2012 Marvel Beginnings Holo F/X Ant-Man - Graded GMA Gem Mint 10

Set: 2012 Marvel Beginnings Series 3
Company: Upper Deck
Type: Insert/Chase - Holo F/X
Character: Ant-Man
Grading Company: GMA (GMA Grading)
Grade: Gem Mint 10
Status: For Sale

In anticipation of the soon-to-be released Ant-Man movie, here is an Ant-Man hologram card issued by Upper Deck's Marvel Beginning Series.  There were a total of 3 series, with the first one produced in 2011. 

Ant-Man is not a widely known comic hero by the general population although he's been around since the early 60's.  Hopefully this movie will bring some well-deserved recognition and "fame" to the versatile character.

Now for some fun, who would win in a fight - Marvel's Ant-Man or DC's Atom?

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.

Box Break and Review - 2012 Marvel Greatest Heroes

Box:

Company: Rittenhouse Archives
Release: 2012
Name: Marvel Greatest Heroes
Number of Packs: 24
Number of Cards per Pack: 5

Insert/ Chase Cards:

Holofoil Lettering Parallel Base - 1:3
Villains - 1:6
I am an Avenger - 1:12
Ultimate Heroes - 1:36
Icons Shadowbox - 1:72
Sketch Card - 1:24

For collectors who root for the good guys, have I got a box for you!  Rittenhouse issued Marvel Greatest Heroes in 2012, highlighting heroes and anti-heroes in the Marvel comic world.  So if, as a kid, you would only play as a cop in "Cops and Robbers" or as a Joe in "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra", then this box will not disappoint.  All the popular heroes and heroines are found in this set, including Spider-Man, Captain America, Storm, and Thor.  Anti-heroes such as Deadpool and Moon Knight were also added, providing a diverse checklist to this 81 card set.

Card Design (8.5/10)

The base cards were designed extremely well - simple yet very attractive.  On the bottom of each borderless card, the word "Marvel" and the character's name are foil-stamped in red.  Parallel base cards are found in every three packs and each one has a nice holofoil lettering instead of the red foil.

However, the insert designs left me wanting more.  Rittenhouse managed to sneak in a “Villains” insert set (every hero requires a villain, right?) and although the artists’ rendition was impressive, the schematics could have been “jazzed up” a tiny bit.  Same could be said about the “I am an Avenger” inserts.  Found at a ratio of 2 per box, I thought they could have used an upgrade.  The holoflash design was nice but I preferred to see something a bit more innovative.  At the same time, I understand there are costs involved in developing and printing special-effect cards so to keep the price affordable, concessions have to be met.

Character List (7.5/10)

The gross exclusion of Punisher was a huge disappointment.  The reasoning behind the omission could have been Rittenhouse's release of Marvel Bronze Age cards, which also took place in 2012, but it does not justify leaving out one of the most popular anti-heroes in the Marvel Universe.

On a positive note, the checklist was well thought out and a wide array of characters like Blade, Sentry, and Ka-Zar made the list.  I appreciated that the set wasn't only made up of only do-gooders like Captain America and Spider-Man but consisted of heroes and heroines that may, at times, cross the line.  Heroes with an edge, as I like to call them.

Box Break

In addition to the obligatory full base card set, I found the following inserts:

Holofoil Lettering Parallel - 8
Villains - Green Goblin, Loki, Nightmare, Thanos
I am an Avenger - Spider-Woman, War Machine
Ultimate Heroes - Scarlet Witch
Artist Sketch - Luke Cage by Michael Rooth

Here are samples of the base cards:

The base card parallels with holofoil lettering:

The four "Villains" cards I received:

 



 

The "I am an Avenger" inserts:

 

 

Ultimate Scarlet Witch:

 

 

And lastly, this very clean sketch card of Luke Cage by Michael Rooth:

 

 

Entertainment Value (9.5/10)

This was a fun box to break into.  Even though I didn't get an Icons Shadowbox, it was still very entertaining and a good way to pass the time.

Price/Value (8.0/10)

Since only 8000 boxes were made, prices are now in the range of $65 to $85 a box.  Inserts can be found for just a few dollars a card so it's harder to rationalize buying a box at that price.  However, the thrill of pulling an amazing sketch card still exists.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a good product from Rittenhouse.  If you bought these boxes when they first came out in the $50 range, kudos to you.  If you're wanting to buy them now, you may be able to find a better deal by bidding on two boxes at a time. 

