Non-sports trading card

1966 Topps Batman Card

Non-sport trading cards are a particular kind of collectible card designated as such because trading cards have historically prominently featured athletes from the world of sports as subjects. Non-sports cards are trading cards whose subjects can be virtually anything other than sports-themed.

The earliest popularly collected versions of most trading cards were issued as premiums in packages of cigarettes well over 100 years ago. While sport figures were most often the subject depicted on the card (usually issued one per pack), a wealth of various subjects from outside the world of sports were additionally featured on cigarette cards. These included people from the world of entertainment, exotic animals, and famous places, among various other non-sport subjects.

Eventually, as the cigarette makers ceased issuing cards in their products, both non-sport and sports cards were still sometimes given as a bonus with a stick of bubblegum or along with other food products including candy and cereal. By the 1950s both sports and non-sport cards had achieved a popularity that allowed them to become the selling point. A piece of gum was still included in most packs of non-sport cards up until approximately 1990, at which time gum stopped being included in the packs along with the cards. Very few card issues from the past 20 years have included bubble gum in the packs, making the once common term "bubble gum cards" a misnomer in the modern day. While non-sports cards initially showcased such real world subjects as entertainers, animals, and famous places, their success expanded with the introduction of new concepts created specifically for the cards including the popular Wacky Packages product label parody sticker cards from the Topps Company, issued in their original run in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s. Cards depicting historical events have also proven popular over the years. Over the past 50 years, cards based on television series and movies have gained much traction in the hobby and today, media-based cards account for a significant portion of the cards produced. Some of the most popular media-based non-sport cards have been based on Star Wars, Star Trek, Batman (television and movies), Planet of the Apes, Lord of the Rings, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and many others. Other popular modern day non-sport cards are based on comic books including Marvel Comics, DC Comics and independent comic book publishers.

Cards based on movies and TV shows such as Star Wars or Supernatural often relate the story of the movie or series in both picture and editorial form. The front of the cards have a picture of an event or person in the movie or show, while the back describes the event pictured on the front. Often these sets will have character cards as well as behind the scenes or quote cards as well.

While most card sets include a title card and a checklist card, being the first and last cards respectively, most Non-Sport Card sets now include different levels of insert cards in the packs. Topps and other companies started this by including a sticker in each pack of cards. Now inserts can include autograph cards, sketch cards, cards that complete a nine card puzzle, memorabilia, costume and prop cards along with parallel sets which mimic the normal cards in the set with some slight difference like the color of the border or the finish on the card.

In recent years, Non-Sport cards have overlapped with the newer phenomenon of collectible card games. For example, the Pokémon craze yielded a trading card game, produced by Wizards of the Coast, and regular trading card sets by Topps and others that were not designed for gameplay.

Sketch cards

Further information: Artist Trading Cards
Sketch Cards from Marvel Masterpieces Series 3 (Upper Deck)

A sketch card displays original artwork on a standard-size trading card, usually measuring 2.5" (65mm) x 3.5" (90mm). These cards, with black-and-white or color original art, have been randomly inserted into various trading card sets since the 1990s. One of the first sets to include this type of chase card insert was the 1993 Simpsons set by SkyBox International that had 400 redemptions for an "Art De Bart Card."

The sketch card insert has been most common in non-sport trading card sets like Lord of the Rings: Evolution, Star Wars: Clone Wars and Scooby-Doo: Mysteries & Monsters. A few sport sets have also adopted the idea like the 2005 Topps Gallery Baseball. One of the all-time most popular sets was the 1998 Marvel Creator's Collection by Fleer. They called their sketch cards "sketchagraph" cards. The set was popular because it used the artistic skills of hundreds of different artists who were allowed to draw any character in the Marvel Comics universe.

Sketch card inserts have usually come one-per-box of trading cards, but some sets like Hulk by Topps came one in 12 boxes, and Lord of the Rings: Masterpieces by Topps come two per box. Some companies even offer oversize (3x5 inch) sketch cards as case premiums like Fathom by Dynamic Forces.

A few of the titles that sketch cards go by include:

Autograph cards

Pierce Brosnan Autograph Card (Rittenhouse Archives)

Although earlier sets contained autograph cards, cards hand signed by celebrities related to the set in question, they started to become more common when SkyBox inserted original series signatures, at a ratio of one per box, in the Star Trek: The Original Series set issues in 1997. Other companies, including Topps, Rittenhouse Archives and Inkworks, started to add autograph cards to their sets and now, many collectors routinely expect to find at least one autograph per box. Cards are signed by cast members, behind-the-scenes creatives and in the case of some sets based on TV series Lexx, by artists contributing art for the set.

Some manufacturers have used such variations as dual autographs, triple autographs (and more!), autographed memorabilia cards and cut autographs, where a signature from a check or other document is secured into a specially produced card. Topps, Inkworks and others have used holographic or foil stickers, which are signed then affixed to the card. Collector opinions on these sticker cards has been mixed.

Memorabilia, costume and prop cards

Walking Dead Costume Card (Cryptozoic)

Some manufacturers, notably Topps, Inkworks and Rittenhouse Archives, have included memorabilia or costume cards, each card containing a small piece of costume or other clothing worn in a TV series or film. As with autograph cards, these have become increasingly common. Some manufacturers insert them at the ratio of one or two per box and have tried such innovations as autographed memorabilia cards, dual memorabilia cards (containing two related pieces of material) and prop cards, containing fragments of props used in the production of a particular film or TV series. One set, for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, issued by Inkworks, had pieces of the stake used by Buffy to kill vampires.

