Where It All Began
A year after the series premiered, Inkworks released a set
based on the first season. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season
One offered up a 72-card base set that included several
cards devoted to each episode, along with three subsets
and a checklist. Chase cards included a nine-card set, The
Chosen One, plus six Slayer Kit
Cards that depicted the weapons
used by Buffy. There was also
an ultra-rare Coffin Card that
described how to kill a vampire,
inserted one per 108 packs.
Four autograph cards were
included in this set, and they are
among the most valuable cards in
the BTVS trading card pantheon.
Mark Metcalf (The Master), David
Boreanaz (Angel), Alyson Hanni-
gan (Willow) and the show’s creator
and producer, Joss Whedon, signed the
inaugural autograph cards, and they
remain highly sought-after by collectors.
Extras for Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Season One included a box loader that
previewed Season Two, an uncut sheet
of The Chosen One chases, an illustrated
binder, several promos, and a five-card
set that was exclusive to Suncoast Video.
Needless to say, this set was a mon-
ster. BTVS was so much in demand
that additional sets were inevitable.
Over the next nine years Inkworks
created more than a dozen sets devoted to Buffy.
Seasons two through seven each received a card set,
released several months after the season ended, and they
largely followed the format of the Season One set. The num-
ber of cards in the base jumped to 90, but there were usually
two or more extra chase sets, one ultra rare insert card and
autograph cards, which grew in number from five in season
two to fourteen in the final seventh season.
More To The Story
Demand for BTVS cards was so high that Inkworks
had to find a way to fill in the gaps between seasons. They
produced a 54-card set of oversized (4" x 6") photo cards in
1999, and starting in 2000 they began producing themed
sets that would plunder images from all available seasons
just to keep Buffy’s fans satisfied.
The growing number of autographs and the addition of
Pieceworks cards to the later BVS sets mirror the changes
that were taking place in the hobby at the time. The number
of box loaders also increased to three and there were always
a plethora of promo cards. Almost every gimmick and spe-
cial insert was tried at one time or another. About the only
thing Inkworks didn’t give collectors were sketch cards.
Inkworks bowed out of the Buffy busi-
ness in 2007 with their memorable
Buffy TVS: 10th Anniversary set,
having produced a total of sixteen
full card sets based on the show, as
well as dozens of promotional cards
for companies as diverse as Johnny
Lightning and Chupa Chups, as
well as many conventions and
magazines. In 2001 and 2003, Ikon
Collectables produced two sets for
the Australian market.
The Values
Having been such a popular subject
for non-sport cards, Buffy The Vampire
Slayer can be quite affordable to begin
collecting, but collectors who get
drawn in will find that being a com-
pletest is a completely different matter.
Aside from the Season One set,
which will set you back fifteen to
thirty dollars, BTVS base sets can be
found for between four and fifteen
dollars. Even the 2004 Inkworks
Ultimate Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Collection, which reprinted all seven
season sets can be found by patient collectors for as little as
one-third of its original $299 retail price.
The chase sets command considerably higher prices, and
some of the Autograph and Pieceworks cards are among
the most expensive single trading cards of the modern era.
Several autograph cards, such as Charisma Carpenter, John
Ritter, Alyson Hannigan, and David Boreanaz regularly sell
for upwards of three hundred dollars. The Slayer’s Essential
Stake Pieceworks card from Inkworks’ tenth anniversary
set commands up to eight hundred dollars. Due to their
limited nature, the recent and upcoming BTVS sets from
Rittenhouse Archives are sure to be high dollar items, too.
The trading card legacy of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is
fairly epic, with thousands of cards produced over the years
and millions of loyal fans. It seems that Buffy may turn out
to be as immortal as her undead foes. NSU
10 Non-Sport Update
20 YeArS of BuffY
Marking its 25th anniversary, a
Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie was
released pre-TV series in 1992. Events
of the film, which starred Kristy Swan-
son as Buffy, are briefly mentioned in
the TV show’s 1st episode, providing
Buffyverse continuity. Dark Horse pro-
duced a post-TV Seasons 8 through
11 canonical comic book series. No
trading cards have been produced for
any of these properties.
DID You KnoW?