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A Card Collector’s Comic-Con

With Comic-Con International 2013 soon taking place, we thought it was a good time to check in with trading card manufacturers and some other sources to see what the show has to offer for non-sport trading card collectors. Unfortunately, there are very few card manufacturers.

By Jul 3,2013  1

Comic Con International logo

With Comic-Con International 2013 soon taking place, we thought it was a good time to check in with trading card manufacturers and some other sources to see what the show has to offer for non-sport trading card collectors. Unfortunately, there are very few card manufacturers who exhibit at the show these days (Breygent Marketing and Upper Deck to be precise) but that doesn’t mean promotional cards and other items related to the card collecting hobby will be scarce. We have found several companies taking part in the biggest comic show of the year. Below is a rundown of what we found (note that this entry will be updated as we receive additional information):

258 West Authentic Signatures/Symbiote Studios (booth #5636)

258 West Authentic Signatures will have a variety of Comic-Con offerings, both free and to purchase. In the free promo department, look for Matt Smith (Doctor Who) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki from Thor and The Avengers) cards. Both are limited to 1,000 each.

258 West Authentic Signatures will offer two very limited-edition signed trading cards. The first is Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith, limited to 50, for $60. The other is Arrow‘s Stephen Amell, also limited to 50. This one will sell for $40. The company will also of the Tom Hiddleston and Emilia Clark signed cards from the 2011 and 2012 Comic-Con available for sale. See the cards below. And look for 258 West at the Symbiote Studios booth (#5636).

Ashleigh Popplewell (booth BB-14)

Artist Ashleigh Popplewell will have a limited run of 100 metal trading cards available. The card is numbered P7 and is part of a larger promotion from Faerie Photography.

Beth Sotelo (booth #CC-19)

Artist Beth Sotelo will have a limited-edition metal trading cards she will offer from her location in artists’ alley (CC-19). The card is numbered P4 and is part of a larger promotion from Faerie Photography.

Breygent Marketing (booth #834)

Breygent Marketing will hand out an exclusive American Horror Story promo card at Comic-Con. See an image of the card in our gallery below. Three different Dawn foil promotional cards (numbered PROMO 4, PROMO 5, and PROMO 6) will be available in Comic-Con Limited-Edition Dawn Packs packaged one random card per pack. Be sure to also look for a second type of Comic-Con Limited-Edition Dawn Packs containing a brand-new type of card, Optispex cards. We’ve seen preview images of these and they look super sharp! And finally, Breygent also plans to give away Grimm promo cards from their booth (which have been handed out previously).

Cryptozoic Entertainment

Cryptozoic Entertainment will offer fans a promo at the Midnight advance screening of Psych The Musical taking place Wednesday, July 17th in the Gaslamp (click the link for event details).

Dreamworks Animation/Twentieth Centry Fox (booth #4229)

Be sure to stop by Dreamworks Animation booth each day for a unique set of cards. According to the San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog, Each day, M-GO in conjunction with FOX, will distribute limited quantities of DreamWorks animation collectible cards from Wednesday to Sunday. Each collectible card offers a unique promo code, to redeem select DreamWorks Animation digital animation shorts for free. Here’s the distribution schedule:

  • Wednesday, July 17: B.O.B.’s Big Break
  • Thursday, July 18: Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon
  • Friday, July 19: Dragons: Riders of Berk (first episode)
  • Saturday, July 20: Megamind: The Button of Doom
  • Sunday, July 21: Puss In Boots: The Three Diablos

Hannah Lynn Art & Design (booth #A-10)

Visit booth A-10 for a free exclusive limited-edition “Masked Molly” character trading card. According to Comic-Con, the card features artwork on one side, along with story caption, character, & artwork stats on the reverse side, all by original watercolor & ink artist, Hannah Lynn. According to the artist, there are 1,000 cards being distributed at the rate of 200 per day, starting with Preview Night (Wednesday, July 17th).

