1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men Silver X-Overs X-Tinction Agenda - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men
Company: Fleer
Type: Insert/Chase - Silver X-Overs (Walmart Exclusive)
Character: X-Tinction Agenda
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: Personal Collection

Thank goodness for Wikipedia.  I would have killed it in high school if this popular "research" website was around.  So without adieu, for your reading pleasure (since I'm too lazy to write my own):

Taking place immediately after the events of the 1990 crossover "Days of Future Present", a group of Genoshan Magistrates (soldiers of the country of Genosha), backed by the cyborg Cameron Hodge, and including an amnesiac Havok (a member of the X-Men), attack the X-Mansion and kidnap Storm and the New Mutants Warlock, Boom Boom, Rictor, and Wolfsbane. They are taken to Genosha naked and weak. Warlock is killed and Storm and Wolfsbane are brainwashed, turned into mindless mutate slaves, which form the backbone of the Genoshan economy and lifestyle. Cable, the New Mutants, Gambit, Forge, and Banshee recruit X-Factor and head to Genosha to save their teammates. They are soon joined by Wolverine, Psylocke, and Jubilee, who independently head to Genosha to rescue their friends.

In the end, the X-Men defeat the forces of Genosha and Cameron Hodge's severed head is buried alive by Rictor, who uses his earthquake-inducing powers to topple the Genoshan capitol building "The Citadel" onto Hodge. Storm, whose body had been physically regressed into that of a child in an earlier story, albeit with her adult memories and personality intact, is freed of the brainwashing, and regained her adult form. Wolfsbane is also freed from her brainwashing, but is trapped in a lupine form permanently. Havok (having gotten his memories back) elects to stay in Genosha along with Wolfsbane to help rebuild the country (now without a government) and prevent civil war between its human and mutant populations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Tinction_Agenda

1996 Marvel Masterpieces Double Impact Wolverine/Venom - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1996 Marvel Masterpieces

Company: Fleer/Skybox
Type: Insert/Chase - Double Impact
Character: Wolverine/Venom
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: Personal Collection

I've been eyeing this card for a while but it was owned by a private collector who had no intent on selling.  So I did my best to buy the card raw and have it graded by Beckett...to no avail.  I had three different cards graded BGS 9.0 and each one either had slight corner wear or chipping issues on the edges.  Besides the three that were sent to Beckett, there were countless more that didn't make the cut.

The Wolverine/Venom Double Impact card is one of the most common of the insert set, with the other being Storm/Spider-Man.  About two years ago, it was easy to find one for under $30, sometimes even under $25.  However, prices have jumped in the last 6 months.  Even in the last 4 months, Wolverine/Venom Double Impact cards have regularly sold between $50-$70, even as high as $80!

So because of the price increase, I had to rethink my strategy.   In addition, sellers on EBay have been less likely to provide me with close-up pictures of their cards.  I even had to return two cards that were described as Mint/Near-Mint but had creases and other major flaws.  It was very disappointing.

Luckily, I didn't have to think very hard (or at all).  The same private collector ended up having to sell his collection due to personal reasons.  I missed out on some other graded cards I had been coveting but snagged his Wolverine/Venom card for a price reasonable to the both of us.  Three down...three more to go!

1995 Marvel Masterpieces Holoflash Dr. Doom - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1995 Marvel Masterpieces
Company: Fleer
Type: Insert/Chase - Holoflash
Character: Dr. Doom
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: Personal Collection

I haven't seen the new Fantastic Four movie but from the "fantastic" reviews it received, I'm sure I can wait a little bit longer.  You know it's a box office bomb when critics are saying that the previous two Fantastic Four iterations were better than this most recent one.  Scary...

Well, I thought I'd at least honor Dr. Victor Von Doom with this post.  This card came from Fleer's Marvel Masterpieces set, issued in 1995.  All eight holoflash cards featured certain Marvel villains, including Apocalypse, The Mandarin, and Mr. Sinister.  

1991 Impel Marvel Universe Cello Pack Promo Magneto - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1991 Marvel Universe Series 2
Company: Impel
Type: Promo
Character: Magneto
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: Personal Collection

When Impel released their Marvel Universe Series 2 cards, they also issued a five card cello pack.  These cards where almost exactly the same as the normal base cards except for some minor differences.  On the regular base Magneto card, the "1991" on the top left hand corner is in bold print but is in normal print on the cello promo card.  In addition, the regular base card shows "5" for Durability and "3" for Intelligence while the promo card upgraded his stats to "6" and "5" respectively.  Although not as difficult to obtain in BGS Gem Mint compared to other condition sensitive Marvel cards, it will still take some searching to find one with 50/50 or 55/45 centering, especially since BGS puts more weight on centering than PSA or GMA.

