Nerd Block Geek Box Review – June 2016

It’s been a few months since I took a Nerd Block even though it’s a mainstay of the geek subscription box world. Each month, the themed boxes include an exclusive T-Shirt from Shirt Punch and usually contain other exclusive items too.

I picked up the June 2016 box to take a look at what was inside. Unusually, this box didn’t come with a theme. Shipping to the UK was straightforward, with a box with decent weight arriving safely.

I’ll quote the standard price based on the rough exchange rate when I paid for the box. The standard price, including shipping to the UK, is $32.49 USD (£24 GBP). Discounts are available for longer subscriptions. Unfortunately, this currently costs more for people buying from the UK, due to the drop in the value of the pound.

Although there was no theme, the box still came with the usual information card providing information about the items. The box also had a $10 Shirt Punch credit, which is useful, although this can’t be applied to shipping costs.

Box Contents

The Legend of Zelda T-Shirt (Exclusive)

I was never really a Zelda player, but this is an iconic item of gaming.

The simple design, with Zelda rather looking through a glass shield, works well here and certainly grabs the eye. Definitely wearable.

I value these T-Shirts at a standard price of $10 USD.

Starlord Dorbz

This is a Dorbz from Guardians of the Galaxy.

I’ve developed a liking for the Dorbz series. They’re a good small size and all tend to look great.

You can see the Starlord Dorbz on Amazon.com. The typical value is $6 USD.

Game Of Thrones Coin (Exclusive)

This is rather different. A collectible style of coin featuring Robb Stark.

There are several other Games of Thrones coins on Amazon.com.

This is a good item to have, but it’s difficult to me to assign a high value for a single coin. Clearly, people do pay for these. Based on that, I’ll use a value of $10 USD.

Goonies Treasure Map (Exclusive)

This is another item that’s quite different to those you typically find inside geek boxes.

This is a cut so to feel rather like an old map and came rolled in a tube. I’m not sure how closely this matches the actual map from the Goonies, but the coastline shown looks rather like the South West of the United Kingdom to me.

On a total punt, as I can’t see anything quite like this to compare it too, I’ll assign a value of $5 USD

Harry Potter Bookmark

This is a boxed bookmark showing the Gryffindor Crest.

It’s bigger than many bookmarks, with a flap to fold over the page you’re reading. Nice looking and always useful.

You can find the Harry Potter Gryffindor Crest bookmark on Amazon.com. Typical value is $9 USD.

Ghostbusters Book (Exclusive)

To go with having a bookmark in the box, it’s good to have a book too. And, this one is an exclusive.

This is billed as an exclusive, which I assume means a printing just for Nerd Block. It’s a quick fun read, essentially written as if by the original Ghostbusters team and describing ghosts and monsters from the extended Ghostbusters universe.

You can see Tobin’s Spirit Guide on Amazon.com. That version has a different cover and is in hardback (the Nerd Block version is paperback).

The hardback selling price is $15 USD. I’ll stick with that value for the Nerd Block version.

More from this box: all our Nerd Block reviews.

Box Review

An excellent and unusual box. I get $55 USD of value, which is well above the cost price.

I like the way that several of the exclusive items set out to be add something different to what’s normally inside geek boxes, including the coin and the treasure map.

For me, the best items are the book and bookmark. I’d love to see geek boxes move to a scenario where there’s a book of some kind in every box.

The Dorbz is fun too and there’s a decent T-Shirt.

I do miss Nerd Block having a theme to base the items around, so hopefully that will make a comeback.

Here’s hoping that Nerd Block keeps up the good work. Certainly holding its place right in the upper echelon of the geek box universe.