The summer of 2020 necessitated a change to thrifting practices. Ebay was the big fill-in as thrift stores were off-limits during a pandemic. Quite a bit pricier, but there still good finds, like this unusual trading card for the Star Wars Holiday Special. As a collector of Nelvana stuff, especially A Cosmic Christmas items, this one has a nice tie-in, in that it is rumoured that George Lucas hired Nelvana to do the animation for the Star Wars Holiday Special after seeing A Cosmic Christmas. The holiday special may be universally despised, but it is famous for having introduced Boba Fett to the Star Wars universe.

Front of trading card.
Back of trading card.

The fun of these finds is often the framing, where you take something small and unimpressive in size and trying to bring it weight and a little heft with a suitable frame and background to increase its presence. I designed a 5×7 frame to match the Nelvana stamp set previously posted about, but when I went to pick up the frame from IKEA, I spotted a heavier, chunkier frame which had gravitas despite it’s small size. I wanted this simple trading card to have weight and I knew immediately that my plans needed to change, so the background was cropped to fit. It’s crazy how much time I spend comparing frames online before heading out to buy, but then I can still drop all plans once I see something in person. It usually works out though, so I’ve learned to trust that gut instinct. The weightier new frame was exactly what the trading card needed…

Original frame design.
Modified frame design once a better frame was found.
Trading card in it’s final home.