Hi everybody. This is my first post on 85% Sports, so I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself before getting on with the review. My name is Gabe, and I’m from a relatively small town in New Hampshire. For as long as I can remember, I have been a fervent collector of trading cards. Originally, it was strictly baseball cards that interested me, but as you will see, I have branched out a little since then. Several months ago, I got the idea to start my own trading card review website or organization or what have you. I first contacted a startup company by the name of Executive Trading Cards, which had produced and released a single product, one focusing exclusively on American politicians. A representative named Justen (yes, with an e) wrote me back saying that Executive would be happy to provide me with a box of their cards to rate, review, and critique, which is what I will be doing today. I am aware that this product does not directly pertain to sports, but it is nonetheless interesting and unique. Please note that the review below is essentially the same as the one previously posted on my blog, http://thecardboardcritic.blogspot.com/
This is my first box break and review as “The Cardboard Critic”, so I hope you’ll send any suggestions or recommendations my way. I have also posted a less-comprehensive review on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REfehhwweME). Without further ado, here is my review:
BOX BREAKDOWN
Cards received: 168/291
Judicial Branch cards received: 2/5 (Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and John Paul Stevens)
Executive Branch cards received: 9/12 (Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, (2) Administrator of the EPA Lisa Jackson, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel)
White House cards received: 3/4 (Bo, Air Force One, and Marine One)
Short-printed cards received: 3/8 (Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senator Ted Kennedy, and Secretary Hillary Clinton)
RATINGS
Design: 4/5
The base card design is similar to American paper currency and provides for a very collectible base set. Simple, yet distinguished.
Innovation: 5/5
To my knowledge, this is the only product ever released which focuses exclusively on politics and political figures. It is innovative and unique in more ways than one and has the potential to revolutionize the historical/political realm of trading cards.
Bang for the buck: 3/5
If you choose to, you can sell your short-printed cards back to Executive. Therefore, you are guaranteed to be able to make at least a little bit back on your investment. However, without any truly outstanding inserts, this is a solid low-end product that carries the price tag of a high-end one.
Overall: 4/5
I voiced my only concerns (lack of interesting inserts, card size, price) above and in my YouTube video. Overall, though, I’m a fan of this product and am eagerly awaiting the release of more like it by Executive Trading Cards.
Card images can be found at executivetradingcards.com and elsewhere on the internet. If you are interested in seeing the obverse or reverse of a specific card, I’d be happy to scan it if for you; just leave a comment. Thanks for reading and check back soon!
UPDATE: According to an email sent by Executive on Nov. 4, the company is in the process of merging with a major trading card producer, reportedly one of the top three in the world. I would guess that means Topps, Upper Deck, or Panini (formerly Donruss). This is big news indeed; if the deal goes through, it will represent the first foray by a major company into political trading cards. In 2008, Topps produced a set of cards of the different presidential candidates in that year’s race, but I believe that set consisted only of ten or twelve unique cards. As I revealed in my review, Executive’s Series 1 release features 291 distinct cards. That number easily rivals the base sets produced by Topps and Upper Deck for the major U.S. sports of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. In any case, here is an excerpt from the actual statement made by Executive regarding its impending merger:
“As some of you may have heard, Executive Trading is merging. Due to a legal binding agreement we are not allowed to mention the company until the merger is complete. But, we can say Executive Trading is currently in a merger process with one of the top 3 Trading Card Companies in the world!!! What does this mean? It means some very interesting features in upcoming editions that we believe you will love…As our merger moves forward, we want to say a big thank you to our customers for your loyal support, we look forward to introducing you to our sister company soon, and believe that together we will provide excellent service, and high quality political trading cards for generations to come as we put Executive Trading Cards on the National Stage!!”
Thank you again for reading, and I look forward to posting more reviews in the near future!