u/bobo_brains

I’ve been collecting and researching these lately and thought some card collectors here might appreciate them.

These character cards were included with the 1989 second edition of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes role playing game. They weren’t released as a normal trading card set, which I think is part of the reason they have stayed under the radar with a lot of card and comic collectors.

Pictured are Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre II, The Comedian and Nite Owl.

What got me interested in them is just how early they are. I’ve been researching whether several could represent first card appearances for these characters. I’m still working through that, so I’m not presenting it as settled fact. Honestly, trying to find something earlier has been part of the fun.

I also just really like the cards themselves. The fronts are incredibly simple, no character names, rounded corners, original beautiful looking artwork and just the 1989 DC copyright at the bottom.

Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan are probably my favorites of the group.

Has anyone here come across these before, or know of any earlier cards featuring these characters?

Busting it out at work today. Beautiful looking device and sounds great.

PSA: I’ve discovered the highest and best use for cards that have zero chance at a CGC/PSA 10.

I bought a Trapper Keeper.

Yes… they still make them.

Yes… it was an instant purchase.

The funny part is this idea actually came from my 4-year-old daughter. I started giving her some of my damaged Marvel Masterpieces cards as little “love tokens” after good days, and she absolutely fell in love with them. It reminded me that even ungradable cards can still bring someone a ton of joy.

So instead of letting these sit in a box because they’re off-center, bricked, scratched, or otherwise doomed to never sniff a CGC 10, they graduated into my work binder.

Yes… this is my actual work binder.

While everyone else is carrying leather portfolios, I’m over here flipping past Joe Jusko Wolverines and 1991 Impel Doom before clinic starts.

It’s probably the most expensive Trapper Keeper in the building, despite being filled with cards that grading companies would politely reject.

Childhood me would think this is the coolest thing ever. My coworkers probably think I’m a giant nerd. They’re both right.

Anyone else have a fun way to display or use their “binder only” cards instead of chasing grades? (Mind you I chase grades on the reg)

About a year or two ago, I bought a box of 1992 Marvel Masterpieces, a set I collected and loved as a kid.

Unfortunately, the box was badly bricked. The cards were stuck together, the surfaces were damaged, and the quality was so disappointing that I didn’t even finish opening all the packs. I kept a couple of the better looking cards on display near my desk, but otherwise considered the box a total loss.

Then something unexpectedly wholesome happened.

My wife and I have a little tradition with our 4 year old daughter called “love tokens.” It originally started as a way to encourage her to stay in her own bed overnight instead of asking us to sleep beside her every night. We would leave a small felt heart sticker on her nightstand for her to find in the morning.

Over time, the meaning changed. Now she occasionally gets a love token for having a really great day, being kind, helping out, or doing something she is proud of.

After a bit of a lull in the tradition, her love token last night was the Jean Grey card from this set.

She absolutely loved it.

Now she wants more cards, specifically all the girl characters and of course Spider-Man. Storm is officially love token number two for tonight.

So these cards that I thought were basically ruined garbage have suddenly found a completely new reason to exist. They may not be worth much to a collector anymore, but apparently they are perfect little treasures for my daughter.

Looks like I will finally be opening the rest of those packs after all.

I got a brand new, sealed full set of cards from the game sitting in my office desk drawer. A few years back I watched a PSA grade unboxing YouTube video and saw a couple of these cards and thought the art was awesome. So I bought this with the plan to slab them for my PC. But never got around to it, they been sitting in here. But that will change.

Super cool thing is that this has a full sub set of Watchmen characters including Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, Comedian, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, and Silk Spectre.

And if I’m not mistaken first ever John Constantine as a tradable card. So I guess his rookie card?

Anyone else know anything about this set? I know they are not setting the market on fire with high value sales but man they are super cool and unique.

New cassettes added to my slowly growing collection. Just got this in the mail from VCR Zone. The art on the Akira and Ghost in Shell cassettes look awesome IMO

Here’s my current Invincible CGC collection.

Seeing the series absolutely explode in popularity has been pretty surreal. Modern blue chip books is what we’re seeing.

Looking back, I’m really glad I picked up most of these issues off the rack as they were being released monthly. I had duplicates for several of these books when I sent it off. I ultimately sold the duplicates to cover the cost of pressing, cleaning and grading.

I also have a stack of raw books, some of the “worthy” ones I plan to send to CGC, along with some published Ryan Ottley original art pages. I fell off collecting for a brief bit and came back later, so I still have a few gaps to fill before I can call the collection complete.

