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The Results Are In…

Late last month, we asked you to choose your favorite non-sport and entertainment trading card sets of 2013. We received lots and lots of votes and the ballots have now been counted. Voting was very close. The last time we polled readers and asked what.

By Jan 6,2014  11

Best of 2013Late last month, we asked you to choose your favorite non-sport and entertainment trading card sets of 2013. We received lots and lots of votes and the ballots have now been counted. Voting was very close.

The last time we polled readers and asked what their favorite card sets were for our annual Gummie Awards was late 2003. Those results were printed in the Feb/Mar ’04 issue, which was published nearly ten years to the day from today. At that time, all the talk was Inkworks and Rittenhouse Archives with a little bit of Topps thrown in and a dash of Upper Deck. Three of those four companies appear on today’s list while Inkworks is long defunct. Rittenhouse Archives was voted best company that year and their sets took more of the top spots this year then any other company, proving they continue to be a market leader. Interestingly, Breygent Marketing, who holds the top spot below, did not exist in 2004, though its top executives were working at other card companies. Cryptozoic Entertainment and Perna Studios releases were favorites with Non-Sport Update blog readers as well.

Non-Sport Update readers choice - best trading card set of 2013

In 2004, many of the top spots in our various Gummies categories went to Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Xena Warrior Princess, Alias, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings. With Rittenhouse Archives continued line of Star Trek cards and the recent news of a new Buffy The Vampire Slayer release, combined with Cryptozoic Entertainment’s soon-to-be-released Hobbit cards, we wonder if we’ll be talking about some of these same properties again next year.

So without further ado, here are our readers top choices….

#10 Parks and Recreation (Press Pass)

Parks and Recreation box

#9 Topps 75th Anniversary (Topps)

Topps 75th Anniversary

#8 James Bond Autographs and Relics (Rittenhouse Archives)

James Bond Autographs and Relics

#7 Women of Marvel Series 2 (Rittenhouse Archives)

Women of Marvel Series 2

#6 Thor: The Dark World (Upper Deck)

Thor: The Dark World

#4 (tie) Mars Attacks Invasion (Topps)

Mars Attacks: Invasion

#4 (tie) Spellcasters (Perna Studios)

Spellcasters

#3 The Big Bang Theory Seasons 3 & 4 (Cryptozoic Entertainment)

The Big Bang Theory Season 3 and 4

#2 Game of Thrones Season 2 (Rittenhouse Archives)

Game of Thrones Season 2

#1 GRIMM Collector Cards (Breygent Marketing)

Grimm Season 1

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11 Comments

  • chris verdecchia January 6, 2014 Reply

    Congratulations to everyone who made the top 10!!
    So psyched to see Grimm as the winner, too. GREAT set!!
    congrats Tom.

    1

  • hammer January 6, 2014 Reply

    Top 4 were all sets I purchased in 2013 – Well done to Tony & Elaine on producing such a good set and the Breygent for coming out on top

    2

  • Barrett Nunnery January 6, 2014 Reply

    I voted for 2 sets in the top 10! Horray!

    3

  • Raven January 6, 2014 Reply

    I included both Game of Thrones and Grimm in my picks. Happy to see they ran #1 and #2. Breygent and RA are well represented by these titles.

    4

  • ActionJunkie January 7, 2014 Reply

    Sorry, can’t take this poll serious without Marvel Retro being #1 let alone ON the poll… no way were “Sport” collectors paying those insane prices for singles. The set revolutionized both market prices and set collecting for Nonsport collectors which was pretty amazing being it followed the very successful Marvel Premier. Personally, I’d go as far to say Marvel Retro affected the hobby as much as UD’s Marvel Masterpieces I and Rittenhouse’s Complete Avengers.

    5

    • Rudy January 14, 2014 Reply

      The vote’s the vote.
      Beyond that, the Marvel Retro set by its very nature uses technologies that have been seen before, with some of the designs/enhancements now being 20 years old. So while it is a beautiful and worthy collectible, it is in no way innovative except for its high price which might have been a turn off for many. I completely understand people not voting for something they haven’t held in their own hands because they couldn’t afford to buy it.

      6

  • martin griffiths January 7, 2014 Reply

    I didn’t vote but pleased to see the Bond set, just for the Skyfall full bleed base set alone.

    7

  • J.D.Seeber January 9, 2014 Reply

    Congrats Tom on coming out on top with GRIMM! You know the production’s first class when you get 2 free promo’s in the DVD releases!

    8

  • Rudy January 14, 2014 Reply

    I bought good quantity of 4 titles in the top 10, and would still like to buy some of the others, and at least one box of everything on this list.
    Good stuff this year, that’s for sure when Star Wars couldn’t crack the top 10 what I felt were three very nice sets. Maybe that was the problem, Topps issuing so many in one year which could’ve resulted in a varying combination of burnout and walletdrain for their usual collectors.

    9

    • harristoser January 14, 2014 Reply

      Very good points, Rudy (here and in the Fleer Retro response above). I had also noted how there is no Star Wars on the list and not as much Marvel as you might think. Like you allude to, I think the vote might have gotten split. Some vote for Star Wars Galactic Files, some vote for Jedi Legacy, etc. and it’s gets split over three where as a Big Bang Theory only has one title this year to compete.

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  • Wayne Frazer July 14, 2015 Reply

    A little late, but just saw this on the Breygent website. My wife and I wrote the card backs and we are super proud to have been involved! Glad everyone enjoyed the set as much as we enjoyed writing it, and a hearty round of applause for the Breygent staff, who TOTALLY kicked butt!

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