneto base is literally the same Magneto base as in 2008 MM series 2:  There are other examples. This card is a head scratcher, base #71  This is not part of a larger image, part of a triptych or anything like that. It’s a standalone card (!). For being the ‘Ultimate Battle’ sure doesn’t appear like much to look at, Galactus’s hand and a tiny FF I guess? It’s almost as if the building is the focus of this image. Hard to say if it was cropped, or what. Sketch Examples The regular sketches have a green header (AP in middle). This set has both black and white as well as colored sketches.  Error Rating 4 The only errors I come across are base without the UD hologram on the back. This is almost more of a variation, and you see it every once in awhile (no-holograms are rarer than with holograms). The holograms aren’t just stickers, they are built into the cards, so it’s not like someone just took off the hologram- they were made like this.  I can confirm the entire 90-card set exists without the hologram:  Only because you see these decently often, I will call overall error rating a 4, although you almost never seen other types of errors. Brick Rating 1-2.
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~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 10-29-2022 at 02:50 AM. |
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10-22-2022, 02:13 PM
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#32 |
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Posts: 13,120
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This is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn about the history of Marvel Masterpieces -- well done, DynaEtch.
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10-22-2022, 02:22 PM
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#33 | |
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Posts: 13,120
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Quote:
Her son on the other hand went in the opposite direction, having unmuscular depictions of Marvel characters in his MM release. |
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10-22-2022, 02:34 PM
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#34 | |
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I am trying to cram all the MMs into this month of October (30th anniversary of the brand) so will probably do more terse treatment of the remaining 3 sets in time.
I figure no need to go over 2016-2020 in detail since that's in the modern Blowout era, most posters are very familiar with them, was in the epack era, and large threads exist on them. 2007-2008 was still technically on Blowout, but many posters werent around at at that time, including me (and I imagine those ancient set threads were probably like 2 or 3 pages, boy have times changed). But I will still try to list my fav cards etc and some cool things from the final 3 installments. Quote:
Considering that's the first example of an 08 MM uncut sheet I've ever seen, there cant be too many out there. I dont even find any with online searches. That's incredible you only needed ~1 case of points for the sheet, Im thinking you're right, people just didnt bother with the redemptions. That or some were redeemed and many got lost. I honestly thought those UDE points would have been for some low-key 'goodies' of some sort- never did I imagine they would be for something as cool as an uncut sheet or the preview set. To think now UD makes you pull a zillions-to-1 odds redemption in its expensive MM sets to get an uncut sheet...to think before you could do it with throwaway points cards in packs. Wish we'd have that again.
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10-22-2022, 02:42 PM
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#35 | |
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Posts: 9,861
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Quote:
There is absolutely a contrast between Dave's style of physique (more 'down to earth' I suppose?) and the idealism you see in 96 MM. Which is fine...different perspectives give some variety in the art.
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10-22-2022, 02:49 PM
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#36 |
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Posts: 13,120
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Even though I'm a fan of the Hildebrandt brothers' artwork and had opened a box of '94 MM as a kid in the mid-90s, I really didn't like some of their 90s depictions of Wolverine -- his head was too small compared to the rest of his body. It's like he had a shrunken head. Although, Greg did a Wolverine card for '18 X-Men Ultra that had a more proportional sized head.