Hasbro Toy Shop (booth #3329)

For all of you trading card game collectors and lovers, it’s been reported that Hasbro will be selling a new HasbroToyShop Comic-Con exclusive—a limited edition collection of Magic: The Gathering Planeswalker cards. The five cards will have unique black-on-black artwork and be variants of those in the core 2014 set. The five cards are: Ajani, Caller of the Pride; Jace, Memory Adept; Chandra, Pyromaster; Liliana of the Dark Realms and Garruk, Caller of Beasts.

Faerie Photography

For those keeping track, you may have noticed several metal cards attributed to Faerie Photography. The company tells us their intent with these is to have them as a “gift with purchase” at many of the Comic-Con tables and require a small purchase such as $5 or more. It will be up to the individual booth holders how they want to conduct the card distribution. Each table is getting 80 cards. 20 additional cards (for a total of just 100 cards each) will be going to Faerie’s Jacob and Julie Stem. Find them at Comic-Con and you may just get cards P5 and P6! Be sure to stay tuned to the Faerie Photography Facebook page for tips on finding the Stems.

Oh, and one more thing….actually two more things….If you find the Stems and show them you’ve acquired the other 5 cards, you will receive card P8 free-of-charge. And secondly, each card can be found in one of two different finishes. The first is a combination of white, silver, and gold (whichever the Stems felt best complimented the card’s artwork). Jacob Stem tells us “The 2nd finish will be done in a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio so for example one white finish to every three silver finish, etc.”

IDW Publishing (booth #2643)

IDW will have an exclusive Mars Attacks #0 card. Topps has stated this card “will be part of the regular set—card #0. Not a promo card advertising the series, but a story card with an exclusive piece of art and narrative on the back.”

Jason Edmiston (booth #5015)

Topps’ Mars Attacks Facebook page has revealed Mars Attacks artist Jason Edmiston will have a Mars Attacks sticker. Visit Edmiston at booth 5015.

Konami Digital Entertainment (booth #3713)

Konami, makers of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, will offer collectors at Comic-Con an exclusive Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG double playing mat for $30. Fans can also create their own Yu-Gi-Oh! Token Card. They can choose from five different card backgrounds with characters, including favorites like Yusei, Jaden, Yugi and Yuma – suitable for game use. Duelists can also create their own COSSY ID card. Finally, Comic-Con attendees can also get a first look and purchase Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG products, including the recently released Battle Pack 2: War of the Giants and Number Hunter. With a $10 purchase, Konami is offering a free Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Score pad. Konami will be offering game demonstrations all show long and will host a variety of Yu-Gi-Oh! events in Ballroom 16 A throughout the convention.

Mike Vasquez (booth #FF-18)

Artist Mike Vasquez will have a limited run of 100 Vader Unmasked metal trading cards available. They will be available free-of-charge in one of two ways. You may obtain one with a $10 (or more) purchase from Vasquez’s booth at Comic-Con (he’ll be in Artists Alley). Or you can get one via a coupon you’ll find on Vasquez’s Twitter feed. Vasquez promises the coupon should be available soon so be sure to follow him on Twitter. The card is numbered P3 and is part of a larger promotion from Faerie Photography.

Also, be sure to check out Vasquez’s specials on sketch’s at the show. For just $5, collector can get a gray tone quick 5×7 sketch or a sketch on Vasquez’s personal sketch card stock.

Vasquez will be also be working with the 501st Legion on Lucasfilm approved SDCC Exclusive Sketch Cards. Vasquez will be one of several artists working on these and there will be more then one design.

Omega One Ventures (booth #5535)

The comic publisher will have a limited run (100 each) 0f two different aluminum trading cards available. The cards are numbered P1 & P2 and are part of a larger promotion from Faerie Photography.

