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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Denim. TLC. All are icons of the 1990s. But all pale in comparison to The Simpsons, an animated series that remains a jewel in the TV crown. Fans will argue that it’s not as good as it used to be, or where the so-called “golden era” ends. The general consensus is nonetheless that the 1990s saw a high point in the show’s considerable reign.
An uncut sheet of Simpsons trading cards has surfaced on eBay from its very earliest days, featuring quotes and scenes from episodes and mini-episodes that have formed the basis for an iconic and instantly-recognizable franchise. It’s set to go for a huge amount of money, but what makes this item such a rare find? The front of the cards are obviously a wonderful collage of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, but it’s actually what’s on the back that makes the uncut sheet a wonderful thing to own…
What’s So Special About This Uncut TCG Simpsons Sheet?
These trading cards were produced by Topps in 1990, the year after The Simpsons series made its proper debut with the 1989 Christmas special, Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire. Of course, before this, the yellow family were introduced to the world via shorts during The Tracey Ullman Show. Since then, the show has spawned over 800 episodes across some 37 seasons. Needless to say, anything with The Simpsons on has its fans.
Trading cards are produced in huge sheets then cut up and dealt out into different packs at random. This uncut sheet, then, is exactly as it sounds: an in-tact sheet of would-be cards that haven’t been sliced up. That’s remarkable given that it’s over 35 years old.
In all, the sheet features 132 images, largely scenes taken from the Tracey Ullman era. Given that this was early animation by Klasky-Csupo (led by the team of David Silverman, Bill Kopp, and Wes Archer), some of the images are charmingly kooky – Bart and Lisa sat unenthusiastically in front of the TV while stating “Time for our favorite cartoon, Itchy & Scratchy”, for instance; and Homer, seemingly in the process of choking, pupils facing in opposite directions, proclaiming, “I’m no supervising technician… I’m a technical supervisor.”
Even though the sheet is being sold on eBay from the UK, the cards hail from the US: you can tell as the dialogue bubbles have speech marks inside, which the UK versions never had. Graded cards are very collectible. They propel us back to a golden age of animation. That makes this uncut sheet incredibly rare and sought-after. That’s a core reason for its asking price of almost $800.
What’s on the Back of These Simpsons Trading Cards?
For collectors, however, the real boon here is seeing the images on the back of the cards. 88 base cards have quiz questions on their rears: members of the family see if you’ve been paying close attention to episodes by asking who the Simpsons’ neighbors are and what Marge did at the company picnic in There’s No Disgrace Like Home.
The real treasure is surely the 40 cards that make up one larger picture when collected together. Here, in the uncut sheet, you don’t need to line them all up to create the image: it’s pristine and looking gorgeous. The image is of the Miniature golf course at Sir Putt-A-Lot’s Merrie Olde Fun Centre (from the second season episode, Dead Putting Society, complete with an array of guest characters alongside the Simpsons themselves. There are well known characters like Moe, Otto, Mr Burns, Sideshow Bob, and Reverend Lovejoy, plus some often-forgotten Simpsons cast members like Princess Kashmir (who debuted in Homer’s Night Out), Springfield Elementary’s psychiatrist Dr. J. Loren Pryor, and foreign exchange student/Communist spy, Adil Hoxha (The Crepes of Wrath). This is a rarely-seen illustration from the very earliest days of The Simpsons – making this a fun and very rare find.
Any Simpsons fans looking to snatch up this sought-after sheet? Don’t have a cow, man: leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the Forum!
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