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.  

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. 

1995 Marvel Masterpieces E-Motion Rogue - Graded GMA 10 Gem Mint

Set: 1995 Marvel Masterpieces
Company: Fleer
Type: Insert/Chase - E-Motion Parallel
Character: Rogue
Grading Company: GMA (GMA Grading)
Grade: Gem Mint 10
Status: For Sale

Following the footsteps of the 1994 Marvel Masterpieces set, Fleer released parallel cards for each base card in the 1995 set.  These E-Motion cards were printed on thicker stock and had the artist's signature stamped in gold foil.  Along the side of the card was an "emotion" that displayed a holo-flash effect.  E-Motion cards are among the more desirable inserts from the 90's and individual ungraded cards can easily start from $5.00.  Fleer inserted one E-Motion card per pack but unopened boxes now sell from $400-$500.  As you can see, gem mint quality E-Motion cards are not easy to come by.

1992 Marvel Masterpieces Battle Spectra Etch Wolverine vs Sabretooth - Graded BGS 9.5 Gem Mint

Set: 1992 Marvel Masterpieces
Company: Skybox
Type: Insert/Chase - Battle Spectra Etch
Character: Wolverine vs Sabretooth
Grading Company: BGS (Beckett Grading Services)
Grade: 9.5 Gem Mint
Status: SOLD

In 1992, Skybox came out with a "premium" line of comic trading cards with artwork done by Joe Jusko.  The beautiful art captivated many non-sport collectors and had them seeking the spectra-etched chase cards inserted randomly in packs.  The set, however, was over-produced although gem mint quality cards are still hard to come by.  The battle spectra cards were prone to edge wear and corner dents during the production process although surface and centering issues were rare.  This card was pulled from an unopened box I purchased in the early 2000's.  I submitted it to Beckett in the fall of 2012 and the card was graded gem mint.  It was then sold to a collector a month later.

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.