2016 Marvel Masterpiece Cards

[abernut]

Hello,
I've been a fan of the Jusko series since 92. When I learned about the 2016 series I found a local shop that let me purchase two cases at cost months before they were released. I think I spent around $1,500 per case.

I put together a pretty awesome collection, and a drawer full of duplicates. With the explosion of the Marvel universe the prices are getting crazy. I'm thinking about selling all of my cards but am at a dilemma. Should I send in all my high dollar cards to get graded first. I can see where they are worth more with a grade but that doesn't necessarily mean they will sale.

Thanks,
Mike

[DynaEtch]

There will be different responses from collectors vs those who are flipper oriented.

The marvel collectors who collect 2016 MM and put sets together etc generally do not want graded cards from this set. I personally would be turned off from a 2016 MM graded card. It adds nothing to me and I’d be cracking it out immediately, which isn’t always trivial, like with the bgs cases. .

Those trying to turn for a profit might argue to get them graded, but some things to consider:

These thick stock cards are notorious for wear and I imagine it would be very unlikely to get a psa 10. You basically don’t see flawless versions of these cards today, the way people store them, and wear right out of the pack. There really aren’t a lot of graded 2016 MM cards out there*, grading seems to be more popular with like PMGs. So in all likelihood you’d be looking at an 8 or below….maybe a longer shot at a 9. And I’m not convinced an 8 or 9 would do that much for a card like this for selling. It also depends on how much it costs to grade, which I don’t have a clue about because I don’t send cards in for grading, to weigh the cost benefit analysis.

My overall stance is I don’t see much of a point to grade these cards. Perhaps it’s just the collector side of me.

*: I was curious and checked the psa population.....only 26 cards graded from 2016 MM base (?!)- that includes over all parallels, what if, purple, orange, etc. And only 4 battle spectra gems graded by psa. Now that I think about it, I rarely come across graded 2016 MM on ebay

[Gambit C10]

Originally Posted by abernut

Hello,
I've been a fan of the Jusko series since 92. When I learned about the 2016 series I found a local shop that let me purchase two cases at cost months before they were released. I think I spent around $1,500 per case.

I put together a pretty awesome collection, and a drawer full of duplicates. With the explosion of the Marvel universe the prices are getting crazy. I'm thinking about selling all of my cards but am at a dilemma. Should I send in all my high dollar cards to get graded first. I can see where they are worth more with a grade but that doesn't necessarily mean they will sale.

Thanks,
Mike

I would send off the sort of rare stuff like speckles, battle spectra gems, canvas gallery, and less popular tier 4 or their orange/purple variation. I would also do any spiderman or common base/common inserts that look perfect.

Just do a few if costs aren't bad for experimentation. The high end stuff probably wouldnt change the value much unless its spiderman. Spiderman is hot.

I wouldn't sell as a lot unless you need cash now. A lot would lose you money. For example some tier 3 base cards are doing quite well.

My though was at some point all base cards would be at least $5 cards. Some are already in the $10-$15 range.

The major issue you'll have are comps. For example, silver spectrum autos are hard to gauge because the popular charcaters rarely, if ever, show up online. I know there was at least 1 guy who had nearly the complete set and wouldn't be surprised if there a few others. I was trying to comp my silver spectrum jean gray for fun, and couldn't find enough recent sells to determine. I like valuing my collection for fun so i put a $500 value on it. No clue of thats over or under true value.

[dd316]

You'll make out like a bandit with the raw cards, I wouldn't even bother with grading.

[abernut]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

There will be different responses from collectors vs those who are flipper oriented.

The marvel collectors who collect 2016 MM and put sets together etc generally do not want graded cards from this set. I personally would be turned off from a 2016 MM graded card. It adds nothing to me and I’d be cracking it out immediately, which isn’t always trivial, like with the bgs cases. .

