Iconic Rookies: 1978 Topps Superman Movie #59 – Christopher Reeve’s Superman

If you grew up anywhere near a TV in the 80s or 90s, there’s a pretty good chance your mental picture of Superman isn’t a comic panel – it’s Christopher Reeve, smiling in that blue suit with the giant red “S” and the cape blowing behind him.

Comic people will (correctly) point you to Action Comics #1 for Superman’s true rookie. But on the movie-version Superman side – the Reeve portrayal specifically – this card is one of the key early pieces of cardboard you can actually afford to own:

1978 Topps Superman-Movie #59 – Superman (Christopher Reeve).

A Different Kind of Rookie

This isn’t “first time Superman ever appeared on anything.” The character had been on cards, stickers, and food issues for decades. What this card gives you is much narrower and way more specific:

• The first Topps trading card run built around Superman: The Movie
• A full-bleed photo of Christopher Reeve in costume – no crowd, no villain, no gimmick
• His name literally printed on the front: “Superman (Christopher Reeve)”

So the way I frame it is: this is a rookie card for the Christopher Reeve film Superman. If you’re building a binder of “defining on-screen firsts” – Vader, Yoda, Indy, Rocky, etc. – this absolutely belongs in that conversation.

Set Snapshot: 1978 Topps Superman-Movie

Topps went big for Superman: The Movie. The trading-card release is a full, old-school movie set:

• Year: 1978
• Manufacturer: Topps
• Total cards: 165 in the base set
• Format: Two series – Series I with white borders, Series II with red borders, plus multiple sticker and foil sticker inserts

Card #59 sits in that red-border Series II run. The mix in the checklist is classic late-70s Topps: actor portraits, key scenes, and a bunch of very on-brand captions like “The Amazing Man of Steel” and “Protector of the Peace.”

It’s not a “short print” or a chase insert. This is a pack-pulled base card that kids were supposed to actually handle… which is part of why finding a truly clean copy now is more fun than it sounds.

What the Card Looks Like

Even if you’ve never seen one in person, you can probably imagine it:

• Bright red border framing the photo
• Reeve in full suit, smiling, cape draped, blue sky in the background
• Large Superman logo in the lower left corner
• Simple caption at the bottom: “Superman™ (Christopher Reeve)” with the card number “59★”

It’s basically a mini movie still. No word balloons, no comic-art stylization – just that very specific, very era-locked version of Superman that sold the whole “you’ll believe a man can fly” tagline.

PSA Pop & Pricing: What the Numbers Say

For a card that feels this important to the character’s on-screen legacy, the graded population is still surprisingly manageable.

According to PSA’s CardFacts and population report, you’re looking at dozens of graded copies spread across the 4–9 range, with just a single PSA 10 on record and a modest stack of 9s and 8s underneath it. Prices in auction history are very reasonable by modern “IP rookie” standards – often in that low two-digit range unless you’re chasing the very top of the census.

Handy PSA Links

• CardFacts page for #59:
  PSA CardFacts – 1978 Topps Superman-Movie #59 Superman (Christopher Reeve)
• Auction prices & pop just for this card:
  PSA Auction Prices – 1978 Topps Superman-Movie #59 Superman (Christopher Reeve)
• Full 1978 Topps Superman-Movie set population:
  PSA Pop Report – 1978 Topps Superman-Movie (All Cards)

Topps vs. O-Pee-Chee: U.S. and Canadian Takes

Because it’s the late 70s and of course this happened, there’s also a Canadian O-Pee-Chee version of the Superman-Movie set. It mirrors the Topps design, with its own print run and its own PSA pop line.

If you want to really lean into the “on-screen Superman rookie” angle, a nice little mini-PC could be:

• Topps #59 – U.S. release
• OPC #59 – Canadian counterpart

PSA tracks the OPC set and its auction results separately, so if you’re into international variants, you’ve got another rabbit hole to disappear into.

How to Collect It Without Going Full Krypton

This isn’t a six-figure comic and it doesn’t pretend to be. That’s the appeal.

• Raw: You can still find decent raw copies in cheap lots, show boxes, and random eBay listings. Centering and print quality will be all over the place, so cherry-picking photos pays off.
• Mid-grade slabs: PSA 7–8 examples give you that slabbed display look without making your wallet cry.
• High-end chase: If you’re the type who wants “best on the census,” there’s essentially one PSA 10 out there with a tiny handful of 9s. Good luck, and may your budget be more invulnerable than the average Metropolis citizen.

The nice part is you don’t have to be a hardcore Superman or DC person to justify the card. It’s just a clean, era-defining snapshot of one of the most famous superhero performances ever put on film.

Where It Fits in the Iconic Rookie Project

If the goal with this series is to map out the first truly great trading cards for on-screen characters, this one checks a lot of boxes:

• Beloved, instantly recognizable portrayal (Reeve)
• Clearly labeled character and actor on the front
• Part of a proper, licensed Topps set
• Accessible price point today… at least for now

In a binder next to Yoda, Rocky, Indy, and the rest of the “movie rookie” crew, 1978 Topps Superman-Movie #59 looks completely at home. It’s the kind of card that doesn’t need a six-paragraph sales pitch to make sense. You flip to it, see the suit, see the grin, and your brain just goes:

Yeah. That’s Superman.