Trading Card Crazy

For the last year I've gone mad with power concerning my new-found ability to acquire classic trading cards at lightning speed.

I didn't get bitten by a radioactive bug or anything. A combination of factors — specifically, the economy's tailspin combined with a general lack of interest in traditional collectibles — has made trading cards cheap and available.

How cheap? How about $4 for a set of Twin Peaks trading cards. Or $6 for a set of Tron cards. Or $5 for a factory sealed set of Robocop 2 cards.

While I'm not holding out hope that I'll ever be able to afford a set of Six Million Dollar Man cards, I've been very fortunate in my recent hunts. My latest trophy arrived today: a set of Rocky Horror Picture Show trading cards from 1980. A set of Star Trek: The Motion Picture stickers ought to be in my mailbox tomorrow.

If you're not interested in actually hunting for these cards and just want a vendor with decent inventory and inexpensive prices, make sure you check out Marchant Non-Sport Cards. While they participate in Ebay auctions, I've found their direct-sales prices to be so reasonable that auctions are often unnecessary.