Something Expensive to Collect

A while back I noted the announcement on the Twin Galaxies website that a series of collectible "memorabilia" cards was going to include Billy Mitchell, infamous gamer of the century and subject of much controversy since The King of Kong. Well, the Orlando Sentinel ran a recent spot about them, and what turned out to be more interesting was the Donruss Americana II set that was released on July 16th, at a mere $40/pack of 4, or about $150 for a box of 16. Yowzer! I was expecting something like $60/box, and not a "box" of 16 cards. After recovering from the initial shock, I had to look into what this Americana series was all about.

"With the release of Americana, Donruss seamlessly taps into the world of Hollywood and pop culture to create a one-of-a-kind release that succinctly captures the flavor of our rich and storied show biz history...."

These aren't your run-of-the-mill bubblegum cards. Some of them have actual autographs, some of them have bits of actual clothing worn by their subjects. Many of the stars are a tad before my time (Edward G. Robinson, for example) but I do know the names, and many are more contemporary (Patrick Stewart, John Cusack, and...yeah, Bigfoot the monster truck, autographed with a tire print). They're actually really interesting and if I had the spare cash lying around (and even though I don't, the temptation is there), I'd probably start collecting these.


The Ebay market for these is quite active. I'm torn between being practical, buying whatever singles I'm interested in, and the element of gambling on unknown packs. It's harder to justify such a gamble at $40/pack, but the mystery is half the fun! I'm afraid I'm going to have to spring for at least one pack, and I guarantee it won't have the ones I want. That's just the way packs work, they know.





PS - Paging Dr. Horrible! There will be a 4th Act to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, said Whedon at a Comic Con panel discussion. That, and some sort of video blog contest to join the league of evil.