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.