If you have been playing along with Star Wars Card Trader, you probably are familiar with the big three weekly sets in Vintage, Widevision and Connections. These three sets represent some of the most valuable cards in the game, and for Vintage, the sig equivalent to Bunt, Huddle and Kick. If you arent familiar with the trade economy, I want to spend a bit of time breaking down some of the bigger cards from each set.
Vintage Collection: Han in the Millenium Falcon
When this card came out, I remember saying to myself that this was going to be a fun set to collect. Although I wasnt enamored with the subject of the card, I knew all the first of the weekly sets would be the ones to collect. I picked up two, not understanding the firestorm that would follow. Right now, it is one of the more valuable REGULAR ISSUE cards in ANY of the four apps, let alone in Star Wars.
These cards are selling for an absolute ton on Ebay:
Vintage Han in the Millennium Falcon Auction 1
Vintage Han in the Millennium Falcon Auction 2
Vintage Han in the Millennium Falcon Auction 3
There are some reasons for it being so difficult to acquire. First, being that it is a first week card, the amount of people that pulled the card and didnt stick around is likely going to be pretty high. When you do a blind trade for the card, you will see that there are a lot of accounts that own one, but have zero trades and a low collection score.
The reason for this is simple – attrition. Although the app has become seriously popular, there are still people that downloaded the app, opened a few packs, and left. Their accounts still have the cards, as Topps never reclaims dead cards from old accounts. Because this was a 1:30 pack pull, the ease in which a dead account could have pulled one is pretty high. Similarly, Han is a very popular character in the most popular set of the game.
There is also a marathon award that you will be rewarded for collecting every card in the set, thus making it MORE valuable. As of right now, I dont know of any SINGLE card that can be traded for the Vintage Han, and there might not be one. The allure is just too high.
Widevision Collection: Help Me Obi Wan!
Like the Vintage Han, this was a first week issue, and is the rarest card in the set. Again at a very easy pull rate, the dead account theory still holds true. Unlike Vintage Han, this set isnt as popular as the the sig equivalent, but that is like saying that Rolls Royce is only slightly less valuable than Bentley or something like that.
The crazy thing is, I dont even think this is the coolest Widevision card in the set (Duel of the Fates anyone?), nor is Vintage Han. This card is just hard to come by, and the majority of active users who own a copy, have it on lock.
Unless you have an extra Widevision Obi, you are likely not going to be able to trade for a Vintage Han, as it is the one bargaining chip that remains on the table to be included in that deal.
Vintage Collection: Battle in Outer Space!
This is easily my favorite of the Vintage cards, and its not even a competition. As the week 3 edition of Vintage, its not as valuable as some of the others, but it is easily the coolest looking.
Here is the thing with this card, as it is a bit odd. Because of the way Vintage was released, week 3 was the first time that people REALLY saw the value in collecting those cards. As a result, the collectors out there started to hoard the set pieces, opening a ton of packs of during the release, and sitting on their copies.
Battle in outer space’s value fell considerably, mainly because there are so many people out there with 3-6 copies of it. Although it is way more popular of a subject matter, the Vintage Tarkin remains a bigger deal. This is in spite of a similar card count and a similar value to the set. Additionally, in week 3, user attrition was more stabilized, making a significantly higher portion of the print run still with relatively active accounts.
It has been this way since week 3, and the Vintage cards have become relatively interchangeable since that time.
Widevision Collection: Duel of the Fates
I love love, love, this card. Love it. Its a memorable scene from Episode 1, despite the general work being the worst of the 6. Maul is a popular character, and the music alone makes this a card to have. I wish it would play each time you looked at it, as that would really complete the whole experience. That being said, its relatively surprising how much value this card still has.
As the week 2 Widevision release, there are more in circulation than Obi wan, but it is still tradeable for some of the rarer Vintage cards regardless. Of all the weekly sets, I am a huge fan of the Widevision releases, as the horizontal approach really allows for a cool looking card. I cant wait to see what they have in store.
Vintage Collection: Jawas of Tatooine
Another favorite of mine, this is one card where things changed a bit for the Vintage collection. First, this card had longer odds than any of the other releases in the set. Instead of the normal 1:30 packs, this was 1:75 packs, making it quite difficult to hoard in the same way it was with the previous examples.
Adding in that it is 1750 copies instead of the normal 2000, makes this quite the card to chase down a few copies of. Guaranteed, there will be a VERY rare vintage collection card right before the award in week 10. Its the reason the hoarders are doing what they are doing. They need to protect themselves in case something crazy happens. If you have played the other games, it is almost a certainty that there will be a 1000 copy vintage card coming. That will be a fun day, indeed.
