Which filecards are the toughest to obtain?

[Grunt]

I have been tracking down filecards (mostly 82-87) now for about 3 months and have narrowed it down to about 25 more that I need.

http://forums.yojoe.com/showthread.php?t=71873

The process was prety easy at first since I had 0 filecards and was able to trade for any and all cards that fellow members had. Now that I only need a few more, things have slowed down considerably. So I'm wondering, which cards are the toughest or most expensive to obtain? Maybe some of the experts here could list for me the top 5 hardest to get. I really don't know the values or anything like that so it would help me if I need to bid on filecard lots on ebay or buy from other members here.

[yeti76]

Oh, boy, I could go on and on with this topic. But if I had to guess, i'd say some of the toughest in no particular order are:

Gold Head Steel Brigade
Create a Cobra
Tripwire Listen n Fun
Hit n Run, Target exclusive
Voltar, Target exclusive
Muskrat, Target exclusive

& Honorable mentions
Rampage
Rumbler


These are just a few that popped in my head. I could go on and on. But these are the ones you never see for trade/sale.

[Grunt]

I do have this one:

http://www.yojoe.com/filecard/87/steelbrigade.shtml

Any idea of its value? Not that I'm selling, I'm just curious.

[darthdrew13]

Are you a stickler for condition? I have quite a few file crads for trade and could probably help you out. Most of the FCs I have are not perfectly cut out and a couple have creases on them.

[Grunt]

light creasing and close cuts are generaly not a problem. PM me with what you have.

[Average Joe]

out of the years you listed, I'd say LNF Tripwire, Viper pilot and Rumbler are the toughest. With the Mission Brazil set deserving honorable mention.

[silverc]

I looked and looked to try to finish my collection by trades and eventually just gave up and bought them from Aaron (yeti76). I got a lot of my rare ones from him (Starduster, Viper Pilot, SM Brazil, etc).

[yeti76]

I do have this one:

http://www.yojoe.com/filecard/87/steelbrigade.shtml

Any idea of its value? Not that I'm selling, I'm just curious.

It really depends when it comes to the standard Steel Brigade File. I've seen them sell on eBay anywhere from $10 to $30 to even $100+ once. It seems like a big factor of price has to do with the name given to the character. I saw one with the name of Snake Eyes which sold for over $100. I've seen some called Merlin, Snow White, Sledge Hammer, Constrictor, and so on. Heck, my brother had one named McGyver (Wish we kept it). It seems like the funnier names, the better. But usually, $10 to $30.

Awhile back, I picked one up with the name of "Steel Brigade". But sold it shortly after. I wish I kept that one.

[Grunt]

Yeti, thats a crapload of cards you've got there. I wish I'd seen your site a couple weeks ago when I had some paypal cash. Do you ever trade?

[Volleydan]

The lower distribution of the Character, the more difficult their file card can be to obtain. Here are the rarer "non variant" cards:

• Starduster
• GH Steel Brigade (not a standard file card - it was more of a sheet of paper)
• Rumbler
• Target Hit & Run
• either of the Ultimate Enemies
• LNF Trip Wire (not a standard file card - it was a tiny blurb from the front of the package only)
• Nitro Viper (was issued in a 1994 convention magazine only - the figure actually didn't have one when he was released)

The most infamous variant is on the Zartan card, but both versions are actually pretty easy to find. Then there are some variants to look out for that can be tough to find:

• mail away Duke (closeup picture)
• Destro w/Cobra Logo
• Scarlett w/Cover Girl picture (error card?)
• grey Storm Shadow

In addition, all the redback cards can command a premium over their regular releases. Some collectors also go after Canadian cards, since some actually changed the place of birth to Canadian cities. Bi-lingual cards in general, though, seem to actually be less valuable than their English counterparts.