By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: TNA Reflexxions delivers four big hits per box, including three autographs.

The latest offering of TNA trading cards from TRISTAR has been out for a little over a week. Judging from early sales, collectors seem to really be enjoying the product.

TNA Reflexxions delivers four major hits per box – three serial numbered autographs, and either one memorabilia card or an autographed piece of canvas. One of the autographed cards is guaranteed to contain multiple signatures.

TRISTAR has been producing TNA cards since 2008. While the quality of the cards has gradually improved from that first set, the overall products haven’t change that much. TRISTAR is still including multiple hits per box and including autographs from almost every wrestler and non-wrestler in TNA.

While Topps products generally offer autographs from a limited number of WWE wrestlers – 2011 Topps WWE Classics, for example, included just 16 different autographs – TRISTAR generally includes autographs from everyone in TNA. Whether that’s good or bad is up for debate. Some argue that the supply far exceeds the demand, which drives the prices down, while others believe that a larger supply makes autographs available to more collectors who couldn’t afford them if they were commanding hundreds of dollars.

Reflexxions includes autographs from the biggest stars in the company, including Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. Not surprisingly, Flair and Hogan’s autographs have sold the highest on the secondary market. One Ric Flair autograph, which also included a piece of his tie and a piece of his Armani suit, limited to just 25 copies, recently sold for more than $170. In fact, you’re unlikely to find a Hogan or Flair autograph for under $100.




Other hot sellers from Reflexxions include Jeff Hardy, Sting, Velvet Sky, Mickie James, and Eric Bischoff. This is the first time any card company has produced a certified Bischoff autograph. Other first time signers in this product include Austin Aries, Kid Kash, Jesse Sorensen, and Garett Bischoff. As you might expect, collectors aren’t exactly spending a lot of money on Garett’s signature: they’re typically selling for $5 or less.

TRISTAR has produced the most diverse memorabilia cards since debuting in 2008. Instead of offering just pieces of plain black t-shirts, TRISTAR has included everything from Gail Kim’s ring-worn shorts to paint peeled from Sting’s face. One of the cool things about Reflexxions is that TRISTAR has labeled the memorabilia right on the front of the card, letting you know if you’re holding a piece of shirt, suit, bandana or women’s top. Some of the memorabilia cards include as many as four pieces per card, such as one featuring relics from Velvet Sky, Tara, Mickie James, and Angelina Love.

There are also very rare redemption cards for hand-drawn 4x6 artwork from Jeff Hardy. Each one is a one-of-a-kind piece; the first one to surface on eBay sold for $200.

If you’re looking to buy a box, shop around before forking over the cash. Some sellers are charging as much as $99.99 plus shipping per box, but several others are offering free shipping and only charging $80 per box.

That can be a lot of money to spend, and what you get out of your box will determine whether it was worth the price. PWTorch reader Bill Clark recently opened a box and got a dual autograph of Jeff Hardy and Jeff Jarrett limited to just five copies, a dual memorabilia piece of Tara and Brooke Tessmacher, plus an autograph of Magnus. His hits more than paid for the box. However, if you happen to pull a dual autograph of, say, Jeremy Borash and Mike Tenay, you’re probably not going to be too happy with your box.




But, with four hits per box, a serial-numbered parallel, one insert card and lots of other cool cards, there is a good chance you’ll get something in your box that you’ll like, or at least can sell to recover some of your money.

Trivia Question of the Week

Speaking of TNA autographs, this is one of the sloppier signatures ever to appear in a TNA product. Which wrestler scribbled this down as his signature?




Question of the Week

What type of wrestling-related memorabilia would you like to see inserted into a future trading card? Submissions of 250 words or less will be included in next Tuesday’s collectibles column.

Send your responses to either question to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

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