By Chris Mixer / cmixer

Two of Marvel’s most popular characters are inextricably linked. Both Deadpool and Wolverine are the product of experimentation by the Weapon X project and have been frenemies ever since they first crossed paths in 1994. Soon they will be back on the big screen in a summer blockbuster called Deadpool & Wolverine directed by Shawn Levy. Fans couldn’t be more excited, and their collectibles couldn’t be hotter.

When collecting Deadpool and Wolverine, many hobbyists gravitate towards key comic book appearances like 1974’s The Incredible Hulk issue 181, but their trading cards are picking up a lot of steam. Neither Deadpool nor Wolverine’s earliest trading cards can truly be considered “rookie cards” since their comic book appearances predate them, but their early cards can still be very desirable. Deadpool’s first trading card was the 1991 Impel Marvel Universe Series II – Promo #3 bagged inside Marvel X-Force #1.

This was actually Deadpool’s second ever appearance, after debuting in 1991’s The New Mutants issue #98. Because of the black boarders and bagged distribution, these early cards rarely stayed in mint condition, so high grades bring a premium. Wolverine’s earliest trading cards are also promos. The 1980 Marvel Coleccion stickers were distributed by Terrabusi, an Argentine food brand. Wolverine appeared on multiple cards in this promo set, but only one of them depicts Wolverine posing by himself. Both Deadpool and Wolverine quickly became regulars in future Marvel sets.

1990 Impel Marvel Universe was the first set in their long-running Marvel Universe line. Chase cards included Holograms; one of which featured Wolverine. Deadpool didn’t make the 1990 checklist but was included in the 1992 Impel Marvel X-Men set. Because most trading card sets in the early 1990’s were standard configuration with wide distribution, cards featuring Deadpool and Wolverine are still relatively easy to find. In 1998, SkyBox released 16,000 boxes of Marvel Creators Collection. There was a subset of nineteen comic-creator signature cards, including a Walt McDaniel autograph card featuring Deadpool. Marvel Creators Collection was also the first set to include a sketch card in every box. Artists included sketch cards of Deadpool and Wolverine, but 1998 Sketchagraphs are now hard to find on the secondary market.

In 2000, the X-Men movie debuted, directed by Bryan Singer. Topps released X-Men The Movie trading cards. One of the major hits was an autograph card signed by Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. This set also included Wolverine’s Costume as a Movie Memorabilia relic card. Hugh Jackman would go on to play the iconic role ten times including this Summer’s upcoming film. In 2009, Rittenhouse Archives released X-Men Origins: Wolverine Movie Cards. This time autograph cards would again include Hugh Jackman as Wolverine but also Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson (Deadpool). The movie cards continue to demand a lot of attention because they combine popular characters with fan-favorite actors.

Upper Deck changed the game when they released Marvel Fleer Retro in 2013. This was the first time Upper Deck inserted their perpetually popular chase set, Precious Metal Gems, into a Marvel product. The Green PMG’s were serial numbered to only 10 copies each. This set would also give rise to other hard-to-find inserts, like the Marvel Fleer Retro Jambalaya cards. The Jambalaya cards were not serial numbered but are assumed to be super short printed and thus highly coveted.

As rare chase inserts became more popular among collectors, sets continued to evolve in this direction. For example, in 2016 Upper Deck Marvel Masterpieces, Wolverine (card 89 in the set) could be found as a base card numbered out of 99 copies, epic purple foil numbered out of 199, legendary orange foil numbered out of 99 copies, silver spectrum autograph out of 10 copies, and a Red Spectrum Foil variation numbered 1/1. Like Wolverine, Deadpool also had many of these same hard-to-find numbered cards in Marvel Masterpieces. Collectors now have the option to collect “rainbows” and chase one of every color variation for a particular card.

Character collectors who don’t want to chase numbered cards might want to collect non-numbered short print cards. Hard to find insert cards that feature Deadpool include 2016 Upper Deck Marvel Annual Plexi Die-Cuts and 2021 Upper Deck Marvel X-Men Metal Universe Platinum Portraits. Deadpool even had his own exclusive Marvel Deadpool set in 2019 that included “comic cuts” relic cards from New Mutants issue 98. This was well-received as the perfect amalgam of comic books & trading cards.

There has not yet been an announcement regarding a trading card set based on the Deadpool & Wolverine movie, but I’m sure fans of these characters would love another chance to add to their collection. Regardless of which old or new sets you choose to pursue, don’t worry about having the biggest or most complete collection. This hobby is about having fun. As Wolverine told Charles Xavier in X-Men: Days of Future Past, “Your best is enough. Trust me.”