Digital Card Central 
Sandlot Unwrapped: Breaking New Bunt Inserts 4/13/15
I love this part of the year in any of the apps, as it is still new and fresh. Every insert has expedited increases in value because there just arent many out there, and that rush still comes with each one you pull. Bunt has had a lot going on over the last few weeks, and here is a quick breakdown.
Signature Series: George Springer
Card Count: 400
Boost: 1x
Collectability: Extreme
Playability: Normal
Cool Factor: Home Run
I love chasing sigs. Its a second past time for me outside of playing, and with the new structure of daily contests, maybe even more so. To follow up Mike Trout with George Springer is a bit of a dropoff, but that’s only because Springer is such a new talent in the league. He has played well so far, and looks to have a bright future ahead of him. If every team is going to get a sig, Springer is a good choice for the Astros. Just not sure if I would have brought a little more popularity firepower with the second sig release. Player selection will be a hot topic in this post, and for the record, I am all for venturing off the beaten path. Lets just get established with the more popular players first. Then, when we start to get a bit tired, add some fun.
Limited Series: Pablo Sandoval
Card Count: 48
Boost: 1x
Collectability: Extreme+
Playability: Normal
Cool Factor: Single
The first Limited card released this year was Madison Bumgarner, who was definitely the right choice to lead off the chase. As for Kung Fu Panda, the second member of that Championship team? Not so much. I get his signing was made to be a big deal, but outside of the World Series, he hasnt been a shining star. Considering that popularity and rarity drive value among these inserts, Ill give the team a pass, but im NOT a fan of player selection for the second in the series.
Black Pack Special Release: Mike Trout Nicknames
Card Count: 126
Boost: 1x
Collectability: Extreme
Playability: Normal
Cool Factor: Grand Slam
I loved the nickname series design originally, and it continues to look awesome. However, the pic chosen on this card is so incredible, that it just makes it that much cooler. This card turned out to be extremely rare, and it looks like its trading quite well as a result. I dont think I have seen the black packs have its own special insert in a while, so this was cool to see.
Fresh Faces: Bartolo Colon
Card Count: 800
Boost: 1x
Collectability: Good
Playability: Normal
Cool Factor: Double
I really like this series, but as I have mentioned with the previous few series based cards, I am just not a fan of the player selection here. It should go without saying that not every card can be Trout or Kershaw – and SHOULDNT be Trout or Kershaw, but Bartolo Colon is a bit far down the list of players I would like to have associated with the launch of this app. The set is already trading a bit low because A-rod is the reward, but it is what it is. The design is awesome, and the card does look cool. I probably would have gone with David Ortiz or something like that just to get established before diving into the deep cuts. I know I am going to get lit up for player selection complaints, but Colon has always been a villain to me, and not because he has been a good pitcher. The value we are seeing him trade at is reflective of that status.
From the Vault – Kenny Lofton
Card Count: 1000
Boost: 1x
Collectability: Good
Playability: Normal
Cool Factor: Triple
I love that this series is all going to be the 1985 Topps Design if it continues this way, because the cards look amazing. Kenny Lofton was one of the top guys in the league when I was growing up, and its cool to see him get his first card. The pic is perfect as well, as Lofton running from base to base was a nightmare whenever he was able to get on board. I would have liked to see Griffey or Frank Thomas maybe before a guy like this, but I like Lofton more than someone like Colon as a deep cut. He was fun to watch, and a fan favorite, which adds a bit of a bump to his value.
Gypsy Queen Series – Set Review
Really great set here, no ifs ands or buts about it. The checklist was great, the design looks incredible, and the rarity plays well. I chased down a few of these cards, as I really think they are some of the better looking retro cards from the physical side of the business. Last year, this set got lost somewhere in between Ginter and the others, but this year, I feel like it is much better.
Verdict: BUY!
Career High Series – Set Review
Another transfer from Topps Series One in regular cards, and its a perfect set to bring over to bunt. Large checklist with a lot of top names really helps. I think that the series itself has an okay design, but it looks much better on Bunt than it does when holding the cards in hand. It kind of gets lost a bit as Gypsy Queen looks much more dynamic and cool. Some first 2015 cards for guys like Sale and Iwakuma will do well. Other than that, the cards havent traded well.
Verdict: SELL!
First Pitch Series – Set Review
When I saw that they had found a way to get this series over to digital without issues on the rights to the likenesses of the non-sports subjects, I was pumped. If you are not a physical card collector, this set created a ton of buzz when it was first put out, and the sets really did sell very well. I chased down a number of cards from this one, as who wouldnt want an Eddie Vedder card? How awesome is that. Considering the cards are pretty high count, they have traded well, especially the more popular musicians.
Verdict: BUY!