Trading card manufacturer Press Pass Inc., is shutting down and collectors who may be holding redemption cards or hoping to get damaged cards replaced are out of luck.
In an email to Sports Collectors Daily on Monday, the company stated: “We’re disappointed to announce that Press Pass, Inc. is closing the day to day operations, effective immediately. Accounting and legal resources are in place to conduct a reasonable closure of the business should that be the end result. We apologize but no redemptions, damages etc. will be honored.”
The exact number of outstanding redemption cards, typically issued for autographed material that arrived to late for product insertion, or not at all, isn’t known, but according to Beckett Media, the number would not appear to be a large one.
Founded in 1992, Press Pass was NASCAR’s sole licensed manufacturer of trading cards but the company also produced pre-draft issues featuring NFL hopefuls and also created numerous other sports and non-sport sets over the years.
The company is based in the Charlotte suburb of Huntersville, NC.
“We are very thankful for the years of support from all of our customers and consumers,” the statement continued. “Over the past 22 years we’ve strived to produce compelling products that serve the interests of our end consumers. While it has not always been perfect, we have truly enjoyed our successes, and the relationships we’ve built with so many who share our passion for trading cards. Our hope now is that our paths will cross again soon.”
The company’s most recent product was NASCAR Cup Chase, which was released in the fall.
Press Pass did play a role in the creation of the memorabilia card. In its January 1996 NASCAR release, race-used tires were incorporated into a Burning Rubber racing insert. Later that year, they introduced race-used sheet metal cards, race-used Dale Earnhardt fire-suit cards, and the first-ever game-used jersey basketball cards for a draft product that also included cards and autographs from Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen and others. Embedding memorabilia in trading cards caught on with other manufacturers and is now a staple in most products.
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