It’s time to visit a galaxy far, far away – as we check out the most valuable Topps Star Wars cards!
A long time ago – well, in 1977 – in our very own galaxy, Star Wars was released.
It was pretty much an instant phenomenon – a detailed, lived-in universe in which the plucky Rebellion sought to overthrow the oppressive Galactic Empire.
The widespread availability of merchandise – Star Wars branded products were absolutely everywhere, covering pretty much all bases – changed the way that movies were marketed and supported by licensed products.
Though trading cards for movies and TV series had existed long before Star Wars, they weren’t seen as a sure fire money maker.
Interestingly, the company who produced the Star Wars toys, Kenner, were part of the same organisation as a trading card publisher named Donruss – and, as ridiculous as it seems now, Donruss decided not to go ahead with a Star Wars trading card set.
Which paved the way for rival trading card company Topps to pick up – and truly run with – the license.
The rest, as they say, is history.
An incredible number of sets and cards have been released by Topps since the very first, blue bordered set hit retail shelves in 1977.
Which ones are worth the most though?
Let’s find out, as we check out the most valuable Topps Star Wars cards!
1. Star Wars Chrome – First Appearances Rey 1/1 (2023)
If we ignore signed cards that were part of card sets, this extremely limited card – the only one in existence in the entire world – is the most expensive Topps Star Wars card that’s currently available.
It’s worth mentioning our methodology here at this point – how exactly are we determining the most expensive cards in an ever fluctuating, always evolving market?
Well, to find this card’s value, we looked to eBay; searching for completed Topp Star Wars listings so that we know exactly what cards sold for.
After all, anyone can list a card for a ridiculously high price to inflate its worth; what’s important, though, is what single cards actually sold for!
Ignoring bundles of cards (and we’ve decided to also exclude autographed cards too, for the record), this 2023 card – featuring Rey’s first appearance in 2015 film The Force Awakens – appears to be the most expensive card sold this year, at just under £3,000.
Not bad for a card released this year – but, as we’ve seen with Magic: The Gathering and its The One Ring 1/1 – being the only version of a card in existence will, of course, drive its value up significantly.
Interestingly, this card wasn’t even sold as a graded item – so it’s likely to raise in value even further, should it then go on to be graded by its new owner!
2. Star Wars – The Villainous Darth Vader #7 (1977)
I’m going to be honest with you: I expected this top 10 of most valuable Topps Star Wars cards to be filled only with the blue bordered, first series of Star Wars cards that released to accompany the original film in 1977.
So I’m not surprised to see one at number two; my only shock is that a blue bordered card wasn’t at number one – though if we widened the scope of our list, no doubt all you’d see would be cards from the ‘77 set!
The original Topps series of blue bordered cards was a fairly straightforward set that introduced the main characters in the very first Star Wars film.
The card backs were different depending on the card – sometimes featuring trivia or pieces of the movie’s synopsis, or being a piece of a larger photo that could be put together with other cards from the set.
On the back of the seventh card in the 66 card set, The Villainous Darth Vader, is one of these puzzle pieces.
This card sold – graded as a 9 by the PSA and slabbed in plastic as a result – at a price way above its usual market value.
It was listed at $2,400 but the buyer accepted a best offer, which is unfortunately unknown – but unlikely to be much less than the asking price!
3. Star Wars Finest – The Mandalorian Red Refractor 1/5 (2022)
Another modern card, this one was released as part of the Topps Finest Star Wars set.
This Red Refractor variant is one of only five in the world – and the one sold was numbered 1/5 too, making it even more sought after by collectors!
Featuring a shot of Din Djarin, the popular, titular bounty hunter – and space dad – on the front, as well as a quick summary of the character on the back, this card was graded as a PSA 10.
The only PSA 10 version of the card at the time of grading made it even more valuable – and it was listed at an eye-watering price of $2,100.
Though a best offer was accepted by the seller – so the true value it sold for isn’t known – this is a card that’s only likely to increase in value, given its grading and numbering.
4. Star Wars Chrome Legacy – Bound By The Force 1/1 (2019)
Though the standard variant of the Bound by the Force card – featured in 2019 Topps Star Wars set Chrome Legacy – isn’t particularly valuable, this version features a 1/1 stamp, marking it out as entirely unique and one of a kind.
Featuring a photo of Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, during a climactic scene from The Empire Strikes Back – aboard the Millennium Falcon, when Luke is rescued from Cloud City following his disastrous encounter with Darth Vader – it’s a surprisingly ordinary-looking card.
Of course, that 1/1 stamp is everything, making this what is known as a ‘SuperFractor’ – basically fancy terminology for a one-off card printing, a categorisation it shares with our number one entry, Rey’s first appearance.
This card sold for $2,222 – and without a best offer being accepted, so we know that’s exactly what it ended up trading hands for.
It’s also worth pointing out that this is another card sold without being graded – which means that there’s a possibility of its value being raised significantly if it were to be assessed and slabbed in the future!
5. Star Wars Celebration 2023 – Exclusive Darth Maul 1/1 (2023)
Despite a tiny amount of screen time in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, strikingly designed villain Darth Maul remains one of the most enduringly popular characters to have emerged from the opening chapter of the prequel trilogy.
