I opened a blaster box (8 packs per box, 5 cards per pack) of Donruss Americana the other day and was relatively pleased with my results. Below is the breakdown of my box break:
Cost: $6.95 (from Blowout Cards during its Black Friday promotions)
Base cards: 39/100
Other cards:
Hollywood Legends #12 Douglas Fairbanks Jr., numbered /1000
Movie Posters Dual Material #62 Carole Lombard and Jack Benny, numbered /500 - features the poster for the comedic movie To Be or Not to Be.
RATINGS:
Design: 3/5
The base card design has a rustic feel to it, with a border that is equal parts wood- and ornament-stylized, with stars of the American flag separating these distinct elements. The image is thus framed nicely, with the featured individual's name spelled out in gold-foil-like lettering atop the card. The design is nice enough but would benefit from more variation. The only card-to-card difference in the base set are the people portrayed; the lack of variance in color, style, lettering, positioning, etc. renders the base set rather boring and earns it only a 3/5 in my book.
Innovation: 3.5/5
There are few other products like Donruss Americana, which works to Americana's benefit. I enjoy taking a break from sports cards occasionally to open non-sport products like Americana, which contains cards of celebrities primarily from the film, television, and music worlds. Jackie Chan graces card no. 1, and Gary Sinise, Vicki Lawrence, and Tori Spelling are on other cards I pulled. While this release partially sates my thirst for entertainment memorabilia, the standardized nature of the set and its relative lack of attractive inserts prevent this product from being as innovative and alluring as it might otherwise be.
Bang for the Buck: 4.5/5
That I received a memorabilia card containing genuinely worn apparel from two great actors made my purchase of this box worth it to me. The box also gave me some quality cards to send through the mail to have autographed. I could have had a more pleasing break, but for about $7, I felt this Americana blaster was a worthwhile purchase and break.
Overall: 3.5/5
I think what this product essentially needed was some spicing up: more inserts - not all inserts need to serially numbered, as was the case here -, an expanded base set with more inter-card variation, and a checklist of more more-relevant stars and fewer minor celebs and has-beens.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Sunday, April 10, 2011
America at War: Band of Brothers Series 1 -- Box and Product Review --
Firstly, I'd like to thank the iCardz, the producer of America at War trading cards, for its remarkable generosity and patience. I have been in communication with the company since December, and the folks over there kindly provided me with a box of their cards to review. I have been so bogged down in school work and other commitments that I'm only now getting the chance to post my review. Without further ado, here is the breakdown of my box break:
America at War: Band of Brothers Series 1 base cards: 192/192
---- Band of Brothers cards: 49/49
---- D-Day cards: 143/143
"You May Be a Winner" cards: 2 (I was not a winner.)
Promotional cards: 4/4 (Pacific War Set Promo, "To Our Troops", "Collectors Binders and Educational Resource Kit", "Valor Studios")
RATINGS:
Let me preface my ratings by explaining a little bit about these cards and their purpose. Each box contains one full set of cards. There is no need to break multiple boxes with the goal of collating a full set; 1 box = 1 set. The expressed purpose of the cards is to inform and educate people about the invasion of Normandy and the people and groups, on both sides, that played roles in it. Consequently, the cards give you the full picture of what happened before, during, and after Operation Overlord. The cards holistically educate their audience and do so in an innovative and entertaining way.
Design: 5/5
Crisp, clean, and collectible are three terms that come to mind when I see these cards. They are easy to look at and learn from. I have no complaints about the design and am honestly quite impressed with its simple sophistication.
Innovation: 4.5/5
Past attempts have been made to chronicle military history through trading cards, but none has come close to iCardz' America at War cards. The cards are, as previously mentioned, educational but concurrently entertaining and collectible. They serve their purpose but manage not to bore. The added allure of autographed and sketch cards of certain Band of Brothers veterans makes collecting the cards even more exciting. It also gives the set a number of legitimate chase cards, something non-sports card sets frequently lack.
Bang for the Buck: 3/5
A box of America at War cards costs $64.95 Canadian. It is a relatively steep price to pay, but the set's uniqueness and noteworthy collectibility certainly make up for its high price tag. I feel obligated to give a 3/5 for this set's "Bang for the Buck", but please don't be deterred from purchasing a box (or a pack, or what have you) as a result.
Overall: 4.5/5
I'm very glad to have gotten the chance to break a box of this product and once again thankful to iCardz for its generosity. This is a genuinely astounding set, partly because it's on par with many releases of the major American card co's (e.g. Topps, UD, Panini). I hope iCardz does well promoting this set and its future ones, because these cards are absolutely worth knowing about and collecting.
America at War: Band of Brothers Series 1 base cards: 192/192
---- Band of Brothers cards: 49/49
---- D-Day cards: 143/143
"You May Be a Winner" cards: 2 (I was not a winner.)
