Star Wars Toltoys Card Backs

Star Wars Week*

Cardbacks Update

*Might actually be a couple of weeks.

I love talking with people who are more knowledgeable than me, and when it comes to Toltoys Star Wars collecting there are a whole bunch!

One such collector is my mate Dax, who happens to have the finest collection of Star Wars cardbacks I have ever seen, probably the best in the known universe. In his extensive collection Dax has an example of 15 of the 16 known characters released on Toltoys logo cards, with only the Death Squad Commander eluding him.



After speaking with him about his cardbacks, I now feel confident in saying that the Toltoys cards were printed from scratch by Toltoys, and are not overprinted Kenner cards.

The first argument for this is the figure height information on the rear of the 12 backs. Australia has a metric measurement system, and so by law all measurements on printed material in this country should be in millimetres, centimetres, metres, kilometres and so on.

The good part of this is that we get to drive at 100 or 110 on our highways with no worries. The bad part is that when you ask someone what their height is they might say 183.5 centimetres. And no we have no idea how tall that is either, go Google it if you must. Anyway the backs of some 12 backs have the printed figure height info in millimetres instead of inches as in the US or UK. The cardbacks in the photo above have the following characteristics:

1. Luke Skywalker 12 bk, round logo, made in Taiwan, measurements in inches
2. Princess Leia Organa 12 bk, round logo, made in Taiwan, measurements in inches
3. Artoo Detoo 12 bk, round logo, made in Taiwan, measurements in millimetres
4. Chewbacca 12 bk, round logo, made in Taiwan, measurements in inches
5. C-3PO 12 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong, measurements in millimetres
6. Darth Vader 12 bk, round logo, made in Taiwan, measurements in inches
7. Imperial Stormtrooper 12 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong, measurements in inches
8. Ben (Obi Wan) Kenobi 12 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong, measurements in inches
9. Han Solo 12 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong, measurements in inches
10. Jawa 20 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong
11. Tusken Raider 20 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong
12. Greedo 20 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong
13. Hammerhead 20 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong
14. Snaggletooth 20 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong
15. Walrusman 20 bk, bar logo, made in Hong Kong

Dax argues further (and I agree) that the Sandpeople cardback is another smoking gun.

“It is actually titled Tusken Raider on both the back of all the 12 back cards (unlike Kenner 12 back cards) and the front of the actual 20 back figure card (again, a change that did not occur till much later with Kenner).”

“On the back of all the Toltoys 20 back cards it is still referred to as Sand People. Now if Toltoys are obviously printing their own cardbacks and fronts it doesn’t seem to make sense to over-print an already produced cardback.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m declaring case closed on this one and packing it away in a big wooden crate Indiana Jones style. I would add that there are top men working on it right now. Just don’t ask me who.

Cheers!
Will

Special thanks to Dax for tonight’s info and picture.