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Card Series
In 1994, Pleasant Company introduced a series of trading cards featuring
all of the historical girls at that time: Samantha, Kirsten, Molly,
Felicity and Addy. The 1994
Series featured 60 cards for each girl with
card #60 being a checklist. The illustrations on the cards came from
the six story books for each girl.
The cards came in card packs containing 10 cards.
In 1995, a Trading Card album featuring labeled dividers and several
transparent card collecting pages was made available to help girls organize
their card collections. That same year, a special boxed set of all 300 of
the 1994 Series AG cards was offered featuring labeled dividers.
In 1998, a set of cards was created for Josefina the newest
American Girl who had just been introduced in 1997. The illustrations in Samantha and Addy's
books were completely redone sometime after 1994. Nancy Niles's illustrations in Samantha's books
were replaced by ones by Dan Andreasen, and Addy's book illustrations originally done by Melodye
Rosales were replaced by ones by Dahl Taylor. So in 1998, a new set of 60 Samantha cards and 60 Addy
cards were produced which were exactly like the 1994 cards except that they bore these redone
book illustrations. No changes were made to Kirsten, Molly or Felicity's cards in 1998.
Many long time AG collectors also know that the illustrations in Molly's books were redone prior
in 1989. The original illustrator of Molly's first three books was C. F. Payne, with Book 4 being
done by David Gaadt.  But in 1988, Nick Backes replaced them as
illustrator on Molly's books. Mr. Backes did the illustrations for Books 5 and 6, and he then
redid the illustrations in the first four books in 1989. The reason that there are not two sets
of Molly cards with different versions of each picture is because her books were already changed
to the new version before any trading cards were made. Sam and Addy's books were redone after the
1994 Series cards were made. However, if Pleasant Company had decided to create the first sets of
AG Trading Cards in 1987 instead of 1994, her card set might look as depicted on the
Molly's 1987 Trading Cards page.
Thus, beginning in 1998, card packs contained 10 cards per pack featuring
cards labeled "1998" for Samantha, Addy and Josefina and cards labeled
"1994" for Kirsten, Molly and Felicity.
Also in 1998, the Trading Card album was redesigned to include a divider
for Josefina and cover featuring Josefina and the new Samantha and Addy
illustrations. A new boxed set containing 360 cards was also offered.
Interestingly, since the 1998 card packs included 1998 Series Samantha and
Addy cards, there were 1994 Series Sam and Addy cards leftover in the
warehouses, and these were included in the 1998 boxed sets. So, the only 1998
cards included in the 1998 box sets were Josefina's 60 cards, with the
remaining 300 being from the 1994 Series. For this reason, the 1998 Series Samantha and Addy
cards are much rarer than the 1994 sets. These cards are thus about the third rarest AG card
series.
Around 1999, the Trading Card albums and boxed sets were discontinued as
Pleasant Company apparently did not wish to redesign these to incorporate
Kit, the new historical girl added in 2000.
In 2000, Kit, the newest AG girl at that time, got her first card set. Unlike the other girls
whose 60 card sets came out all at once, Kit's came out over two years. Thus the 2000 Kit Series featured cards #1 through 30, with no checklist
card. So, beginning in 2000, new trading card packs came out which included 10 cards featuring
1994 Series Molly, Kirsten and Felicity cards; 1998 Series Samantha, Addy and Josefina cards and
2000 Series Kit cards (cards #1-30 with no checklist).
Due to their rarity Kit's 2000 Series are the second most hard to find AG card series
today.
The next year, 2001, the rest of Kit's 60 cards were released. Kit's 2001 series featured cards #31 through 60, with #60 being
the checklist card covering all 60 cards. The 2001 card packs included the same cards as in 2000
with the addition of Kit's Series 2001 cards. By far, Kit's 2001 Series are the most hard to
find today since they were only sold for one year, and no boxed sets featuring Kit were ever
made.
In 2002, whole new sets of cards for all of the girls were created. For Samantha,
Molly, Kirsten, Felicity, Addy and Josefina, these new cards featured new
illustrations and information which came from the so-called Short Story books
that had come out for these girls in the previous two years. The 2002 series
card set for each of the first seven girls, Samantha, Molly, Kirsten, Felicity,
Addy, Josefina and Kit included 16 cards, one unnumbered checklist card and
three stickers. However, since this was to be Kaya's first and only card set, her 2002 series
card set included 30 cards, one unnumbered checklist card and 5 stickers.
In that same year, Pleasant Company introduced
the Trading Card Game which included a set of different cards which were
similar in content and size as the normal AG Trading Card series, but which
were not actually part of the Trading Card line.
In late August 2004, the so-called "Trading Card Mini-Albums" became available.