Those trying to turn for a profit might argue to get them graded, but some things to consider:

These thick stock cards are notorious for wear and I imagine it would be very unlikely to get a psa 10. You basically don’t see flawless versions of these cards today, the way people store them, and wear right out of the pack. There really aren’t a lot of graded 2016 MM cards out there*, grading seems to be more popular with like PMGs. So in all likelihood you’d be looking at an 8 or below….maybe a longer shot at a 9. And I’m not convinced an 8 or 9 would do that much for a card like this for selling. It also depends on how much it costs to grade, which I don’t have a clue about because I don’t send cards in for grading, to weigh the cost benefit analysis.

My overall stance is I don’t see much of a point to grade these cards. Perhaps it’s just the collector side of me.

*: I was curious and checked the psa population.....only 26 cards graded from 2016 MM base (?!)- that includes over all parallels, what if, purple, orange, etc. And only 4 battle spectra gems graded by psa. Now that I think about it, I rarely come across graded 2016 MM on ebay

You make some very good points. I believe it is close to $100 per card to get them graded. I need to dig into whatever sales history is out there and see if it would be worth it. These cards came right of the pack, into a protective sleeve, and then carefully into my book. They've been in my closet for years.

Again, thank you for the detailed response. Extremely helpful.

[MFaulkCollector]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

There will be different responses from collectors vs those who are flipper oriented.

The marvel collectors who collect 2016 MM and put sets together etc generally do not want graded cards from this set. I personally would be turned off from a 2016 MM graded card. It adds nothing to me and I’d be cracking it out immediately, which isn’t always trivial, like with the bgs cases. .

Those trying to turn for a profit might argue to get them graded, but some things to consider:

These thick stock cards are notorious for wear and I imagine it would be very unlikely to get a psa 10. You basically don’t see flawless versions of these cards today, the way people store them, and wear right out of the pack. There really aren’t a lot of graded 2016 MM cards out there*, grading seems to be more popular with like PMGs. So in all likelihood you’d be looking at an 8 or below….maybe a longer shot at a 9. And I’m not convinced an 8 or 9 would do that much for a card like this for selling. It also depends on how much it costs to grade, which I don’t have a clue about because I don’t send cards in for grading, to weigh the cost benefit analysis.

My overall stance is I don’t see much of a point to grade these cards. Perhaps it’s just the collector side of me.

*: I was curious and checked the psa population.....only 26 cards graded from 2016 MM base (?!)- that includes over all parallels, what if, purple, orange, etc. And only 4 battle spectra gems graded by psa. Now that I think about it, I rarely come across graded 2016 MM on ebay

This sounds pretty good to me.... The only thing I would add for the grading arena........ Ultimate Spider-Man, Deadpool, Wolverine, the achievement foils, and battle gems, I think at the PSA 9 level they add a lot of value to the card......... set builders couldn't care less but specific character collectors, sports collectors, entertainment collectors likely would care.... I think the top echelon characters get a nice boost if mint due to both the rarity of the set itself and the condition sensitive nature of the cards

[Wolf8MeVillie]

I wouldn't get em graded, thick cards like this are hard to get high grades. Unless you get a PSA 9 or 10 it won't add any value. So you better have a great eye or you might be blowing money.

[fabiani12333]

I wouldn't grade --- only a small number of 16 MM have been graded and the gem mint success rate is very low.

The 16 MM were produced in limited numbers, unlike the 90s versions. It makes more sense to grade mass produced non-sport cards to add value to them -- limited numbered high-end non-sport cards already have higher value due to their rarity.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

There will be different responses from collectors vs those who are flipper oriented.

The marvel collectors who collect 2016 MM and put sets together etc generally do not want graded cards from this set. I personally would be turned off from a 2016 MM graded card. It adds nothing to me and I’d be cracking it out immediately, which isn’t always trivial, like with the bgs cases. .

Those trying to turn for a profit might argue to get them graded, but some things to consider:

These thick stock cards are notorious for wear and I imagine it would be very unlikely to get a psa 10. You basically don’t see flawless versions of these cards today, the way people store them, and wear right out of the pack. There really aren’t a lot of graded 2016 MM cards out there*, grading seems to be more popular with like PMGs. So in all likelihood you’d be looking at an 8 or below….maybe a longer shot at a 9. And I’m not convinced an 8 or 9 would do that much for a card like this for selling. It also depends on how much it costs to grade, which I don’t have a clue about because I don’t send cards in for grading, to weigh the cost benefit analysis.

