1982 Topps ET The Extra-Terrestrial Trading Cards
Product Details
It may not have quite the same appeal with a new generation as, say, Star Wars or the super hero of the week, but Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is still one of the most beloved Hollywood movies of all time. When it was first released in 1982, it broke box office records, made Reese's Pieces cool and spawned a ton of merchandise. One of those is the set of 1982 Topps ET The Extra-Terrestrial trading cards. Boasting one of the most distinct designs for a movie set from the era, it chronicles both the film, a little bit of behind-the-scenes action and even hints at some material that didn't make it into the final cut.
The 1982 Topps ET The Extra-Terrestrial base set has 87 cards. Nearly all of them use stills from the film, although director Steven Spielberg lurks in the background of one and a couple of others use promo shots to profile actors. The focus of the set is retelling the story scene by scene. Two cards capture a cut sequence. The first card show Elliott being taken to the principal's office by a pair of nurses following the frog incident. The next card shows the young star floating in the air while talking to the principal. On the card, on the arm of the principal is shown but the actor is none other than Harrison Ford.
Base cards have a blue border design that is speckled with stars. The effect is reminiscent of the original 1977 Topps Star Wars Series 1 cards. However, these are taken a step further with the iconic silhouette of ET and Elliott riding across the moon in the bottom corner. Card backs use a similar silhouette in the background, this time larger and with the addition of trees. Descriptive text is written over top.
Every pack of 1982 Topps ET The Extra-Terrestrial comes with one of 12 different stickers. These come in three different styles. Seven of them use a still from the film (recycled from previous cards) and border the image with a red film strip. Two stickers are actually sheets of 16 mini stickers. Each sheet has just four different images, though. The final three have E.T. cast against a solid colored backdrop. Stickers 10 and 12 are considered short prints.
Sticker backs can be put together to form a nine-piece puzzle of Gertie kissing E.T. The final three stickers show the completed puzzle.
1982 Topps ET The Extra-Terrestrial trading cards were printed in large quantities. As a result, they're still relatively easy to find and reasonably priced.
In 1996 Topps released a pair of promo cards for a planned ET Widevision set. Besides an over-sized base set, it hinted at holofoil and motion inserts. The set never came to be, though. The basic promo is quite common. However, there is also a MultiMotion card of Elliott and E.T. crossing the moon that is extremely scarce with just a handful of copies in circulation.
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Set Checklist
1982 Topps ET The Extra-Terrestrial Checklist
Base Set Checklist
2 Alien Visitors!
3 Stranded!
4 Mysterious Glow!
5 Elliot's Search
6 Fright in the Woods!
7 An Alarmed E.T.!
8 The Vigil
9 E.T. Approaches...
10 Fear of the Unknown
11 A Trail of Candy
12 The Friends Meet
13 A Boy's Best Friend?
14 The E.T. and Me
15 Among Elliot's Toys
16 Reading a Comic Strip!
17 Where Do You...
18 E.T. and the Flower
19 A Hungry E.T.!
20 Gertie Says "Hi!"
21 A Quick Disquise!
22 Alone in the House
23 Up To Mishief!
24 A New Found Friend!
25 What's in the Fridge?
26 Time for a Snack!
27 An Unearthly Thirst!
28 Elliot in School
29 E.T. Lives it Up!
30 E.T. Watching TV!
31 Frog Madness!
32 The Tipsy Alien!
33 Trouble for Elliot!
34 What's Wrong...
35 Uplifting Moment!
36 Dressed Up By Gertie!
37 Comic Strip Strategy!
38 They're Coming...
39 The Listeners
40 A Present for "Mom!"
41 It's Halloween!
42 Elliot's Disguise!
43 Off On Their Mission
44 Trick or Treat!
46 In the Woods
47 E.T. Phones Home!
48 Testing Communicator
49 Message Into Space!
50 Did They Hear You?
51 Their Home Besieged!
52 Spaceman at the Door!
53 The Investigators
54 Sterilizing the House
55 The Air Hose
56 How Can We Save Him?
57 You're Killing Us Both!
58 The Emergency Ends
59 "Don't Die, E.T.!"
60 The Escape Plan
61 All Bundled Up!
62 Van To Freedom!
63 "They're Gaining!"
64 To The Landing Site!
65 Bicycle Chase!
66 For the Love of E.T.!
67 A Mother's Concern!
68 E.T.'s Glowing Heart
69 Sighting the Aliens!
70 Spaceship is Coming!
71 Cosmic Landing
72 Michael's Farewell
73 A Present for E.T.
74 Gertie's Goodbye Kiss
75 The Friends Depart
76 A Final Farewell
77 Entering the Ship
78 E.T. and His Gift
79 Spaceship Interior
80 Interstellar Garden
81 Return to Outer Space
82 Elliot's Family
83 E.T.'s Director
84 Filming the Aliens
85 An Amazing New Star
86 Friendly Face
87 Checklist
Stickers Checklist
2 E.T. with Dog
3 E.T. Wrapped in Blanket
4 E.T. Touching Nose
5 E.T. with Arms Raised
6 E.T. and Elliott
8 Mini Stickers - E.T., Elliott, Gertie
9 Elliot, Gertie, Mary
10 E.T. Blue Background SP
11 E.T. Yellow Background
12 E.T. Red Background SP
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Justin
I have about 35 to 40 cards from the 1982 set they are also in French just wondering if they are worth anything?