Photographing mylar is not ideal. Apologies for the glare.

Here’s my current Invincible CGC collection.

Seeing the series absolutely explode in popularity has been pretty surreal. Looking back, I’m really glad I picked up most of these issues off the rack as they were being released.

I also have a stack of raw books, some of which I plan to send to CGC, along with some published Ryan Ottley original art pages. I fell off collecting for a bit and came back later, so I still have a few gaps to fill before I can call the collection complete.

P.S. My apologies to u/88milesperhour for busting your chops about your book photos. Turns out glare from Mylar is a b!tch-and-a-half to photograph. I’m the kettle to your pot, bud.

Picked up the Speed Racer steelbook. Had to go three back from the front to find a copy not scratched or dented.

I still think this movie is wildly underrated. I remember it getting absolutely dragged when it came out and then face-planting at the box office. At the time, I think a lot of people either forgot it was basically a live-action cartoon for kids, or they just refused to let the Wachowskis make anything that wasn’t The Matrix.

Either way, I’m happy to see this one getting a little more love now.

Also grabbed the complete Batman Beyond series for $20. Not a steelbook, but for that price, Terry McGinnis was coming home with me.

Haven’t seen this movie before looking forward to it.

I think, out of this group, I’m most excited to watch either Army of Darkness, Dogma or King of New York. But I’m looking forward to watching them all. Luckily no scratches, dings or dents on any of them.

Just picked up my first ever SteelBooks and I have to say, I get it now.

I recently discovered this hobby and a lot of these editions are absolutely beautiful. I can already feel myself falling down the rabbit hole. Apparently that rabbit hole is embossed, limited edition, and somehow already sold out.

The funny thing is, I collect comic book key issues, original comic art, and Hot Toys figures, so I’m not exactly new to the idea of collectible chaos. I understand scarcity, variants, FOMO, and grown adults losing composure over cardboard and plastic.

But for some reason, I was still not prepared for that same energy to apply to, to put it simply, home movies.

As a complete noob, I honestly assumed physical discs just got cheaper over time. You know, normal person logic. I am now learning that SteelBooks operate under a different set of laws, where one minute something is $34.99 and the next minute it’s being listed as “rare OOP” by a guy on eBay who definitely knows what he has.

Any pro tips for someone just getting started?

How do you keep up with new releases and preorders besides this subreddit?

Are there specific retailers or sites I should be checking regularly?

Any rules of thumb for knowing when to preorder versus waiting?

Any beginner mistakes I should avoid before I accidentally convince myself I need six versions of the same movie?

Excited to start collecting, but also slightly concerned that I have discovered another hobby where the correct answer is somehow always, “Buy it now before it sells out.”

My VHS purchases slowly trickling in. Of all my purchases so far I’m most excited about watching The Frighteners. I think the last time I watched it was when it first came to home video.

My April pickups, not counting what I grabbed in person on RSD:

Fragments — Bonobo

Migration — Bonobo

Days to Come — Bonobo

Tekkno — Electric Callboy

Corruptor — Daniel Deluxe

Cliff of Death — Blue Sky Black Death and Deniro Farrar

Stranger Things: Music from the Upside Down — London Music Works

Turbo Kid Soundtrack — Le Matos

Nex Machina Soundtrack — Ari Pulkkinen, Tuomas Nikkinen, Harry Krueger

Tron Legacy Soundtrack — Daft Punk

Dredd Soundtrack — Paul Leonard-Morgan

The Batman Soundtrack — Michael Giacchino

Gabby’s Dollhouse: A-Meow-Zing Music! — RSD

K-Pop Demon Hunters Soundtrack, Target Exclusive Version — Various Artists

Elizabeth Taylor — RSD 7” — Taylor Swift

Pink Pony Club — 7” — Chappell Roan

The last four are for my daughter. Although, if I’m being honest, her four are kind of bangers too. I’m slowly building her a little 7” collection to go with an Audio-Technica Soundburger, because apparently I’ve decided to start her vinyl habit early and make future me financially responsible for it.

Also, to my wife’s mild horror, she likes Electric Callboy. Specifically “Elevator Operator” and “RATATATA.” And honestly, I can absolutely see “Elevator Operator” being a Danny Go! song if Danny Go! woke up one morning and chose chaos.

April was a weird mix, but honestly, a pretty fun one.