The Magic Librarities

Anyone know if this is official? That big letters of "Made in china" makes me wonder if it's official or not.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BIRDS-OF-PARADISE-L ... dZViewItem

another interesting item from the same seller

http://cgi.ebay.com/MTG-RUBIKS-CUBE-Mag ... dZViewItem

The Cube is legit. I'm not sure how they were distributed, but I've see a few on ebay offered by some of the bigger stores.

As for the pin, I don't know where these came from but there are tons of them. See:
Ravnica http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0255715518
Guildpact/Coldsnap http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0255714935

They also exist for p3k and Mirage:
http://www.magiclibrarities.net/forum/v ... php?t=5404

One of the large Magic wholesalers in the Western US has been making pins for quite some time. These go back at least 4 or 5 years, and have included both cards and characters from the related sets. They got permission from Wizards to do so, and usually give retailers one pin for each box of starters or boosters purchased. Some sets appear to have only one card pin, while others have been known to have many character pins. I don't know whether all box sales get one, or if this promotion is designed just to help move older product when newer sets are introduced.

This is just one of the many undocumented promotional aids utilized or licensed by Wizards. Another example is the poker chips with the mana symbols.

I have something like 30 or 40 different pins like these.

I don't know if I have them all, since I never saw a website telling about them. Bought mine from CCGHouse mostly.

I probably have 30 or 40 as well, and a few years ago got to talk to the sales manager of the company that issues these. Even he wasn't sure how many different pins there were, since they just gave them away. He doubted his company would ever have the time and inclination to document what they had issued. He told me that retailers were encouraged to use them as awards for local tournaments and the like. Many retailers just gave them away to their best customers, although a few offered them for sale on eBay.

I tried to buy sets of them directly, but he said the agreement with Wizards only allowed them to go out with unopened boxes of product.

So is it safe to assume these exist for every set going back to Mirage?

I have a lot from the latest blocks, but I'd have to check for older blocks.

l0qii wrote:So is it safe to assume these exist for every set going back to Mirage?

Mirage pins were an early anomaly. They were offered as part of the normal set kit to all retailers, along with a set poster. There might have been something similar for Tempest. But these were metal pins, not enamel. There were a few other early lapel pins, some of which were plastic, that showed up at Gencon and the like.

The first of the more recent enamel pins began around the Mirrodin or Kamigawa cycles. I don't think there were any earlier, but I'll have to go look at what I have.

I've seen an Ali from Cairo pin. That's the oldest one I know of....

I ran across these at a store and am wondering if they are the same thing talked about above.



Does anyone have the name of the distributor that did the ones that are mentioned above?

Thanks

Gary

Those are likely what are talked about. There are a ton floating around. I have a wrath and a vendillion clique. Friend picked up mind shatter and legacy weapon. I've seen garruk, incinerate, countryside crusher, and likely others that I can't recall. They are neat sometimes, typically a few bucks ea on ebay.

guess what I have :)

pickle.69 wrote:guess what I have :)

LOL... Lets see, I'll bet you have a Scrub Sprite.

mystical_tutor wrote: Scrub Sprite.

heh

caquaa wrote:

mystical_tutor wrote: Scrub Sprite.

heh

Ooops