2014 Wacky releases

[slamjim]

Rob, thanks Catburglar Helper was one of my gags.  It was redesigned a bit from my rough.  The painting's great!  I would love to know who did it.

I painted Catburglar Helper. I redesigned the layout due to the new box style.

[Joe G.]

David, your painting is great and the redesign works well.  I was hoping for a bit of a Prowl cameo with the Catburgler but so glad you painted one of my gags!

[DrDeal]

So with this release being called WP 2014 Series 1 what do we plan on referring to it as. I vote for ANS12.

[Hustler08]

So with this release being called WP 2014 Series 1 what do we plan on referring to it as. I vote for ANS12.

I second that... How much would a box/case have to cost based on today's going prices on evilbay to make it worth a purchase? ...ie sketches and gold...

thoughts?? $250/case

[Joe G.]

Hustler, I think it would depend on printing plates.  They still seem to demand a high price.  If you snagged a printing plate in a case that could make up for a bit.

[DrDeal]

Hustler, I think it would depend on printing plates.  They still seem to demand a high price.  If you snagged a printing plate in a case that could make up for a bit.

Right, If no Plate , Medallion or Patch. Your 8 Box Collector case you paid about $500 for will have a net resale value of around $250.

You should get around 12 or so sketches which pull about $15 - 20 each but not much else that has any viable resale value.

If you do score a plate, medallion AND patch you would break even.

[Hustler08]

Hustler, I think it would depend on printing plates.  They still seem to demand a high price.  If you snagged a printing plate in a case that could make up for a bit.

ok thx...about how much do printing plates from Series 10 & 11 go for on ebay?? or that you've seen?

[Joe G.]

Hustler, I've never seen one go for less than $100 and some have gone for considerably more.  It depends on the image on the plate.  Also for some reason black plates tend to be smeared and that affects the value.  Of all the Wacky chase items they seem to be the scarcest and in the highest demand.

[bigtomi]

So with this release being called WP 2014 Series 1 what do we plan on referring to it as. I vote for ANS12.

EMS1. Even More Swill 1.

Just kidding.....sorta.

[DrDeal]

EMS1. Even More Swill 1.

Just kidding.....sorta.

Thank goodness for Old School. No swill evident there so far. Just reviewed ANS11. Quite swilly.

[dth1971]

Thank goodness for Old School. No swill evident there so far. Just reviewed ANS11. Quite swilly.

But Wacky Packages Old School Series 5 has yet to get a release date for ShopTopps.com orders this month or next month!

[paste_anyplace]

So with this release being called WP 2014 Series 1 what do we plan on referring to it as. I vote for ANS12.

Probably just "2014 series" in the same way that we talk about the "1985 series" and "1991 series."

[Fanatical_and_Sickly]

Probably just "2014 series" in the same way that we talk about the "1985 series" and "1991 series."

Exactly,
Why make it more complex than it needs to be
The 2014's

[BumChex]

I'm again on the fence. I may have lost my way with Wackys. Maybe I need to go back to nostalgia? I could go by the ways of Leslie and Rob. No way to collect everything. Just done. It's really sad. I think Topps have screwed us over. Collecting was great but now we are challenged. I never thought I would say this but it might be time to walk away.

[DrDeal]

I'm again on the fence. I may have lost my way with Wackys. Maybe I need to go back to nostalgia? I could go by the ways of Leslie and Rob. No way to collect everything. Just done. It's really sad. I think Topps have screwed us over. Collecting was great but now we are challenged. I never thought I would say this but it might be time to walk away.

Looking forward to chrome due to the nostalgia factor but ANS not working much as of late in terms of making me like WP's more.

Maybe its the lack of new Postcards and Old School at present that drives the WP torpor many of us are feeling. When your humor
is mostly bathroom related that gets old quickly. Maybe not for an 8 year old but for Adult aging WP fans yes.  Couple that with maximum wallet extraction tactics by Topps and one can feel a lack of enthusiasm.

[Lavirus]

I'm again on the fence. I may have lost my way with Wackys. Maybe I need to go back to nostalgia? I could go by the ways of Leslie and Rob. No way to collect everything. Just done. It's really sad. I think Topps have screwed us over. Collecting was great but now we are challenged. I never thought I would say this but it might be time to walk away.

