25th Anniversary?!?

[LMFAOschwarz]

I had a couple of weird, coincidental Next Generation brushes this weekend. The first when I was at a friend's house. As I was leaving, I walked with him to his mailbox as he went to check it. On the ground was something that appeared to have blown into his front yard. It was a Star Trek: The Next Generation trading card , dated 1992 by Impel. The card featured the communicator pin and described its functions on the back.

The next day I stopped at WalMart to pick up a few things. I got in line to check out, and there was a stack of Star Trek: The Next Generation 25th anniversary pez dispenser box sets. It had Picard, Riker, Locutus, Data, Geordi, Worf, Troi and the Enterprise. Something seemed to be missing, but I didn't figure out until halfway home that there was no Dr. Crusher!

Anyhow, to my question: I did some mental math along the way, and 25 years ago was 1989. The series debuted in 1987, so how does 1989 qualify as the 25th anniversary?! I'm confused...

 

[Trekker4747]

I had a couple of weird, coincidental Next Generation brushes this weekend. The first when I was at a friend's house. As I was leaving, I walked with him to his mailbox as he went to check it. On the ground was something that appeared to have blown into his front yard. It was a Star Trek: The Next Generation trading card , dated 1992 by Impel. The card featured the communicator pin and described its functions on the back.

The next day I stopped at WalMart to pick up a few things. I got in line to check out, and there was a stack of Star Trek: The Next Generation 25th anniversary pez dispenser box sets. It had Picard, Riker, Locutus, Data, Geordi, Worf, Troi and the Enterprise. Something seemed to be missing, but I didn't figure out until halfway home that there was no Dr. Crusher!

Anyhow, to my question: I did some mental math along the way, and 25 years ago was 1989. The series debuted in 1987, so how does 1989 qualify as the 25th anniversary?! I'm confused...

It *may* be possible it's a two-year-old product on their shelf. Just spit-balling here.

I have (a few, as a matter of fact) a 25th anniversary set of Pez dispensers with each of the main characters, and the Enterprise.

 

[BillJ]

I had a couple of weird, coincidental Next Generation brushes this weekend. The first when I was at a friend's house. As I was leaving, I walked with him to his mailbox as he went to check it. On the ground was something that appeared to have blown into his front yard. It was a Star Trek: The Next Generation trading card , dated 1992 by Impel. The card featured the communicator pin and described its functions on the back.

The next day I stopped at WalMart to pick up a few things. I got in line to check out, and there was a stack of Star Trek: The Next Generation 25th anniversary pez dispenser box sets. It had Picard, Riker, Locutus, Data, Geordi, Worf, Troi and the Enterprise. Something seemed to be missing, but I didn't figure out until halfway home that there was no Dr. Crusher!

Anyhow, to my question: I did some mental math along the way, and 25 years ago was 1989. The series debuted in 1987, so how does 1989 qualify as the 25th anniversary?! I'm confused...

It *may* be possible it's a two-year-old product on their shelf. Just spit-balling here.

I have (a few, as a matter of fact) a 25th anniversary set of Pez dispensers with each of the main characters, and the Enterprise.

This. Those Pez sets have been around for a while.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Well, that explains that! My confusion is alleviated!

Trekker4747, do you have a Dr. Crusher pez? How could they leave her out? That'd be like a Gilligan's island pez set not containing (dare I say it) the Pro-fes-sor aand Ma-ry A-a-nn!

 

[Trekker4747]

Well, that explains that! My confusion is alleviated!

Trekker4747, do you have a Dr. Crusher pez? How could they leave her out? That'd be like a Gilligan's island pez set not containing (dare I say it) the Pro-fes-sor aand Ma-ry A-a-nn!

Yeah, my set has all 7 of the main cast members and the Enterprise.

On the subject of the trading/collector's cards I have two, large, sheets of card-stock that are the uncut masters of the trading cards.

Front of the sheets:

Back of the sheets:

Front of ComBadge "card":

Back of ComBadge "card":

Some day I'm going to get these framed behind glass, or something.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

I see. So the sets I saw had swapped out the Dancing Doctor for Locutus.

The likenesses actually looked pretty good to me, especially Worf. Troi wasn't so good, though...

 

[Trekker4747]

I see. So the sets I saw had swapped out the Dancing Doctor for Locutus.

The likenesses actually looked pretty good to me, especially Worf. Troi wasn't so good, though...

There may have been two variations of the set or some issue caused the need to make a different set removing Crusher (likeness rights issues, or something.)