My overall stance is I don’t see much of a point to grade these cards. Perhaps it’s just the collector side of me.

*: I was curious and checked the psa population.....only 26 cards graded from 2016 MM base (?!)- that includes over all parallels, what if, purple, orange, etc. And only 4 battle spectra gems graded by psa. Now that I think about it, I rarely come across graded 2016 MM on ebay

BGS has a higher population of 16 MM cards -- a high number of Kaleidoscope's, Red Canvas and Battle Gems -- only a small number of 9.5's.

I have several 16 MM cards that are gem condition -- I think most of my Speckle's and Kaleidoscope's are gem worthy. I have some Battle Gems that are worthy -- Venom vs Carnage, for example. None of my Red Canvas are worthy, though -- it was more condition sensitive than the other inserts due to the foil border, I think.

I pulled a Venom What If from a pack sold at a LCS that was gem condition -- perfect corners, edges and surface.

It seemed like the ePack cards were generally in better condition than hobby boxes -- that's typically the case with Upper Deck, it seems. Although the ePack people caused corner chipping on several high end cards when they put them in sleeves.

[fabiani12333]

Generally, I don't think it's worth grading these cards. But if you have a rare insert or high series card in gem condition of a top character like Spiderman, Venom, or Wolverine, I think it would make sense to grade. You could possible get double the price or more of a raw conditioned version.

But I would be weary of buying a gem mint card from this set -- the low gem rate could mean a gem mint card was trimmed or inaccurately graded.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by MFaulkCollector

This sounds pretty good to me.... The only thing I would add for the grading arena........ Ultimate Spider-Man, Deadpool, Wolverine, the achievement foils, and battle gems, I think at the PSA 9 level they add a lot of value to the card......... set builders couldn't care less but specific character collectors, sports collectors, entertainment collectors likely would care.... I think the top echelon characters get a nice boost if mint due to both the rarity of the set itself and the condition sensitive nature of the cards

I personally don't distinguish PSA/BGS 9 from a nice conditioned raw. Only when a card is almost impossible to be found in gem mint is a 9 worth a premium -- the 9 becomes the defacto gem in those instances.

[abernut]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

I personally don't distinguish PSA/BGS 9 from a nice conditioned raw. Only when a card is almost impossible to be found in gem mint is a 9 worth a premium -- the 9 becomes the defacto gem in those instances.

So it sounds like the general consciences is grading them is probably not worth it.

Since I'm leaning towards selling all the cards, where is the best place to find a fare asking price. Ebay is tough. For example I've got a Spidey What If that I cannot find any current listings or completed/sold.

Thanks everyone.

[abernut]

I've also got an error card I cannot find comps on. It's a base card but the back says Legendary Orange.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by abernut

So it sounds like the general consciences is grading them is probably not worth it.

Since I'm leaning towards selling all the cards, where is the best place to find a fare asking price. Ebay is tough. For example I've got a Spidey What If that I cannot find any current listings or completed/sold.

Thanks everyone.

Comc has historical pricing -- a lot of 16 MM were sold on comc due to ePack transfers. Here's the Spidey What If page -- it says 4 were sold on comc:
https://www.comc.com/Cards/Non-Sport...r-Man/11471842

You have to buy "points" to look at sales price data, though. It says the Spidey What If sold for a high price of $912.94.

[RedPotion]

Originally Posted by abernut

So it sounds like the general consciences is grading them is probably not worth it.

Since I'm leaning towards selling all the cards, where is the best place to find a fare asking price. Ebay is tough. For example I've got a Spidey What If that I cannot find any current listings or completed/sold.

Thanks everyone.

I would say put it to auction on ebay and set the starting bid to something fair based on what some of the other top tier what if cards sold for. Venoms sold 800-1000 until recently where it was sold for $1500. Same with a Silver Surfer. As someone who is looking for that card, I'd bid at that price. I also could have sworn there was a seller with a Wolverine what if that listed it for ~$2300, but I can't find those listings anymore.

