non-sports trading cards

Tag Archive: non-sports trading cards

Retro fix–New book chronicles complete Topps original Star Wars trading cards

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Comics & Books, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café — Leave a comment

December 24, 2015

Review by C.J. Bunce

Abrams ComicArts and Topps have released the first compilation ever of the original 1977 and 1978 Topps Star Wars trading cards–Star Wars: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume One. Reprinted in its entirety are all five series of cards in their original size. The deluxe edition contains the fronts and reverses of all 330 cards and 55 stickers, including movie facts, story summaries, actor profiles, and puzzle cards featuring scenes from the one and only original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It seemed like every kid from 5 years old to high schoolers picked up at least a few sets of these back in the 1970s. In years a galaxy far, far away from VHS tapes, DVDs, or Blu-rays, these cards were a fan’s only window into that world experienced in the theater. With these trading cards you could refer over and over to key scenes, and use the images as resources to discuss film details with friends.

The book includes four bonus trading cards made exclusively for this edition, and a wax pack-style book jacket like the similar excellent releases Bazooka Joe and His Gang reviewed here at borg.com, Mars Attacks 50th Anniversary Collection reviewed here, and Star Trek: The Original Topps Trading Card Series reviewed here. An introduction and commentary throughout the volume is provided by Gary Gerani, the original editor of the Star Wars Topps series who worked with Lucasfilm to select the photographs for the sets and wrote the card titles. An afterword is provided by Robert Conte, discussing the well-known Wonder Bread Star Wars trading cards, also reprinted for the first time in this edition.

You might recall that Topps recently reintroduced an edition of Topps Star Wars cards in the style of the first edition of trading cards from 1977. Those cards were released with images from all seven Star Wars films including preview cards for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, discussed here at borg.com.

Continue reading →

Tags: Abrams Comicarts, bread cards, Gary Gerani, non-sports trading cards, Return of the Jedi: The Original Topps Trading Card Series Volume Three, Robert Conte, Star Wars, Star Wars Wonder Bread cards, Star Wars: The Empire Srikes Back: The Original Topps Trading Card Series Volume Two, Star Wars: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Star Wars: The Original Topps Trading Card Series Volume One, Topps, Wonder Bread cards

New collectible cards–From Agent Coulson’s trading cards to Firefly and Princess Bride playing cards

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Superheroes, TV — Leave a comment

April 22, 2015

What better item to take to a convention to get Chris Evans’s autograph than a set of Agent Coulson’s Captain America trading cards–vintage and near mint, as Coulson bragged in the movie The Avengers. Next month you’ll be able to land your own collectible set of the cards designed from the original digital images used in the film. And that’s not all that is coming your way if you like collectible trading cards or playing cards from your favorite movies and TV shows.

In fact you can pre-order the set now here from Entertainment Earth, including both a near mint set and the bloodied Captain America cards resulting from Coulson’s death scene. The set comes with its own display folder. It’s scheduled to ship in April.

While you’re at it you can pick up a deck of the Tall Card game inspired from the game played on board the Serenity in Firefly. You can pre-order it from Entertainment Earth here. That game includes those recognizable round cards you remember from the TV series. It also is scheduled to ship in April.

Continue reading →

Tags: Agent Coulson trading cards, Captain America cards, Firefly, Firefly Tall Card game, non-sports trading cards, original art, Princess Bride playing cards, sketch cards, The Avengers cards, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trading cards, The Princess Bride, Vintage Captain America Trading Cards near mint

New book offers a nostalgic look back at Star Trek trading cards

Filed under: Comics & Books, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, TV — 3 Comments

November 25, 2013

Review by C.J. Bunce

Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block, authors of Star Trek 101, the Secrets of Star Trek: Insurrection, and the Star Trek 365 series, have compiled a new book in the Topps retro series of bubble gum-inspired books that includes the The 60th Anniversary of Bazooka Joe we previously reviewed here at borg.com. It’s Star Trek: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, and it’s a must-have for fans of 1970s trading cards and the original Star Trek series.

Back before videotape you’d watch a TV show or movie and never have much hope seeing it again unless you were lucky enough to find it rebroadcast later. Keys images from your favorite films or TV series could be found on lunch boxes, T-shirts, school folders, and comic book covers if you were lucky. Bread companies would sometimes stick trading cards in loaves, and you’d be lucky to collect three cards from any collection. These included cards from Star Wars and Star Trek. Topps had great success with its series of Star Wars cards, but you may not be aware that the company released a series of Star Trek cards prior to that series, in 1976. It’s this series of classic cards that are the subject of a new book just released by Abrams.