eBay Buzz: Bart Simpson keeps selling after all these years

[BlowoutBuzz]

eBay Buzz: Bart Simpson keeps selling after all these years >> BlowoutBuzz.com #collect

[moistpaper]

That's a really cool card. I met Matt Groening years ago and he drew on and signed my Futurama DVD set. Won't ever sell it!!!

[xbignick]

I sold a Maggie from the set about a year ago, good flip.

[jdhaugh11]

A 400 card print run was really rare back then.
I remember some baseball inserts #'ed out of 10,000 that you wouldn't even get any from the set in a whole case!

[glen87]

Originally Posted by xbignick

I sold a Maggie from the set about a year ago, good flip.

?

the Art de bart was from 1993, you had a 2001 - still a nice card though

[jdandns]

I've collected Simpsons cards from the very beginning with the first Topps set in 1990. I tried to get the Art D'Bart back when, the old fashioned way, but never found a redemption. My desire to attain one was dampened somewhat a few years later when I met Matt Groening at the Sand Diego Comic-Con in 1996 and got a nice FREE in-person sketch from him then (and a few more over the years since.)

In the first few years of Ebay (1997 to around 2000), an "Art D'Bart" sketch could be had for $200 to $300, but those days are long gone. Even the redemption card (it reads "Your Lucky Day" in large letters with a small Bart Simpson holding a four-leaf clover and Gold Foil Horseshoes at the corners) when found, today nets $1,000 or more, despite being unredeemable for nearly the whole of its existence to this point. As a result of this, and that less than 30,000 boxes of these were made (fairly scarce for 1993) in the first place, sealed boxes of Simpsons Skybox Series 1 (original retail $35) have routinely sold for over $100 for well over 20 years, ostensibly on the very slight chance of finding the redemption card.

The Inkworks Simpsons Mania set from 2001, as mentioned above, while lacking drawings from creator Matt Groening, did feature cards drawn by 9 different artists including television animation directors who helmed nearly half of the episodes produced during the series' Golden Age, widely considered to be its first eight years. These sketch cards were found at a rate of approx. 2 or 3 per 10-box case and there are around 2,500 in total as each artist did 250-300 cards. Some artists only drew repeat-a-sketches of Bart and Homer, but a few did various characters, and one, comic artist Phil Ortiz, drew cards of virtually every meaningful character to appear on the series to that point. As a result, Ortiz' cards and those of Rich Moore (the only artist to use color in his cards) are typically the most valuable at about $400 apiece, although the most "important" cards in the set, for my money, are those by David Silverman and Wesley Archer, who are both legends in the field. Silverman designed the main title sequence still in use over 25 years later, and Archer, in addition to his importance to "The Simpsons" is also key to the development of another classic Fox Animation series, "King of the Hill".

I'd say the average price for these sketch cards considering the entire run is about $200 each, however, I sold three of the "easier" (Bart & Homer) ones last year for $900, so an average of $300 apiece. There is definitely a premium on cards featuring popular supporting cast members over those featuring members of the Simpson family who appear on well over half if not two-thirds of the 2,200 sketches in total. Cards showing more than one character exist, but are rare, and highly sought after as a result.

Here are mine, all of which I still have less that trio of Bart/Homers I mentioned selling. At one point, I had about 30 of these, but am down to 13 different now. There were supercollectors of these back when, so I would imagine there are some collections out there boasting multiples of my collection at its peak. There were approximately 700 cases of Simpsons Mania so boxes remained fairly available for about a year after release. They have long since dried up and a sealed box today sells $150 to $200, possibly more. In addition to the sketch cards (1 per 4 boxes), you've also got a shot an autograph card from a voice cast member (1 per 2 boxes) and one of those, Tress MacNeille, is a very popular one, due to work she's done for Disney. I remembering selling one of those for $132 and then moments later selling another for $130 with a second chance Ebay offer to the auction runner-up.

[xbignick]

Originally Posted by glen87

?

the Art de bart was from 1993, you had a 2001 - still a nice card though

Whoops yeah. They look similar, different frame now that I look closer.

[peterose4hof]

Originally Posted by jdandns

I've collected Simpsons cards from the very beginning with the first Topps set in 1990. I tried to get the Art D'Bart back when, the old fashioned way, but never found a redemption. My desire to attain one was dampened somewhat a few years later when I met Matt Groening at the Sand Diego Comic-Con in 1996 and got a nice FREE in-person sketch from him then (and a few more over the years since.)

In the first few years of Ebay (1997 to around 2000), an "Art D'Bart" sketch could be had for $200 to $300, but those days are long gone. Even the redemption card (it reads "Your Lucky Day" in large letters with a small Bart Simpson holding a four-leaf clover and Gold Foil Horseshoes at the corners) when found, today nets $1,000 or more, despite being unredeemable for nearly the whole of its existence to this point. As a result of this, and that less than 30,000 boxes of these were made (fairly scarce for 1993) in the first place, sealed boxes of Simpsons Skybox Series 1 (original retail $35) have routinely sold for over $100 for well over 20 years, ostensibly on the very slight chance of finding the redemption card.