Most are pack-inserted, though some of the thicker cards are only available by redemption such as in The Walking Dead (TV series), Smallville and The Big Bang Theory series, all made by Cryptozoic Entertainment.

Non-sport cards in media

A Charlie Brown Christmas:

Lucy Van Pelt: What has Beethoven got to do with Christmas? Everyone talks about how "great" Beethoven was. Beethoven wasn't so great.[Schroeder stops playing]
Schroeder: What do you mean Beethoven wasn't so great?
Lucy Van Pelt: He never got his picture on bubblegum cards, did he? Have you ever seen his picture on a bubblegum card? Hmmm? How can you say someone is great who's never had his picture on bubblegum cards?
Schroeder: Good grief.

The Avengers (Movie):

Agent Phil Coulson took pride in his complete set of Captain America trading cards made during World War II. It took him years to collect and now that Steve Rogers has been awoken from the ice and is working for S.H.I.E.L.D., he was hoping to get them signed. As Coulson loved to tout "They're vintage and near mint." Nick Fury later uses the blood stained cards to give the Avengers "a little push" to assemble and fight off an alien invasion.

Harry Potter Film Series:

Chocolate Frog Card (Harry Potter)

Chocolate Frog Cards (also known as Famous Wizard / Witches Cards) are trading cards that contain the pictures and information on many different wizards and witches on them. The cards are obtained by buying Chocolate Frogs. Each pack contains a random card inserted into the packet.

Students at Hogwarts collect and trade the cards. Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan were swapping cards in the Great Hall. Harry, Ginny, and Neville were trading them on the Hogwarts Express. Notices about who wants which card even appear on the Gryffindor notice-board, in the common room. There are over 101 known cards total.

Franklin

In the episode, Franklin and the Trading Cards: Franklin, Beaver and Fox are all trying to complete a set of trading cards. They're getting annoyed because there's just this one card that they can never find. Then, Franklin finds two of the same card that they don't have in his pack! That makes one for him and one for either Beaver or Fox? Both of them want it, but Franklin doesn't know who to give it to. He says he'll have to think on it. The two immediately begin vying to get the card from Franklin.

SpongeBob SquarePants

In the episode, The Card: SpongeBob withdraws some money from the bank to buy the new Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy trading cards that are on sale, but keeps on asking for an unscathed bill, so he is kicked out. SpongeBob goes to store and finds Patrick, who is checking out a counting book. SpongeBob buys a pack of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy cards and thinks they're valuable, but the clerk tells him that the cards are worthless compared to the super-rare platinum holographic animated talking #54 cards, and there are only five in existence. SpongeBob asks the clerk if he could buy the one he is displaying, but the clerk reveals it's not genuine and is for display, and SpongeBob can only find the cards by buying packs. So SpongeBob starts buy and opening all the packs, but one. Patrick gives up on the counting book and buys the last pack and shows SpongeBob the card, who is stunned. And to make matters worse, Patrick doesn't treat it with the care and respect SpongeBob believes it deserves, so SpongeBob defends the card from anything that could scathe it. Patrick then lets SpongeBob have the card if he gets to use it until nightfall. Patrick is too careless with the card and once he gives it to him, it disintegrates in his hand, making SpongeBob sob. Patrick then lets him have the other four cards and he realizes that they're the super-rare platinum holographic animated talking #54 cards. Patrick tells him that they were in the pack he brought, and asks SpongeBob if he could borrow one to open his rock.

South Park

In the episode, Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes: The boys go to Jim's Drug Store to buy some trading cards, only to find out that the owner is closing his store down due to the opening of a new Wall-Mart in South Park.

Distribution

Non-sport trading cards have been distributed many different ways. The most common way to buy cards was in what was called Wax Packs. Five to eight cards were wrapped in a type of wax paper that had a graphic of the set on the front of the paper. These were sold in grocery stores, in toy stores and small vending machines. These packs were sold individually or in a box of 24 packs.

Today most card packs are made out of foil or plastic and are sold in comic book stores and at some big box retailers like Target and Wal-Mart. Some of these retailers do sell cards by pack as well as in a small box containing five to ten packs of cards sometimes with an extra insert card included. Some also sell rack packs which are normally three packs of cards packaged together on a peg hook or carded package.

Artbox sold some Harry Potter and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie cards in a tin boxes which held several packs of cards and a special insert set that could only be found in the boxes.

Prior to the release of a new set, the manufacturer will distribute promo cards at conventions, in magazines and to retailers to promote the set. These cards have a typical common card image on the front and release dates on the back.

Sell Sheet for Supernatural Season 3 cards from Inkworks

Other collectible promotional material include sell sheets, which are sent to retailers to let them know about the breakdown (boxes per case, chase card rarity) of the set to help them estimate how much product to buy.

Other methods of distribution

Trading card series

Hundreds of card sets have been released. The following are examples from different types that are or have been available.

Humor

Movies

Television series

Historical or event card sets

Comics

Games

Music

Merchandising and product nostalgia

Nature and animal cards

Science fiction

Cars and other vehicles

See also

References

  1. ↑ "This is Bubble Gum's War in China". Life. 1938-05-09. pp. 4–5. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ Popular Science Sep 1978, p. 33
  3. ↑ "Auto_Rally_cards". Atlaspicturecards.com. Retrieved 2012-08-31.

Sources

External links

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