Promotional cards: 4/4 (Pacific War Set Promo, "To Our Troops", "Collectors Binders and Educational Resource Kit", "Valor Studios")
RATINGS:
Let me preface my ratings by explaining a little bit about these cards and their purpose. Each box contains one full set of cards. There is no need to break multiple boxes with the goal of collating a full set; 1 box = 1 set. The expressed purpose of the cards is to inform and educate people about the invasion of Normandy and the people and groups, on both sides, that played roles in it. Consequently, the cards give you the full picture of what happened before, during, and after Operation Overlord. The cards holistically educate their audience and do so in an innovative and entertaining way.
Design: 5/5
Crisp, clean, and collectible are three terms that come to mind when I see these cards. They are easy to look at and learn from. I have no complaints about the design and am honestly quite impressed with its simple sophistication.
Innovation: 4.5/5
Past attempts have been made to chronicle military history through trading cards, but none has come close to iCardz' America at War cards. The cards are, as previously mentioned, educational but concurrently entertaining and collectible. They serve their purpose but manage not to bore. The added allure of autographed and sketch cards of certain Band of Brothers veterans makes collecting the cards even more exciting. It also gives the set a number of legitimate chase cards, something non-sports card sets frequently lack.
Bang for the Buck: 3/5
A box of America at War cards costs $64.95 Canadian. It is a relatively steep price to pay, but the set's uniqueness and noteworthy collectibility certainly make up for its high price tag. I feel obligated to give a 3/5 for this set's "Bang for the Buck", but please don't be deterred from purchasing a box (or a pack, or what have you) as a result.
Overall: 4.5/5
I'm very glad to have gotten the chance to break a box of this product and once again thankful to iCardz for its generosity. This is a genuinely astounding set, partly because it's on par with many releases of the major American card co's (e.g. Topps, UD, Panini). I hope iCardz does well promoting this set and its future ones, because these cards are absolutely worth knowing about and collecting.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
1990 Topps Baseball Coins -- 4 Packs and Review --
Hi again everyone,
I'm back! Today, I'll be reviewing 1990 Topps Baseball Coins and the four packs of it I opened yesterday.
Coins received: 12/60
AL coins received: 6 (American League players, whose coins are gold-rimmed, constitute coins 1-31 in the set. The six AL coins I received include the red-rimmed Kirby Puckett coin. Coins received, listed in order of coin no., are as follows: Kirby Puckett, Jerry Browne, Tom Candiotti, Don Mattingly, Ruben Sierra, and Alan Trammell.)
I'm back! Today, I'll be reviewing 1990 Topps Baseball Coins and the four packs of it I opened yesterday.
Coins received: 12/60
AL coins received: 6 (American League players, whose coins are gold-rimmed, constitute coins 1-31 in the set. The six AL coins I received include the red-rimmed Kirby Puckett coin. Coins received, listed in order of coin no., are as follows: Kirby Puckett, Jerry Browne, Tom Candiotti, Don Mattingly, Ruben Sierra, and Alan Trammell.)
NL coins received: 6 (National League players, whose coins are silver-rimmed, constitute coins 32-60 in the set. Coins received, listed in order of coin no., are as follows: Craig Biggio, Will Clark, Sid Fernandez, Dwight Smith, Lonnie Smith, and Tim Wallach.)
Red-rimmed coins received: 1 (Kirby Puckett)
RATINGS
Design: 4/5
From what I can tell, there are three subsets within 1990 Topps Baseball Coins: gold-rimmed, silver-rimmed, and red-rimmed coins. The design basically consists of a player's headshot against an artificially-generated, stylized infield. Each coin also features the names of the player and team on the front and the player's vital stats on the reverse.
Innovation: 4/5
The baseball coins "minted" by Topps from 1987-1990 are a play on the ones it produced in the '60s and '70s. The idea of commemorating sports figures on metal coins is obviously very unique and distinct, yet for the most part, the coins remain undesirable because of their impracticality. Innovation: 4; Collectibility: 1.
Bang for the buck: 3/5
For this product, the rating for this category is especially arbitrary; it essentially boils down to how you feel about the product as a whole. Boxes can be had for a few bucks on eBay, like here and here. So, the cost really isn't an issue; however, because you only get three coins in each pack, and the coins themselves are no more aesthetically or qualitatively attractive than standard 2.5 x 3.5 trading cards, I give this product a 3/5 for "bang for the buck."
Design: 4/5
From what I can tell, there are three subsets within 1990 Topps Baseball Coins: gold-rimmed, silver-rimmed, and red-rimmed coins. The design basically consists of a player's headshot against an artificially-generated, stylized infield. Each coin also features the names of the player and team on the front and the player's vital stats on the reverse.
Innovation: 4/5
The baseball coins "minted" by Topps from 1987-1990 are a play on the ones it produced in the '60s and '70s. The idea of commemorating sports figures on metal coins is obviously very unique and distinct, yet for the most part, the coins remain undesirable because of their impracticality. Innovation: 4; Collectibility: 1.
