Trading Cards Archives - Mindless Shelf Indulgence

1992 Pro Cheerleaders Trading Cards: Real Human Beings

July 2nd, 2018

Trading cards are meant to be ephemeral collectibles. They’re made of paper, produced cheaply, and generally, hold very little value. It’s this lack of utility that’s pretty fascinating, so I’ve often found myself digging pretty deep into the who, what, and why of trading card sets. If they’re pretty much defined by their...

You Don’t Know Jack : Kirby Trading Cards

March 2nd, 2018

The miracle that was Jack Kirby is discussed ad nauseam by comic historians both amateur and professional, but that’s the privilege you get when you’re clever enough to convince people that you’re a comic historian and they should pay you for it. It’s true that Kirby had a hand in creating a vast majority of […]

Fantasy Girls vs. Fantazy Girlz PART 4: Low-Effort Lasciviousness

August 27th, 2017

When it comes to 1990s-era ladycards, there are few that put in less effort than Imagine Inc.’s Fantasy Girls, a haphazard, blurry set of mis-numbered cards that’s more embarrassing than exciting. But therein lies their weird charm. Back in 1993, Imagine, Inc. was better know for their horror-themed publications: things like Scream Queens...

Rad Dudes Trading Cards: Welcome to the Jerkstore

April 10th, 2017

There are relics from the early-90s that perfectly preserve the neon-bright, carefree, kinda-stupid culture of the time… and then there’s Rad Dudes trading cards from Pacific, a strangely tone-deaf nightmare that shows off youth culture of the 1990s as only a middle-aged marketing executive could imagine it. Skate culture wasn’t new...

Fantasy Girls vs. Fantazy Girlz PART 3: Laying Awkwardly Across Cars

February 16th, 2015

The subjects of Calfun Inc.’s ‘Fantazy Cards’ trading card series can be divided into three main categories: Girls pretending to own very expensive cars Girls laying awkwardly across very expensive cars DAMNED DIRTY LIARS Even though I was born in the 1980s, I never really comprehended the idea that motor vehicles were somehow equivalent...

Fantasy Girls vs. Fantazy Girlz PART 2: California Dreaming Trading Cards

November 13th, 2014

Here’s how I imagine the origin of California Dreaming trading cards : The year is 199X. A dude purchases a camera from the seediest pawn shop California. It looks fancy enough on the outside to convince his potential subjects that he knows what he’s doing. If they don’t look close enough, they won’t see that […]