Their MM artwork reminds me of Disney animation -- very colorful with kid-friendly depictions. |
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10-22-2022, 02:58 PM
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#37 | |
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Posts: 13,120
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Quote:
Thanks again for your posts. |
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10-22-2022, 04:02 PM
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#38 | |
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Posts: 1,199
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Quote:
The Hildebrandt's are masters of color tone and highlighting. The work just pops right off the page and is more animated. Jusko's work is more vibrant, but his figures can feel a little stiff sometimes. Doesn't take away from the fact that 2016 MM is the GOAT set. |
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10-22-2022, 04:14 PM
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#39 |
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Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Southern California
Posts: 23,956
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Here's the full image from the cropped card #71 from MM2008 set 3, which really should've been a 2 card set if they wanted to use it at all. I'm not sure if he's credited on the card, but I could see the card featured Steve Rude art just from the enormous hand of Galactus as Rude has a very distinct style. Googling "Steve Rude Doom Galactus" brought this forth from a Reddit thread:
 I also wanted to show a 2007 MM sketch card variation, in this instance, an "Artist's Proof" card, which basically has that notation at bottom and a different color border on top than the regular pack-inserted versions. These blanks were issued to the participating artists, in varying quantities possibly based on how many cards they drew, as part of their payment package, the cash portion of which was certainly minimal. I'm not 100% certain, but I remember the word going around that time was the sketch card artists were paid just a dollar or two per card, plus the blanks they could sell as commissions so as to augment their pay for the overall job.  This one is from Kate "Red" Bradley. I found one of her cards in a pack, and she reached out and was good enough to offer me a commission in exchange for the card, as she wanted one of her own cards for her collection. She simply asked me who my favorite Marvel characters were and I told her Jean Grey and Spidey. I would've been pleased with a simple drawing on paper, so I was absolutely delighted to receive this full-color beauty on an actual MM Artist's Proof blank. While I've long since sold on most of my Marvel and DC-related sketch cards, I'm happy to hold this one in my "permanent" collection.
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I feel the glow of your unspoken love. |
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10-22-2022, 06:38 PM
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#40 |
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Posts: 23,234
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Also some tidbits for 2008 masterpieces 2.
Sketch cards were commonly pulled one per box, but I would say that every fifth or sixth case, I would open a box that contained two sketches in it. Also, there were times when I pulled a sketch that was placed in a plastic penny sleeve - a very rare situation. Each time that happened, the artist who drew the card turned out to be NAR! |
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10-22-2022, 07:36 PM
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#41 |
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Location: Southern California
Posts: 23,956
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UD might've been worried about paint or ink from NAR cards transferring to the card next to it in their sketch pile.
This wasn't the only instance of Upper Deck Marvel cards being found in penny sleeves within packs. I remember the creator autograph cards in "Marvel Beginnings" a few years later being penny-sleeved along with a separate COA card that had a numbered hologram matching the numbered holo on the auto card itself.
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10-22-2022, 10:19 PM
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#42 | ||
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Posts: 9,861
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Quote:
Quote:
What a beauty by Bradley, stunning Phoenix sketch! I love quirky additions like roasting the marshmallow, gives a sketch a bit of humor too. I think you're right artists were only paid a couple bucks or so per sketch- which in retrospect is just ridiculous considering these sketches basically single-handedly carried these otherwise mediocre 3 MM releases. I get it that increased recognition is essentially the payoff for artists here, as well as AP commissions, but still cmon UD if that's true.
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10-22-2022, 10:27 PM
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#43 | |
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Posts: 9,861
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Quote:
The fact you pulled a NAR from a pack alone.....  I was never that lucky. Since he doesnt seem to appear in new releases....I feel like his sketches from these early sets are becoming super sought-after now.
