If you like Ben Baller’s cards in the Topps Project 2020 series, you might be interested to know you’ll soon be able to acquire some fresh material outside that arena.
Baller (real name: Ben Yang) tweeted Tuesday that he’s agreed to a deal with Topps for his own Chrome-branded baseball set. No details have been released yet.
I am very proud to announce that I have my own @Topps Chrome limited edition box set dropping this summer. More details coming soon. Thank you to the Topps team and @MLB on another partnership. ⚾️🙏🏼
Thank you to my agency @excelsm the best sports agency on earth! pic.twitter.com/Dp8vmZNU1g— BEN BALLER™ (@BENBALLER) July 8, 2020
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that “the hobby” is really a separate entity than the “sports collectibles” market as a whole. While avid collectors may be focused on the hottest autographed rookie cards, high-end boxes or top-grade vintage cards, the public at large buys mostly lower cost items.
Case in point: the Amazon Best Sellers list. As of this moment, the top selling item in their Sports Collectibles category is none other than Topps Opening Day blaster boxes, which are actually priced a bit higher than retail.
The second position on the list is one seller’s random group of 1980s and 90s football packs. The third biggest seller is the 2020 Topps Series 1 24-pack retail box, which is the highest priced item in the top 5 at $79.99 and is a Fanatics exclusive.
Topps Series 2 hobby boxes and hangar packs also slid into the top 10 this week.
You can see the entire list here.
The Washington Redskins will almost certainly have a new name soon and it will undoubtedly impact the hobby on some level.
Panini America will have to hustle to switch to whatever new name and logo is selected and don’t be surprised if other collectibles and memorabilia are big sellers.
“I expect there will be a tremendous demand for products featuring the new team name, and classic Redskin collectibles will also temporarily spike in value,” said Edward Schauder, former General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Licensing at Steiner Sports. “This was the case when the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals, albeit in that circumstance, without the controversy.”
Washington items bearing the team’s current logos are no longer available at Target, Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods stores.
A fresh NBA trading card release arrives Thursday.
Panini Elite Basketball won’t be in hobby shops, though. The company has turned it into an online-only release.
Elite launches at 10 a.m. CST with 20 five-card packs per box. An average box will have two autographs, eight inserts, eight parallel cards and two rookie cards (# to 299 each).
Some have been cancelled. Some are in limbo because of ever-changing government orders.
Other card shows, though, have been able to get back to business.
You’ll have to mask up but the Jacksonville Sports Cards Show is one of those welcoming dealers and customers who are willing to accept protective measures.
They held their first event of 2020 on Saturday and Jacksonville.com was there.
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