Awesome Inserts: 1990 Impel Marvel Universe Holograms
It wasn’t just comic books that used holograms and other shiny gimmicks to push super heroes in the early ’90s. Trading cards did, too. And perhaps no shiny super hero cards are more iconic than the debut 1990 Impel Mavel Universe Holgrams.
Arriving at the height of the trading card boom, 1990 Impel Marvel Universe took more of a sports card approach to its configuration. Heroes and villains had profiles on their own cards. The checklist had “Rookies” and other subsets similar to what you might find in a set of baseball cards.
And then there was the holograms. They added a chase element to the product beyond the main set. The chase card concept was still in its early stages as the hobby would evolve over the next few years. But for Marvel trading cards, they were a massive hit and a staple for future Marvel Universe installments, not to mention dozens of others sets on both the non-sport and sports sides of things.
The 1990 Impel Mavel Universe Holograms checklist has five cards. Four of them are of individual characters, spotlighting big names like Wolverine and Spider-Man. The final hologram pits Spidey against his arch nemesis, the Green Goblin.
As far as technology goes, these are far from the most complex hologram cards produced. Three-dimensional hologram cards weren’t ready for the masses just yet.
The cards themselves aren’t numbered. However, the back, which is identical on all five cards, assigns some.
Exact odds for the 1990 Impel Marvel Universe Holograms weren’t released, but an unopened box that hasn’t been tampered with should have at least a couple.
The 1990 Impel Marvel Universe Holograms may have been the focal point of many trading card treasure hunts back in the day. But now that the dust has settled, there are plenty out there. Cards aren’t hard to find on places like the Beckett Marketplace and eBay.
1990 Impel Marvel Universe Holograms Checklist
Looking for a specific card? Click on the links to see what’s currently available on eBay.
MH1 Cosmic Spider-Man
MH2 Magneto
MH3 Silver Surfer
MH4 Wolverine
MH5 Spider-Man Vs. Green Goblin
1990 Impel Marvel Universe Holograms Gallery
MH1 Cosmic Spider-Man
MH2 Magneto
MH3 Silver Surfer
MH4 Wolverine
MH5 Spider-Man Vs. Green Goblin
Comments? Questions? Contact Ryan Cracknell on Twitter @tradercracks or by email.
These cards were hotter among the boys in elementary school than and baseball cards ever were. The only thing I recall ever being hotter was a locally produced 1988 WVU football set. Both were like gold.