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It's a shame that the original Ghostbusters didn't get a mainstream trading card release when the movie came out. Although the sequel is dreadfully inferior, 1989 Topps Ghostbusters II trading cards are important for the sole reason that it's the first set to focus solely on the classic franchise.
1989 Topps Ghostbusters II is a very simple set. The checklist has just 88 cards and 11 stickers. This was fairly normal for Topps products at the time, but the configuration makes for plenty of sets when opening by the box.
Base cards come in a few different designs, all of which use bright blue borders. The majority of the set has an inner yellow electrical design that frames the photo. The bottom has the revamped Ghostbusters II logo and a traditional caption. There's also a subset sprinkled throughout the checklist called "Wide Screen SFX Shot" that aims to show exactly how the shot looked in theaters. Unfortunately, there are no real design elements outside the uninspired font choices. Finally, there are five cards that recreate the Ghostbusters commercial from the films. These have the image shaped like a TV screen with speech bubbles replacing the captions.
Stickers are inserted one per pack. Although they have a similar plain design as a lot of other Topps stickers inserts from the period, the lack of die-cutting makes them especially plain.
1989 Topps Ghostbusters II boxes have 36 packs. Each pack has eight cards and a sticker. Boxes also have a small promotional poster that was meant for stores to put up as an advertisement.
While this is the first release to focus solely on all things Ghostbusters, it's not the first to have cards from the franchise. Slimer and Stay Puft were among the creatures included in 1988 Topps Fright Flicks, a cross-license set that looks at the lighter side of horror.
Produced near the hobby's peak, there is no shortage of supply. As a result, boxes and sets remain very affordable. Even with a resurgence in popularity with anything Ghostbusters in recent years, prices aren't likely to rise much because there's so much out there. The small set size doesn't help matters either. The average box should have multiple sets, even with heavy duplication on top of it.
It is worth noting that more Ghostbusters trading cards might be on the way. Cryptozoic currently holds the license. While no formal plans have been announced, they're expected to have something in the not-too-distant future.
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1989 Topps Ghostbusters II Checklist
Base Set Checklist
2 Bill Murray Is Venkman
3 Dan Aykroyd Is Stantz
4 Sigourney Weaver Is Dana
5 Harold Ramis Is Spengler
6 Rick Moranis Is Louis
7 Ernie Hudson Is Winston
8 Runaway Carriage!
9 Kiddie Celebrities!
10 A New Job for Dana
11 Janosz' Secret
12 Egon On the Job!
13 In Ray's Bookstore
14 Supernatural Check-Up!
15 Dr. Venkman's House Call
16 Portrait of a Monster
17 Possessed by Vigo!
18 Descent into Danger!
19 The Van Horne Station
20 Sinister Caller
21 Tully For the Defense!
22 Ghostbusters on Trial
23 Spectral Assault!
24 Scoleri's Ghost
25 A Courtroom in Chaos!
26 Struck by (Finger) Lightning!
27 The Judge - Found Guilty!
28 Ghostly Brothers on a Rampage!
29 No Order in This Court!
30 Who Ya Gonna Call, Judge?
31 Spengler Means Business!
32 Back in Action!
33 Boxed In!
34 "What is it, honey?" - TV Commercial
35 "He just won't leave us alone!" - TV Commercial
36 "And we're the...GHOSTBUSTERS!" - TV Commercial
37 "That's right -- Ghostbusters." - TV Commercial
38 "Ready to believe you!" - TV Commercial
39 The Grand Re-Opening!
40 Emergency Ghost Call!
41 The Ghost Jogger
42 Ghost Catcher Supreme!
43 A Job Well Done!
44 Merry Christmas, New York!
46 At the Museum
47 What Is This Stuff?
48 No Sign of Life!
49 All Squeaky Clean?
50 Janine's New Scheme
51 The Return of Slimer
52 The New Ghostbuster?
53 Sorry, Guys!
54 Dana Wows 'Em!
55 Love, Manhattan-Style!
56 The Baby-Sitters
57 Hate, Manhattan-Style!
58 Engulfed by Mood Slime!
59 To the New Year...
60 Restaurant Crashers!
61 Vigo's Master Plan
62 Oscar in a Jam!
63 The Evil of Vigo
64 Dana's Gamble
65 The Monstrous Mink!
66 Heads Up!
67 The Titanic Has Arrived!
68 Racing to the Rescue!
69 Psycho-Reactive Slime Food!
70 Facing the Unknown
71 Levitating Oscar
72 Tully's Big Chance
73 The Libby Express!
74 Venkman's Favorite Lady
75 The Party's Over!
76 The Confrontation
77 Eat This, Vigo!
78 Janosz - What a Drip!
79 Stantz Survives a Sliming!
80 Her Hero...Again!
81 Bizarre Revelation
82 The Fabulous Four!
83 Filming Lady Liberty's "Walk"
84 Filming the Subway Interior
85 Artwork: Slimer
86 Artwork: Scoleri Ghost 1
87 Artwork: Scoleri Ghost 2
88 Until Next Time...!
Stickers Checklist
2 Slimer and Ghosts
3 Slimer Surprised
4 Slimer Happy
5 Scoleri Ghost 1
6 Scoleri Ghosts
8 Peter, Ray, Egon
9 Ghostbusters Team
10 Ghostbusters Team with Dana
11 Ghostbusters II Logo