The Oswald cards come home, or why I really hate scalpers!

In the previous blog I talked about the cards that were given away during the D23 Expo in Anaheim this summer. I mentioned how I would likely never open the cards that my friend Erin gifted me. That was until another friend reached out with a free pack as well. My family knew Jeff from the Disney community for years, and years. He went to the presentations in the Honda Center with his friend Darren, who was actually visiting from the UK. Darren didn’t care for Oswald, and gave Jeff his pack. Jeff said he would find a good home for it, and reached out to gift me the pack.

He said the scalpers were acting like complete idiots after the show. He said there were boxes at the exits, with employees saying please only take one, but people were grabbing handfuls, and walking out. Then they would circle around to the next exit and grab more. Literally kicking the empty boxes over in the lobby. They left hundreds of attendees without cards. To add insult to injury these people were walking around the parking lot trying to sell these freebies for $50 each.

I didn’t care much for scalpers, and resellers, and had even less respect for them after hearing similar stories. I told Jeff that If I opened the packs that I would scan the cards, and share them for the fans that couldn’t get to the D23. I said the most important part was the QR code. Once you had that it would load a SnapChat filter or webpage that they could visit. Then all you had to do was point your phone at the cards to see the animations. So if you had a computer monitor then you would still be able to see the effect. I decided to open the packs so that I could share them here.

The animations were very clever loops. Oswald danced around in front of a Disneyland landmark. The song playing in the background was a jazz standard from over 100 years ago called “I’ve Found A New Baby.” According to Wikipedia the song was written in 1926 by Jack Palmer and Spencer Williams, and first performed by Clarence Williams' Blue Five. Yet there was a recording from 1925 by Ethel Waters, so I’m not sure who to believe. Either way it was a great detail. Oswald was created in 1927 so the music was period appropriate.

The two packs that I got only had only two repeat cards. Which meant that I managed to get six out of the ten possible cards. I was going to gift my doubles to the kid of my friend. He was also a big Oswald fan. I planned on waiting for the remaining four to show up on eBay. Or if someone was selling a pack for not a lot then I would get it. I was very good at waiting out scalpers, and hunting for a deal. Even if it took me years I would collect the set without breaking the bank. In the meantime I would like to share the ones I got. Open this blog up on your computer, scan the QR code with your phone, and scroll over the cards to see the animations. I hope that you enjoy them.

In the meantime I was able to find some good pictures on Reddit that I could use on the blog. Based on the people trying to trade for cards online it seems that the four missing cards for me also happen to be the four most rare cards. Of these cards the Indiana Jones temple is the more common. Less common than that is the Monstro the Whale card. The second most rare card appeared to be Oswald stuck in a popcorn cart.

The rarest card based on the demand seems to be Oswald dancing on top of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon sign. I’d like to know if you ever had to deal with scalpers to get something that you wanted in your collection.

Tell me about the rarest thing that you had to search for in the comments section. If you enjoy this blog there are several ways you can support me. You can sponsor me directly on Patreon. Or like and subscribe to my videos on YouTube. You can even subscribe to the Pink Monorail Podcast featuring my wife, and myself.