InQuest 11 - 74 - Card Stock - Donruss Mention
Card Stock
Tracking trends in the
card game market
WHAT'S IN THE FUTURE?
By Dan Albaugh
---
Middle-earth: The Wizards is
quickly climbing to the top of
the CCG ladder.
---
---
Alternate Universe, Star Trek's
latest set, has brought the
game back to the forefront.
---
How was your 1995? Ask that question
to retailers and most will tell you '95 was a
good year for business. Magic releases
included Ice Age, Chronicles and Homelands,
and sales for these releases enjoyed varying
degrees of success. What do retailers across
the country predict for 1996?
Tracking trends in the
card game market
WHAT'S IN THE FUTURE?
By Dan Albaugh
---
Middle-earth: The Wizards is
quickly climbing to the top of
the CCG ladder.
---
---
Alternate Universe, Star Trek's
latest set, has brought the
game back to the forefront.
---
How was your 1995? Ask that question
to retailers and most will tell you '95 was a
good year for business. Magic releases
included Ice Age, Chronicles and Homelands,
and sales for these releases enjoyed varying
degrees of success. What do retailers across
the country predict for 1996?
Barry Smith of Cards-Coins-Comics in
Monroe, La., has high hopes for the new
year. "Thanks to healthy sales of Stars Wars
and Star Trek: Alternate Universe, 1996 is
already off to an excellent start."
Smith believes the influx of new CCGs
will continue and that most will be able to
carve out only the smallest of collecting
niches. "Affordability is a big factor," says
Smith. "There's a ton of CCGs, forcing
gamers to be selective in what they buy.
Plus, in order to truly enjoy a CCG, you need
to convince a friend to buy the game. Throw
in the time factor too. It takes valuable time
to learn and play the game. That keeps
many gamers from making a purchase."
"I'm anticipating a good 1996," reports
Steven West of Collectors Choice in Athens,
Tenn. "I've been pleased with the sales of
Star Wars, Star Trek: Alternate Universe and
Middle-earth: The Wizards. In the past I
expected to do well with Magic, and any-
thing else that sold well was a bonus. Per-
haps 1996 will be the year when another
CCG becomes a consistent moneymaker."
Monroe, La., has high hopes for the new
year. "Thanks to healthy sales of Stars Wars
and Star Trek: Alternate Universe, 1996 is
already off to an excellent start."
Smith believes the influx of new CCGs
will continue and that most will be able to
carve out only the smallest of collecting
niches. "Affordability is a big factor," says
Smith. "There's a ton of CCGs, forcing
gamers to be selective in what they buy.
Plus, in order to truly enjoy a CCG, you need
to convince a friend to buy the game. Throw
in the time factor too. It takes valuable time
to learn and play the game. That keeps
many gamers from making a purchase."
"I'm anticipating a good 1996," reports
Steven West of Collectors Choice in Athens,
Tenn. "I've been pleased with the sales of
Star Wars, Star Trek: Alternate Universe and
Middle-earth: The Wizards. In the past I
expected to do well with Magic, and any-
thing else that sold well was a bonus. Per-
haps 1996 will be the year when another
CCG becomes a consistent moneymaker."
Eric Nelson of Coastside Comics in Paci-
fica, Calif., offers these thoughts on trends
for 1996. "Nothing will replace Magic as
No. 1, but I believe that more than ever
before, new CCGs will generate a larger fol-
lowing. I'm currently selling the heck out
of Red Zone. I'm also big on CCGs that are
based on an existing product. For example,
Middle-earth is based on the works of J.R.R.
Tolkien. A built-in collector base already
exists for CCGs like that. Star Wars and Star
Trek fit into that mold."
Homelands Prices Still Falling
This month's InQuest Price Guide reflects
an across-the-board drop in prices for Magic:
Homelands, with few exceptions. Demand
for Homelands cards has lessened and, as a
result, retailers have lowered prices. Is this
cause for alarm? Not at all.
Unlike Ice Age, the 140-card Homelands
is a small set. In most stores, packs were
readily available at an affordable $1.75 to
$2. Gamers easily found the cards they
wanted. As with any collectible, when the
supply meets the demand, prices either sta-
bilize or drop.
fica, Calif., offers these thoughts on trends
for 1996. "Nothing will replace Magic as
No. 1, but I believe that more than ever
before, new CCGs will generate a larger fol-
lowing. I'm currently selling the heck out
of Red Zone. I'm also big on CCGs that are
based on an existing product. For example,
Middle-earth is based on the works of J.R.R.
Tolkien. A built-in collector base already
exists for CCGs like that. Star Wars and Star
Trek fit into that mold."
Homelands Prices Still Falling
This month's InQuest Price Guide reflects
an across-the-board drop in prices for Magic:
Homelands, with few exceptions. Demand
for Homelands cards has lessened and, as a
result, retailers have lowered prices. Is this
cause for alarm? Not at all.
Unlike Ice Age, the 140-card Homelands
is a small set. In most stores, packs were
readily available at an affordable $1.75 to
$2. Gamers easily found the cards they
wanted. As with any collectible, when the
supply meets the demand, prices either sta-
bilize or drop.
Retailers view this with mixed emotions.
With Homelands, sales went from hot to
steady to slow in a relatively short period
of time. Perhaps Eric Nelson of Coastside
Comics puts it best when he says, "There
were a lot of headaches involved with
gamers wanting but not being able to get
Ice Age at a reasonable price. The plentiful
availability of Homelands meant less sales
overall, but it made for happy customers. It
was a nice change."
No Fumbling
Those of you familiar with sports cards
are aware that players of similar ability and
popularity fall into tiers of prices. For exam-
ple, at the top of the football pricing ladder
you'll find Drew Bledsoe, Dan Marino, Joe
Montana and Emmit Smith. At a notch
below will be Troy Aikman, Jerry Rice, Barry
Sanders and Steve Young. Between the Mari-
nos and the 10-cent common cards there
may be four to six pricing levels.
With Homelands, sales went from hot to
steady to slow in a relatively short period
of time. Perhaps Eric Nelson of Coastside
Comics puts it best when he says, "There
were a lot of headaches involved with
gamers wanting but not being able to get
Ice Age at a reasonable price. The plentiful
availability of Homelands meant less sales
overall, but it made for happy customers. It
was a nice change."
No Fumbling
Those of you familiar with sports cards
are aware that players of similar ability and
popularity fall into tiers of prices. For exam-
ple, at the top of the football pricing ladder
you'll find Drew Bledsoe, Dan Marino, Joe
Montana and Emmit Smith. At a notch
below will be Troy Aikman, Jerry Rice, Barry
Sanders and Steve Young. Between the Mari-
nos and the 10-cent common cards there
may be four to six pricing levels.
Donruss' popular new CCG, Red Zone,
has created the need to deviate from the
normal pricing tiers. Although most pigskin
stars in the set have been assigned uncom-
mon or rare status, talent-laden players -
such as Errict Rhett and Isaac Bruce are
commons. In a traditional football card set,
Rhett would always command a higher
value than a Marcus Allen. However, such
is not the case in Red Zone, where Allen is
an uncommon.
Another interesting phenomenon is
