Did you know that Coleoptera literally means "Sheathed Wing?"

The Wizkids: Pirates of the Mysterious Islands booster set is loosely based off of the novel L'Île mystérieuse (The Mysterious Island) by Jules Verne that was released in 1874. Captain Nemo is a primary character is this novel (as well as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea) and tools around the seas in his submarine the Nautilus. As you can imagine, Nemo created some enemies. To make a long story short, the Coleoptera was captured & then repainted to resemble the Nautilus. This was done for pirating adventures so that when seen, the people would blame Nemo for the pirating & not the actual crew of the Coleoptera.

What does it mean for the submarine Coleoptera, #29 in the Mysterious Islands booster? It means that the card is not an error as some would have you believe (and pay for, I might add). Every Coleoptera is designed to look like the Nautilus to stay true to the above story & so every Coleoptera in the booster looks like the Nautilus when put together. The retail of the Coleoptera should be between $4.50 - $6.50 - any higher & it is because of market pricing, someone not understanding the story of the Coleoptera, or someone trying to bilk a few extra bucks out of you.

Hope this helps & if you have not read the novel, I encourage you to do so - it is one of Verne's better stories. - Graeme / GSGallery