Bang for the buck: 3/5
For this product, the rating for this category is especially arbitrary; it essentially boils down to how you feel about the product as a whole. Boxes can be had for a few bucks on eBay, like here and here. So, the cost really isn't an issue; however, because you only get three coins in each pack, and the coins themselves are no more aesthetically or qualitatively attractive than standard 2.5 x 3.5 trading cards, I give this product a 3/5 for "bang for the buck."
Overall: 3/5
The fact that Topps ceased development and production of its "Baseball Coins" after 1990 is demonstrative of the coins' lack of collectibility and inability to enmesh with the trading card industry and its consumers. I enjoyed breaking the few packs that I did, but I wouldn't be too enthused about opening any or many more.
Coin images can be found below, on eBay and checkoutmycards.com, and elsewhere on the internet. If you are interested in seeing the obverse or reverse of a specific coin, I'd be happy to scan and upload it for you if I haven't done so already; just leave a comment. As always, thanks for reading and check back soon!
The fact that Topps ceased development and production of its "Baseball Coins" after 1990 is demonstrative of the coins' lack of collectibility and inability to enmesh with the trading card industry and its consumers. I enjoyed breaking the few packs that I did, but I wouldn't be too enthused about opening any or many more.
Coin images can be found below, on eBay and checkoutmycards.com, and elsewhere on the internet. If you are interested in seeing the obverse or reverse of a specific coin, I'd be happy to scan and upload it for you if I haven't done so already; just leave a comment. As always, thanks for reading and check back soon!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Executive Trading Cards' 2009 Politicians Trading Cards Series 1/2 -- Box and Product Review --
Hey everybody,
This is the Cardboard Critic, and today I'll be reviewing a box of 2009 Politicians Trading Cards Series 1/2 so kindly provided to me by Executive Trading Cards. This is my first box break and review as "The Cardboard Critic", so I hope you'll send any suggestions or recommendations my way if you have them. I have also posted a less-comprehensive review on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REfehhwweME). Without further ado, here is my review:
Cards received: 167/291
Judicial Branch cards received: 2/5 (Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and John Paul Stevens)
Executive Branch cards received: 9/12 (Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, (2) Administrator of the EPA Lisa Jackson, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel)
White House cards received: 3/4 (Bo, Air Force One, and Marine One)
Short-printed cards received: 3/8 (Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senator Ted Kennedy, and Secretary Hillary Clinton)
RATINGS
Design: 4/5
The base card design is similar to American paper currency and provides for a very collectible base set. Simple, yet distinguished.
Innovation: 5/5
To my knowledge, this is the only product ever released that focuses exclusively on politics and political figures. It is innovative and unique in more ways than one and has the potential to revolutionize the historical/political realm of trading cards.
Bang for the buck: 3/5
If you choose to, you can sell your short-printed cards back to Executive. Therefore, you are guaranteed to be able to make at least a little bit back on your investment. However, without any truly outstanding inserts, this is a solid low-end product that carries the price tag of a high-end one.
Overall: 4/5
I voiced my only concerns (lack of interesting inserts, card size, price) above and in my YouTube video. Overall, though, I'm a fan of this product and am eagerly awaiting the release of more like it by Executive Trading Cards.
Card images can be found at executivetradingcards.com and elsewhere on the internet. If you are interested in seeing the obverse or reverse of a specific card, I'd be happy to scan it if for you; just leave a comment. Thanks for reading and check back soon!
This is the Cardboard Critic, and today I'll be reviewing a box of 2009 Politicians Trading Cards Series 1/2 so kindly provided to me by Executive Trading Cards. This is my first box break and review as "The Cardboard Critic", so I hope you'll send any suggestions or recommendations my way if you have them. I have also posted a less-comprehensive review on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REfehhwweME). Without further ado, here is my review:
Cards received: 167/291
Judicial Branch cards received: 2/5 (Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and John Paul Stevens)
Executive Branch cards received: 9/12 (Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, (2) Administrator of the EPA Lisa Jackson, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel)
White House cards received: 3/4 (Bo, Air Force One, and Marine One)
Short-printed cards received: 3/8 (Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senator Ted Kennedy, and Secretary Hillary Clinton)
RATINGS
Design: 4/5
The base card design is similar to American paper currency and provides for a very collectible base set. Simple, yet distinguished.
Innovation: 5/5
To my knowledge, this is the only product ever released that focuses exclusively on politics and political figures. It is innovative and unique in more ways than one and has the potential to revolutionize the historical/political realm of trading cards.
Bang for the buck: 3/5
If you choose to, you can sell your short-printed cards back to Executive. Therefore, you are guaranteed to be able to make at least a little bit back on your investment. However, without any truly outstanding inserts, this is a solid low-end product that carries the price tag of a high-end one.
Overall: 4/5
I voiced my only concerns (lack of interesting inserts, card size, price) above and in my YouTube video. Overall, though, I'm a fan of this product and am eagerly awaiting the release of more like it by Executive Trading Cards.
Card images can be found at executivetradingcards.com and elsewhere on the internet. If you are interested in seeing the obverse or reverse of a specific card, I'd be happy to scan it if for you; just leave a comment. Thanks for reading and check back soon!
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