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10-23-2022, 12:41 AM
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#44 | |
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Posts: 23,234
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Quote:
I had the fortune of opening about 40 cases of the product and I was also blessed to hit 4 NAR sketches - wish I still had them but i'm sure they are still being cherished in personal collections somewhere out there! |
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10-25-2022, 07:46 PM
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#45 |
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,861
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Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
2016 Marvel Masterpieces
 1 Pack Variation  Set Facts Release Date: June 30, 2016 (Epack: July 2016) Print Run: ~920 cases of 12 boxes. Total cards in the entire product, only ~400,000. So the number of total cards in this release is nearly the same as the number of boxes of 1992 Marvel Masterpieces. This was a limited set! The 920 case number comes from two totally different methods. The first method is to assume there was 1 true base in each pack. Since every base is numbered, you can then calculate the run (checking vintage posts and box breaks, the one true base per back seems to fit observations). The other, more roundabout, way to calculate the run is to do a tedious math calculation tallying all the inserts by odds, compared to total cards in the product, and this equation yields a case print run. The remarkable thing is these two methods, as different as can be, agree very closely (~910-925 cases), so it is reasonable to say the case print run was around 920 cases. With a print run of 920 cases, some interesting deductions can be made about unnumbered inserts. Print run of the following approximated… Gold Foil Signature Tier 4: 51 of each 1992 Marvel Masterpieces Buybacks: 111 of each Mirage: 102 of each Canvas cards: 981 of each Some have argued ‘Wait a second, how can gold foil tier 4s be about the same as the What If tier 4s (/50)? There are usually more of them on the market at any time and they go for a fraction of the price!’. Well if both the following are true: 1)Print run is ~920 cases and 2)Gold Foil Tier 4 pack odds are truly 1:288, then the ~51 gold tier 4s is an inevitability (and as stated 1 is well supported, and besides 2 being the literal stated odds, if you go back to vintage case break posts, they seem to agree with tier 4 golds being about the same as tier 4 what ifs, one every other case or so). So the above observation regarding the market demands an explanation. My guess: the golds aren’t numbered, so that alone kills a lot of value. Secondly, the golds aren’t as ‘cool’ looking and coveted as the What Ifs. Third, and somewhat related to the first two: there just aren’t as many people collecting the whole gold set or hoarding golds compared to the what ifs. I feel like many more what ifs are buried in permanent collections. Retail Component: NONE. Basic Composition Base set: 90 cards + 10 canvas Battle Spectra: 16 cards Holofoil: 17 cards Stamped Buyback 92: 99 cards Mirage: 9 cards Note: there are a slew of parallels for the above cards, this is not a complete list. See Cardboard Connection for a complete set checklist. Background Updated logo, harking back to 90s era logo but stylized  This was the game-changer! I’ve been very critical of UD over the last three 07-08 MM posts, but props to UD for putting out this stellar 2016 MM set with all new art exclusively from Jusko. And what a beautiful set it is. Joe Jusko has become synonymous with Marvel Masterpieces, and rightfully so: not only did he start the whole thing with his legendary 1992 set, but he was also the one to reinvigorate the franchise which admittedly lost its luster and seemed forgotten by 2016. Since Joe had much more time to work on this set (started painting in 2013, set was delayed until 2016 when finally released, card backs say 2015) compared to the 1992 set (104 paintings in just 3 months!), he said in the IDW book that the 2016 set reflects his best work, better than the time-crunched 1992 set. This set has some major changes: thicker, nearly 100pt cards giving the cards a more luxurious feel, which would continue in MM to present (and give people storage headaches). Also the majorly limited print run, only about 11k boxes, and only 12 packs per box/3 cards per pack. Some people were upset about MM going high end like this, and were vocal about it in old threads. Gone were the days of going to the store and buying a MM for a couple bucks to put together a set. In retrospect….I think the decision was a good one. It makes the set highly collectible, the cards retain value, and the high end nature seems appropriate given the caliber of art. It wouldn’t seem right (or as interesting) to have this set listed by the drove on eBay for like $30-$40 a pop like 1992 MM. Clearly the modern Marvel card collecting community is a different demographic than the kids in the 90s buying