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Retro Scan: 1978 Jaws 2 Wax Pack Trading Cards!

"Jaws 2," released June 16, 1978, was the sequel to the blockbuster hit "Jaws" by Steven Spielberg.  It stars Roy Scheider as Chief Martin Brody.  Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton co-star as Martin's wife Ellen and Amity Mayor Larry Vaughn.  

The plot centers around Chief Brody's suspicion that another great white shark has begun to terrorize the seaside resort community of Amity Island.  Following a series of incidents and disappearances, Chief Brody's suspicions are proven to be true.

Jaws 2 suffered from some production flaws.  The first director, John Hancock, proved unfit for an action and suspense film and was replaced by Jeannot Szwarc.  The lead, Roy Scheider, only agreed to reprise his role to end a contractual issue with Universal Pictures and was very unhappy throughout filming.  Reportedly, Scheider and Szwarc got into several heated exchanges that delayed filming.  

Nonetheless, "Jaws 2" was the highest-grossing sequel in history, even if for a brief moment.  A year later, Rocky II was released and took the title away from the Jaws franchise.  

The "Jaws 2" tagline of "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." has become one of the most famous taglines in history.  It's been parodied and reused several times over the years.

After mixed reviews, the franchise received two more sequels.  It was followed by the gimmicky "Jaws 3-D" in 1983 and "Jaws: The Revenge" in 1987.

The trading cards, by TOPPS, were in pretty good condition for being over 40 years old.  The gum, of course, was still mostly intact, as you'll see below.  I included the card backs that provided "Movie Facts" information about the film, but those without film information had puzzle pieces of a larger photo.  The final image I included is all of those card backs together.  Also included in the pack was a photo sticker, in this case, the bloody killer whale found on the beach.  I like that the sticker backing has the Jaws 2 logo on it and not just a blank "Peel Here" icon.


















 

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