The Return Of Beautiful “Trash”

First I need to address the title of this post. It's tongue-and-cheek. I am not one of those who thinks product packaging is necessarily trash. I admire craftsmanship in whatever form it takes, and at various times in the Star Wars action figure line history, the cards have been more than just a means to convey the product from manufacturer to consumer. They occasionally elevate to art. In my opinion that was the case with the 30th Anniversary cards, the red label Legacy Collection cards, and certainly the Vintage Collection / vintage Kenner cards.

Now that we've completed our galleries of the Vintage Collection re-launch wave, I have begun the process of dealing with the aftermath. As I was staring at the pile of Vintage Collection cards showing the scars of hastily torn off bubbles, a wave of nostalgia crested over me. I was momentarily transported back to 1980-something. The only difference is that in the 80's, the card backs would be covered with "X's" over the figures I already owned and emphatic circles around the ones I needed. Of course this was done with a ball point pen with such conviction that it imprinted on the front of the card. That type of thing would get a person committed these days.

Suffice it to say, I'm happy this is part of the collecting experience again even if these pieces of cardboard are destined for the recycle bin at some point. I'm going to keep them around for at least a little while, though.

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