Card of the Day: Reggie Jackson 1977 Topps Proofs Orioles Uniform

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Card of the Day: Ellis Valentine 1977 Topps #52

Product Highlight: 1977 Star Wars Wonder Bread

Yep.  I’m still on a Star Wars kick.  I saw The Last Jedi over the weekend and think its a great follow-up to The Force Awakens.  Caution spoilers!!!

The Last Jedi takes classic characters in new directions.  Luke Skywalker wants nothing to do with the force or the Jedi anymore.  He feels completely responsible for Kylo Ren’s (Ben Solo) turn to the dark side.  While training the next generation of Jedi, Luke could feel his nephew’s power in the dark side rising within him.  Luke is tempted by the dark side himself and contemplates killing Kylo Ren in his sleep.  At the last second Luke chooses not to do this, but not before Kylo Ren awakes to see his uncle standing over him with a lightsaber.  Then all hell breaks loose and Kylo Ren is fully pushed to the dark side.  The school is destroyed.  I think this is a perfect example showing that no matter how powerful of a Jedi you are, the dark side can still be tempting.  And even the slightest bit of temptation can have major consequences.

I like to think that Luke is the last Jedi when it comes to the old ways of teaching.  Both he and Yoda agree that the Jedi’s 1,000+ year history is filled with one failure after another.  Something has to change.  Being 100% on the light side or dark side just isn’t working.  I believe we’re going to see this needed change with Rey.  She’s very strong with the force, but has a ton to learn yet.  We know she has the ancient Jedi texts.  Pulling info from those with Luke probably returning as a force ghost could help.  In all honesty I believe the next Jedi will be self-taught and use elements of both the light and dark side.  Let them figure out the force on their own without tons of overbearing rules.

Supreme Leader Snoke’s death at the hands of Kylo Ren was a big surprise.  I certainly didn’t see that coming.  After The Force Awakens came out, Snoke was one of the most talked about characters.  This is due to how little we know about him.  What we do know is that he was extremely powerful with the dark side of the force, and lived for a long time.  When the original trilogy was released about the same could be said about Emperor Palpatine.  Theories about Snoke continue to flood the internet even after his death.  Maybe he’ll come back somehow.  Some fans need to calm down and remember that these films are like puzzle pieces.  When all the pieces come together we’ll see the whole picture.  We’ve got two years of speculation to go.  Episode IX opens in December 2019.

The 1977 Star Wars Wonder Bread set is one of the few not to have been issued by Topps.  Although many of the same images are also used on Topps products.  A total of (16) cards make up the set.  It covers a wide range of characters, droids, and spaceships.  The card fronts feature a yellow nameplate showing the character’s name and the actor portraying them.  Going up the right side on all of the cards are the words “Star Wars”.  The backs are very plain and provide a short description of what is pictured on the front.  Card numbers interestingly are spelled out versus being printed in numerical form.

One card came packaged in specially marked bags of Wonder Bread.  These bags and any promotional material advertising this giveaway are highly sought after today.  There was also a mail-in offer for a complete set.  Condition is a major factor with these cards.  Black borders are notorious for chipping.  That goes for no matter how the cards are packaged.  Imagine what happens to a black bordered card that’s tossed in a bread bag and thrown around a grocery store.  Examples that are in pristine condition can sell into the hundreds.

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