The Inkworks Simpsons Mania set from 2001, as mentioned above, while lacking drawings from creator Matt Groening, did feature cards drawn by 9 different artists including television animation directors who helmed nearly half of the episodes produced during the series' Golden Age, widely considered to be its first eight years. These sketch cards were found at a rate of approx. 2 or 3 per 10-box case and there are around 2,500 in total as each artist did 250-300 cards. Some artists only drew repeat-a-sketches of Bart and Homer, but a few did various characters, and one, comic artist Phil Ortiz, drew cards of virtually every meaningful character to appear on the series to that point. As a result, Ortiz' cards and those of Rich Moore (the only artist to use color in his cards) are typically the most valuable at about $400 apiece, although the most "important" cards in the set, for my money, are those by David Silverman and Wesley Archer, who are both legends in the field. Silverman designed the main title sequence still in use over 25 years later, and Archer, in addition to his importance to "The Simpsons" is also key to the development of another classic Fox Animation series, "King of the Hill".

I'd say the average price for these sketch cards considering the entire run is about $200 each, however, I sold three of the "easier" (Bart & Homer) ones last year for $900, so an average of $300 apiece. There is definitely a premium on cards featuring popular supporting cast members over those featuring members of the Simpson family who appear on well over half if not two-thirds of the 2,200 sketches in total. Cards showing more than one character exist, but are rare, and highly sought after as a result.

Here are mine, all of which I still have less that trio of Bart/Homers I mentioned selling. At one point, I had about 30 of these, but am down to 13 different now. There were supercollectors of these back when, so I would imagine there are some collections out there boasting multiples of my collection at its peak. There were approximately 700 cases of Simpsons Mania so boxes remained fairly available for about a year after release. They have long since dried up and a sealed box today sells $150 to $200, possibly more. In addition to the sketch cards (1 per 4 boxes), you've also got a shot an autograph card from a voice cast member (1 per 2 boxes) and one of those, Tress MacNeille, is a very popular one, due to work she's done for Disney. I remembering selling one of those for $132 and then moments later selling another for $130 with a second chance Ebay offer to the auction runner-up.

Thanks for all the great information. You really know your Simpsons cards!

[jdhaugh11]

That was a good history lesson, thanks!

[jdandns]

Thanks!
Beyond the original Topps set from 1990 and a sticker-card set Topps made in 2002, the Skybox sets from 1993 and 1994, the pair of Inkworks sets from 2000 and 2001, and the two Artbox "Filmcardz" set that bookended those, that's pretty much all of the USA made Simpsons cards sets, not a lot really, for a show that's been on the air for a quarter century.

There was a beautifully made Australian set issued in 1996 called "Simpsons Downunder" that was based heavily on the episode where the Simpsons visited Australia, but it had some remarkable insert sets including sequentially numbered chase cards, some of the earliest non-sports cards with that feature. With a limited run of only 15,000 boxes (truly miniscule for just about any card product released in 1996), it boasts a chase card that actually rivals the Art D'Bart in terms of value, the "Bartarang" redemption card. At the time, it could be redeemed for a hand painted Simpsons-themed boomerang. As with the "Lucky Day" card, the "Bartarang" redemption card itself is likely worth as much (or more) as the boomerang you could have redeemed it for. Only 50 of the cards were made and very few were redeemed before the company that made them, Tempo, closed down after only a few years in business, a shame given the attention to detail and collectability that was a hallmark of all of their sets.

[Comicmankev]

Originally Posted by jdandns

I've collected Simpsons cards from the very beginning with the first Topps set in 1990. I tried to get the Art D'Bart back when, the old fashioned way, but never found a redemption. My desire to attain one was dampened somewhat a few years later when I met Matt Groening at the Sand Diego Comic-Con in 1996 and got a nice FREE in-person sketch from him then (and a few more over the years since.)

In the first few years of Ebay (1997 to around 2000), an "Art D'Bart" sketch could be had for $200 to $300, but those days are long gone. Even the redemption card (it reads "Your Lucky Day" in large letters with a small Bart Simpson holding a four-leaf clover and Gold Foil Horseshoes at the corners) when found, today nets $1,000 or more, despite being unredeemable for nearly the whole of its existence to this point. As a result of this, and that less than 30,000 boxes of these were made (fairly scarce for 1993) in the first place, sealed boxes of Simpsons Skybox Series 1 (original retail $35) have routinely sold for over $100 for well over 20 years, ostensibly on the very slight chance of finding the redemption card.

The Inkworks Simpsons Mania set from 2001, as mentioned above, while lacking drawings from creator Matt Groening, did feature cards drawn by 9 different artists including television animation directors who helmed nearly half of the episodes produced during the series' Golden Age, widely considered to be its first eight years. These sketch cards were found at a rate of approx. 2 or 3 per 10-box case and there are around 2,500 in total as each artist did 250-300 cards. Some artists only drew repeat-a-sketches of Bart and Homer, but a few did various characters, and one, comic artist Phil Ortiz, drew cards of virtually every meaningful character to appear on the series to that point. As a result, Ortiz' cards and those of Rich Moore (the only artist to use color in his cards) are typically the most valuable at about $400 apiece, although the most "important" cards in the set, for my money, are those by David Silverman and Wesley Archer, who are both legends in the field. Silverman designed the main title sequence still in use over 25 years later, and Archer, in addition to his importance to "The Simpsons" is also key to the development of another classic Fox Animation series, "King of the Hill".

