Prop cards - A worrying trend?

[Raffles]

I was looking on the 'bay recently and was stunned at the amount of prop trading cards available. For those not in the know these cards are randomly inserted in regular trading card packs and have small fragments of a real prop or costume attached to the card.

This is the sort of thing. They've taken some of the wand boxes from the first HP and chopped it into sections for mounting.

Whilst it is a nice idea that a for a few $$'s you can get a piece of an actual prop what concerns me is the fact that they've in essence destroyed many screen used pieces from many movies. I mean there's gonna be a lot less screen used props in the future if this trend continues.

For instance, imagine if Blade runner was released to not amazing openings. The backers try and squeeze more cash out by chopping the props and issuing a trading card set. Deckard's coat, shirt and tie are cut to bits and spread all over the world.

Great to say I've got a little but of the actual props, but in 5, 10, 50 years time what's gonna be there for reference or museum display?

Just wondering what everyone elses views are.

 

[Apollo]

I'm in total agreement with you, a horrifying trend!

 

[Guardian Devil]

I think with a lot of the authentic costume cards. Its not actually pieces of screen used item of hero clothing.
For example the trading cards like these for the Daredevil movie featured 'actual pieces of the costume worn by ben affleck in daredevil' but that didnt stop the screen used suits being sold by propstore of london.
Its probably either unused sections or from the same giant roll of material in most cases

 

[KnightAsylum]

I have a few cards like this and always assumed they only made them from some of the many "extras" that there seems to be of some props. Just as an example one of my favorites is a card with a peice of Lana Lang ( Kristin Kreuk ) jeans from an episode of Smallville. With so many years worth of episodes and so many costume changes, cutting up some of her jeans is probably the only way to sell them, not that there isn't a market for a few, but they probably have a bunch. That is a little different with a movie, as I would think there were less made. I do like the cards, as a chance to own a little bit of the movie without paying too much, but I would hate to think they are slicing up props.

 

[juno]

The Harry Potter costume cards say something to the effect of "A piece of the material used to make the costume." I was under the impression it was not the actual costume being hacked to pits but scraps.

 

[Raffles]

That's what I assumed and what I think previous sets were. But I noticed on the OOTP sets it says "part of the costume worn by" and "part of the actual prop".

 

[juno]

Shoot -- I'll have to check that, I could've sworn Dumbledore's costume card said part of the material used or some such.

 

[Raffles]

I think I saw the quote on a Cedric Diggory card. So it would have been from the GOF set.

 

[Entropy]

jdebord did an article on Prop Butchers a couple of months ago on his Original Prop Blog. Ugly, ugly trend IMHO.

 

[gnrlotto]

jdebord did an article on Prop Butchers a couple of months ago on his Original Prop Blog. Ugly, ugly trend IMHO.

I posted a thread on this a year or more back. It is a scary trend.

 

[jcoffman99]

At least with these props you know there are a bunch. It's not like they're cutting up Harry's only wand. I have a game used NHL hockey jersey that there were only two of in the world. (one home one away) It was from when the NHL opened their season in Japan a few years ago. It has a special patch on it that I saw part of on a hockey card. That really stinks. But I guess it makes mine more valuable right?

 

[gjustis]

I'd have to agree w/ the above.

I've mentioned my opinion on this issue many times in the past, and I stand by it. When we're talking about most of these costumes, ie the Potter stuff, we're talking about enormous multiples (if we're even talking about screen-worn/used pieces at all).

I'm all for the small-time collector owning a piece of the magic, no matter how tiny.

 

[LizardJedi]

I agree that its cool if its something like a sweater swatch from HP, where there are a lot of extras, or if its a fabric swatch from the same roll (like the fabric samples in the CE of Dressing the Galaxy)

But this has been going on in the sports world for a while now, and to some points extremes.
I don't remember the specifics, but I remember Upper Deck getting into a deal where they were goign to buy some historic bats from the Baseball Hall of Fame to use for game-used-bat cards (It was one of the Yankees, either Mantle, Marris, Ruth... someone line that)
Now to me, that is a waste, not to mention destruction of history. Not cool