Topps - US - E1: Widevision Hobby Edition (1999)

Two sets were part of the initial release of Phantom Menace merchandise; a hobby set, and a retail set.

Unlike the Special Edition hobby and retail sets, which were entirely different in appearance and design, the Episode One sets are essentially the same basic set, but with different chase cards.

The set is in the now famous Topps Widevision format. This format is terrific for movie photo cards, as it allows images from the film to be presented without cropping. It also gives a lot more room on the backs of the cards for information.

The cards are printed on 20-point stock with a UV coating. There are 80 common cards in the set, featuring movie highlights and character profiles. These are the same 80 common cards found in the retail version of the set. The cards essentially follow the plot of the movie.

The chase cards are where this set seems to get interesting. In the past, we have seen between 6 and 10 chase cards, usually chrome cards. Although this set does have 8 chrome cards (very nicely done), it also includes a difficult to complete set of 40 'foil stamped' cards. Essentially similar to the common cards, but featuring a blue border, and a small foil stamp in one corner, these cards form subsets focused on; Droid Battle, Aliens, Jedi vs. Sith, and Podrace. While these cards are a nice addition to the cards found in the retail set, they are not exceptional.

There are 5 wrapper variations for this set; Amidala, Anakin, Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon Jinn. Unlike the retail wrappers (which feature a price in the lower right-hand corner), these wrappers feature the words 'collector edition' in one corner.

Thanks to Stefan Benders who provided additional information on this set as reported in Previews. Additional thanks to Jeff Tedder for helping to fill in some blanks.