The Yak Shack Forum

I have a question - STRICTLY as a collector. I've been reading loads of posts on different bulletin boards about people breaking open boxes or cases, which they dutifully list as such :

X number complete sets
Chase sets blah blah blah
Auto A1 and A17 :(
Costume Card C1 :(

and then they say something like "I was really disappointed in this box - Sure, I got what I was supposed to, but I really only wanted the cards of FiFi LaRue :(.

Now, I could be wrong, I could be crazy, or it could be the drugs for the sinus infection, but why buy a random box that contains a random assortment of cards if you *just* want cards of FiFi LaRue? Wouldn't it be easier, and probably more cost effective to just *buy* the cards of FiFi LaRue you want? 

It's starting to drive me crazy - sure, I buy boxes *hoping* for the proverbial golden ring, but I love all the other cards, and I don't say that the cards are horrible just because I didn't get X.

Is it the drugs? Am I crazy? ... help me understand the new collecting mentality please :)

Well there's always the hope of a good card. The likelyhood is that if you buy one box and there's a 1 in 6 case auto card to get you won't get it (unless you have that box sent to Jules to open of course ;))

The HOPE of getting the good card is the whole point of buying a box... in most cases you could buy the contents of the box separately for cheaper anyway...

I'd say it's only fair to hope for Danny La Rue's auto, but I think it's just people's outlook on life :D

I opened 4 cases of LOTR evo hoping for a Kayanan... no I didn't get it, but I got some other stunning sketches, some I'll keep and some I wont... there's no sad smiley from me :D :D

i'm looking to buy my 1st box of james bond 40th ann and hoping i will get a good auto card so i want have to pay mega bucks for it but you get 2 autos in a box so even if i didnt get a rare auto i cant complain as the 2 autos will probably be worth more than what i paid for box. i've always been a person to buy a basic set then all the chases etc but i think its time to step it up a level

Coming from someone who's only been collecting for about a year (give or take...not including the time I have decided to "quit" and sold my cards  ::) ), I buy boxes in hopes to get "that one" cool/rare card. But if it doesn't happen, well then I have to resort to  :ebay: . I really don't think someone can "expect" to get the rarer cards. And to then be judgemental of the set if you don't?  ??? Very wrong!!  :P
It's not the meds!!!  ;)
BTW- hope you feel better soon!!  :D

If there's a set where I only want one card, I'll take a chance on pulling what I want from a box, then buy the rest. 

Let's use Harry Potter POA as an example.  The only autograph I was REALLY interested was either Emma or Gary.  Didn't pull either from my sole box - the set sold out before I could get another one.  I didn't get what I wanted, but I liked what I got.  (At least I didn't get a dud box with no costume/auto/prop - I would have been SERIOUSLY disappointed.)

I'll use the Topps X-Men 2 movie set as another example.  Bought a box, pulled an auto & a costume, neither of which were the "big" ones for me.  Traded or sold (I forget which) to end up with what I wanted.

Bought a full case of something else (my first case purchase).  Didn't get a master set with the case though I did get the majority of items from the checklist.  Wasn't disappointed with what I received, especially since I got some GOOD cards, but I ended up with SO many duplicates - especially common sets.  It would have been saner for me to have just bought a master set in the first place.

With the Serenity release where I wanted EVERYTHING, but didn't have the cash on hand to buy a master set outright, I bought a mini-master set then bought the autos/pieceworks off ebay & dealers.  Did a little trading too!

I don't know what to tell you other than it seems some collectors are spoiled...

yea hope you feel better soon, i had sinusitus for 6months an still have it lingering it gets to ya after a while lol.i'd say buy a box of a set of cards you like and see what you get . you could get that card you really really want whatever it could be. i'm itchin to get my hands on a box of james bond 40th lol this is my 1st set of cards with autos and costume cards. i was well chuffed when i bought the binder last week and got a costume card with it ;D

Heh - there's so much I want right now - on another board people are saying that they're getting bored, that nothing interests them - for the first time in a good number of years, I'm excited again - course, LOTR:E brought me back to eBay, so maybe that's not a good thing ...

I agree. I think buy a box and be happy - if there's something you really, really want - go for it, but don't belittle the poor box for not having it :) Esp. if it had other cool cards...

And Juggernaut - if I have this for 6 months, I might kill someone ... I'm MISERABLE !! :) Ah well - back to work for me!

Well I have been buying cards for more years than is sane to admit but have only very recently bought cases.  I agree it is purely the luck of the draw and when something amazing comes along you feel on top of the world.  But I also don't see any problem in expressing disappointment when a box / case lets you down.  My examples

GOF case.  I got lots of Durmstrang duplicates so was a bit disappointed.  I also got the best card I have ever pulled for myself so this was a great case in my view.