1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men Silver X-Overs Mutant Massacre - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men
Company: Fleer
Type: Insert/Chase - Silver X-Overs (Walmart Exclusive)
Character: Mutant Massacre
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: Personal Collection

Following Impel and Skybox, Fleer released the 3rd line of X-Men cards in 1994 and issued them under the Ultra brand.  In addition, they were available in hobby, jumbo, and two types of Walmart packs.  Back in the early and mid 90's, Walmart stores were not available as they are today and certain Marvel chase cards were only inserted in packs distributed by Walmart.  Since those cards saw limited release and were difficult to find, their value has increased over the last several years, as Marvel card enthusiasts are obtaining them for their collections.

Among one these insert sets was the Silver X-Overs, found only in the 1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men Walmart packs.  The set was made up of 6 cards - Mutant Massacre, Fall of the Mutants, Inferno, X-tinction Agenda, X-cutioner's Song, and Fatal Attractions. In addition, the front of every card was completely coated in foil, giving the card a fantastic silver sheen.  Depending on which Walmart distribution, each box most likely contained only one Silver X-Overs insert.

The Silver X-Overs were prone to edge wear and finding one that will grade Gem Mint is extremely hard, considering the rarity in locating an unopened Walmart box.  In addition, I have noticed most cards that are for sale either have soft corners, surface scratches, or rough edges.  At $30 to $40 a card, most people do not have the luxury of buying multiple cards, hoping to score one that's gem mint quality.

Last year, I was lucky enough to buy the first four cards of the set at an extremely good price.  Although I saw pictures, I expected some corner and edge wear, maybe even a surface dent or two.  But when the cards arrived, to my pleasant surprise, each one was in top condition - even BGS worthy.  After a BGS submission last month, Beckett graded two of the cards 9.5 Gem Mint, one as 9 Mint, and the other as 8.5 Near Mint-Mint Plus.  All I need now are the last two cards from the set and I can complete this collection...or until I decide to upgrade on the condition...

1992 Marvel Masterpieces Lost Cards Typhoid Mary (Tin Exclusive) - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1992 Marvel Masterpieces
Company: Skybox
Type: Insert/Chase - Lost Marvel Cards
Character: Typhoid Mary
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: SOLD

Instead of making these Lost Cards available through packs, they were only found in "limited" tin sets numbered to 35,000.  Each of the 5 cards, which included Scarlet Witch, Feral, Deathbird, Typhoid Mary, and Jubilee, were also drawn by Joe Jusko.  I sold the entire Lost Marvel card set graded Gem Mint by Beckett three years ago to a collector in Florida.  At the time, it was the only complete set graded BGS 9.5 or better.

1996 Marvel Masterpieces Double Impact Rogue/Human Torch - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1996 Marvel Masterpieces
Company: Fleer/Skybox
Type: Insert/Chase - Double Impact
Character: Rogue/Human Torch
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: Personal Collection

Another one of my favorite graded Marvel cards is the Rogue/Human Torch Double Impact insert card from the 1996 Marvel Masterpieces set.  Beckett graded this card 9.5 Gem Mint and similar to the Punisher/Psylocke Double Impact card I highlighted earlier, it is the only one in the world graded Gem Mint based on Beckett's population report.

I purchased two unopened 1996 Marvel Masterpieces packs among which one included this exact card.  The edges are prone to flaking and chipping as they are extremely condition sensitive.  So far I have two out of the six Double Impact cards graded Gem Mint.  The remaining are graded BGS 9 Mint so it'll be awhile until my quest is complete.

The only thing I need to get Beckett to fix is the label as they printed "Rogue/Human Torch/Rogue."  To some, this may not be a big deal but considering how much I'm OCD to this kind of stuff, I'll be sending this card back to Beckett in the near future for a correction. 

2001 Topps Marvel Legends Foil Hulk - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 2001 Marvel Legends
Company: Topps
Type: Insert/Chase - Foil Parallel
Character: Hulk
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: Personal Collection

In 2001, Topps decided to venture back into issuing Marvel cards with their Marvel Legends set.  Although the cards were packaged in hobby and retail packs, only the foil parallels were found in the latter. The retail packs had limited distribution, making the foil cards highly collectible.  I was fortunate to find some in very good condition, like this Hulk, and had them graded by Beckett.  The corners are prone to denting and I have noticed rough edges on a lot of them.  I currently own 6 out of the 7 graded foil cards listed on Beckett's population report and all are graded 9.5 Gem Mint.  But I'm still searching for Spider-Man, Punisher, and Deadpool in good grading condition so if you have one of them, feel free to let me know if you're willing to sell or trade :)

1993 X-Men 30 Years Gold Foil Wolverine - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1993 X-Men Series 2
Company: Skybox
Type: Insert/Chase - 30 Years Gold Foil Stamp
Character: Wolverine
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: SOLD

Skybox celebrated thirty years of X-Men by releasing a gold foil insert set with the X-Men Series 2 cards.  The nine card set was made up of Cyclops, Storm, Rogue, Cable, Professor X, Wolverine, Magneto, Juggernaut, and the Sentinels.  They were inserted at a rate of about 2-3 per box.  I sold two Wolverine BGS 9.5's - one about two years and another just this last month.  Below is a picture of the card from the latest sale.

