I Love Film Cards

I was taking a gander at Upper Deck`s Facebook page last night and came across this thing of beauty from 2009 UD Black Football. Seeing as how I don`t buy any football, there`s no chance I`ll ever hold this card in my hands but here`s hoping they take the concept and carry it over to baseball.

The black and white photo, the modern design, the silver signature, the film slide - my golly this is purdy.

This isn`t the first time slide elements have been used. In 1997 Upper Deck had a sweet insert set in SP entitled Game Film. Later in the year it was used in hockey for their McDonald`s set. Other sets using the concept include 2001-02 Upper Deck Hardcourt Basketball and 2008 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball.

(1997 SP Game Film image from Old-School Breaks)

Depending on how you look at it, Upper Deck might not be the first company to use the idea. In 1994 Donruss introduced the Slide Show inserts in Leaf Baseball. Although they didn`t use actual film slides, the see-through technology sure does look like it. Slide Show returned the following year but the concept was changed to reflect old Viewmasters rather than slides.

Film cards have been used in the non-sport realm for quite some time. From what I can gather NECA introduced them to that end of the hobby in 2001 with their Nightmare Before Christmas Film Cels. At least on a wide-spread scale. I know I have a Batman Forever film cel looking card that was a promotional item during the film`s release back in 1995. But the concept really took off in Upper Deck`s Disney Treasures releases, which were put out during 2003 and 2005. They`ve continued since in different forms ranging from Harry Potter to Spider-Man to the original Frankenstein. What I like about many of the film cards are that they`re all different. They show images direct from the print. I`ve personally been more agressive in my bidding for a few of the Disney Treasures Reel Piece of History cards that have key moments. For example I`d rather have a Fantasia card with Mickey Mouse dressed as the Sorceror`s Apprentice than I would from one of the darker numbers. The sadistic side of me picked up a Bambi card where Bambi`s mother is meeting her fate. Grim, I know, but it`s one of the major moments in cinema history.

Hi. My name is Ryan and I`m a sucker for film cards in all their various forms.