Diamondback Trading Cards

Diamondback Trading Cards are collectible trading cards depicting wildlife subjects arranged in series' such as Sharks, Dinosaurs, Reptiles, Amphibians and Arthropods. A typical Diamondback card face features photographic or artist drawn subjects and the card back contains educational information such as taxonomy, natural history, and conservational status. The cards are issued in two different formats, one format labeled 'Base Sets' and another labeled 'Sub Sets'. Additionally several cards were released as promotional items that were not included in the former sets, including one that was commissioned by the Field Museum of Natural History.
Concept
Diamondback Trading Cards are issued in the standard trading card format of 2.5 by 3.5 inches and are printed on 16pt board stock using a Heidelberg MOVPH 6 color press (See Heidelberger Druckmaschinen). The cards are varnished and have a semi-gloss finish. The manufacturer claims that all of its cards are printed in short press runs. Unlike many other trading card manufacturers they list production numbers for at least some of their sets on their company website.
The cards are distributed through various retail outlets such as toy stores and natural history gift shops across North America. Many web retailers, including the manufacturer, also distribute the product directly to the public. Diamondback Trading Cards are produced by the privately owned Seattle based company of the same name, which was established in March of 2009. They share notability with a very short list of manufacturers who have produced wildlife trading cards, the most recognized of which may be the larger format 'Wildlife Treasury Cards' produced by Leisure Books from 1975-1981.
The cards are written at an adult level and appear to be capturing the interest of a wide range range of people. The company's website states that the cards are intended for those "ages 4 and up". Random cards are placed inside of base sets so that the collector can participate in the building of sub sets by trading online or with friends.
History
The name Diamondback Trading Cards was settled on because the creator, Jeremiah Easter, associated it with the Diamondback Rattlesnake and the Diamondback Terrapin and to establish that he felt each animal portrayed on the card face was inherently valuable and worthy of conservation.
The first set of Diamondback Trading Cards was released on April 22nd, 2009. It was titled 'Reptiles - Series 1' and consisted of 50 cards featuring reptiles from around the world. It included snakes, lizards and turtles. This initial set was later split into two separate sets labeled 'Reptiles 1a' and 'Reptiles 1b' and the 25 card base was born. The remaining stock of the 50 card set was sold out on October 1st, 2009.
Shortly after producing 'Reptiles Series 1' Diamondback followed up with a 25 card base set called 'Frogs and Toads' and an 8 card sub set called 'Alterna' that became available on July 17th. There were rumors that Reptiles series 2 would be the following release but the company took a new direction and branched out into Tarantulas, Centipedes and Scorpions with its release of 'Arthropods' on November 17th. Along with this new direction, Diamondback created two new 12-card subsets in order to begin their current practice of inserting subset cards at random into the base sets.
During the production of Arthropods Diamondback Trading cards contracted two natural history artists, Jackson Shedd and Melissa Frankford. Shedd was to produce art for the concept set 'Sharks' and Frankford was to produce art for the concept set 'Dinosaurs'. According to their website these sets are slated to be released in early 2010.
During the development of Arthropods, Diamondback began securing the autographs of television personalities and other famous people who were associated with the subjects of their cards. Many of these autographs were given away as promotional items through the summer and fall of 2009 and the remaining autographed cards are currently preserved in what the company calls the "Diamondback autograph collection".
Base Sets
* Reptiles Series 1 (50 cards)
* Reptiles Series 1a (25 cards)
* Reptiles Series 1b (25 cards)
* Frogs and Toads (25 cards)
* Arthropods (22 cards)
* Sharks (22 cards)
* Dinosaurs (22 cards)
* Collector's Edition (25 cards)
Sub Sets
These sets were only available as random inserts:
* Alterna (8 cards)
* Horned Lizards (12 cards)
* Ball Python Morphs (12 cards)
Promotional Cards
These cards were only available through special offers:
* Brachypelma auratum promo
* Loma Alta Alterna promo
* Styracosaurus promo
* Atlantic Weasel Shark promo
* Blanding's Turtle (Field Museum) promo
List of Autographed cards
The following list of autographed cards were privately obtained by Diamondback and given away as promotional items. No official association between Diamondback and the following people exists.
* Nigel Marven
* Chad Brown
* Sean Bush
* Dave Barker
* Donald Schultz

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