Topps – US – Evolution II: Update Edition (2006)

The original Star Wars Evolution card set was an intriguing look at how Star Wars characters had developed up to a certain point. Naturally, in 2006, with the prequels completed, the story of many of those characters has changed. While 2007 will be a grand year for Star Wars as the 30th anniversary of the saga is celebrated, 2006 is a special year in its own right as fans, collectors, and the companies that surround Star Wars find ways to tie up loose ends. For the Topps card company, one way to do this is to issue an updated version of the Evolution card set, completing the stories of many characters, and adding in some beasts, and some ships, who deserve to be recognized in their own right.

A beautiful foil set, the common cards for Evolution present basic images of each character at two different points in their development. We have reminders of beginnings, and of triumphs, and we have reminders of endings and of defeats. All are presented on lovely cards that in many other sets would have been chase cards. It can in fact be difficult to distinguish some chase cards (the level A, B, and C in particular) from the standard cards in the set.

In recognition of this set as a continuation of the earlier Evolution set, and of its relationship to all other Topps card set, the foil chase cards form a mural that can be added to the murals from the Star Wars Galaxy series of cards and other more recent card sets. Beautifully drawn, these cards add some particularly nice images to the mural and clone fans will be glad to see clones represented.

Other chase cards are perhaps less elegant. The Level A, B, and C chase cards are essentially variations in the evolutions of certain key characters. The level C chase cards are numbered and limited in number (only 100), something many fans will dislike as this will make a 'complete' set more difficult to build.

Autograph cards were also included with this set in the Hobby edition boxes at odds of approximately one per box. Autographs are particularly appropriate to a set dedicated to the characters of Star Wars. Topps has again made an effort to include some top name Star Wars actors with lesser known actors who filled smaller parts in the films. One unique take on the autographed chase cards are a series of six (6) different actors who portrayed Jabba the Hutt, making it possible to collect 6 Jabba cards for the set. Some fans will be disappointed to find that autographs were done on stickers that were then applied to cards. This is becoming a common practice among all card companies and is something many fans dislike. Though some fans appreciate the extra certainty that an autograph and card are authentic and not bootleg copies, others find the stickers less appealing in appearance to the old method of having actors sign a card directly.

The autograph cards for the Evolution II set appear to have had a significant problem at some point during production that was not caught by quality assurance. At this point, it appears that the majority of the autograph cards have some level of damage. Most have very slight damage to the bottom center of the card. The foil appears to be pulled slightly or dinged, exposing some of the card beneath. On some cards the problem is very noticeable, and on others would be noticed only if you looked closely. This has led to extreme disappointment for many collectors who strive for mint only cards, and has led to considerable problems for those purchaing their cards on eBay. While some eBay sellers are being honest about the condition of the cards, others are frankly being very deceptive. Scans of cards are cut off just above the damage point. Others appear to be actually trimming the cards to remove the damage area (in the process ruining the cards!). Topps has not acknowledged the problem with some autograph cards, and has created a special Luke D redemption card available to those whose autograph cards were damaged. This Luke D redemption card has a limited availability and should prove to be an interesting collectible later on.

Three additional 'cut signature' cards were also created for the set. These cards represent autographs that would not normally be available. Signatures taken from other documents have been cut out and embedded in these special 1:1 cards. Only one cut signature card exists for each of the three individuals selected for this process. This places three very rare and special cards out there for three lucky collectors to add to their set.

Autograph cards, and the special Level C cards were not included with the retail version of cards. These cards contain the standard 6 foil chase cards, and both level A and level B inserts, but instead of Autographs and level C inserts, they contain the Galaxy Crystal Cards. These are similar in concept to Stained Glass Cards done for other Topps card sets and appear to be a great looking chase card.

Special thanks to Philip S. and also to Kristie for help with the checklist. Additional thanks to Cweed4, jr2d2, rosemaster, and ddivito. Anyone with additional information to help fill in gaps, please e-mail Cathy@ this domain.