2014 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives Trading Cards
 | $120.00 |  |
Product Details
2014 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives is just the second time the card maker has brought the popular Chrome name to a galaxy far, far away as a standalone set. With it comes one of the brand's staples, Refractors. This also marks the first Star Wars set in a long time that doesn't rely on stickers for autographs.
The base set has 100 cards. The checklist focuses a lot on the characters of the Star Wars Universe. Half of the cards are shown from the Alliance's side, while the other switches to the Empire.
Every pack includes a basic Refractor parallel, which is noted for its rainbow finish. The product also has four additional types of numbered Refractors: Prism (#/199), X-Fractor (#/99), Gold Refractor (#/50) and Superfractor (1/1).
2014 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives hobby boxes come with two hits or premium inserts. A Helmet Medallion card is guaranteed. These have a piece of metal on the card that's done to look like an iconic helmet from the franchise. Helmet Medallion cards come in both silver and gold versions. Gold parallels are limited to 50 copies each.
The second hit is either an autograph, sketch card or one-of-one Printing Plate. Autographs come with on-card actor signatures. This is the first Star Wars set since 2005 not to use sticker autographs. There have been a handful of autographed sketch cards since then, but all regular autographs since 2005 Topps Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Widevision have relied on stickers. Besides basic autographs, there are Gold (ten per signer), Superfractor (1/1) and Printing Plate parallels.
Sketch Cards put a bit of a new spin on the art format. Cards come with a chromium frame, which means the actual sketch area will be smaller.
2014 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives packs also come with one basic insert. These include Rebel Wanted Posters (1:2 packs), Empire Priority Targets (1:4 packs), Rebel Training Cards (1:8 packs), Rebel Propaganda (1:12 packs), and Empire Propaganda (1:24 packs). Each basic insert set has ten cards.
Product Configuration: 24 packs per box, 6 cards per pack
Price Point: Mid-End Entertainment Card
Target Audience: Star Wars Fans, Refractor Collectors, Chromies
2014 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives Box Break
- 1 Helmet Medallion Card
- 1 Autograph, Printing Plate or Sketch Card
- 24 Inserts
- 24 Refractors
- 144 Total Cards
Card Gallery:
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Set Checklist
2014 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives Set Checklist
Base Set Checklist
2E Princess Leia Organa
3E Han Solo
4E Chewbacca
5E C-3PO
6E R2-D2
7E Lando Calrissian
8E Mon Mothma
9E Wedge Antilles
10E Gial Ackbar
11E Yoda
12E Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
13E Crix Madine
14E Raymus Antilles
15E Bail Organa
16E Biggs Darklighter
17E Galen Marek
18E Carlist Rieekan
19E Pharl McQuarrie
20E Jan Dodonna
21E Airen Cracken
22E Borsk Fey'Lya
23E Garm Bel Iblis
24E Rahm Kota
25E Nien Nunb
26E Darth Vader
27E Emperor Palpatine
28E Wilhuff Tarkin
29E Firmus Piett
30E Maximilian Veers
31E Kendal Ozzel
32E Lorth Needa
33E Stormtroopers
34E Bossk
35E Dengar
36E 4-LOM
37E IG-88
38E Zuckuss
39E Boba Fett
40E Sim Aloo
41E Janus Greejatus
42E Kren Blista-Vanee
43E Tiaan Jerjerrod
44E Conan Antonio Motti
45E Cassio Tagge
46E Moradmin Bast
47E Thrawn
48E Wullf Yularen
49E Siward Cass
50E Jabba The Hutt
2R Princess Leia Organa
3R Han Solo
4R Chewbacca
5R C-3PO
6R R2-D2
7R Lando Calrissian
