2018 Topps Star Wars Black & White: by J-Dub

Your humble blogger was born in the year 1977. Of course, I don’t remember anything about my personal experiences back then but I am partial to anything that has ties to that great year. There were some negative events in 1977 like the New York City Blackout, Son of Sam, and Elvis Presley’s death so I don’t suppose it was all great. But despite those unfortunate events, I try to focus on the positive from that year. There is a lot from 1977 that is very important to society today.

 

For example, Atari was released to North America in September of that year. This was the first video game console available for gamers in their own home and helped kick off the great arcade era of the 80’s. Atari is where we found such classics as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. Today we have Playstation, Xbox and other modern day gaming systems but they all spawned from those early days of Atari. For a mere $199, an Atari could be yours! Many of you may be thinking, “That isn’t all that different from today’s prices.” But when I talk about the cost of living in a moment, it will come more into focus.

Along with Atari, Commodore and Apple released the first computers to the world. The fact that you are reading this right now speaks to how important those computers turned out to be. Our entire lives are related to the computer in some form in 2018. We use them for maps, phone calls, recipes, watching TV, playing games, collecting cards, communicating with friends around the globe and many, many more everyday tasks. These were much more expensive than the Atari; the Commodore was released at $495 and Apple II released at $1,300!

Treasury Edition Comic Sleeve

Treasury Edition Comic Sleeve 10-3/8 x 14-1/4″ 3 mil POLYETHYLENE. 1-1/2″ flap. Also use for Graded Comic Magazines.

Thanks to www.thepeoplehistory.com, those values can be put into perspective. Here are some basic costs for what people were buying in 1977, followed by the numbers for today:

Average Cost of New House – $49,300 2018 – $398,900
Average Income – $15,000 2018 – $59,000
Gallon of Gas – $0.65 2018 – $2.65
BMW 320i – $7,990 2018 – $40,000
Chevy Truck – $5,800 2018 – $25,000

As you can see, prices and income have multiplied by as much as 8 times in some of these cases. Think about the computer in 1977. You had to pay about 10% of your annual income to buy one. If that were the case today, you would be paying $6,000 for a computer! That is how expensive those items were back then as opposed to now. And they are certainly more functional and advanced in 2018. Technology has grown by leaps and bounds and we have been given that technology at a fraction of what it cost when it was first available.

Another creation in 1977 ties in directly with that technology and is something that remains just as popular today. That creation was the movie “Star Wars.” Since 1977, this movie has been redubbed “Star Wars IV – A New Hope.” That segues to the more recent films, Episode 1-3 that were released from 1999-2005, but that isn’t really why we are here today. As I said, I’m a 1977 guy so when somebody says they want to watch Star Wars; I assume they are talking about the movie that was released the year I was born. Beyond that, things get a little confusing for me. I enjoy original films more than remakes and sequels so I like Halloween from 1978 and Friday the 13th from 1980. So it would make sense that my favorite Star Wars was the first one; the REAL first one.

The original Star Wars was an epic film that broke every record known to man at the box office. It also garnered 6 Academy Awards and featured now legendary actors such as; Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and the voice of James Earl Jones, as Darth Vader.

John Dykstra, American special effects artist, pioneer in the development of the use of computers in filmmaking and recipient of three Academy Awards.

The film set a new bar for special effects and George Lucas would go down as one of the greatest directors of all-time. THIS is the Star Wars I know and love! So imagine my excitement when I walked into the LCS this past weekend and saw a new product release called, “Star Wars: A New Hope – Black and White.”

Star Wars: A New Hope – Black and White

Click for info at Topps.com

When I first saw the box, it didn’t completely register until I saw a young Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher on the box cover. I did a double take and realized that these were cards from the original film. It didn’t take long while reading the box to see that sketch cards and autographs were included as well, so I jumped on it. The box itself was a very reasonable $65 and includes 7 packs with 8 cards in each. In fact, I would later pick up a second box the next day because the price was so low and the cards were so much fun!

Sketch Card Sleeve

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While in the shop, I did a little more research on my phone, which is yet another great use of computers today, and found that the base set is 140 cards  and includes multiple variations; Sepia (1 per pack), Blue (1:4 packs), Green (#d to 99), Purple (#d to 25), Red (#d to 10) and Metal (1/1).

In addition to these parallels, there are also 4 inserts/subsets in the set; Behind the Scenes, Concept Art, Iconic Characters and Poster cards. Add 1/1 Sketch Cards and Autographs (including all the big names) and you have yourself quite an entertaining box. There are even some dual autographs that are dream cards for all collectors; i.e. C-3PO AND R2-D2! (Click here for the checklist)

Let’s take a look at what I found in the 2 boxes I bought!

Luke Skywalker

Princess Lea

Darth Vader

R2-D2 and C-3PO

Here is an example of the Sepia Parallel found 1 per pack

Here is another parallel but while it looks green, it’s not numbered

Green Parallel #’d to 99 – Chewbacca and Han Solo

Insert Sets – Behind the Scenes, Concept Art, Iconic Characters and Posters

 John D. Branon – X-Wing Fighter Pilot Autograph from Box 1

Darth Vader – 1/1 Sketch from Box 2

I am very excited about this new product. I used to collect a lot of non-sport and still pick up the occasional Walking Dead cards from time to time. To have a set revisit an iconic movie from the 70’s with original photography and design is awesome. The cards are affordable, they look great and the sketch cards are really nice inserts to find. What do you think of 2018 Star Wars Black and White?

J-Dub

Sketch Card Holder

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