CasdraBlog

Among the many interests I shared with my wife when we met was non-sports trading cards. We each had collections from when we were kids and we turned it into an hobby. We mainly focused on science fiction movies and TV shows with Star Trek: the Next Generation figuring prominently. One set that I always wanted was Topps' infamous Mars Attacks. In this 55 card set from 1962, a vicious invasion of Earth is depicted in brutal, gory detail. From Zelda's Mars Attacks Home Page

MARS ATTACKS cards depicted sadistic Martians in amazing spaceships attacking defenseless humans with super weapons. Freeze rays, heat rays, shrinking rays, and gigantic robots decimated the Earthlings. The Martians also unleashed bloodthirsty Earth-insects that had been enlarged to 500 times their normal size. Whole cities were destroyed in the blink of an eye. The Earth was doomed. But after almost total destruction, the never-say-die Earthmen somehow mustered enough strength to launch a counter-attack on Mars. When the physically stronger Earthmen landed on Mars, they easily overcame the puny Martians and retaliated with a vengence. The Earthmen were finally victorious and escaped back to Earth just as the planet Mars exploded into millions of tiny asteroids!

The cards, which sold for 5 cents a pack in 1962, were quickly denounced by parents who were shocked by the bloody, gory, graphic (cool!) pictures, and were pulled off the market after a very short time. The cards that survived the years are now worth up to about $2000 or more for a mint set! A single wrapper (the first thing that was thrown away when an eager 8-year old ripped open the pack to see the fantastic cards) may be worth $1000 or more now!

With the set being so rare we certainly could not afford to collect it. There was a 1984 reprint set that I have a few cards from. Now all can see the set in all its glory on the web as there is a Mars Attacks Gallery with a page for each card in the set with it art and a description. Enjoy!

Shari dropped out of the trading card hobby and I move in a different, much more addictive, direction to Magic: the Gathering and other trading card games. They don't call it crack for gamers for nothing!

(via Metafilter)