1961 Nu-Cards Dinosaur Series Card # 9 Hoplophoneus / Mesohippus (VG/EX)

Entertainment Trading Cards

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Includes coverage for non-sport Topps, "Bubbles, Inc.", Fleer, Leaf, Goudy and other entertainment manufacturers, like Nu-Cards.

1961 Nu-Cards Dinosaur Series Trading Cards

One of the classic US-produced prehistoric animal-related sets. The 1961 Nu-Cards Dinosaur Series set is made up of 80 subjects. The fronts of the cards are an odd combination of black & white vignettes with aquamarine-like highlights and borders.  Another unique feature of this set is its attention to prehistoric non-reptilian animals. A quick survey of the set reveals that the subjects of the 80 cards are pretty much split 50/50 with approximately 40 cards featuring reptiles (e.g., dinosaurs, pterosaurs, plesiosauria, pterosauria) and approximately 40 cards featuring non-reptiles (e.g., mammals, fish, amphibians, therapsida). 

The backs of the cards, which are plain and uninformative, are the subject of a couple of on-going controversies associated with the strange symbols & single letters that are printed on them. Under the Apatosaurus image on the back of each card is a seemingly meaningless symbol.  There currently is no definitive explanation for these symbols however the leading theory suggests that these may have been identification codes for each print sheet (e.g., sheet "X", sheet "||", and sheet "O").

The letters next to the "See wrapper for free album" box printed on some of the cards are slightly less of a mystery.  The wrappers of this set contain an offer for a "free" album to anyone who (a) sends in eight cards with the letters on the back that spell the name of this set (i.e., D I N O S A U R) or  (b) sends in one wrapper and $1.00.  The catch was that Nu-Card short-printed cards with the letter "S" making it extremely difficult to obtain an album which incidentally may or may not account for the associated scarcity of the album itself.  From what I understand, there were 16 cards which were printed with the "S" back as listed below.  Apparently, Nu-Card printed 10 copies of each S-backed card and then distributed them at a rate of approximately one card per every 10 cases.

How We Grade:

Gem Mint (GMT): (10.0) A flawless card. To be in Gem Mint condition, a card’s borders must have a ratio of 50/50 side to side and top to bottom. 

Mint (MT): (9.0-9.5) A perfect card. Well-centered with parallel borders which appear equal to the naked eye. Four sharp, square corners. No creases, edge dents, surface scratches, paper flaws, loss of luster, yellowing or fading, regardless of age. No imperfectly printed cards – out of register, badly cut or ink flawed – or card stained by contact with gum, wax or other substances can be considered truly Mint, even if new out of the pack. Generally, to be considered in Mint condition, a card’s borders must exist in a ratio of 60/40 side to side and top to bottom. 

Near Mint/Mint (NM/MT): (8.0-8.5) A super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may exhibit a very slight wax stain on reverse, slight fraying at one or two corners, or a minor printing imperfection. Centering must be app. 65/35 to 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse. 

Near Mint (NM): (7.0-7.5) A nearly perfect card at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may have slight surface wear, slight fraying on some corners, slightly out-of-register picture focus, a minor printing blemish or slight wax stain on reverse. Centering must be 70/30 to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent/Near Mint (EX/NM): (6.0-6.5) Card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect. A very light scratch. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. Card may have minor wax stain on reverse, may have very slight nothing on edges. Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent (EX): (5.0-5.5) Corners are still fairly sharp with only moderate wear. Card borders may be off center as much as 85/15. No creases. May have very minor gum, wax or product stains, front or back. Surfaces may show slight loss of luster from rubbing across other cards. Dark bordered cards may have one or two small nicks.

Very Good/Excellent (VG/EX): (4.0-4.5) Shows obvious handling, but still looks nice. Corners may be rounded or have minor creases. No major creases, tape marks or extraneous markings or writing. Surfaces does exhibit loss of luster, but the printing is intact. May have paper wrinkles. May show major gum, wax or other packaging stains. All four borders visible, though the ratio may be as poor as 95/5. Exhibits honest wear. 

Very Good (VG): (3.0-3.5) A well-worn card, but exhibits no intentional damage or abuse. May be “Mis-cut or Off-Center” with no border visible. May have major or multiple creases, however, creases are not so deep as to show the underlying paper. This card is completely readable, has not been written on, and has no tape marks or holes. Corner rounding may extend well beyond the border. 

Good (GD) (2.0-2.5) Shows excessive wear, along with damage or abuse. Will show all the wear characteristics of a Very Good card, along with such damage as thumb tack holes in or near margins, evidence of having been taped or pasted, perhaps small tears around the edges or creases so heavily as to break the cardboard. Backs may show minor added pen or pencil writing or be missing small bits of paper. Still basically a complete card. 

Poor (P): (1.0-1.5) A card that has been tortured to death. Corners or other areas may be torn off. Card may have been trimmed, show holes from a paper punch or have been used for BB gun practice. Front may have extraneous pen or pencil writing, or other defacement. Major portions of front or back design may be missing. Not a pretty sight. 

We believe that all our listings are 100% Original and Authentic unless otherwise noted. They are all covered by a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, if for whatever reason you are not happy with your purchase we will exchange it, replace it, discount it or you can return it for a full refund.

Standard/Combined 1st Class Shipping via USPS is $3.95 for the first card and $0.15 for each additional card, with a max. of (40) items per invoice. Subject to change as postal rates continue to increase. Estimated delivery is 3-5 days. Subject to change as postal delivery schedules continue to increase. Please see shipping tab for current postage rates. All cards will ship in penny sleeves, top loaders, team bag & bubble wrap envelopes.

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