It helps that he’s featured numerous times in other Star Wars stories too – most notably in The Clone Wars TV series, but also in live action once more, with an all-too-brief, shock cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
If we were to include Star Wars cards that had yet to sell but were listed for incredibly high prices, we’d have a Star Wars Celebration 2023 exclusive at the very top of the most valuable Topps Star Wars cards list.
That’s because, at the time of writing, one very optimistic seller has a 1/1 Grogu card listed for $20,000!
Yet of course, as I’ve already stressed, anyone can list a card at a high price – it doesn’t mean that people will pay that value.
So perhaps the more realistic price for a 1/1 Star Wars Celebration exclusive card can be seen with this Darth Maul card, which did sell for £1,499 (which is just under $2,000).
Considering that this card is only a few months old, that’s a very high price – so we believe the new owner of the card has definitely made themselves a very worthwhile investment here!
6. Star Wars Masterwork – Princess Leia Sketch Card 1/1 (2015)
Amazingly, this card was originally listed for more than $5000, but it eventually sold for 70% less – but at $1,800, it’s still a significantly high value card.
So, it is of course another 1 of 1, making it a unique collector’s item, as many other cards on this list are.
It’s a cute, cartoony depiction of everyone’s favourite Star Wars Princess, masterfully drawn by artist Penelope Barbalios.
Barbalios has also signed the card too, making this an extra special collector’s piece.
Yes, we know we said we were staying away from autographed cards – but the artist signing their handiwork is very different to an actor signing a trading card featuring their likeness.
This was sold ungraded, but authenticated (and slabbed) by Beckett, a highly respected trading card authentication and grading company.
You can even verify its authenticity on Beckett’s website if you know the Beckett serial number!
7. Star Wars Black & White – Chewbacca and Porgs Sketch Card 1/1 (2019)
This card has a lot in common with the Princess Leia Sketch Card.
For example, it was sold by the exact same seller, for the exact same price at $1,800.
This card features an illustration by the fantastic Penelope Barbalios too, though this time it’s everyone’s favourite Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca, with the Porgs he befriends in The Last Jedi.
Lastly, it’s also signed by Barbalios herself – and authenticated, once more, by Beckett!
As it’s another example of a 1/1 card, there’s no other like this Chewbacca and Porgs Sketch Card in the world – making this yet another unique collector’s item; one that’s certain to rise even more in value over the years.
8. Star Wars Galaxy: Series 5 – Darth Vader Baseball Manga Sketch Card 1/1 (2009)
One of the less recent cards to make it to the most valuable Star Wars Topps cards list, this is unique not just because it’s a 1/1, but because its illustration is very unusual.
Yes, that’s the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader himself, in a baseball kit – ready to hit a home run.
Though he also seems to be in space too, with a very HUD-like backdrop behind him!
This sketch is by Marlo Agunos, who autographed the card in 2021.
It’s been authenticated – once again, by Beckett – so you know that this card is the real deal.
The card sold for $1,800; it’s clear that these unique sketch cards – when signed by the artists – hold significant value for collectors.
This odd sports and Star Wars mash up is no different – even though it does cast one of cinema’s greatest ever villains in a very unusual role!
9. Star Wars Masterwork – Clone Trooper Sketch Card 1/1 (2019)
The Clone Wars have proven fertile ground in the years since the much maligned prequels – and the variety of new stories have even redeemed Episodes 1, 2 and 3 of the Star Wars saga to an impressive degree.
One of the few elements that unquestionably worked well in the prequels were the Clone Troopers, initially on the side of the Republic and the Jedi – but tragically programmed with a kill code that sees them betray their allies, allowing for the rise of the evil Galactic Empire.
This fantastic black and white sketch – by Cisco Rivera – features a close up of the distinctive Clone Trooper helmet design.
It’s another 1/1 card, which is fairly unsurprising given that the most valuable and highly sought after Star Wars trading cards do seem to be one of a kind items for collectors.
This one – signed by Rivera – sold for $1,800, much like several other cards on this list.
10. Star Wars Masterwork – Princess Leia Sketch Card 1/1 (2019)
For the final entry on our most valuable Topps Star Wars cards list, we have another Princess Leia card.
In this instance, the artwork depicts Leia from the climax of A New Hope.
In the Rebellion’s base on Yavin-4, Leia is overseeing the mission that would see the rebels strike a decisive blow against the Empire – as they eventually destroy the dreaded Death Star!
It’s also another unique, 1/1 Sketch Card – signed by artist Carlos Cabaleiro.
Just like the Clone Trooper card, this one is from the popular Masterwork series, which Topps have been releasing on an annual basis for a number of years.
Given its 1/1, one of a kind status, like many other cards on this list it’s unlikely to resurface again for quite some time.
When it does, however, it’s almost certain to be sold for an awful lot more than the $1,800 it recently commanded on eBay!
If you’re into Star Wars card games, be sure to check out the new Star Wars Unlimited Card list, it’s a new card game with new ways to collect!