[fabiani12333]

I'd personally list the Spidey What If at $3k with best offer. There's a Hulk What If currently listed at $2.5k. A Venom What If sold at best offer under $1k.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by RedPotion

I would say put it to auction on ebay and set the starting bid to something fair based on what some of the other top tier what if cards sold for. Venoms sold 800-1000 until recently where it was sold for $1500. Same with a Silver Surfer. As someone who is looking for that card, I'd bid at that price. I also could have sworn there was a seller with a Wolverine what if that listed it for ~$2300, but I can't find those listings anymore.

A Venom What If sold for under $1k at best offer on Jan 6th ten days before one sold at $1.5k -- I'm not buying it. The second sale could be a fake.

[fabiani12333]

Actually, two Venom What If's sold under $1k on eBay this month. The $1.5k is looking even more fake to me.

[RedPotion]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

Actually, two Venom What If's sold under $1k on eBay this month. The $1.5k is looking even more fake to me.

Yeah that's true. Looks like it was the same seller for both the Venom and Silver Surfer and both sold same time. Unless it has same buyer it looks fishy.

There is another Silver Surfer auction looks that's at $676 now, Has some chip on the back though. Curious where that ends up.

Forgot about buy it now with offers. Yeah that seems like the better option as a seller.

[Gambit C10]

List spiderman at 5k OBO.

Legendary orange error is a know error for other cards as well. Many people likely have sold these cards without knowing. Not sure if is something that adds any value. It should sell pretty quick if labeled clearly and picture on your ebay listing.

[abernut]

Can someone also explain to me what the, if any, difference there is between an original 1992 Joe Jusko card and the buy back cards that were included in the 2016 set. I pulled a lot of them and compared them to my 1992 set and couldn't find any differences. The 1992 autographed cards that came in the 2016 set are numbered on the front /15 and have a different back.

The reason I ask is because people list a 1992 buy back card on ebay and people are paying 2-3 times what they can pay for that exact card if they just buy the 1992 version.

[finfangfan]

Originally Posted by abernut

Can someone also explain to me what the, if any, difference there is between an original 1992 Joe Jusko card and the buy back cards that were included in the 2016 set. I pulled a lot of them and compared them to my 1992 set and couldn't find any differences. The 1992 autographed cards that came in the 2016 set are numbered on the front /15 and have a different back.

The reason I ask is because people list a 1992 buy back card on ebay and people are paying 2-3 times what they can pay for that exact card if they just buy the 1992 version.

The foil stamp on front for the buybacks is what is different.

[abernut]

Originally Posted by abernut

Can someone also explain to me what the, if any, difference there is between an original 1992 Joe Jusko card and the buy back cards that were included in the 2016 set. I pulled a lot of them and compared them to my 1992 set and couldn't find any differences. The 1992 autographed cards that came in the 2016 set are numbered on the front /15 and have a different back.

The reason I ask is because people list a 1992 buy back card on ebay and people are paying 2-3 times what they can pay for that exact card if they just buy the 1992 version.

I'm an idiot. I just double checked my cards and I think the buy backs have a Marvel masterpiece stamp on the corner.

[abernut]

Originally Posted by finfangfan

The foil stamp on front for the buybacks is what is different.

I put them with my original 1992 set thinking they were just duplicates

Just went and checked, there were 13 of them

[DynaEtch]

I would list high if selling the Spiderman what if. Considering other characters are potentially going in the 1k+ range, Spidey will be well above this. What else it has going for it is no others currently listed on ebay or comc.

Around the time of release, I would see a lot more of those legendary orange errors, nowadays I dont see them much. To give you an idea, I bought mine for 50 on comc fairly recently, and posted about it here:

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1500480

Not sure if that was a good price or not, there's barely any comps. It's one of those curiosities that appeals to people like me, who like oddball error stuff. It wont bring mega bucks (unless it's like tier 4, which I've never seen in this error variant), but should go for well over the price of the base.

If any of the buyback stamped 92's are main characters, they should go for a pretty good amount, way more than 2-3x the price of the 1992 original. For example a 1992 Marvel masterpieces wolverine sells for like $5, the buyback for a couple hundred.