I have taken a leave of absence a few times over the past 10 years, only to come back with a vengeance. Sometimes it saved me money (buying Flashback sets for cheap), sometimes it cost me more (catching up on the bio cards). But when the stuff like the postcards, posters and some of the chase sets are as fun as they are, I can't stay away. I make it a bit easier on myself by forgoing all the parallel sets - I really don't care about different colored borders. I plan on approaching the Chrome series like the Flashbacks, I'll wait a bit and get the base sets for cheap and pick up the chase sets from forum members or eBay. Minimal investment for a solid if overly familiar set of images.

For me, the high points of the last few ANS series have made up for the mediocre stuff. Yes, I've had to come to terms with Topps ever-increasing pricing for the best stuff like the postcards, but I do enjoy them so.

[MoldRush]

So with this release being called WP 2014 Series 1 what do we plan on referring to it as. I vote for ANS12.

I'd go with 2014S1.  Why look at it any other way?  They could go a few more "2014" series then arbitrarily decide to roll out a "2017 Series 1".  If new series continue to roll out for a while with these kinds of changes and you continue to follow an ANS numbering scheme, you might eventually need to create a conversion chart for reference.

This has already happened with GPK, right?  Stands to reason they would do the same here.  Maybe Topps figures a new wave of kids are more likely to get hooked in if they believe they're latching on to the start of a new phenomenon, as opposed to the 12th series of something that's been around since before they were born.  OS1-OS16 was just 3 years or so; ANS1-ANS11 more like 9 to 10, which is multiple generations of kids when you take the short attention span aspect into consideration.

[Paul_Maul]

I'm again on the fence. I may have lost my way with Wackys. Maybe I need to go back to nostalgia? I could go by the ways of Leslie and Rob. No way to collect everything. Just done. It's really sad. I think Topps have screwed us over. Collecting was great but now we are challenged. I never thought I would say this but it might be time to walk away.

You have to decide what, if anything, you enjoy. In my case, ANS stuff bores me, I have no interest in sketches or other chase variations. On the other hand, I love vintage wackys and I love perfect condition. So working on upgrading my 1-16 is something I will likely enjoy until I die.

[Joe G.]

You have to decide what, if anything, you enjoy. In my case, ANS stuff bores me, I have no interest in sketches or other chase variations. On the other hand, I love vintage wackys and I love perfect condition. So working on upgrading my 1-16 is something I will likely enjoy until I die.

Quite right.  I've collected Wacky's three times in my life.  In '73 when I was 7, in '04 when my daughter turned 6 and in 2010 when my son turned 6.  The last time it stuck.  I consider my collections little time capsules and only collect what's current.  I guess it helps that I never threw away or sold anything, so I have all my childhood collections.

[ratchet007]

I'm again on the fence. I may have lost my way with Wackys. Maybe I need to go back to nostalgia? I could go by the ways of Leslie and Rob. No way to collect everything. Just done. It's really sad. I think Topps have screwed us over. Collecting was great but now we are challenged. I never thought I would say this but it might be time to walk away.

I know myself and at least 1 other person that echos those sentiments exactly Brad. If it weren't for OS needs and Olds I know I would walk away and never look back. Topps made it so the average Joe can't afford everything anymore.

[crackedjerk]

I'm again on the fence. I may have lost my way with Wackys. Maybe I need to go back to nostalgia? I could go by the ways of Leslie and Rob. No way to collect everything. Just done. It's really sad. I think Topps have screwed us over. Collecting was great but now we are challenged. I never thought I would say this but it might be time to walk away.

I pretty much feel the same way.  However, I scaled back on ANS11 enough that I didn't spend tons of time and money, bought packs instead of boxes to put together a set, and picked up a few inserts that I liked without feeling compelled to complete any subsets.  That approach helped me to appreciate the series without overspending, being left with tons of base swill, and feeling taken advantage of by Topps.  I think I'll go with a similar approach to the 2014s.  I wish the base set would be a lot better than the recent series have been (Catburgler Helper looks excellent, though) but I'm not ready to walk away just yet.

[DrDeal]

I pretty much feel the same way.  However, I scaled back on ANS11 enough that I didn't spend tons of time and money, bought packs instead of boxes to put together a set, and picked up a few inserts that I liked without feeling compelled to complete any subsets.  That approach helped me to appreciate the series without overspending, being left with tons of base swill, and feeling taken advantage of by Topps.  I think I'll go with a similar approach to the 2014s.  I wish the base set would be a lot better than the recent series have been (Catburgler Helper looks excellent, though) but I'm not ready to walk away just yet.