packs at the local card shop (well it’s the same people…they are just older): they are mainly adult collectors now. So for various reasons, the high end choice seems right for this caliber of set. Another major difference was the availability of 2016 MM on epack- the early days of epack- and a game changer. I often refer to 90s cards as the ‘golden age of Marvel cards’. Well the 2016 MM era was the golden age of epack. I think we all long for those days of not *too* expensive packs (~$15 for a pack, $160-180 for a box if I recall- contrast to 2022 Spidey Metal- and tremendous opportunity for value that came from this box. Lastly, this is the first MM that made true master set collecting obsolete. In fact it’s impossible with this set with the various 1/1s (red spectrums, plates), not to mention it would take well north of a hundred thousand dollars to collect even all the non-1/1 cards, understanding that it would be nearly impossible even with the funds (certain autos, red galleries, etc just don’t hit the market). So if you noticed all my posts of MM to this point have been basically master sets (minus the 1996 MM redemptions and sketches from 07-08)- clearly I don’t have everything from this set, not even close. What the MM collector has to do with the 2016-present MM sets is define what they think a complete set is, and go for that. It’s a personal way of set collecting and everyone is different. The biggest obstacle in this set is the true base tier 4: astonishingly, there can only be 99 base sets out there (and since many exist as separate cards, a lot less than 99 complete sets in world). Top 4 Base To be honest, there are so many cards I like from this set, this was one of the hardest ones to pick out just 4. I’m leaving out so many I really liked, including Mystique, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Hulk, Shanna The She-Devil, and others. 4.  First card in the set, and one of the best. Miles Morales was still somewhat unknown around this time, and it wasn’t till much later (pandemic era) the card really took off. I like the simplicity (solid color background) and also the striking black/red against the orange. 3.  Pretty terrifying depiction of Doom, imagine hanging this painting in your living room (!). I’d be worried it would pull a Ghostbusters 2 and come to life and start scheming. It really captures the maniacal nature of Doom, even from under the mask. Joe in his book reflected on his choice to go with a more rustic metal (something perhaps from a horror movie) than a fancy new and shiny metal. 2.  It’s a beautifully painted horse, and also incorporates a bit of cosmic flare I like in cards with the outer space and planets. I like the pose and her outstretched arm holding the sword high, perhaps in acknowledgment of Thor above. 1.  The original Captain America Jusko painted with Cap saluting and blood in the background was not allowed by UD, so this was the second version, the one that made it into the set. The historic time period of WWII and imagery of the war is fitting to the character and gives the art a serious tone. What really makes this painting for me is the expression of Cap: he is no-nonsense here and has that expression of ‘USA is coming for you’ to fight for justice in the world. It’s a great work of art. I particularly like the what-if version of this card because it has the classic red-white-blue striped header from Captain America Comics #1, and fits well with the image. Top Inserts Canvas:  Emotion can carry art imo, and this one's off the charts. Hulk is in angry Hulk-Smash mode here. Jusko in his book notes this would be a great write-a-caption candidate. My caption entry: “They made Spidey metal packs cost how much on epack?!” Holofoil:  Perhaps an unusual choice and opinions are mixed, but you have to admit it’s a unique looking card. The rainbow is a great addition and makes it stand out (not exactly sure what the connection is to Professor X, but I like it). Hard to pick just one and I also really like the holofoil of Black Panther in the jungle in front of the moon at night. Battle Spectra:  Very tough choice here as the Battle Spectras have many of the best artworks in the set, but this one is probably my fav (and it’s also the most popular based on prices). One of the best Wolverine depictions I’ve ever seen and the painting has a real dynamic feel to it. Set and extras Again, can’t really show everything here. To give some insights into the way I store it though,  My definition of the ‘standard’ (aka somewhat affordable) mini master set in 2016 MM is the following: Base, Gold Foil, What If Tiers 1-3 + Canvas + Battle Spectra + Holofoil. That’s it. I think that matches many others. So my main focus is to complete those with each MM set and then add various other cards to this (which I won’t show all of below). I store that ‘core’ mini-master in 9-pocket black VaultX side loading pages in the two binders at left above. I have found the side loading pages hold 100pt cards pretty well. The 1992 binder at upper right is for the 99 card stamped buyback set. The ‘hits’- parallels, numbered, etc