This unique album collection gave girls an easy and attractive way to collect
and display the cards for the first eight American Girls. Each mini album holds up
to 30 trading cards. The album set also included a three-sided frame for displaying
favorite cards on a desk, nightstand, or shelf, and also included a free
special-edition Samantha & Nellie trading card. This single card, numbered #17, comprises the
"Samantha 2004 Series" and is pictured at right.
The year 2004 saw the introduction of a special series of Nellie
cards. These are available in card packs
containing a set of all 10 cards from the 2004 Series Nellie cards, making it
very easy for girls to collect trading cards of the newest historical girl.
The trading card packs containing the 2002 series cards were discontinued in 2004. There was also
a single Special Edition Sam and Nellie card that came with the
new Trading Card Mini Albums.
In 2005, Sticker Packs for five of the girls were produced. These were given a very limited and
erratic distribution, being sold at places such as bookstores and were generally quite hard to
locate. Each pack contained 10 stickers. Sticker packs were only made for Kaya, Josefina, Addy,
Kit and Molly. It is not clear why packs were not made for Felicity, Kirsten or Samantha.
To coincide with the release of the Felicity Merriman TV-Movie, two new card sets were released
in September of 2005. Felicity got a movie cards set of 12
cards. Felicity's best friend Elizabeth Cole got a set just like
Nellie's, featuring 10 cards with illustrations by Dan Andreasen taken from the new book, Very
Funny, Elizabeth!
 
To coincide with the release of the Molly McIntire TV-Movie, two new card sets were released in
the Fall of 2006. Molly got a movie cards set of 10 unnumbered
cards and Molly's best friend Emily Bennett got a set, just like
Nellie and Elizabeth's, featuring 10 cards with illustrations by Nick Backes from the new book,
Brave Emily.
August 2007 saw the introduction of a new trading card set which includes cards featuring all of
the American Girls including the newest girl, Julie Albright. These new trading cards come in
card packs containing 12 cards. The 2007 Series cards features 175 cards. Each of the nine
historical girls has 16 cards and a checklist card, with Kaya having 30 cards and a checklist and
Julie having 24 cards and a checklist. With the exception of Julie's 25
cards, all of the other 150 cards for the other eight girls are straight reissues of the 2002
Series AG trading cards. The 2007 Series cards can be distinguished from their 2002 counterparts
by the copyright date on the bottom of the back of each card. So, with the introduction of the
2007 Series, the 2002 Series was retired. Interestingly, Ivy Ling, the new friend doll from 1974,
was the first historical doll that didn't have a trading card set. No historical dolls introduced
after 2010 (Marie-Grace, Cecile & Caroline) have trading cards.
At a publishers convention held in June 2008, to promote the then-upcoming theatrical release of the Kit Kittredge movie, a special cellophane pack of 10 movie cards was given out to attendees as part of the movie's Press Kit. This rare card set has never been seen for sale either online or through catalogues.
In 2009, a final set of AG trading cards was released. These featured 2007-Series cards for
Kirsten, Molly, Felicity, Addy, Josefina, Kit, Kaya and Julie and 2009-Series cards for the
newest girl, Rebecca Rubin. The set did not include Samantha cards since she and her collection had been archived in 2008. The 2009-series cards were discontinued after 2010 - thus ending the
American Girl Trading Card products after sixteen years.
A Note about Scarcity
The most hard to find are Kit's 2001 Series, followed closely
by Kit's 2000 Series. After those, the third rarest group of
trading cards are Samantha and Addy's 1998 Series.
The table below shows the cards sets for each of the girls, what year the
set was introduced and how many cards were included. The girls' names along the
left side of the table link to their individual card pages.