I will not be walking away from Wackys. I do feel the thrill of opening boxes of ANS cards is gone. I look forward to continued ANS releases and am optimistic that purchasing sets on the bay will suffice in the future. The new challenge for me will be to time my purchases correctly. By this I mean it really pays to not buy certain shorter run cards when they are first released. I recall buying a Lost Wacky I needed from ANS11 for around $75 early on only; to see the resale price on that card rapidly fall to $40. Can I force myself to wait 6 weeks to purchase my ANS cards on ebay? Not sure about that. Part of the fun for me has always been having the cards first. I used love hunting for gravity feeds and pulling them out of Excel boxes in Target.

This will be an interesting phase of my WP collecting. I hope these cards keep going for another 20 years. I just won't be spending what I used to spend on them.  I am also optimistic that we will see less bathroom humor in wackys going forward as the Artists will be burnt out on that type of gag and move will move on the other types of humor.

[slamjim]

Here is the large size version of Catburglar Helper

[slamjim]

and Lalaloopy

[Lavirus]

Can we get a set of Wackys this size? My eyes aren't getting any younger and the details really shine when enlarged.   

[crackedjerk]

Can we get a set of Wackys this size? My eyes aren't getting any younger and the details really shine when enlarged.   

You took the words out of my mouth (or off my keyboard)!

[DrDeal]

Can we get a set of Wackys this size? My eyes aren't getting any younger and the details really shine when enlarged.   

"New Wacky Packages 2014 Series 1 Readers Digest Version"  with extra large font for aging WP fans!

[DrDeal]

Blowout Cards is now taking pre-orders for WP 2014 Series 1.   $67.95 per Collector Box.   None for me as I will buy on the bay.

[Joe G.]

Andrew, thanks for posting the Blowout cards info.  I can't wait for this release!  Did you notice this interesting bit of info under collector's box pulls:

- Sketch Cards & Shaped Sketch Cards, 50 loaded packs with 4 sketch cards

Does that mean that 50 packs will have 4 sketch cards each?

[dth1971]

Here are my guesses for the 2014 Wacky Packages series subsets:

The TV DVD spoof subset besides "Breaking Wind" (spoof of Breaking Bad): TV season DVD spoofs of The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Big Bang Theory, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Doctor Who, Two and a Half Men, and 2 Broke Girls.

The book/comic book subset besides "The Loraxe": Spoofs of Geronimo Stillton, Sonic the Hedgehog, Archie, Batman, The Incredible Hulk, The Complete Peanuts, Divergent, and If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.

[DrDeal]

Andrew, thanks for posting the Blowout cards info.  I can't wait for this release!  Did you notice this interesting bit of info under collector's box pulls:

- Sketch Cards & Shaped Sketch Cards, 50 loaded packs with 4 sketch cards

Does that mean that 50 packs will have 4 sketch cards each?

I did notice that new twist. It would be pretty cool to pull a pack of 4 sketches. My question is around collector box odds to pull
a patch or medallion card. ANS11 I think you got a patch card every 3 cases or so. If they guaranteed either a patch or a medallion card
in every Collector box I would buy a few.

[Joe G.]

Well, I can't resist buying a few boxes.  I love cracking packs and the joy of an occasional hit.  Also it's a great way to keep the kids in the hobby.  At $70 a box it's a small investment for the fun it provides.

[Joe G.]

I did notice that new twist. It would be pretty cool to pull a pack of 4 sketches. My question is around collector box odds to pull
a patch or medallion card. ANS11 I think you got a patch card every 3 cases or so. If they guaranteed either a patch or a medallion card
in every Collector box I would buy a few.

Well the odds aren't listed so it's hard to say.  Also if I read Blowoutcards description correctly it appears that the regular/hobby packs might not have sketches.  It would be interesting if they scaled back on sketches in response to the reduced interest from collectors.

[DrDeal]

Here is the Collector Box Write-up from DACardworld:

"Look for One Sketch Card, Shaped Sketch Card, Printing Plate, Artist Auto, Full Size Patch, or Medallion PER BOX!"

If only they did not include Artist Autos in the one per box deal. My experience on the last two releases was four out of six boxes coming with an Artist Auto.

[Joe G.]

So Andrew you're not a fan of artist autos.  I actually paid a bit for the ones I got for ANS 10 and 11.  I thought they were fairly rare and desirable.