Warning: This article is aimed at maniac level collectors.
Collecting the much sought after Limited 3000 cards can be pretty tough. Aside from the current prices which steadily go higher and higher every year, there is also very little information on the internet to help potential collectors. Shopping for these cards can be a confusing experience as one set can look completely different from another and there isn't an easy way to get informed about these differences.
This guide is written to help understand the peculiarities of these cards.
1. Color
The first and most confusing difference can be seen in the color of the frames around the illustrations themselves. Even within certain full sets there can be strong variations in frame colors between the cards. The illustrations themselves are generally unchanged, which is why often times collectors are led to believe that whatever color frame they have most of must be the original color.
The Limited 3000 cards come in many different colored frames: maroon (or wine red), light
purple (red leaning towards purple), purple (fully purple), dark brown (these have a
noticeably darker tone), and possibly anything in between.
Sets that have mixed colored frame cards are very common. While the color makes no difference in the value of the cards, it's worth noting that the original color as they were printed is the maroon or wine red variety. This is documented in two sources: The Carddass Secret Technique Daizenshuu, and the Daizenshuu Carddass Perfect File volume 1.
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The Carddass Secret Technique Daizenshuu (カードダス奥義大全集) released in 1991
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Notice that even in the Secret Technique Daizenshuu above, the card number “alpha” (middle row-right of picture) has a leaning towards dark brown. I've never seen a proper explanation as to why the frame colors would change, but it's different from other Dragon Ball cards known to fade such as the Remake 91 and Super Battle part 1/2 1991 cards, as the main illustration remains unaltered.
The original color can appear very different depending on the light sources (natural sunlight, artificial light, specific LED lighting etc), depending on the angles, and even the camera used to photograph the cards. This makes it hard to understand what the colors are in auctions or sales where only pictures are being used.
Although released over 5 years after the release of these cards, the clearest document showing the original color of the frames is the popular Daizenshuu perfect file volume 1 book. They are found in the foldout found at the beginning of the book called the Premium Carddass Gallery Special 1.
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The Daizenshuu Perfect File volume 1 (大全集ダスパーフェクトファイル) released in 1995
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The frame color looks very similar to the the frame colors of the special prisms (B-1, B-2, B-7, and B-8) from the remake 90 and remake 91 parts.
A comparison with the remake 90 or 91 pages open with the foldout in the Daizenshuu Carddass book confirms this. They were likely inspired by the Limited 3000 card designs.
Here's what the actual cards look like next to each other:
They are not spot on identical, as there is a subtle difference in person that does not show in the camera (the Limited 3000's are a bit less saturated, maybe due to differences in manufacturing between 1989 and 1991). Keep in mind that some Remake 90/91 cards (especially the former) have a tendency to discolor too (towards light and dark brown usually).
Now here are some pictures from finished sales on places such as Yahoo Auctions Japan, with personal comments in the captions.
Before proceeding I would like to emphasize that all these cards can be
considered beautiful, even when sets are of mixed colors. They are all still original in that the transformation likely occurred
naturally, not due to sun fade or any other external reason. Some collectors even prefer them in colors such as dark brown and purple. The following is for documentation purposes only.
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| The frame in this first limited has a leaning towards purple |
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The first and third cards are leaning purple, the other 4 appear close to the original color
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| The first and second cards leaning slightly purple, the other 4 appear to be the original color |
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| The fifth card is dark brown, the other 5 are the original color viewed under sunlight |
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Original color under light
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| The first has turned to an unusual brown, the second fully purple |
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| All of these have turned to purple |
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These are the original colors. Note the break lines next to the arrows
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2. Break lines
The next subject are the those somewhat thick horizontal lines that show up on some cards (as shown above). These are due to a limitation of the printing technology used on the first 5 or so Carddass parts and are very common in all sets of Limited 3000 cards. It’s the result of the printer reaching the end of the sheet and starting off a new one.
These are so common that they are found on roughly a third of the cards
in any given set. On average I have found that a set of 6 generally will have around
two cards with them, sometimes more, sometimes just one.
The effect can be worse on some cards than others. Here's a completely subjective personal
ranking on worst to best cards to have break lines on:
- The α card (n1) is the worst to have the lines on in my opinion, as it really stands out with the light background.
- The ε & ζ cards (last two cards) are the next worse to have them on as they also stand out in the colorful sky backgrounds.
- The β and γ (Son Goku and Vegeta cards) are the cards on which the lines are least noticeable due to how the illustrations are. The flip side is that these are also fan favorites. The Son Goku in particular is a center card in the set. So this is up to personal preference.
- The δ card (fourth card) in my opinion is another acceptable one to have with the break lines. The lines are more visible than on the Son Goku and Vegeta cards, but not as bad as on the other three.
You can see the Vegeta break lines in my own set (look above his right hand), and below is a picture of the break lines in the Son Goku card. As you can see depending on the angle it's barely noticeable.
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| Card from DB人生's collection |
2. White reproduction
Up next is the matter of the reproduction of whites. Most Limited 3000 cards do not have pure whites (in fact pure white are almost non existent). Like most prisms from Carddass part 1, part 2, and part 3 (1988 and 1989 editions), whites are instead generally both off-white and cream colored.
It's not completely unusual for a set of the 6 prisms from the limited n2 set to have one or more cards with a noticeably different white level from the rest. This is not a concern and should have no impact on the value of the cards.
3. Identifying authentic cards
Avoiding fake reproduction cards is obviously an essential point to look out for.
Fakes often use "card type" prism patterns (or hard prism, or deluxe prism, depending on your preferred way of calling them). The originals are of course "seal type" prisms (soft prisms), like the rest of the Carddass cards from 1988 and 1989. Please refer to RetroballZ's excellent photographic comparison if you are unfamiliar with the different prism types. However there are also reproductions that use seal type prisms so this will not be a guarantee of authenticity.
The off white edges and text boxes of real cards will have the prism pattern lightly visible in them. The fakes tend to have inconsistent sizes for the fonts, numbers and finer details, so look closely at real cards when in doubt. The colors tend to be completely wrong as well. Fakes will not have break lines indicating the end of the sheet roll and the beginning of the next (although I hear this might become possible eventually). The frame colors in real cards sometimes have minute differences in shades, even when they are all in the same color, fakes won't have such variations.
The surest way of verifying if the card is real is by checking the back. Fakes are unable to recreate the intricacies of the original Carddass cards. The back of real limited n1 will have traces of gold particles, and the back of the limited n2 cards use the same material as the back of the Carddass part 3 prism cards.
4. Condition
As with most cards, condition is also an essential aspect to look out for. Regardless of condition these cards will be very valuable, but in the long terms having them in beautiful condition is of course preferable. So something to consider if you collect with the intention of potentially exchanging or selling them someday.
5. Conclusion
Hopefully this article was able to shed some light on these enigmatic Limited 3000 cards. Owning a set of any kind is something any Dragon Ball Carddass fan can be proud of, and you should enjoy it to the fullest. There is no right or wrong as all of them are part of Dragon Ball history. For those hunting for a set based on your personal preferences, good luck in your search!
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| Sets previously sold at Mandarake |
