Topps promotes digital Star Wars trading cards with new ios app

For those folks who would enjoy the fun of collecting Star Wars themed trading cards without the hassle of having them pile up around the house, Topps recently introduced STAR WARS: CARD TRADER on the Apple App Store for iPhones, iPads, and Ipod touch which it bills as the "official Star Wars trading card app."  Star Wars: Card Trader provides the opportunity to collect digital reproductions of the physical Topps card board collectibles that have been produced for the upcoming The Force Awakens movie as well as those previously distributed from the original and prequel Star Wars films.  There will also be cards featuring characters, scenes and vehicles from the animated television shows Star Wars: Rebels and Clone Wars. This Star Wars effort ties into fan enthusiasm for the December film premiere of Episode VII and follows the company's success with a similar app for baseball cards for iOS devices BUNT: The MLB Digital Baseball Card Trading Game.

Star Wars: Card Trader can be downloaded for free.  One free pack of trading cards can also be opened every day once the app is downloaded.  For those who want to build larger collections credits can be purchased ranging from .99 cents for 3,000 credits to $100 for 900,000 credits.  What you can purchase with credits in the "Cantina" will vary from a basic pack of trading cards to unique exclusives.  Plus collections can be built by trading cards with other app users from across the country and around the world with a feature called "Trading Like a Jawa."

 “In the same way that digital media is transforming reading books, listening to music and watching television, Card Trader is revolutionizing Star Wars collecting,” said Michael Bramlage, VicePresident of Digital at Topps in a press release to A Geek Daddy blog. “Your favorite characters, vehicles and locations from the Star Wars universe can be collected and traded on your iOS device, from anywhere at any time.”

Here are a few of the features of the app #Topps promoted in its press release launching Star Wars: Card Trader:

 The First Cards From Star Wars: The Force Awakens: BB-8, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, Rey and other recently announced new characters from Star Wars:The Force Awakens are here! Go to the Cantina and blast open packs to try to find these exciting new cards, all released in vintage-inspired “Star Wars‘ 77” blue and red border designs.

Trading Like A Jawa: The Star Wars: Card Trader app is like a 24/7 Star Wars card convention that you can take with you anywhere you go. Meet real people, make friends, complete trades and build your collection with confidence using features like 9-for-9 trading and Trader Ratings to highlight your trading partner’s trustworthiness.

Classic Re-Releases: Only Topps brings you over 30 years of official-licensed Star Wars trading cards in new, high-definition digital format, from the vintage era to today.Haven’t collected cards in a while? Check out Topps’ state-of-the-art Parallax and Motion cards, innovations that could never have existed in cardboard!

The App Store description notes that there will be more than 1,000 officially-licensed Star Wars digital cards featured with some including futuristic special effects and enhancements.  CLICK HERE to download Star Wars: Card Trader.

This seems like a nice app to have some fun and goof around with, especially for casual collectors. I'd recommend if you are having your kids play with it that you make sure your parental control features are turned on and in-app purchases turned off though.  You'll probably want to stick with physical trading cards though if you are looking to pick up movie mementos, a long term collectible, or want some items you can use as potential financial investments. 

So while this app obviously isn't for the serious collector it does bring back trading cards to the attention of today's kids who are more interested in flipping through their tablets and smart phones than grabbing a piece of gum and some trading cards from a grocery or toy store checkout lane.  From a nostalgic perspective, as a kid myself that had shoe boxes full of Topps' Star Wars and baseball trading cards, it is nice to see the tradition of children and teens collecting trading cards for fun continue into future generations through the products changing with the times.  Most young people aren't collecting these things to try and make a profit off them someday and this digital app caters to those fans.