1979 Topps Rocky II Trading Cards
Product Details
It's reasonable to understand why there was never a set of trading cards when the original Rocky released. It wasn't on a lot of radars, especially when it came to licensing and bubble gum cards. A couple of years, a massive box office haul and a ton of awards later came the inevitable sequel. And with that came the deals and merchandise, including 1979 Topps Rocky II trading cards.
The main set has 99 cards, which is standard for the time if not slightly on the large side. It's a spoiler-heavy checklist that does a good job of encapsulating the film in which Rocky, not so much an underdog anymore, gets a second chance against the flamboyant champ, Apollo Creed.
1979 Topps Rocky II card fronts have an old-school feel to them. Unlike 1991 Fleer Baseball, the bright yellow border works. The film's logo is splashed across the card like a banner with the card number alongside it. Images take from the film's action, both inside the ring and outside it. The card's caption is included inside a red boxing icon.
Backs come in two types. The ones with write-ups continue with the yellow border. A silhouetted Rocky has his glove out. The ensuing "smash" makes a red box with the summary in it. These cards also have another glove icon with the card number. Other backs take a basic puzzle approach.
In addition to the base set, 1979 Topps Rocky II also has 22 Stickers. Inserted one per pack, they recycle images from the main set and put them inside a die-cut glove. Stickers have a black border and are blank on the back. Like a lot of sets from this era, the stickers can be easier to find because they were also offered in massive vending cases that had no base cards. Even with the larger-than-average Sticker checklist, one case of 4,500 stickers makes a lot of sets.
Although Rocky III never got a set, Topps jumped back in for Rocky IV. They also included a very limited number of Sylvester Stallone buyback autographs from both sets in 2013 Topps 75th Anniversary. These are original cards signed by the actor.
Today, 1979 Topps Rocky II does decent on the secondary market. It's still fairly readily available but not as common as a lot of other sets. This has meant that prices have stayed out of the gutters but it's still affordable, even for professionally graded cards and unopened boxes. As far as movie sets go, this one has more crossover appeal into the sports realm thanks to its boxing theme and the iconic stature the Rocky Balboa character has today.
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Checklist
1979 Topps Rocky II Checklist
Base Set Checklist
2 Rocky's Girl, Adrian
3 Stickball Champ!
4 Sultan of Stickball!
5 Yo, Butkus!
6 The Champ and His Dog
7 Rocky Pops the Question
8 Hitched
9 It's Cold Outside!
10 Rocky's Speech
11 Inside the Meat Factory
12 The Rock at Work
13 Rappin' with Paulie
14 Don't Mess with the Rock!
15 Actress Talia Shire
16 Rocky's Training Technique
17 Mrs. Balboa...Expecting!
18 Encouraging Words
19 Visions of Victory
20 The Verbal Bout
21 Training at the Gym
22 "You Can Do It!"
23 Fists of Fury
24 Man behind the Muscles
25 The Rope Exercise
26 Shapin' Up!
27 Punch That Bag!
28 Rocky's Trainer, Mickey
29 Rocky's Hope
30 Splatter the Stallion!
31 Actor Burgess Meredith
32 "Weighty" Task!
33 The Living Legend
34 Tuning Up!
35 Feelin' Strong Now!
36 Fury of Apollo
37 Demolishing His Opponent!
38 Nothing Can Stop Me Now!
39 Gonna Fly Now!
40 Philly's Favorite
41 The Big Battle
42 The Square Jungle
43 The Contender
44 Man-Mountain Creed
45 World in His Corner
46 The Gladiators
47 Chin-Up, Rock!
48 It's Now or Never
49 The World's Champ
50 Formidable Foe
52 The Slugfest Continues!
53 Power of Apollo
54 Against the Ropes
55 Stay in Control!
56 Man of Destiny
57 Apollo's Dynamic Fists
58 Bloody Confrontation
59 A Left to Rocky's Chin!
60 Creed...Smashed!
61 The Undefeated Champ
62 Rocky Rocked by Apollo
63 The Raging Giants
64 Fire in Every Muscle
65 In Over His Head!
66 Flesh and Fury
67 Rocky Gets Riled!
68 Rocky on the Offensive
69 Round Nine Coming Up!
70 Bruised But Not Beaten!
71 The Warriors Clash!
72 In the Rock's Corner
73 "I Won't Give Up!"
74 Balboa's Dream
75 The Final Round
76 Creed Creamed!
77 Devastating Sock!
78 Both Men Are Down!
79 The Champ's Been Floored!
80 The Moment of Truth
81 One Last Chance ...
82 Summoning Hidden Strengths
83 Hand in There, Rocky!
84 Down for the Count!
85 Four...Five...Six!
86 Do It Rocky!
87 Stumbling to His Feet!
88 The Reeling Champ
89 The Winner!
90 The Victorious One!
91 A Hard-Fought Battle!
92 Moment of Glory
93 Now...Number One!
94 Balboa's Triumph
95 Interviewing the Champ
96 Man of the Hour
97 Face of a Champion
98 High Spirits
99 "We Did It, Adrian!"
Stickers Checklist
2 The Warriors Clash
3 Chin-Up, Rock!
4 Meet Rocky
5 Man of Destiny
6 Stickball Champ!
7 Face of a Champion
8 Fury of Apollo
9 Formidable Foe
10 Rocky’s Trainer, Mickey
11 Bruised But Not Beaten
13 Rocky’s Hope
14 Feelin’ Strong Now
15 Don’t Mess with the Rock!
16 The Living Legend
17 Punch That Bag!
18 Yo, Butkus!
19 Rocky Pops the Question
20 It’s Cold Outside
21 Actress Talia Shire
22 World in His Corner
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