JENKINTOWN, PA - Rittenhouse Archives and www.scifihobby.com are pleased to announce that the upcoming Battlestar Galactica Premiere Edition Trading Cards will feature exclusive autograph cards signed by Tricia Helfer (Number 6)and Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck). This all-new series will be limited to 6,000 sequentially-numbered boxes, with each box guaranteed to contain at least 1 hand-signed autograph card and 1 costume card. Battlestar Galactica Premiere Edition Trading Cards will be available May 4, 2005.

In addition to the cards signed by Helfer and Sackhoff, there will be autograph cards signed by cast members Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Chief Petty Officer Tyrol), Paul Campbell (Billy Keikeya), Connor Widdows (Boxey), Alessandro Juliani (Lt. Gaeta), Nicki Clyne (Specialist Cally) and more!

The roster of costume cards features authentic Battlestar Galactica costume materials from Number Six, Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama, Commander William Adama and Colonel Saul Tigh.

Other exciting bonus sets include Roll Call cards featuring the 9 starring cast members of the show; Cylon Threat cards highlighting the mechanical and human-like Cylons that look to end human existence; and the "Quotable" Battlestar Galactica cards presenting many of the show's most memorable quotes.

Each box of The Complete Battlestar Galactica Trading Cards will contain 40 packs (5 cards per pack) and will carry a suggested retail price of $84.00 per box ($2.10 per pack). The 72-card base set will cover the four-hour Battlestar Galactica mini-series that started it all. Fans and collectors will also be able to store their collections in a custom-designed collector's album, which will retail for $39.99 and will contain an exclusive autograph card of Callum Keith Rennie as Leoben Conroy and an exclusive promo card.

A "Hands On" Review

Now that I've gotten a my hands on this NEW trading card set I can finally throw up my 2 cents on this product. Following in the footsteps of the "CLASSIC" Battlestar release comes this set based on the "NEW" Battlestar Galactica. Fans of the new show should be glad to see merchandise finally hitting the shelves of their much beloved show. I am happy to say that these cards are of the same high quality that made the previous release such a hit with fans.

The foil wrapper is decked out with a cool graphic that is far and above better than the previous release. Other than the improved front graphic the foil wrapper is the same as on the classic set. Trust me, no one can pre-search these decks - they are sealed tight and sealed fresh.

This time around not only have they included the super stand out cylon threat cards, but they have special costume cards. What's a costume card? Good question! Basically it's a special card that has a tiny bit of the costume attached to the card - along with the picture of said costume. This is a very cool idea and gives the buyer something to hope for when opening up each pack. Like with the previous release, each time you open a pack you almost get the feeling your playing a lotto scratcher. Will you get the super costume card? Will you get that autograph card you have been after? Well.. I can say its best to buy an entire box rather than just a single pack. These special cards are special because there are only so many per box or per ratio of packs. You will need a box to come out a winner here.

One down side to this series is they have cut back on the amount of cards you get from 7 to 5. (The Complete Battlestar Galactica Set had 7 per pack). With only 5 cards per pack the box the cards come in has lost some size. Besides this, the set is super! I think fans can be assured that the trading cards are being handled in a top notch fashion.

Another Good Job! Now, when can we get some stickers included like the old days?

Written by Mike McAdams

About Rittenhouse Archives, Ltd

Rittenhouse Archives, Ltd. is a leading producer of science fiction and fantasy based trading cards and related collectables. Its licenses include Star Trek, James Bond, Xena: Warrior Princess, Stargate SG-1, Farscape, Twilight Zone, Six Million Dollar Man, Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen, Planet of the Apes, The Outer Limits and Conan. Visit www.scifihobby.com for more information.