1996 Marvel Masterpieces Double Impact Punisher/Psylocke - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1996 Marvel Masterpieces
Company: Fleer/Skybox
Type: Insert/Chase - Double Impact
Character: Punisher/Psylocke
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: Personal Collection

This is one of my favorite cards as it includes two of my favorite Marvel heroes - Punisher and Psylocke.  The 1996 Masterpieces set is now one of the most expensive sets from that era since they had limited distribution in the late 90's.  All artwork was done by the husband and wife team of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell.  Their amazing and talented skills were showcased in all the cards of this set, including the Double Impact chase/insert set.  I bought this card raw on EBay a few years ago and paid about $90 for it.  I probably overpaid a bit given that the market price at that time was about $70 but the seller included many close up pictures and I thought the card had a good chance of grading Mint to Gem Mint.  As you can see, my hunch was right!  This card is now part of my personal collection.

1992 Impel Marvel Universe Hologram Promo Venom - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1992 Marvel Universe Series 3
Company: Impel
Type: Promo Hologram
Character: Venom
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: SOLD

Spider-Man's popular arch-enemy Venom got his own hologram card when Impel released their Series 3 Marvel Universe cards in 1992.  In addition, Advance Comics included a promo hologram of Venom in many of their magazine issues, to help promote their company as well as the new comic cards.  The 1992 holograms were printed in different colors, which included green, blue, orange, pink/red, and purple.  This promo hologram card was purchased raw and submitted to Beckett Grading Services.

1990 Impel Marvel Universe Hologram Cosmic Spider-Man - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1990 Marvel Universe Series 1
Company: Impel
Type: Insert/Chase - Hologram
Character: Cosmic Spider-Man
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: SOLD

This was the set that popularized Marvel card collecting in the early and mid 1990's (at least for me anyways).  Many of these holograms can be purchased for a couple dollars on EBay but due to quality issues, the majority are off-centered with surface scratches.  Therefore finding one in Gem Mint quality is extremely rare.  I have known collectors that have purchased multiple boxes without pulling a hologram worthy to be sent in for grading.  This card was purchased ungraded from a online seller along with other non-sports cards.  It was submitted to Beckett and was graded Gem Mint.

1995 Fleer Ultra X-Men Lethal Weapons Psylocke - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1995 Fleer Ultra X-Men All Chromium
Company: Fleer
Type: Insert/Chase - Lethal Weapons
Character: Psylocke
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: For Sale Sold (Updated 7/15/2015)

I obtained this card ungraded from a collector selling off his collection of non-sports cards.  This holo-flash insert/chase card was only found in the all-chromium set Fleer released in 1995. 

You can see it listed for sale at my EBay store below:

http://stores.ebay.com/mcgradedcardstore?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

Updated 7/15/2015 - This card has been sold and is no longer available

2013 Marvel Fleer Retro Precious Metal Green Silver Surfer - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 2013 Marvel Fleer Retro
Company: Upper Deck
Type: Insert/Chase - Precious Metal Gems Green
Character: Silver Surfer
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: For Sale Sold (Updated 2/10/15)

In 2013, Upper Deck released its Marvel Fleer Retro card set, modeled after the successful 2011-2012 Fleer Retro Basketball.  Unfortunately, I was late to the party as I didn't purchase my first box until October of 2014.  Even so, the Marvel Fleer Retro has become one of my favorite Marvel card sets since it included the popular Jambalaya and Precious Metal Gems cards.

I purchased a box from Steel City Collectibles since they were running a sale at the time.  The box contained two mini-boxes for a total of 20 packs.  Each pack had 5 cards so a box break would give someone 100 cards.  I had hoped that a Jambalaya was inserted into my box but no such luck.  However, this Silver Surfer Precious Metal Gems (PMG) Green was a nice consolation prize!  The PMG Greens are serial numbered from 1 to 10, meaning Upper Deck only made 10 PMG Green for each character in the set.  Due to its rarity and the card's fantastic condition, I sent the card to Beckett Grading Services so it could be graded.  After a few weeks of waiting, it came back with a grade of 9.5 Gem Mint.  According to Beckett's population report as of 12/19/2014, it is the only Silver Surfer PMG Green card graded 9.5 and none higher.  The PMG Greens from the Marvel Fleer Retro set have been extremely desirable for character collectors since the cards had such limited print runs.

Updated 2/10/2015 - This card has been sold and is no longer available.