I'd say the average price for these sketch cards considering the entire run is about $200 each, however, I sold three of the "easier" (Bart & Homer) ones last year for $900, so an average of $300 apiece. There is definitely a premium on cards featuring popular supporting cast members over those featuring members of the Simpson family who appear on well over half if not two-thirds of the 2,200 sketches in total. Cards showing more than one character exist, but are rare, and highly sought after as a result.

Here are mine, all of which I still have less that trio of Bart/Homers I mentioned selling. At one point, I had about 30 of these, but am down to 13 different now. There were supercollectors of these back when, so I would imagine there are some collections out there boasting multiples of my collection at its peak. There were approximately 700 cases of Simpsons Mania so boxes remained fairly available for about a year after release. They have long since dried up and a sealed box today sells $150 to $200, possibly more. In addition to the sketch cards (1 per 4 boxes), you've also got a shot an autograph card from a voice cast member (1 per 2 boxes) and one of those, Tress MacNeille, is a very popular one, due to work she's done for Disney. I remembering selling one of those for $132 and then moments later selling another for $130 with a second chance Ebay offer to the auction runner-up.

Have you added to the collection another 10 years on? New record for the Art De Bart maybe: https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/mem...umbnail-071515

[finfangfan]

I still feel like a new Simpsons set is long overdue.

[PoPCulture]

Originally Posted by finfangfan

I still feel like a new Simpsons set is long overdue.

Well it is a Disney property now right?…probably about to be Topps Chromed to oblivion.

[finfangfan]

I have a feeling Groening would need to sign off but who knows? But you kind of hope if they make a set that Groening DOES sign off because a set with him actively participating (autos, sketches, or both) would be the best scenario.

[PurplesaurusRex]

A new Simpsons set would be nice, but what I really want is Futurama!

[TeeBee12]

Originally Posted by PurplesaurusRex

A new Simpsons set would be nice, but what I really want is Futurama!

i’d like an American Dad set. A “Roger’s Persona” sub set would kill it, imo.

BAZOOKA SHARKS!

[Comicmankev]

Anyone know how these printing plates plates would have been from back in the Inkworks days? I can seem to find any reference to them on the whole of the internet:

[Comicmankev]

Or this, it’s just weird to not find any reference anywhere:

[jdandns]

Inkworks sold the Simpsons printing plates like that not long after the set was issued. I don't remember how much they cost, but I remember them being fairly pricey, so I passed. As I recall, they were randomly issued, so you couldn't pick out a particular plate.

As far as the lighted film viewer, those accompanied the second Artbox Simpson Filmcardz set, issued in 2003. (The original filmcardz set was issued in 2000, and a viewer with a different design was issued for that.) It's pretty clear the 2003 viewer is much harder to find than the one from 2000. I think I got mine in a Tin Set exclusive that Artbox sold at San Diego Comic-Con.

The chase set from the 2003 issued reused the face cards (Jack, Queen, King) from a deck of Simpsons playing cards that had been issued a year or two earlier. The lighted viewer from the 2003 set usually came with one of the chase cards. It's hard to tell without digging my own 2003 viewer out of storage, but it might be that on the one shown, someone has switched out the chase card and replaced it with a regular card from the playing card set. The actual chase card is translucent, so you should be able see through it, as with regular filmcardz, and it has a prism-type border, as shown below.

Here's the full set of those chase cards, including the Groundkeeper Willie at bottom right.

[jdandns]

Originally Posted by TeeBee12

i’d like an American Dad set. A “Roger’s Persona” sub set would kill it, imo.

BAZOOKA SHARKS!

Something along those lines, where ever you may be, TeeBee12.
This was an 11 by 17 poster from San Diego Comic-Con about 10 years ago.

[Comicmankev]

Excellent, thanks for the info, that helps greatly. I just couldn’t believe either item appears on the internet anywhere at all. I’ll check out the viewer card, it visually looked like it had never been opened but I’ll look closer.

It would seem imgur doesn’t display images outside of America now, frustrating on these forums lol.

Thanks again

[YayNJ]

Originally Posted by Comicmankev

Excellent, thanks for the info, that helps greatly. I just couldn’t believe either item appears on the internet anywhere at all. I’ll check out the viewer card, it visually looked like it had never been opened but I’ll look closer.

It would seem imgur doesn’t display images outside of America now, frustrating on these forums lol.

Thanks again

The reason it’s happening is because the UK was investigating Imgur for hosting images of questionable content in regards to children. Instead of complying with the UK request and doing something about it, Imgur decided to just block access to UK users instead.

[Comicmankev]

Another bit of useful info! I didn’t go as far as to looking up why, but very good to know. Thanks