ETA: Looking it up, the set with Locutus in it was a Walmart exclusive variant. It was a more limited production (100,000 units made as opposed to the 250,000 made of the other set.)

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Wow, those uncut card masters are really cool! You definitely should frame them!

All I have is the communicator card I picked up off the ground at my friend's house. Somehow after seeing yours, I just can't see bothering to take a picture of it.

Your mention of the WalMart variant set leads me to picturing 150,000 homeless Beverly's out there.

 

[trekker670]

Yep, Wal-Mart had an exclusive Locutus Pez, but in order to use the same packaging they had to sacrifice one of the others, which ended up being Crusher.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

I can imagine that if it were an Enterprise pez set, then Travis Mayweather would end up being the one sacrificed.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Some day I'm going to get these framed behind glass, or something.

I was just thinking about your cards, and I remembered once I saw a collection of old coins that were framed within a double-sided glass frame. It was neat because you could see both sides of the coins, though I don't recall how they compensated for the varying thicknesses of the coins to keep some from falling to the bottom. That's not an issue with your cards, though.

It would be neat to be able to see both sides, Trekker4747!

 

[Melakon]

I can imagine that if it were an Enterprise pez set, then Travis Mayweather would end up being the one sacrificed.

They'd sacrifice him for Shran, so you could then have Jeffrey Combs popping candies out of his mouth.

 

[Trekker4747]

Some day I'm going to get these framed behind glass, or something.

I was just thinking about your cards, and I remembered once I saw a collection of old coins that were framed within a double-sided glass frame. It was neat because you could see both sides of the coins, though I don't recall how they compensated for the varying thicknesses of the coins to keep some from falling to the bottom. That's not an issue with your cards, though.

It would be neat to be able to see both sides, Trekker4747!

Yeah, that's the problem with framing them, there'd be no way to display them so that both sides could be seen. At the very least I wan't to get them "framed" in some manner for at least preservation.

FWIW: I was probably "overstating" what these things were by calling them "masters" (such a term suggests they're rare and of some importance) as I've looked them up before on-line and occasionally see them on eBay and other places like that. I suspect they were sold as part of the occasional QVC Star Trek specials they had back in the 1990s.

They may still be rare, being distributed in limited production, but they're not numbered so there's no way of knowing. "Buy It Now" options on eBay right now are going for around $30 suggesting the likely "value" of them.

So I hold no real delusions that these are anything too spectacular though, again, I suppose they could be rare as I don't see there being too many made nor do I suspect many people bought them off those QVC specials. Any not sold I'd suspect would have either been destroyed or just cut and sold like normal trading cards.

Regardless, they're still pretty nifty to have.

 

[May 20]

I'm sure that you could have them framed sandwich-style in a double glass so that both sides could be visible. I've seen baseball cards and coins done like that. You'd just have to take them to a frame shop and have them give you an estimate.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm sure that you could have them framed sandwich-style in a double glass so that both sides could be visible. I've seen baseball cards and coins done like that. You'd just have to take them to a frame shop and have them give you an estimate.

I've already decent idea of how much it would cost, I had my cut-away of the E-D framed. I just don't have the fluid cash right now or, honestly, really anywhere to hang them.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

FWIW: I was probably "overstating" what these things were by calling them "masters" (such a term suggests they're rare and of some importance) as I've looked them up before on-line and occasionally see them on eBay and other places like that. I suspect they were sold as part of the occasional QVC Star Trek specials they had back in the 1990s.

Regardless, they're still pretty nifty to have.

Which as far as I'm concerned is all that matters!

I've got some things than no one in their right mind would give me a quarter for, but they are just cool in their own way, and I treasure them for their own sake!

When I saw your cards, I thought "Cool!", not "I wonder what those are worth?". Hey, we gotta start on that money-less future somewhere!

The coins I saw in their double-glassed frame were mounted to the wall by the side of the frame, and the 'picture' jutted out 90 degrees from the wall itself. It made for very easy viewing, and sort of doubled as a kind of mini, symbolic room divider, like a smaller version of that grill in Kirk's quarters, actually!

Maybe something along those lines could work for you...

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

It happened again!

With winter basically here (the cold part, anyway) I went rummaging through a closet through my coats, as I'm moving soon, and I'm trying to separate what I want to keep from what I don't.

Naturally, I checked pockets for old cash or any other goodies which might have gotten left behind in the past...you know how that is.

Anyhow, I unzip one pocket, and what was in there? A Data action figure, one of those little articulated ones from the 1st season!

I know not what is up with these encounters lately!

 

[May 20]

Yay for checking pockets!