|
| Girl |
1994 Series |
1998 Series |
2000 Series |
2001 Series |
2002 Series |
2004 Series |
2005 Series |
2006 Series |
2007 Series |
2009 Series |
 |
60 Cards |
60 Cards |
|
|
17 Cards, 3 Stickers |
1 Card |
|
|
17 Cards |
|
 |
60 Cards |
|
|
|
17 Cards, 3 Stickers |
|
|
|
17 Cards |
17 Cards |
 |
60 Cards |
|
|
|
17 Cards, 3 Stickers |
|
|
10 Cards |
17 Cards |
17 Cards |
 |
60 Cards |
|
|
|
17 Cards, 3 Stickers |
|
12 Cards |
|
17 Cards |
17 Cards |
 |
60 Cards |
60 Cards |
|
|
17 Cards, 3 Stickers |
|
|
|
17 Cards |
17 Cards |
 |
|
60 Cards |
|
|
17 Cards, 3 Stickers |
|
|
|
17 Cards |
17 Cards |
 |
|
|
30 Cards |
30 Cards |
17 Cards, 3 Stickers |
|
|
|
17 Cards |
17 Cards |
 |
|
|
|
|
31 Cards, 5 Stickers |
|
|
|
31 Cards |
31 Cards |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
10 Cards |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 Cards |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 Cards |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 Cards |
25 Cards |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31 Cards |
| Total Cards |
300 |
180 |
30 |
30 |
150 |
11 |
22 |
20 |
175 |
189 |
Trading Card Packs
Each time that a new AG Trading Card series was introduced, the trading card
pack was redesigned. Below are shown the different trading card packs
which came out beginning in 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Trading Card Pack
[1994-1997]
|
Trading Card Pack
[1998-1999]
|
Trading Card Pack
[2000-2001]
|
Trading Card Pack
[2002 - 2007]
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Nellie Trading Cards (10 Cards Per Pack)
[2004 -
2007]
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Felicity's Movie Trading Cards (12 Unnumbered
Cards Per Pack)
[2005 - 2007]
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Elizabeth Trading Cards (10 Cards Per Pack)
[2005 -
2007]
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Molly's Movie Trading Cards (10 Unnumbered
Cards Per Pack)
[2006 - 2007]
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Emily Trading Cards (10 Cards Per Pack)
[2006 -
2007]
|
Trading Card Pack (12 cards per pack)
[2007 - 2008]
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Molly's Movie Trading Cards (10 Unnumbered
Cards Per Pack) Unreleased
[2008]
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Trading Card Pack (12 cards per pack)
[2009 - 2010]
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Trading Cards Albums and Sets
In 1994, a special boxed set of all 300 of the 1994 Series AG cards was offered
featuring labeled dividers. It's original price was $35.
The next year, in 1995, a Trading Card album featuring labeled dividers and several
transparent card collecting pages was made available to help girls organize
their card collections.
In 1998, the Trading Card album was redesigned to include a divider for Josefina and a cover
featuring Josefina and the new Samantha and Addy illustrations. A new boxed set containing 360
cards was also offered. Interestingly, since the 1998 card packs included 1998 Series Samantha
and
Addy cards, there were 1994 Series Sam and Addy cards leftover in the
warehouses, and these were included in the 1998 boxed sets. So, the only 1998
cards included in the 1998 box sets were Josefina's 60 cards, with the
remaining 300 being from the 1994 Series.
Around 1999, the Trading Card albums and boxed sets were discontinued as
Pleasant Company apparently did not wish to redesign these to incorporate
Kit, the new historical girl added in 2000.
In 2002, Pleasant Company introduced the Trading Card Game which included
a set of different cards which were similar in content and size as the normal
AG Trading Card series, but which were not actually part of the Trading
Card line.
In late August 2004, the so-called "Trading Card Mini-Albums" became available.
Each mini album held up to 30 trading cards. The album set also included a three-sided frame for
displaying favorite cards on a desk, nightstand, or shelf, and also included a free special-
edition Samantha & Nellie trading card. The design of these mini albums was flawed in that it
was very hard to fit the cards into it due to the album's holders being slightly too narrow.
Trading Cards Set I
(Complete set of 300 Cards for
Samantha, Kirsten,
Molly, Felicity & Addy) [1994-1998]
|
Trading Card Album I
(Binder and dividers for Samantha,
Kirsten,
Molly, Felicity & Addy) [1995-1998]
|
Trading Cards Set II
(Complete set of 360 Cards for
Samantha, Kirsten, Molly, Felicity, Addy & Josefina) [1998-1999]
|
Trading Card Album II
(Binder and dividers for Samantha,
Kirsten, Molly, Felicity, Addy & Josefina) [1998-1999]
|
Trading Card Game
[2002-Present]
|
Trading Card Mini Albums
[2004 - 2007]
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2002 Series Trading Card Stickers
For the first and only time in an American Girl Trading Cards series, the 2002 trading cards
included stickers. The card packs contained 10 cards and one sticker. These stickers bore no text
or numbers, and they were not listed on the Checklist cards. This made it difficult for
collectors to determine which stickers existed and which ones they were missing. Each girl had a
portrait sticker and most had a sticker showing them reading/writing. Each of the eight girls had
three stickers in her set with the exception of Kaya who had 5 stickers. As an aid to collectors,
the 26 stickers of the 2002 Series are shown below. Clicking on the images below brings up a much
larger sticker image.
2005 Sticker Packs
In 2005, Sticker Packs for five of the girls were produced. These were given a very limited and
erratic distribution, being sold at stores such as bookstores and were generally quite hard to
locate. Each pack contained 10 stickers. Sticker packs were only made for Kaya, Josefina, Addy,
Kit and Molly. It is not clear why packs were not made for Felicity, Kirsten or Samantha.
Kaya Sticker Pack
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Josefina Sticker Pack
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Addy Sticker Pack
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Kit Sticker Pack
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Molly Sticker Pack
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These products are appropriate for children 8 and over.
The American Girls Collection and The American Girls Collection logo are registered
trademarks of Pleasant Company. Copyright 2001-2013 Pleasant Company. All rights reserved.
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Email: cdanhauser@yahoo.com
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