Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is our finale for today.
The pack: 1983 Topps Superman III
The cost now: $1
The cost then: 25 cents
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
Cards per pack: 11 (10 cards, one sticker — all in the gallery below)
Base set completion:
10 of 99 (10 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Inserts: 1
Stickers (1) – Clark Kent
Autographs/Memorabilia: Nope, not for a long time …
What’s Buzz-worthy: This one is a campy classic if you ask me with a cast that includes Richard Pryor as the one with the scene-stealing schtick but others such as Annette O’Toole as Lana Lang help bring the simplicities of Smallville to life along with Christopher Reeve (Superman), Jackie Cooper (Perry White), Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen) and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane). O’Toole went on to play Martha Kent in Smallville and she’s got plenty of cardboard in releases there but she also was found on two cards here despite not being in a number of scenes. In this pack, there was a decent amount of duplication of scenes — three cards for the Superman vs. Evil Superman fight, two for the chemical spill and three for the high school reunion. It seems odd for a 99-card set but that’s how it goes with older wax. The black borders are a challenge here along with the typical crazy cutting of the time. The Clark Kent sticker is a highlight — one of 22 stickers in the release — as are a few with cameos from Pryor and O’Toole. All in all, this wasn’t a bad rip but this is, like the E.T. pack earlier today, one to just grab via a set and upgrade any cards that aren’t up to snuff condition-wise. It’s also a release that eschews the character cards to lead off the set, getting instantly to the action from the film throughout. One highlight you won’t find in a pack? The poster art you see here is also the lid of the wax box. That gets a cheesy thumbs-up from this fan.
Product Grade: A-
Pack Grade: A-
Fun Grade: B+
What do you want to see next time during 12 in 12? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter. We’ll mix in more full boxes and newer stuff if we see that you like it. If you made it this far, thanks for checking out The Buzz all day.
Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com
BlowoutBuzz.com 