27 December 2016

Carrie Fisher - The Worst Day Since Yesterday

In many ways, 2016 has felt like a bad day that just keeps getting worse. It hasn't all been bad, but there are times when it feels that way. Today was one of those days, as it was announced that actress Carrie Fisher died a few days after suffering a massive heart attack on an airplane. Any regular readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of Carrie Fisher, especially in her role(s) as Leia Organa from the Star Wars films. I thought we were about done losing beloved celebrities this year, but then the universe reached out and took my favorite one. I'm not really prone to wailing and hysterics, but I have felt pretty gloomy about it today. Obviously, her family and friends are suffering the most from this loss, but the news has got me down. I thought this would be a good time to go through and put my Leia collection all in one post.


I may go light on the commentary as I work to get through all of the scans, but up first are the two Carrie Fisher autographs I have acquired for my collection. The first is from Topps Star Wars: Jedi Legacy. The second is from 2014 Leaf Pop Century.


I have two relic cards featuring Princess Leia. One is a Shield Bunker relic from 2015 Topps Star Wars Masterwork, and the other is a hard-to-find Jabba's Sail Barge relic from Jedi Legacy.


On the left is a stamp relic from 2016 Topps Star Wars Masterwork, and the card on the right is a 5" x 7" sticker card that I believe was sold on the Topps website.


This is the run of Leia base cards from 2016 Topps Star Wars Evolution. It's a good overview of the Leia character.



These are my Leia inserts from the Evolution product. On top is a Blue parallel, and on bottom is a Stained Glass Pairings acetate insert of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.
These two cards came from a Throwback Thursday Star Wars set based on the 1980 Topps Basketball design. They were sold as part of a set on the Topps website.


This next grouping of ten over-sized cards was a 2015 San Diego Comic Con exclusive, but Topps made their remaining sets available on their website, which is where I purchased them. I would love to attend the San Diego Comic Con, but I am afraid it might be too big for me.



The card on the left is a short-print photo variation from Topps Star Wars Galactic Files. On the right is one of the base pattern variations from 2015 Topps Star Wars High Tek.


These are Bikkuriman stickers from Japan. Each of the stickers comes from a different series.


On the left is a 1983 Return of the Jedi Sticker, and on the right is a sketch on a USPS Priority Mail label done by John Soukup aka Kettle. The rest of the collection is all sketches.


Left: John Soukup. Her head is a piece of wood glued to the card. The set is Topps Star Wars Illustrated: The Empire Strikes Back.

Right: Karen Hallion. 2015 Topps Star Wars Masterwork.


Left: Mary Bellamy. 2015 Topps Star Wars Masterwork.

Right: Bianca Thompson. Personal Sketch Card.


Left: Tim Proctor. Personal Sketch Card.

Right: Jason Keith Phillips. Topps Star Wars Galactic Files.


Left: Angelina Benedetti. Topps Star Wars Illustrated: The Empire Strikes Back.

Right: Chris Henderson. Topps Star Wars Galaxy.


Left: Emily Riggsby. Personal Sketch Card.

Right: Tanner Padlo. 2015 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives: Jedi vs. Sith.


Left: Charles Dowd. 2015 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives: Jedi vs. Sith.

Right: Dan Nokes. 2015 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives: Jedi vs. Sith.


Left: Jon Morris. 2015 Topps Star Wars Masterwork.

Right: Robert Teranishi. Topps Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens.


Left: John Soukup. Topps Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens.

Right: Martin Hsu. 2010 Topps Star Wars Galaxy.


Left: Kate Carleton. Personal Sketch.

Right: John Soukup. Topps Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens.


John Soukup. Topps Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens.


That is every card-related item in my Carrie Fisher / Leia Organa collection to date, outside of cards that I never scanned as they are part of base sets. It's not a huge collection, but I am pretty proud of it. I will continue adding to this collection when I can. As far as celebrities go, this is about the worst loss possible for me personally. I can't think of a celebrity whose life and work had more impact in my life than Carrie Fisher. It sucks that she is gone now.

12 comments:

  1. Wow. That's quite a collection. Best part about it is all of the memories that were stirred up by all of the different images of Princess Leia. For a brief moment... it actually took my mind off of her passing. Rest in peace Carrie Fisher.

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    1. I was really hoping that she would pull through. You're never ready for someone you like to go, but I thought we wouldn't be facing this loss for another couple of decades at least. I can't think of another celebrity whose death would affect me more, both as the actress behind a favorite character and for her interactions with the public as herself. Just a really depressing event.

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  2. Great collection. I'm sad to see her go.

    I would love to see Blues Brothers cards. I loved her character in that, it was so different than seeing her as Leia.

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    1. The Leia character really overshadowed everything else she did and I have always been kind of a one-dimensional fan, but she did have some other memorable performances. I need to dig in and rewatch some of her other work. I'd forgotten about her appearances in The 'Burbs, Blues Brothers, and others.

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  3. I agree with Angus about the Blues Brothers. She was great in that.

    Great collection. She left us way to soon.

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    1. It was way too soon. She was relatively young, but there were some years of hard living in that mix. I need to look up some more of her non-Star Wars work.

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  4. Very sad turn of events, indeed.

    Incredible collection you got there.

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    1. It is a huge downer to close out the year. It is satisfying to see the whole collection all in one place, but it's too bad this is what it took to make me put it all together in one post.

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  5. Excellent collection, Raz. Sad that she is gone so young.

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    1. There is so much cool Leia stuff out there. I wish I could gather all of it. I am still down about her death. Very sad.

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  6. Excellent collection and it was a sad day indeed. I was on a funk for a while after I heard the news. A true icon and she will be forever missed.

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    1. It is strange how someone you've never met can get woven into your conscience. I can't even really picture myself in a world without Star Wars and, by extension, Carrie Fisher. She also did a lot with her social platform as far as awareness for mental illness and addiction.

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