SMR magazine cover

PSA (booth #5617)

PSA will be giving away free PSA-graded samples of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones trading cards from their booth at Comic-Con International to those who sign up for the PSA Collectors Club. The largest third-party certification company for trading cards, autographs and memorabilia, will also be giving away copies of the August 2013 issue of SMR magazine with a cover story about collecting The Walking Dead autographs with the rest of the issue fully devoted to entertainment collectibles. And finally, collectors can enter for a chance to win the zombie-inspired SMR magazine original acrylic-on-canvas cover artwork by renowned artist Arthur K. Miller (valued at more than $3,000). No purchase will be necessary to enter the drawing.

Rittenhouse Archives (various booths; see list below)

Five Rittenhouse Archives cards will be available at various Comic-Con International exhibitors. The promos include: True Blood Archives P5, Falling Skies Season Two P3, Women of Marvel Series 2 P4, Star Trek: TNG Heroes and Villains P4, and Continuum SD1. See the cards in our gallery below.

Here is the list of exhibitors:

  • CineQuest (booth #4738)
  • Endless World (booth #629)
  • Julio’s NonSportCards (booth #834)
  • Junior’s Comics (tables C10/C11/C12)
  • K & J Non-Sports Cards (tables A11/A12)
  • Mark’s Non-Sport Cards (booth #5616)
  • Triangle Cards (table B1)
  • Wee Bee Cards (table C9)
  • The Wright Stuff (table B3)

Tim Shay/Bregent Marketing (booth #834)

Artist Tim Shay is offering some SDCC Exclusive artwork at the Breygent Booth. This limited artwork will be available at Breygent’s booth #834 while supplies last.

Upper Deck (booths 2944, 2946)

Upper Deck will offer Comic-Con International an exclusive playmat for the recently introduced Legendary Dark City Marvel Deck Building Game. The playmat features the SDCC logo. 100 will be available per day for $20 each.

Upper Deck will also offer fans a free artist signing with artist J.J. Kirby on Thursday and Friday from 1-2 PM. Collectors will be provided with an oversized artist card free-of-charge (see images exclusively below!). Thursday’s card features Giganto and Friday’s card features Archangel.

Upper Deck has two other offerings. Upper Deck fans can score a great cape with any $20 or more purchase. And the company will have a special deal on their Legendary products. The package includes the Legendary Core Set, the Dark City expansion, 20 Legendary Sleeves, labeled dividers, and a Dark City Poster, all for just $150. Individually, these items are valued over $200.

Various San Diego Hotels

Have you collected hotel keycards from previous Comic-Con’s? Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing will be the official keycard sponsor for Comic-Con for the sixth year. Unlike previous years where keycards with a variety of properties (Fringe, The Big Bang Theory, etc.) could be found, only one property will be used this year, albeit in two versions. Warner will offer approximately 40,000 Person of Interest keycards at the nearly 30 participating San Diego area hotels.  One keycard features Reese and Finch (series stars Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson) and the other is a told-you-so from the show’s producers—you’ll understand once you see it. Comic-Con will feature a Person of Interest panel for the third consecutive year.

Viz Media (booth #2819)

The manga, anime, and Japanese entertainment publisher is running a special on Weekly Shonen Jump. Subscribe at the show and get the 2013 Weekly Shonen Jump Yearbook with an exclusive Yu-Gi-Oh! card, as well as a choice of an extra Zubaba General card or limited edition glow-in-the-dark button set, for $19.99. We recommend you go for the card!

The World’s End

According to a promotional Twitter feed, there will be 12 cards for the upcoming Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movie The World’s End. The feed promises to reveal “the location of all 12 limited-edition Golden Mile trading cards dispersed throughout [San Diego’s] Gaslamp Quarter.” There’s more to the promotion and it’s a bit confusing—a virtual pub crawl (i.e. online scavenger hunt) involving 12 movie blogs each revealing an exclusive bar banner, something about the first 50 people to collect the cards from the Gaslamp Quarter getting guaranteed admittance to a screening of the movie after The World’s End panel at Comic-Con, and more. We don’t have all the details—we just want the cards!

 

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1 Comment

  • George S. Eaton July 12, 2013 Reply

    Us, who cannot attend :( Wonder if any promos next month in Boston, Ma. Comic con.

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