Hold onto your lightsabers folks, you about to enter a world that defies all logic: movie collectibles. There are few movie franchises as big as Star Wars. It has continued to have a huge impact on our pop culture over the past 40 years. The genre spawned everything from action figures, posters, books,  movies, and most especially trading cards.

Today, those Star Wars trading cards have value as apparently, the entire card market has been roaring back to life. "This probably won't end well," but while it lasts, ride the wave dude. "Cowabunga!" What are some relevant facts about Star Wars trading cards? Further, how did these things get dispersed and who was collecting them back in the 1970s? I mean, everyone was into sports cards, but why buy movie cards? Finally, how many issues of the original series are from the 1977 initial card sets?

Kenner's Star Wars Toys Variants: A Guide | StarWars.comStar Wars Collectibles Back in the Day

In 1977, Star Wars was a huge event. It spawned an entire genre of collectibles. Most of the time, you hear about collectible action figures. For instance, one of the most expensive is the "Rocket Firing Boba Fett" action figure. Apparently, Kenner wanted a Boba Fett figure that fired a missile. They scratched the idea after an "unfortunate accident."  I am not clear on the specifics of that debacle, but the company scrapped the firing missile and only about two dozen prototypes exist. Some maniac paid $150,000 for this toy sometime last year! But unlike the missile, Star Wars trading cards won't "poke your eye out!" Can you navigate this asteroid field of dangerous collectibles for a better understanding of Star Wars trading cards?

Magic Trick Pick A Card Any Card Magician Coffee Mug | TeeShirtPalaceStar Wars Cards 

Star Wars cards came out in 1977 and are represented by five different series: blue, red, yellow, green, and orange. These five sets are the entirety of the initial cards but do not include the Wonder Bread Star Wars cards. They come with eleven stickers one per pack, totaling 55 stickers.  These stickers are rare and probably have additional value. Why? Because at the time only kids were buying them at the neighborhood grocery store. I can remember putting them on book covers, my skateboard, etc...

Stars and First Print

Finally, and this is the most important piece of info given here, there is a star * or asterisk in front of the copyright logo. That * means that the card is the first print. If there are two asterisks ** it means that the card is a second print.

1977 Topps Star Wars Series 1: Info, Checklist, Card Gallery, SinglesStar Wars #21 The Tusken Raiders

The Tusken Raiders resembled a post-apocalyptic scavenger tribe. They attacked with loud guttural screams and huge iron maces to bludgeon their prey. This first print card in PSA 8 NM-MT is running about $165 asking price on eBay, currently. In addition, one sold on for a whopping $384.79!!! Holy-Bantha poop Luke! That is a ton of  Imperial Credits! To stave off any anxiety you might have scrambling to find this card, one also sold in raw format for $6 on eBay recently.

Topps-Star-Wars-Series-1-1977-44-Han-and-Chewie-Shoot-It-OutStar Wars #44 Han and Chewie Shoot it out!

The cast of rogues in Star Wars included some good guys like Han Solo, the smuggler, and his first mate, Chewie. In this iconic photo, they appear to be in a pitched battle in front of the Millennium Falcon. On the back of this card is the #2 Story Summary of the first part of the original first Star Wars movie "A New Hope." This card has sold for as much as $520 in PSA 9 Mint. Many raw cards have sold on the internet one of the best prices was $20.

Conclusion

Darth Vader's "I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing" | Know Your Meme

Most everyone is a Star Wars fan. Therefore, even buying these cards this late in the game is not a bad idea.  In fact, the market for them has changed so drastically that you can still find them relatively cheap. My take is that this too shall pass.

Soon, we will be looking at stratospheric prices on PSA slabbed cards. Not to mention that raw copy will no longer be cheap maybe reaching 25% of the value of the PSA card. Hyperspace over to your local card shop, if any still exist in your town. If not, I hear there is this new thing called eBay everyone is raving about.

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