Star Trek Vault: Topps' The Motion Picture Trading Cards

Back around the time that Star Trek: The Motion Picture beamed into theaters nationwide in 1979, Topps introduced a set of Star Trek: The Motion Picture Trading Cards -- and we just geeked out going through the set we found in our Star Trek Vault. The set boasted 88 cards and 22 stickers, and Topps sold them in wax packs that included 10 cards, one sticker and a big piece of pink bubblegum.

Card #1, of course, served as a checklist, with all of the cards listed on the back. Each card featured a descriptive caption, some of which were helpful (Filming the Shuttlecraft), made sense (Spock on Planet Vulcan), cut to the chase (Uhura) and/or even bordered on poetic (Toward the Unknown). Others... well, they still make us laugh 36 years later: Lizard Like Diplomat, Incredible Explosion!, The Face of Terror, Duo for Danger and The Unearthly Mr. Spock.

And the stickers, they essentially were photos of the main casts, a few ships and some aliens, with most of the images bordered in hot pink because that just totally screams Star Trek, right?

Interestingly, the cards haven't appreciated that much over the years. A search on eBay reveals that plenty of sets are available, some priced as low as $4.99 for all 110 cards and stickers, though they're not in mint condition. An uncut set of 30 cards is going for about $18, while a full uncut set, which is truly rare, will set you back about $600.