For today’s newsletter, I wanted to take a slightly different path and veer us all into something I have been obsessing over lately – Rittenhouse’s Game of Thrones cards. Specifically, the inscribed autographed ones. 

I will be the first to admit I love but also do not fully understand Rittenhouse card values. Some are sky-high. Some feature established stars at affordable prices. Some feature legends at not-affordable prices. Some are fun and cheap. Some are fun and expensive. For instance, one of my Top 10 favorite cards of all-time is this Ruta Lee inscription from the 2019 Twilight Zone set, which may be the first — and only — time “BITCHES” has appeared on a card. It sold for $439.99 in March.

We touted the 2025 Rittenhouse Cheers set here on Mail Day when it came out and boxes have stayed flat as far as pricing —  there’s a wide range of value going on with the cards, which probably contributes to it. You can get a Sam/Carla 2x show-worn relic for under $25, but expect to pay hundreds of dollars for autographs of Nancy Cartwright or the late, great George Wendt. I love autographs as much as the next J.R. Fickle, but show-worn relics of two main characters from one of the best TV shows of the last 50 years shouldn’t be this cheap. 

And that brings us to the Rittenhouse Game of Thrones sets, of which there are many. And they’re awesome. And they somehow got some of the show’s biggest and most memorable stars to both sign cards AND do it with their most famous lines. I’ve bought a few, I currently pine over a few more. And I thought it might be fun to power rank them. So… 

5. Edward Dogliani “Russ O’Hennessy Who?” ($49.99)

”Game of Thrones” was famous for replacing actors throughout its run; one of those recasts was Edward Dogliani being replaced by Ross O’Hennessy as the Lord of Bones (one of the many characters who met an untimely demise). Very rarely do you see an actor talk smack about a recasting decision in an autograph on a trading card. This may be a first:

4. Ian Whyte “GIANTS!” ($26.99)

He’s not the most iconic character, but the picture of an arrow-riddled “Wun Wun” with “GIANTS!” in all-CAPS is great AND it has a fun Easter egg that makes this a top 5 card: “Wun Wun” was named for Phil Simms, who wore number 11 (aka “one one”) when he played for…the Giants. 

3. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, “A Lannister Always Pays His Debt” ($499)

We’re docking him a spot for not using the exact phrasing of “debts.”

2. Hannah Waddingham, “SHAME!” ($79.99)

I also don’t know why this is so cheap, as not only is this one of the most iconic lines of the show, but Hannah Waddingham went on to borderline mega-fame in “Ted Lasso” after GOT. 

1. Rose Leslie, “You Know Nothing Jon Snow” ($499)

If you asked around about the greatest lines from GOT, “You Know Nothing Jon Snow” would be among the top replies. If you have $500 lying around, this is the kind of card you put on display.

HONORABLE MENTION

There are some great ones. Buckle in.

At this point, I think I’ve convinced myself to just get a hobby box, see what I get, and have a nice reminisce over the show’s golden era. Rittenhouse is notoriously generous with their “autographs per box” ratio, so it’s a double-win: a shot at an inscription while remembering some random characters in random episodes of the show. 

Should we cajole our boss into doing a live Rittenhouse break (mainly so we don’t have to pay for the cards?)... reply to the email and let us know!

EPILOGUE

I almost completely forgot that Rittenhouse – for you Ted Lasso fans who want more than just Hannah Waddingham – is also responsible for what I believe to be the Brett Goldstein rookie card, in the Dr. Who set!