are all stored in the 2-row shoebox. I have found that 100pt toploaders and 100-pt one touch magnetics do equally well for holding these thick cards, so I have a mixture (note: due to sizing issues from the way UD cut the cards, some are slightly too big to fit in a one-touch and it’s best to store in a top loader for those). Base set (every base card numbered)  Gold Foil set (some don’t like the somewhat bulky size of the sig, and indeed it does kind of distract from the art. UD would go on to make it a thinner sig in future MM sets which I think looks better)  What If set (creative idea where the art is juxtaposed with the cover content of the first appearance of the character. Note there are cases where it doesn’t match the first appearance: Silver Surfer has ‘The Defenders’ and Doom has ‘Amazing Spider-Man’-these should both be Fantastic Four but UD wouldn’t plaster that name on a card thanks to the Fantatic Four ban.  1992 Buyback Stamped set (not numbered, and the only difference with 1992 base is the small MM stamp on lower left). 99 cards. UD made two mistakes with this imo. 1) why not just include the checklist (they presumably bought the sets and had them, the checklist would probably be a highly-sought after buyback to chase. 2) why not include the Spectra Etch inserts (these would be super sought after)- answer is UD probably being cheap and not wanting to buy ~111 spectra etch sets.  My main goal has been to get one of every single base Masterpieces card released. Obviously the most recent 3 sets have made that a major challenge with the tier 4s. I have been lucky enough to achieve this goal, thanks mostly to getting the various tier 4s early before they really took off.  Battle Spectra Set  Holofoil set  Epack achievements (these are the ‘easy’ achievements, the 9 tier 1-3’s. Unfortunately there are some rather prohibitive achievements in this set (tier 4s and complete set achievements)  Epack 2016 MM promotional flyer. I spent years looking for this and major thanks to a fellow board member for help in acquiring this!  2 Promos for this set (spidey was given away at the 60th Philly Non-sports show). Backs say releasing Nov, 2014 (!)  Backs:  UD Legendary (card game) promos using 2016 MM art  Upper Deck Deadpool set inserts using 2016 MM art (in jest..Deadpool is photo-bombing the cards)  Battle Spectra Gems example. Probably my fav insert set, similar to PMGs, the vibrant blue background really makes the already awesome art pop more-so.  Speckle Holofoil example  Mirage example (coincidentally the Thunderbolts #8: most of the popular characters- Venom, Deadpool, Elektra, and Punisher were jammed onto this one card, making it the most sought after mirage.). Unfortunately, unlike 1995, the mirages are not new art and are just base images rehashed. This is the insert set UD could have made so much better. For example, I would make it new art, and also instead of 9 (way too many), make it just 2 like the original mirage set, and instead of making them 1:144, make them very long odds, maybe like 1:800 packs. This would have been an awesome chase like the old ones. Instead, this set falls flat imo.  Canvas Gallery set (another insert set I really like, and made a point to go for in the newer MMs. These really give the card that ‘gallery exhibit’ feel in the fancy frame- a very fitting idea for an insert in Masterpieces).  Autos: Buyback ‘92 /15 example  Silver Spectrum /10 example  The Jusko autos, both the buybacks and 2016’s are considered one of the highlights of the set, and there are some diehard collectors of these out there, scouring eBay for example. I am not one of these collectors and the above two are the only examples I have. It’s just too expensive of an endeavor. Putting together a set would not only be prohibitively expensive, but also almost impossible due to the many you never see on the market. I don’t personally know anyone who has completed an auto set, but if you did, hats off to you, it's incredibly hard. Interestingly an in-person Jusko auto on a 1992 MM card, as awesome as that is, goes for maybe...$15? He has singed a lot of things over the years, particularly regarding 1992 MM, and is a regular signer at conventions (which btw is awesome and fans really appreciate that). So it’s not exactly rare. Obviously what makes these go for hundreds to thousands is that they are official, and part of a set which is collected. (cont next post)
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~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 09-26-2025 at 03:35 PM. |
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10-25-2022, 07:48 PM
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#46 |
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Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,861
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Marvel Masterpieces 1992-2020
Printing Plate example (this is my only one and I think it’s hilarious. It might just be the worst printing plate in the set. Without the X-Men logo, I don’t think many people could even tell who this is (It’s iceman).
