The long awaited second set of Simpsons Trading Cards from Inkworks has arrived. This set is one of the most interesting sets of Simpsons cards yet. Unlike the other sets, it will be impossible to obtain a complete set because of the "Sketch Cards". But it will sure be fun trying!!!
Here are the details:
Each pack contained 7 cards.
There were 36 packets to a box and 10
boxes to a case. It is not known how many boxes or cases were made since
they were not numbered. (I have calculated there were approximately
862 cases based on the number and sketch cards and the ratio but have no
confirmation of this. See below for details.) Inkworks added a Box Card and a
Case Card to this set. One nice thing about this set is that (unlike the
last set) the high end chase cards (autograph cards and sketch cards) were
directly inserted into the boxes instead of using redemption cards. This
makes opening packs of cards more fun and also will make sealed boxes more
valuable since the cards will be there in years to come (rather than redemption
cards which usually expire).
The Promo Cards: The are fewer promo cards from
this set than in the past. P1 is a picture of King-Size Homer on the front
and details about the card set on the back. P2 is a sample Packy Wack Card
(Gee Your Hair Smells Krusty) on the front and details about the card set on the
back. Pi, which was an exclusive giveaway directly from
http://www.inkworkscards.com, is a
sample Treehouse of Horror Card (King Kang) on the front and details about the
card set on the back. The disappointing thing is that all 3 of the backs are the same...or
are they???
Upon careful inspection, P1 and Pi have the
Bart Gallery Cards as part of the base set and the Blacklight Cards as part of
the chase cards, whereas P2 has them reversed. This would lead you to
believe that Inkworks originally planned for the Blacklight Cards to be part of
the base set and the Bart Gallery Cards to be part of the chase cards.
According to Inkworks, this was the case. The Bart Gallery Cards were so
good, they decided they wanted them to be available in quantity to everyone and
made them part of the base set switching them with the Blacklight Cards.
P2, by the way, was found in issues of Non Sport Update Magazine and was
probably printed first (before the P1 card and the Pi card) . The only
other promo card is SD-2001 which was given out at the San Diego Card Show
(and several others, including the Philly Non Sport Card Show).
There also was an 8 1/2 X 11 promo sheet.
The Base Set:
The base set was divided into 4 sub sets (really 5 if you count the Checklist
Card)
# 1-36: Character Cards - These are 36 cards depicting
your "favorite Simpsons characters plus some characters never seen before in
trading cards." While the cards are similar in layout to the 1993 Skybox
series 1 where they have little circles with blurbs about the characters, the
actual choice of characters is similar to the 1996 Tempo set in that many of the "less
known" characters (ie Number One, Birch Barlow, Ugolin & Cesar, Joey Jo Jo
Jr. Shabbadoo and Principal Dondelinger '74) are
represented. A couple of the cards show the characters from 1974. An excellent job in crediting the depth of the show...Nice
Job! In fact, some of them are so rare, that only the die-hard fans may
remember them. Thankfully, the
back of each card has interesting (and little known) facts about the character
to help you remember who they are. The back of each card also has a "Flip
N-Trip". When the cards are fanned, you can see a movie of Maggie playing
with her toys. -
ooo, collectible!
#37-45: Treehouse Cards
- 9 cards that represent different
characters from past "Treehouse of Horror" Episodes. The back of the cards
combine to form a picture. According to the instructions on the back of card
#37, you should "display assembled puzzle under blacklight for a spooky
surprise". I won't tell you what it is but try it...It's a nice touch -ooo,
scary!
2001/2002 Inkworks Simpsons Mania Cards
Back of Treehouse Cards #37-45 (Puzzle)
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#46-63:
Packy Wack Cards - These 18 cards are reminiscent of the old "Wacky Pack
Cards" but all relate to Simpsons products. A nice idea but would have
been cooler if they had been done as stickers.
#64-71: Bart Gallery Cards
- This is a set of 8 original Simpsonized art cards
that were drawn by various artists. Each card is drawn by a
different artist and on the back of each card there is a short bio/story
about the artist. These are similar to the Arty
Art Cards from the 1994 Skybox Series 2 set. As mentioned earlier,
these were originally scheduled to be chase cards but Inkworks decided to make
them part of the base set. This is definitely a nice subset.
#72: Checklist Card -
Every set has one but where is the checklist for the chase cards???