8R Mon Mothma
9R Wedge Antilles
10R Gial Ackbar
11R Yoda
12R Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
13R Crix Madine
14R Raymus Antilles
15R Bail Organa
16R Biggs Darklighter
17R Galen Marek
18R Carlist Rieekan
19R Pharl McQuarrie
20R Jan Dodonna
21R Airen Cracken
22R Borsk Fey'Lya
23R Garm Bel Iblis
24R Rahm Kota
25R Nien Nunb
26R Darth Vader
27R Emperor Palpatine
28R Wilhuff Tarkin
29R Firmus Piett
30R Maximilian Veers
31R Kendal Ozzel
32R Lorth Needa
33R Stormtroopers
34R Bossk
35R Dengar
36R 4-LOM
37R IG-88
38R Zuckuss
39R Boba Fett
40R Sim Aloo
41R Janus Greejatus
42R Kren Blista-Vanee
43R Tiaan Jerjerrod
44R Conan Antonio Motti
45R Cassio Tagge
46R Moradmin Bast
47R Thrawn
48R Wullf Yularen
49R Siward Cass
50R Jabba The Hutt
Autographs Checklist
Jeremy Bulloch
Mark Capri
Julian Clover
Kenneth Colley
Anthony Daniels
Carrie Fisher
Harrison Ford - Redemption
James Earl Jones
Jack Klaff
Ian Liston
Angus MacInnes
John Ratzenberger
Tim Rose
Billy Dee Williams
Triple Autographs Checklist
Helmet Medallions - Silver Checklist
2 Anakin Skywalker
3 Darth Vader's TIE Fighter
4 Stormtrooper
5 Spacetrooper
6 Star Destroyer
7 Boba Fett
8 Boba Fett
9 Slave I
10 Luke Skywalker
11 Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
12 Millennium Falcon
13 Luke Skywalker
14 Grizz Frix
15 X-Wing Fighter
17 Leia Organa
18 Jabba's Skiff
19 Snowtrooper
20 AT-ST
21 TIE Fighter Pilot
22 TIE Fighter
23 AT-AT Driver
24 AT-AT
25 Scout Trooper
26 Imperial Speeder Bike
27 Death Star Gunner
28 Death Star
29 Emperor's Royal Guard
30 The Second Death Star
Empire Priority Targets Checklist
2 Princess Leia Organa
3 Han Solo
4 Lando Calrissian
5 Admiral Ackbar
7 General Madine
8 Obi-Wan Kenobi
9 General Rieekan
10 Wedge Antilles
Empire Propaganda Checklist
2 THE CIRCLE IS ALMOST COMPLETE
3 THE IMPERIAL ACADEMY
4 THROUGH PEACE VICTORY
5 GUARDING THE GALAXY
7 SURRENDER OR DIE YOU REBEL SCUM
8 THE FORCE IS WITH HIM
9 NO PRICE TOO GREAT VICTORY
10 RIGHT IS MIGHT
Rebel Propaganda Checklist
2 LOOK TO THE FUTURE
3 DON’T BE A SARLACC
4 NO PRICE TOO GREAT
5 THE FORCE IS WITH US
7 THE DEATH STAR IS GONE, BUT THE WAR RAGES ON…
8 THE ODDS SEEM LONG, BUT…
9 LOOMING LIKE A SHADOW
10 WILL HE EVER KNOW FREEDOM
Rebel Training Checklist
2 TIE FIGHTER
3 AT-ST
4 DEATH STAR
5 LAMBDA CLASS SHUTTLE
7 SPEEDER BIKE
8 TIE BOMBER
9 SECOND DEATH STAR
10 SLAVE I
Sketch Cards Checklist
Wanted Posters Checklist
2 Darth Vader
3 Admiral Piett
4 Boba Fett
5 General Veers
7 Grand Moff Tarkin
8 Moff Jerjerrod
9 Royal Guards
10 Imperial Probe Droids
Product Review
2014 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives Product Review
Reviewed by Ryan Cracknell
Good: On-card autographs, Chrome is a fresh angle, Refractors add a character-collecting element, dueling points of view makes for a fascinating read.
Bad: Sketched look of Wanted Posters does not work, some of obscure characters have poor images.
The Bottom Line: 2014 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives feels fresh in a lot of ways, but very familiar in others. Sketch cards are nothing new. Most of the autograph signers are somewhat regulars. But with Chrome being such a big part of the sports card world, it’s strange to see that it has been largely overlooked with Star Wars, especially in the last decade. So that’s refreshing. The on-card autographs are also a great thing, even if they’re pretty tough to pull. This isn’t a perfect set, but it’s one that shows a lot of promise if Chrome continues (and it should). It’s also a set where it’s important to take the time to read the backs and immerse yourself in the content beyond just the images and shiny stuff.
