2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives Trading Cards
 | $167.97 |  |
Product Details
2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives trading cards take a bit of a different approach than last year's True Blood Premiere Edition release. Boxes still come with two autographs. But now there's a relic card as well.
The 2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives base set has 72 cards. Rather than focusing strictly on episode recaps, it's largely a character-focused set. A total of 48 characters from the first five seasons are profiled. The 12 season five episodes are also captured (seasons 1-4 are covered in Premiere Edition). The numbering of the base set is a little strange. Character cards are numbers #1-48. The season five cards run from #99-122. While this may cause a little confusion at first, the season five cards can be added to the Premiered Edition base set. There are still a couple of gaps, but those could one day be filled by checklists and result in a large set continuous set that covers the entire series. The base set also has a parallel version (inserted 1:3 packs).
The autograph checklist once again includes many of the show's top stars. Signers include Anna Paquin (Sookie Stakhouse), Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse), Alexander Skarsgard (Eric Northman), Rutina Wesley (Tara Thornton), Denis O'Hare (Russell Edgington) and Jim Parrack (Hoyt Fortenberry). All autographs are limited to 500 copies or less.
Relic cards come with pieces of show-worn costumes and props. Besides clothes from many of the main characters, some of the more unique pieces include pieces of Tru Blood bottles and Merlotte's Bar.
2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives has a trio of basic insert sets as well. Gallery Cards (11 cards, 1:24 packs) come printed on plastic. There are also nine Quotable cards (1:12 packs) and 18 True Blood Romance cards (1:8 packs).
Sealed cases have a special True Blood Preview card. Those ordering three cases receive an exclusive Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica Hamby) autograph. The six-case incentive is a Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton) Silver Signature Series Autograph. An Archive Box is the 18-case incentive.
2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives has a limited print run of 4,000 boxes.
Product Configuration: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack
Price Point: Low- to Mid-End Entertainment Card
Target Audience: Trubies, Autograph Collectors, Set Builders
2013 Rittenouse True Blood Archives Box Break
- 2 Autographs
- 1 Relic Card
- 1 Gallery Insert
- 2 Quotable Inserts
- 3 Relationships Inserts
- 8 Parallels
- 120 Total Cards
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Checklist
2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives Checklist
Base Set Checklist
72 cards. #49-98 are not part of this release. Shop for base sets on eBay.
PARALLEL CARDS: Parallel 1:3 packs
002 Bill Compton
003 Eric Northman
004 Sam Merlotte
005 Jason Stackhouse
006 Tara Thornton
007 Andy Bellefleur
008 Arlene Fowler
009 Lafayette Reynolds
010 Hoyt Fortenberry
011 Terry Bellefleur
012 Jessica Hamby
013 Pam De Beaufort
014 Sheriff Bud Dearborne
015 Alcide Herveaux
016 Holly Cleary
017 Steve Newlin
018 Jesus Velasquez
019 Luna Garza
020 Tommy Mickens
021 Nan Flanagan
022 Maxine Fortenberry
023 Lettie Mae Thornton
024 Russell Edgington
025 Maryann Forrester
026 Rene Lenier
027 Crystal Norris
028 Debbie Pelt
029 "Eggs" Benedict Talley
030 Lorena Krasiki
031 Nora Gainsborough
032 Marnie Stonebrook
033 Salome Agrippa
034 Patrick Devins
035 Sarah Newlin
036 Godric
038 Melinda Mickens
039 Cooter
040 Talbot
041 Franklin Mott
042 Martha Bozeman
043 Marcus Bozeman
044 Amy Burley
045 Gus
046 Rikki
047 Portia Bellefleur
048 Jackson Herveaux
099 Turn! Turn! Turn!
100 Turn! Turn! Turn!
101 Authority Always Wins
102 Authority Always Wins
103 Whatever I Am, You Made Me
104 Whatever I Am, You Made Me
105 We'll Meet Again
106 We'll Meet Again
107 Let's Boot and Rally
108 Let's Boot and Rally
109 Hopeless
110 Hopeless
111 In The Beginning
112 In The Beginning
113 Somebody That I Used To Know
114 Somebody That I Used To Know
115 Everybody Wants To Rule The World
116 Everybody Wants To Rule The World
117 Gone, Gone, Gone
118 Gone, Gone, Gone
119 Sunset
120 Sunset
121 Save Yourself
122 Save Yourself
Autographs Checklist
25 cards. inserted 1:12 packs. Click here for a full visual guide.