The Simpsadelic Blacklight Cards: There are 9 "Simpsadelic Blacklight Cards" in this set and each one depicts a psychedelic part of the show. The cards were inserted on average 1:11 packs. However, as mentioned above, Inkworks originally planned to include these in the base set but decided to make them a chase set and instead made the Bart Gallery Cards part of the base set. When all 9 cards are put together, a puzzle is formed and when you expose it to a Blacklight, it glows. - ooo, crazy! Now if only I had a blacklight? Hey, why didn't Inkworks do that as a send away??? In all seriousness, I think the puzzle is one of the best (and brightest) pieces of Simpsons Art. Take a look. Here is a scan of the completed puzzle:
2001/2002 Inkworks Simpsons Mania Cards
Back of Blacklight Cards #S1-S9 (Puzzle)
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The Fold Em Cards: "Dr. Marvin Monroe's Split Personality Fold 'Em Cards" as they are formally know as...are a very unusual set of chase cards. You can "discover your favorite character's secret alter ego". Each card is a trifold card and can be cut in half so you can mix and match the top halves with the bottom halves to form 9 crazy characters. These cards were inserted on average 1: 17 packs. NOTE: Packs that contained the Fold 'Em Cards had only 6 cards instead of seven cards due to the thickness of this card. It is an interesting set of cards especially because some of the characters are so obscure, you might have a hard time recognizing them. Here is a sample of how the cards work.
2001/2002 Inkworks Simpsons Mania Cards
Fold 'em Cards #F6 (9 alter egos)
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The Autograph Cards: This was a nice follow up to the autograph cards from the 2000 Anniversary Set. The are 4 main improvements: 1) There are 7 different autographs this time instead of just five, 2) The cards are much better looking and more colorful this time, 3) the odds of finding one are much improved as they were inserted approximately 1:71 packs or 1 in every 2 boxes or 5 per case. This is twice as often as in the last set. 4) The cards were inserted directly into packs and there was no need to send away a redemption card.
The Sketch Cards: These cards are very reminiscent of the "Art d'Bart" card with some exceptions. There are 9 different artists and each one sketched about 240 cards so you can figure there are about 2156 of them total (see the breakdown below). The odds of finding one are approximately 1:144 packs or 1 in every 4 boxes. Inkworks says there are about 2 1/2 cards per case. So, basically, you are either going to get 2 of them or 3 of them in a case. (P.S. Would you guess there were about 862 cases released???...8620 boxes???) Each card is an original numbered sketch from the respective artist. However, some artists hurried through them and made all of their sketches almost exactly the same while others took their time and made many different sketches. Most were drawn in black marker but one artist (Jim Reardon - SK8) did a few in Blue marker. The best (and most desirable) seem to be Rich Moore's (SK-6). He drew his in color! Which one were you lucky enough to get? While these are nowhere near the prestige of the "Art d'Bart" card, they are certainly a hard and lucky find. Since you will never be able to get all of the sketch cards, consider a set to be one from each artist. Good Luck! If you happen to have a Sketch Card or or know someone who does, please get in contact with me at yale@donthaveacowman.com. I would love to see a scan to compare it to the ones I have.
The total number of sketch cards is as follows:
SK1 - O'Scott, III - 237 cards
SK2 - Kirkland - 244 cards
SK3 - Ortiz - 240 cards
SK4 - Preite - 230 cards
SK5 - Archer - 233 cards
SK6 - Moore - 224 cards
SK7 - Anderson - 246 cards
SK8 - Reardon - 249 cards
SK9 - Silverman - 253 cards
Total number of sketch cards: est. 2156 cards
That finishes the notes on the normal card set but there were a few additional cards.
The Box Card: The box card was a nice addition to the set but in reality, there probably should have been several different versions (like the box cards in the Tempo set) or they should have been a different size or had some distinguishing characteristics. There will end up being almost as many of these cards as there is complete sets since each box has one and each box guarantees a complete set.
The Case Card: The case cards was also a nice addition to the set but there was nothing too distinguishable about it. There should have been more than one version (like the Tempo set) or there should have been something unique about the cards such as its shape or size. There is no information about the number of these cards produced but I think it was at least 900 and probably more.
The Binder: Inkworks also produced a die cut binder in the shape of Homer's head. It is a very nice follow up to the Bart binder from the last series. It looks great and protects the cards but unlike the Bart binder, there are no hidden yellow ones. A limited edition binder card would have sealed the deal but alas...no binder card was produced.
Uncut Card Sheets: TBA
VALUES:
Promo Cards:
Set of 4 ($10)
8 1/2 X 11 Promo Sheet ($3)
Base Set
72 cards ($10)
Chase Cards
Set of 9 Simpsadelic Blacklight Cards ($3-5
each or $40 for the set)
Set of 9 Fold 'Em Cards ($6-9
each or $70 for the set)
Set of 7 Autograph Cards ($35-50
each or $250-300 for the set)
Set of 9 Sketch Cards (1 from each artist) ($90-300
each
or $1300 to $2700 for the set depending on the cards)
Box Card (1 card) ($6-8)
Case Card (1 card) ($25-30)
Binder ($15)
Uncut Card Sheets
Base Set Sheet (???)
Other Items
Sealed Box ($50)...these
boxes are still available but will hold their value due to the fact that the
autograph cards and the sketch cards were directly inserted into packs rather
than having redemption cards.
Sealed Pack ($2)
Empty Display Box ($3)
Empty Wrapper (4 varieties) ($1
each)