Card Design: 3.8/5.0
Chrome gives a new look to a very familiar card subject. Star Wars Finest was an all-art set with full images on the front. Chrome Archives took cards from the original film and simply Chromed them up. Outside of inserts, this is the first time a new design has been done with the format. Most are solid, although some of the most obscure characters have fuzzy images or ones that are so dark, they’re hard to make out. The best base cards are the ones that have minimal background elements. The contrast between these lighter backgrounds and the character image make the style pop. This is even more so when you move to the Refractors.
One thing that’s missing from the cards is etching. These outlines used to be done by Topps, but it seems they don’t do it any longer. That’s too bad. Etching adds a nice textured look. The lines of the top and bottom borders would have worked very well like this.
The Wanted Posters are a major disappointment. The pencil-sketched artwork is nice, but it doesn’t work with the dark look of the chromium. Making things worse is the fact that they’re so easy to pull and you end up with a big stack after a box.
And while the Training and Propaganda Poster sets look better, they still seem a little out of place with the technology. They certainly belong with the dual point of view focus that explore both the Republic and the Empire, but not so much the Chrome format.
Checklist: 4.0/5.0
After nearly four decades of Star Wars cards, I’m amazed that the crew working on these are able to come up with fresh angles for new sets. Chrome Perspectives isn’t a one-note product. Look closely and you’ll notice there’s a lot happening with the theme. Initially, I was taken aback by the dual checklist with R cards and E cards. But the way it’s executed is actually very interesting. R cards describe characters from the POV of the rebels. In a nutshell, Princess Leia is good, Darth Vader is bad. It’s the reverse for the E cards as they’re presented through the eyes of the evil Empire.
Coming close on the heels of the largely character-driven Galactic Files sets makes it a little redundant in some ways, but there’s still some freshness in the spin.
I was pleasantly surprised with how strong the autograph list turned out. The shift to on-card autographs could have made it easy to go with a checklist of lesser names and holdout the premier stars for an ensuing set that might be a tougher sell. Instead, there are several marquee names and a surprise triple autograph that should be a crown jewel in the hobby.
Value: 4.5/5.0
This is one of those products that appears to have been under-ordered, leading to a smaller print run. The Gold Helmet Medallion parallels went from an announced print run of 100 down to a final run of 50. Every case has a hot box of five hits instead of two. These sorts of things bode well for the overall break as there’s a decent chance of getting more than you might have bargained for. And even if you do hit the stated odds, things like the Gold Refractors and other parallels are turning out to be not too tough to pull.
The autographs offer some massive names. You shouldn’t hold your breath at landing the triple autograph, but there’s nothing wrong with landing Mark Hammil, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, James Earl Jones or Harrison Ford. Even for the lesser names that have signed before, the on-card signatures give most of them something new.
Sketch cards will no doubt vary, but that’s always the case. It would be nice to see a higher percentage of better quality sketches, especially when you compare it to the standards other companies have.
With the inclusion of Refractors, there’s a better way to land some nice cards that might not normally be considered hits. They introduce something of a player collecting element to an entertainment product, something that doesn’t really happen on this side of the hobby. Like sports fans with their favorite players, the Refractors can draw in collectors who have favorite characters. I know I’m doing it with Jabba the Hutt and have heard from other collectors looking for others.
The Fun Factor: 4.0/5.0
At first, I was ripping packs looking for Refractors, autographs, medallions and sketch cards. That was the initial rush. With so many Refractors (one basic per pack plus a handful of numbered ones), it was fun to take a quick marvel at them. It was after sorting through them all that the themes and intricacies came through. As awesome as it is to have on-card signatures and the possibility of other big cards, it’s this commitment to theme that ultimately makes Chrome Perspectives stand tall.
Click here to check out some of the highlights from a box break.
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More Info
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Merrill Resnick
The perspectives two sketch card redemption card are they 1/1…. autographed…. if so by who and who are the sketches of?