 2014 SDCC oversized Jusko signed MM promos. Were available at the Upper Deck booth where Joe was. The fact these were given away at the 2014 comic con and the set wasn’t release until 2016 is pretty crazy. These promos are scarce now, and Im not sure why. Either most people didnt hold on to theirs, or the ones that do exist are buried in collections and no one is parting with.   Jusko with these promos at the 2014 SDCC: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F..._Comic-Con.jpg Upper Deck booth there (person in front obscuring things, but you can see a Lady Sif being moved across the table to sign). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...769213464).jpg In 2018 IDW published a hardcover book about 2016 MM. There are 3 versions of it, different covers but same interior. It is fantastic and Joe offers commentary and insights into every single card in the set (plus unreleased ones). The full scale artwork really helps to appreciate the art imo. Also includes preliminary drawings for each piece. A highly recommended book. Regular (common) edition, with Spider-Man Holofoil artwork (Note that without any fancy foiling, you see the painting a lot more clearly):  SDCC 2018 Hulk edition signed by Jusko. Supposedly 150 made according to this page https://sdccblog.com/2018/07/idw-unv...18-exclusives/  2018 SDCC Special Dinner Event hardcover edition (this might be my fav MM related item. I have never seen another example on the market, and there supposedly were only 25 made. What is remarkable is that IDW went out of their way to publish a version of this book with a print run of just 25 copies, seems like a lot of effort. It was made for a private dinner event with Jusko at an upscal restaurant near the SDCC convention center ($500 to attend)- what an experience that would be! Unfortunately I wasn’t there, but acquired this some time later. See this page for discussion: https://www.comicsbeat.com/idw-organ...o-during-sdcc/)  Commentary Obviously the art in this set is amazing and the set has taken on a legendary status with marvel card collectors. No amount of words will do it justice. Mr. Jusko has given us collectors a set that will be cherished for the ages, and can’t thank him enough (as if the 1992 set itself wasn’t enough). I wouldn’t change much of anything for this set art-wise. It does have a slew of parallels, between the epic’s, and legendary’s, golds, and what not. At first I was against this, but in retrospect I’m ok with it, as it provides nearly limitless avenues of collecting (I’m still collecting this 2016 set in 2022). I also like the tier structure as it makes collecting the base set a lot more interesting. I like that a LOT of nonstandard characters were included, including monsters like Fin Fang Foom, Grogg, Frankenstein’s Monster, Groot, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, heck even ‘Gorr the God-Butcher’….and I sense Jusko enjoyed painting those. The more ‘naturalistic/wild-life’ pieces such as Beast, Lady Sif, Shanna, Rocket Raccoon, etc are particularly great, he is a master of that type of art. The What-If cards, although a confusing concept at first, were super well-received- great idea by UD. The one thing missing in this set was preliminary art cards (although the IDW book has the drawings). Also notable is the FF ban, and at least we got to see works made of them for the IDW book. I really like the Battle Spectra set, but UD didn’t give the same level of detail to these that Skybox did for the 1992 Spectra Etches: in the 1992, the cards are etched foil in various parts: Surfers’s beam, Cap’s Shield, Things body, etc. The 2016 Battle Spectra are more lazily done with just a solid layer of foil behind the figures. Also, environments played a big role in most of the 1992 battles, whereas most 16’s barely had any environments and are more in vaccum. Just a minor nit pick, I still really enjoyed the battle spectras, and overall the 2016 MM set was a gigantic home run. Masterpieces is back! Minutiae -Multiple works had to be changed for the set on the subject of guns, at the direction of UD. The tier 4 Deadpool was going to hold guns in the air, it was changed to swords. Punisher was originally pointing a gun at Daken in the Battle Spectra, it was changed to just pointing a finger at Daken, and gun pointed downwards. -The red foil galleries don’t really look red, they are more of a silver color. Future MM sets would actually make the border red. Sketches Joe Jusko himself did 50 sketches and they are highly sought after. He has been vocal that sketches aren’t among his favorite medium, and they are somewhat basic portraits, but still really cool. The rest of the sketches are called ‘Legacy sketches’ and are all based on artwork Jusko did (usually a trading card or comic cover). It’s a great concept that honors the work of Jusko, the only drawback is the sketches themselves don’t have lots of room to be creatively original. Three examples of how this is done: Left: Different character using Jusko template (Gambit as Jusko’s Punisher in Punisher Mag #15) Middle: Same character but different take (this is based on Jusko’s 1992 MM Cyclops but it is his newer costume) Right: Basically same artwork redrawn (Jusko’s 1992 MM storm card).  Also this would be the first MM set where every sketch was in color, a standard that would continue through present. Error Rating 2. It is rare to find errors in this set. The only ones I see are wrong backs that have ‘legendary orange’ etc added where it doesn’t belong. Ka-Zar legendary orange on the back of a base card with base numbering:  Gwen Stacy What If on back of regular base:  Error Buyback stamp placement:  Brick Rating 1. We are now into the new MM era and these are recent sets, so much less likely to brick. There can be very minor sticking, but (so far) bricking doesn’t seem to be a big issue. Not that it's cost effective to open these boxes whatsoever now...sealed boxes of 2016 MM go for a few thousand.
