Donruss is launching its newest card product this week and many in the trading card industry will be watching its success to see how consumers respond to the product.

Donruss Americana is a product that consists largelly of trading cards of various TV and movie stars ranging from legends such as James Dean and Marilyn Monroe to more current stars such as Cedric the Entertainer. There are some sports figures in the product, but by and large it's a non-sports issue.

The primary selling point of the product are autograph and memorabilia cards from the celebrities. The lineup in this product is quite impressive (for more on the product, click here) and is certain to generate a buzz among celebrity collectors.

This will be an interesting set to watch for a variety of reasons. First, non-sports sets generally target a specific theme, such as a TV show or movie release. The few attempts in the past at a general "bunch of celebrities in a box" type of set have not been very successful. This product, however, has the appeal of some very rare autograph and memorabilia cards that will definitely spark some interest.

This product is also testing new ground from a price perspective – packs will likely sell in the $40 range. That's about 10-15 times higher than most traditional non-sports sets generally run. Donruss has a good reputation when it comes to the value of the items in its packs, but that reputation isn't largely known outside of the sports collecting market.

If Americana is successful, you can expect Donruss and other card companies to offer more products of this kind. Celebrity autographs have become an increasingly popular part of more and more sports products in recent years, and Americana would provide the barometer of whether a product like this can stand on its own.

It would also suggest that collectors are willing to pay a premium price for a non-sports product and open the doors for companies who specialize in those types of properties to offer products that would appeal to collectors who want to focus their efforts on the autograph and memorabilia cards.