Print runs: EL = Extremely Limited (200 copies or less), VL = Very Limited (200-300 copies), L = Limited (300-500 copies)
Chris Bauer as Sheriff Andy Bellefleur EL
Kristin Bauer as Pam De Beaufort L
Grant Bowler as Cooter VL
Lauren Bowles as Holly Cleary L
Mehcad Brooks as Eggs VL
Anna Camp as Sarah Newlin EL
Valentina Cervi as Salome EL
Nelson Ellis as Lafayette Reynolds L
Michelle Forbes as Maryann Forrester EL
James Frain as Franklin Mott EL
Janina Gavankar as Luna Garza EL
Allan Hyde as Godric L
Todd Lowe as Terry Bellefleur VL
Denis O'Hare as Russell Edgington VL
Kelly Overton as Rikki EL
Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse EL
Jim Parrack as Hoyt Fortenberry L
Dale Raoul as Maxine Fortenberry L
William Sanderson as Sheriff Bud Dearborne EL
Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman EL
J. Smith-Cameron as Melinda Mickens L
Jessica Tuck as Nan Flanigan L
Rutina Wesley as Tara Thornton EL
Gallery Character Cards Checklist
PL02 Sam Merlotte
PL03 Bill Compton
PL04 Jason Stackhouse
PL05 Pam De Beaufort
PL06 Lafayette Reynolds
PL08 Alcide Herveaux
PL09 Jessica Hamby
PL10 Tara Thornton
PL11 Russell Edgington
Quotable Checklist
Q12 Steve Newlin
Q13 Pam De Beaufort
Q14 Alcide Herveaux
Q15 Andy Bellefleur
Q16 Arlene
Q18 Jason Stackhouse
Q19 Pam De Beaufort
Q20 Tara Thornton
Q21 Lafayette Reynolds
Q22 Sookie Stackhouse
Relationships Checklist
R02 Sookie and Eric
R03 Sam and Tara
R04 Jessica and Jason
R05 Jessica and Hoyt
R06 Arlene and Terry
R07 Eric and Nora
R08 Eric and Pam
R09 Tara and Eggs
R11 Russell and Talbot
R12 Alcide and Debbie
R13 Sookie and Alcide
R14 Andy and Holly
R15 Jason and Crystal
R16 Jason and Amy
R17 Lafayette and Jesus
R18 Bill and Lorena
Relic Cards Checklist
C02 Jason Stackhouse
C03 Jessica Hamby
C04 Pam De Beaufort
C05 Sookie Stackhouse
C06 Lorena
C07 Maryann Forrester
C08 Sam Merlotte
C09 Russell Edgington
C10 Sookie Stackhouse
C12 Sookie Stackhouse
C13 Arlene Fowler
C14 Sookie Stackhouse
C15 Eric Northman
R1 Merlotte's Match Packs
R2 Tru Blood Bottle Labels
R3 Merlotte's Menu - Front
R4 Merlotte's Menu - Inside
Case Topper Checklist
Incentive Cards Checklist
Promo Cards Checklist
P2 Non-Sport Update
P3 Binder Exclusive
P5 2013 San Diego Comic Con
Product Review
2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives Product Review
Reviewed by Ryan Cracknell
Good: Another comprehensive checklist, strong autographs and Relic Cards, Gallery Character cards look fantastic.
Bad: Base set numbering could cause confusion, Quotable and Romance inserts don't quite reach a premium feel.
The Bottom Line: For its second full True Blood release, Rittenhouse continues to delve deep into the supernatural soap opera. In particular, the focus on characters is a good one. The base set is a little confusing as it's essentially one small set and the continuation of a second set. But once you've sorted that out, it's a great way to encompass the growth of the show and expand into different areas. I hope Rittenhouse keeps with the continuity through future True Blood sets as well. The autograph checklist is, once again, a highlight. However, my favourite cards in the release are the Gallery Character cards.
Card Design: 3.8/5.0
2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives has several designs going on within the series. The base set is essentially two separate sets. The first is an expansion of the Premiere Edition set, adding season five to the mix. These have a traditional look to them with a still from the show and a caption on the front with a lengthy writeup on the back. The other part looks at the show's characters. The concept is a good one, but the thick borders are a little much.
Autographs use only one design this time around and they look great. The full-bleed design balances a character image, key art and the signature. Rittenhouse consistently produces some of the classiest autographs in the hobby. They don't try anything fancy -- just relying on the things that work best.
Basic inserts are a bit more of a mixed bag. Quotable and Romance are one the plain side. They look nice, but they don't offer the premium feel of an insert. On the other hand, the Gallery Character cards are some of the coolest I've seen in a long time. Done on a plastic card stock, they're not clear like acetate cards. Rather, they have a stiff, cloudy look and feel that makes them look like nothing else in the hobby today. These are some seriously cool looking cards.
Checklist: 3.5/5.0
This is a strange base set for those who skipped True Blood Premier Edition. If you go for a box, you'll notice a gap in the cards. The character cards are a new set. The episode cards are an expansion of the Premier Edition set. They're like two separate sets that come from the same release. Although it's a great way to add a through line between series, there's no mention of it on the packs or boxes. This could cause some confusion. That said, I love that Rittenouse is planning for the long-term with the ongoing episodic base set.
The autograph checklist, once again, has nearly all of the lead characters. Although Stephen Moyer and Deborah Ann Woll are limited to incentive autographs this time around, there are new signers like Ryan Kwanten to balance things out. I really like that Rittenhouse skipped having two different autograph designs this time. It makes things more consistent, even if there are repeat signers.
Value: 4.0/5.0
2013 True Blood Archives boxes offer a lot given the price. Raising the ante from Premier Edition is the addition of a relic card in every box. The two autographs per box stays the same. So in that regard, there's definitely more value than Premier Edition. Also helping matters is the lack of variant autographs that essentially doubled up the supply of many of the lower-tier signers from the first set. Even if some of the basic inserts are a little bland, they do help reduce the number of duplicates while giving collectors more to chase if they so choose.
The Fun Factor: 3.8/5.0
2013 Rittenhouse True Blood Archives is familiar by design. In many instances, it's a continuation of what started with Premier Edition. And that's both good and bad. I like the expanded base set for the episodes. I also don't mind continuing with familiar autograph designs. However, it gets a little dull with the Quotable inserts. It'd be nice if there are more new elements in any ensuing sets. Repeat signers are fine, but a fresh, perhaps horizontal, design would jazz things up. Pushing the limits of the basic inserts is the biggest opportunity for the line. Another set or two that's as distinct as the Gallery Character cards could really take an already strong line and make it even better.
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