POA and POAU.  I have more dud boxes of these than I will admit to.  When I say dud I don't mean a Lupin jacket, I mean absolutely nothing at all.  I have expressed disappoint about these but since there were no guaranteed breadowns for these sets it was my choice to take the chance.  But I also like to get these things off my chest and spread my misery around and in the case of HP all this moaning has worked.  We now have sets with a much better (if not guaranteed) breakdown.

I see card a card collecting forum as a place to share the good with the bad and if you had hoped to get a FiFi LaRue why not say?  You are not blaming the card company or even old Fifi you are just sharing.  I agree that if you can only afford one card or one box and you desperately want that one card forget the box.

Hope you are feeling a bit better now Joanna - have you tried inhaling over a bowl of hot water?  This sometimes helps  :)

1 day i hope i can afford to buy cases lol especially of sets where u get 2-3 autos per box, i think card companies should take not of this and do 2-3 autos per box or 2 autos an a costume as its gettin increasingly difficult to buy the card you need with the likes of people selling the cards at rediculous prices, if i sell cards i try to stick to the actual value of card from the nsu or a few £ below.does anybody else think that the prices of cards on :ebay: an other sites is becoming crazy

See... I get it now. I figured it was a combination of stress and the headcold, but Sharon explains it dead on. It's what I call "commiserating with like-minded folk" - I do it myself :) Complain that I got a Martinez and not a Kayanan, or, to use my example, I got Joe Blow instead of FiFi LaRue ;)

From now on, when I read those posts, I'm going to commiserate along with 'em instead of getting mad :) Thanks all!

And Juggernaut - I highly disagree. I think the more there is in a box, the happier I am. I do think there can be overkill, but I definately prefer having something guaranteed, than hoping my box isn't a dud...

A guarantee is liable to get me to buy MORE boxes...  No guarantee means I probably won't pick up any...

until i come across the james bond sets and the highlander set i always assumed you only ever got 1 per box but having that many autos in a box definatly makes the box worth the money and is more incentive for me to buy them. hopefully if rittenhouse are going to be doing the x men 3 cards then they will do 2 per box aswell ;D.


i do understand what your saying sketchqueen that having 2 many would ruin it. but having 2 or 3 per box makes it alot more fun for the likes of me that cant afford £90+ for a auto lol

WHOA WHOA WHOA....what?
Rittenhouse doing X-Men 3 cards? Have I missed something? I thought Topps had the licence to it?

Can anyone confirm?

i heard in the forum that topps have the licence to it but they have licenced it off to rittenhouse, i hope this is true, i'd never heard of rittenhouse until about a year ago but boy am i glad i did there cards are biliant and so generous with the chase cards lol

you are right. I found it on their website!!!
OH MY GOD!!!

Finally a chance to get a Patrick Stewart....Vinnie Jones!!!! Kelsey Grammer!!!!

My GOD my wallet is going to be taking an Atomic Bomb right into it.

Check out the RA site here - http://scifihobby.com/products/display_category.cfm?CatID=45#136

They're doing it & it comes out in May :D

I am pretty sure I am going to go broke.
Yet another master I will HAVE to have.

I have one of every signer from X-Men and X-2
I just finished my Serenity master
Also jsut finished both my FOTR and TTT autograph master sets (well, minus the FOTR Merry)
Have almost every single signer for Harry Potter
Riddick auto master
Lost Season 1 Piecework and Auto Picework master....

All of those completed within the past four months. I might have to sell something just to be able to to afford a case of X3 and GOFU

 :'( i wish i had the money for some of the x men and x men 2 autos i only have michael 143 for x men 2 and lauren shuler donner for x men

Yeah, they were definetly tough sets. The most expensive one I bought was definetly the Patrick Stewart...don't even want to say how much.

i seen it on ebay.co.uk for £300 lol theres no way on gods green earth i'm payin that much for a piece of card lol let alone i cant afford it

You aren't crazy.  If you want a specific card it is better to buy it on  :ebay:.  However, for myself as a collector, I buy boxes for the fun of not knowing what I will get.  I keep everything I get, and then resort to  :ebay: to get the cards I consider "must haves" for myself in the set.  Thing is, I know I will alwys buy more than I expect, so getting the boxes helps me to fill my order :rofl:  I am always happy with my pulls, unless it is a dud box of course :P

is a dud box one where you dont get a auto or costume?. i've been collecting cards for 10 years starting with x men fleer ultra 95 and had never bought a box until about 2 weeks ago lol