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~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 09-25-2025 at 01:07 PM. |
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10-26-2022, 03:02 PM
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#47 |
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 13,120
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You went above and beyond with your MM16 posts, DynaEtch -- they were a fun, insightful read -- thank you.
I agree about the Captain America What If card looking good with the comic artwork added to the background -- I have the auto version. I think some of the cards were improved with the comic artwork -- for example, the Black Panther. The Dr Doom card reminds me of artwork from Dave Devries -- he seems to specialize in that kind of artwork, which I would describe as children psychedelic horror. |
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10-26-2022, 03:42 PM
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#48 |
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Member
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These 15 "1996 Marvel Masterpieces" packs were opened VERY CAREFULLY back in 1996...The packaging was kept as MINT as possible! Who would have thought back then that this set would be the rarest Marvel set of all!
$600 a sealed pack now! Wish they were all still sealed...but hey, cool packaging for sure and glad these weren't thrown away like so many were back then!
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Sketch Collectors: http://www.sketchcollectors.com/gallery.php?user_id=610 |
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10-26-2022, 05:25 PM
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#49 | ||
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9,861
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Quote:
I had to look up that Black Panther since I know they wouldnt have used the actual first appearance in Fantastic Four 52. You're right, the additions on that one really help the art. My fav 'what if' additions in the whole set are probably that Cap and, of course, https://ebay.com/itm/185400166062 (not my listing....I wish). There are a couple I think it actually detracts, such as the Ultimate Spider-man #1, the red bars on the side and header kind of just encroach on the image and I like the simplicity of that card art without it. Yes I could see a bit of Devries in that Doom. Like among his Marvel work, a somewhat similar concept is his 1995 Ultra X-Men Sabretooth, another up close portrait. Quote:
They dont make packs like they used to, that's for sure. Some other favs are the rack packs of 1995 Masterpieces, 1995 Fleer Ultra Spiderman, and DC vs Marvel.In my view it's not a bad thing you opened them...you got to enjoy the awesome cards. Not many people even knew about this set back in 96. Did you end up holding onto any of the cards (hopefully?).
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~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~ Last edited by DynaEtch; 10-26-2022 at 05:29 PM. |
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10-26-2022, 07:11 PM
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#50 |
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Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Southern California
Posts: 23,956
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Fantastic presentation on 2016, as expected, Dyna, thanks.
Back in the twenty-teens, I used to go to SD Comic-Con on Thursday and Sunday. In 2014, I saw that the Jusko signing at the UD booth was going to be on either Friday or Saturday when I wasn't attending, so I asked if I could just get a set of the blank cards on Thursday. The worker said no, but that I could come back on Sunday after the signing and see if any were left. I did so, only to be told that Joe had signed all of the copies. (I think they said they had 100 of each design, but I'm nowhere near certain of that.). I said, "well, thanks anyway", but must've been walking away in a significantly hang-dog fashion that one of the other booth workers called me back and told me I could have the ones in the display case. I was thrilled, of course, and very grateful for these which are likely the only unsigned pair out there.   The same thing happened the next year or possibly the year after with the Upper Deck "Clerks" card set. But when I got back to the convention on Sunday, they'd not only ran out of the cards during the signing, but had also used the example that was in the display case, so I was unable to get even an unsigned one. Like the MM cards, those seemed to have disappeared fairly well into the ether, as well.
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