Overall Score

8.5 out of 10

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...

Box Break and Review - 1997 Marvel Premium QFX

Box:

Company: Fleer/Skybox International
Release: 1997
Name: Marvel Premium QFX
Number of Packs: 18
Number of Cards per Pack: 5

Insert/ Chase Cards:

PhotoGraphix Heroes Reformed - 1:6
LazerBlast Die-Cut - 1:9
Joe Quesada Autograph Parallel

The 90's was an awesome decade - Friends was on, Michael Jordan rocked, and pagers were cool.  So every once-in-awhile when a wave of nostalgia hits, I'd kick up the old N64 for a game of GoldenEye 007 or bust open some 90's Marvel card packs.

Fleer/Skybox issued their Marvel Premium QFX cards in 1997 which featured the art of Joe Quesada. The creative use of photography and Marvel characters really made this an unique set.

Card Design (9.0/10)

In my opinion, the base card design was extremely well thought out.  It brought to life what the characters would look like in real-life settings.  One of my favorite cards is a superimposed Rhino stampeding on the city streets filled with high-rise buildings and taxis in the background.  Another favorite, which showcased Joe's sense of humor, is of Impossible Man who unwittingly shape-shifted into a fire hydrant amidst a pack of eager canines.

The chase cards had two different designs. PhotoGraphix cards were printed on clear acetate and introduced well-know heroes and villains in an inventive, albeit unusual new look.  LazerBlast cards had die-cut designs complete with bullet holes for Punisher and web netting for Spider-Man.

Character List (8.5)

There was a wide range of characters, from the well-known and popular Captain America, Wolverine, and Iron Man to the lesser known Squirrel Girl, Devil Dinosaur, and Moonboy.  Even though the card set had only 72 cards, it had an extremely good mix of mutants, aliens, and wannabe world conquerors.

Box Break

Each box had 18 packs so with 5 cards per pack, the chance of completing a base card set was a real possibility.  In this box break, I did not get a full set but was only short 4 cards.  I received a total of 5 chase cards - three PhotoGraphix acetates and two LazerBlast die-cuts.

Here are some samples of the base cards:

 

I could totally see Paul Rudd in his Ant-Man costume, bringing the above card to life in live-action.

Here are scans of the inserts:

Entertainment Value (8.0)

Although the card designs were fresh and imaginative, the shortage of insert types made me felt like something was missing.  There were 3 different insert/chase types since Joe Quesada's autographed parallel cards were randomly included but he only signed 35 copies of each card, making them extremely rare.  Regardless, the pack-busting experience was truly enjoyable.

Price/Value (9.0)

Most boxes are selling on EBay for under $35.00.  I was lucky enough to pick one up for $24.50 including shipping so if you're patient, I'm sure another one for around the same price will pop up.  Even individual inserts can be found for just a couple of dollars each.  It's an incredibly affordable box and the chance of scoring a Joe Quesada autographed card makes it even better.

Final Thoughts

Excellent box to open if you're looking for some pack-opening entertainment.  Although I am a huge fan of the innovative blend of photography with Marvel characters, I was not intrigued by the PhotoGraphix acetate inserts.  Thor was given a Mohawk, Hulk had an extremely long tail, and the Thing looked like the cockroach alien from Men in Black.  Regardless, I highly recommend this set so if you haven't, get yourself a box and relive the 90's!

Overall Score

8.5 out of 10

1994 Flair Marvel Annual Power Blast Thor - Graded GMA Gem Mint 10

Set: 1994 Flair Marvel Annual
Company: Flair
Type: Insert/Chase - Power Blast
Character: Thor
Grading Company: GMA (GMA Grading)
Grade: Gem Mint 10
Status: For Sale SOLD

Flair issued their inaugural Marvel card set and it was a beauty.  Each ultra-glossy card was printed on thick card stock and they were packaged in mini-boxes instead of the usual sealed packs.  The insert cards were called "Power Blast" and had foil on the back-side. 

The Thor Power Blast card below was graded Gem Mint by GMA Grading.

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.