The Force Is with CGC Trading Cards! Now Grading Star Wars

CGC Trading Cards® is thrilled to announce that Star Wars cards are now eligible for grading!

The first Star Wars card to be graded is the unique Han Solo yellow printing plate from the 2021 Star Wars Bounty Hunters set. Printing plates come in four different colors — black, cyan, magenta and yellow — and are used to print trading cards. Each card only has one printing plate of each color, making this a one-of-a-kind collectible. The printing plate features an image of Harrison Ford as Han Solo, along with Ford’s autograph towards the lower middle of the card. It received a grade of CGC 8.

Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Star Wars Bounty Hunters (2021) Topps - #A-HF Printing Plate - Yellow - Autograph graded CGC 8 and pedigreed as the First Star Wars Card Graded by CGC Trading Cards. Click images to enlarge.

CGC Trading Cards is set to grade all official Star Wars cards from 1977 to present, except for large and alternate format cards such as the Widevision, Super Wide and Panorama Sketch variants. Please note that CGC Signature Series services are not currently available for Star Wars cards certified by CGC Trading Cards.

George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, introduced the series in a 1976 novelization of the first film: Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker. It was followed by the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which received a surprising amount of critical and financial success. Lucas went on to finish the original trilogy and create a prequel trilogy. In 2012, Lucas sold the rights to Star Wars to Disney, which then released the sequel trilogy as well as shows for its streaming service, including The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The success of the films gave the Star Wars franchise the opportunity to release a multitude of merchandise and reach fans with other forms of media, including comics, video games and, of course, trading cards.

LucasFilm and Topps partnered in 1977 to begin creating trading cards based off the original trilogy of movies. The first set was released in the United States that same year, with simple cards featuring iconic scenes and characters from the 1977 film and 11 collectible stickers. Popular cards from the 1977 set include Luke Skywalker #1, C-3PO #207 and Villainous Darth Vader #7.

Luke Skywalker, Star Wars - Series 1 (1977) Topps #1 graded CGC 7 and pedigreed to the European Trading Card Tour - 2022. Click images to enlarge.

Topps produced 10 sets of collectible Star Wars cards from 1977 to 1983. There wouldn’t be another set until nearly a decade later, when they released Star Wars Galaxy Series 1 in 1993. Instead of using photos and images from the movies, this newer set presented artwork of the Star Wars universe from a wide range of artists. Cards included portraits of 12 of the movie characters, production artwork, poster art, promotional and merchandising art, and art from the comic book illustrators.

Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back - Series 1 (1980) Topps #9 graded CGC 9.5 and pedigreed to the European Trading Card Tour - 2022. This is the first Star Wars card to feature Yoda. Click images to enlarge.

Today, Topps continues to release modern Star Wars cards for online purchase. Some of Topps’ more popular modern sets include its 2014 Chrome Perspectives set, the first set to feature Star Wars Prism Refractor cards, and its online-only Living Set, a special series of cards that can only be purchased online once per week.

Princess Leia Organa, Star Wars Chrome Perspective (2014) Topps #2R - Prism Refractor graded CGC 9.5 and pedigreed to the European Trading Card Tour - 2022. Click images to enlarge.

Star Wars also saw its fair share of special sets, including promotional and commemorative releases. Many of these limited sets contained one-of-a-kind cards that could only be collected by purchasing a hobby box or several packs. CGC Trading Cards had the pleasure of grading one of these rarities: an Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars 40^th Anniversary (2017) Topps #1/1 Artist Sketch Card by Kaela Croft, which received a grade of CGC 9.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars 40th Anniversary (2017) Topps #1/1 Artist Sketch Card by Kaela Croft graded CGC 9 and pedigreed to the European Trading Card Tour - 2022. Click images to enlarge.

Submit your Star Wars card collection to CGC Trading Cards today! The CGC Trading Cards experts are looking forward to serving Star Wars fans and collectors with the most dependable certification process in the industry, including assurances that all cards are genuine, accurately graded and well-preserved.

Is it your first time submitting to CGC Trading Cards? Don’t worry; it’s easy! Learn how to submit cards by clicking here.