One of the more interesting/weird things Topps has done both in their digital card apps and the world of physical trading cards is the release in 2016 of the Star Wars Card Trader trading cards.
I can’t say that on the physical side for most traditional cardboard dealers the set did much for them, mainly because from the outside looking in it appears as though in large part they didn’t really get the product. They failed in large part to recognize critical differences between digital and physical cards and as such failed to capitalize on the advantages. There was a lot of the type of things that physical card collectors tend to go for but the digital twist is where the disconnect comes in and in many ways, has resulted in both opportunity or aggravation for digital collectors. Physical collectors really go for limited edition things, if they are numbered even better as low numbers can command a premium. #1 of 100 is always worth more than #47 of 100. So, the SWCT Physical set had those in the form of various numbered parallels like the Orange and Green set of base cards numbered to 50 and 99 respectively and the super-premium Battle Damaged (10ct) and Slave 1 (5ct) variants. A physical collector chasing down this parallel faced a daunting challenge and I’d wager there are very few completed sets of these with unredeemed codes. Because enter the digital disconnect. In app, ANY orange or green card once redeemed can be used in the Smuggler’s Den for ANY card in the physical set in that variant. Same with Slave 1 and Battle Damaged. So, while the Physical Collector is bound to the card in hand the digital card collector is free to buy the cheapest orange, green, BD or Slave 1 available and redeem it for any character they choose. This disparity in mindsets could not be clearer when looking at eBay pricing. Physical Dealers offering a Rey Slave One Variant Limited to 5 might see it languish at 100+ dollars while “dog” characters fly off the shelves for 20-30 bucks. The digital collector buying the cheap dog character can then redeem the ticket gained for Rey. Big win for the Digital collector! Another place where Physical Dealers seem to miss the boat is on the various chase sets within the physical set. Nowhere is this more apparent than the Reflections subset. The average physical card dealer is naturally going to look at active and completed listings and see dollar signs at the sight of a search string like “Card Trader Reflections Boba Fett”. But what they are seeing is not the reality as the market forces that have driven Reflections in the SWCT as THE currency card of choice do not exist for the physical set and they price these far beyond where anyone would want them. In the process, they’ve polluted the market on eBay with unintentionally (and I’m sure in some cases intentionally) confusing listings for physical cards amidst all the digital listings. One of the biggest disconnects is occurring in the realm of the Signature cards. There are “Autograph” cards included and they are some great looking and very rare pulls but for the physical collector who is naturally drawn to autograph cards these are a total sham. The cards themselves feature the same facsimile autographs we’ve seen a gazillion times in app. Yet very few of these are being redeemed because of perceived value based solely and sadly because most folks just don’t read the fine print. All that aside for the SWCT collector the balance is definitely skewed in your favor and if you haven’t pursued these your time is very quickly running out. Once you have a physical card in hand the process works like so. Each card has a scratch off area on the back. You take your card to http://www.toppsapps.com/swcardtrader/promo and enter your fan name and code. Prepare for extreme pain in your ass if you have a lot like a box or two to enter because the codes are all over the place in terms of caps, no caps and numbers and one wrong digit or caps lock will have you gritting your teeth and reentering the whole sequence over again. Once you have them redeemed you then have to go to your bulletin and claim them. Redemption of the Autographs or the Topps Choice subset immediately put those cards in your stack. For base cards, there’s still another step. Hey, is your ass sore yet? Too bad. You’re still not done! Then you take your tickets and go to the smugglers den and choose the card you want to redeem for then finally you have the digital version of the physical card. The Base cards, anything goes and you can redeem your ticket for any character you like. Blue and Red are listed with blue and red. Battle Damaged are listed with Black and will sort with Black in your stack (jack). Slave 1 are listed under base variant and will sort with base variant once redeemed. Here’s where you will hit yet another digital disconnect. Chances are the more popular a character is the higher count that card will be. Although there were only 5 Slave 1 Variant Rey cards issued in Physical form the number of Slave1 Rey count is between 7 and 10 as most collectors who get a Slave 1 ticket redeem for that one as they perceive it as having the best trade value. And they are probably right. Despite the lack of numbers on the card back there are still ways to gauge counts by various sorting methods that will give a general idea of the actual count when compared to other cards in the stack. Many Hoarders will redeem for their hoard character if they are available and some of the more obscure characters especially in the Battle Damaged (10ct) and Slave 1 (5ct) still stand at 0 count. And time is running out. Den redemptions are slated to end on December 31st, 2017. On January 1, unredeemed codes will be basically worthless and a great many very rare digital SWCTs will never have a chance to be in the app. Bad news for Physical dealers at that point. Many have done very well with this set both in initial orders and the fire sale Topps did of remaining stock a while back at VERY low prices per box and free shipping. But time is running out as demand will crash pretty hard after redemption deadline. Despite the divides between the two markets there’s a lot there for both sides of the digital disconnect. The base cards themselves are unique and definitely stand out with their retro 2015 designs and “GASP” card backs with text and squared edges. And considering average retail was 1.99 a pack even a completed set of 100 blues represents a substantial investment both in dollars and time (man my ass is sore) The divide doesn’t only affect Physical collectors, many newer players will offer common regular blues reds green and orange for the MUCH rarer physical redemption base not knowing the difference. So, while they are neat to have they can also contribute to chronic ass pain. See your physician if the pain lasts for more than 4 hours. All in all, these are cards that are worth pursuing, either by cracking packs or trading in app. The Topps Choice set is quite nice and you will see them trading around as many folks got only one or two and aren’t chasing the set. As matters stand now these are unlikely to have counts higher than 175-200 each before redemptions end. There are no awards to chase, just the simple 13 cards and you’re done. The Base set is 100 cards and that’s a project that could keep you busy for quite a while!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Gregg Keefer
|