U.S. born soccer star Christian Pulisic has signed a new exclusive long-term agreement for autographs and memorabilia with Panini America. The deal is an extension of the exclusive agreement Panini and Pulisic first entered into in 2016 and will run through the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In addition to the autographed trading cards and memorabilia, the partnership will include marketing initiatives as well as several special projects/collaborations through the 2026 FIFA World Cup which will be played in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“It’s a special relationship that has really blossomed during the first five years,” stated Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “Christian has been a driving force behind our entire soccer portfolio – both domestically and internationally. This extension will see so many things taken to the next level and we can’t wait.”
The 22-year-old Pulisic plays for Chelsea of the Premier League and for the U.S. national squad.
“As a kid growing up I collected Panini’s FIFA World Cup stickers and trading cards – to know that I will have my own first World Cup sticker is incredible for a kid from Hershey, Pa.”
You can file this under “not surprising” but according to Bloomberg, the SPAC group headed by Alex Rodriguez has reportedly ended its efforts to explore a potential merger with Panini in the wake of reported deals between Fanatics and the NFL and NBA.
PWCC says it now has over 50,000 cards for sale at fixed prices in its Oregon vault, with a total value of over $250 million.
This week, the company launched its fixed price marketplace, with collectors who have cards in the vault now able to list them for straight sale.
Among the cards listed:
- 2017 Immaculate NFL Shield Patrick Mahomes RPA 1/1 PSA 8
- 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady Rookie Auto PSA 10
- 2003 Ultimate Collection LeBron James RC Auto /250 BGS 10 Black Label
- PSA Graded 1952 Topps Complete Set with PSA 7 Mickey Mantle
“Our goal has always been to provide liquidity for trading card collectors and investors,” said Jesse Craig, Director of Business Development
In the wake of eBay’s decision to remove it from their platform last month, PWCC is now conducting its monthly consignment auctions solely on its own website.
Here’s a lengthy, but interesting story from an Australian media outlet about collector attitudes down under. The topic is Australian Rules football cards and a local shop owner discusses the mindset of collecting there, including a greater emphasis on set completion than low serial-numbered cards.
“A question that comes up a lot, is Is the market here ready for one-of-ones?’ and I just think it’s different. People collect differently [here],” Adam Jankie said. “It’s something that’s been ingrained in them for a very long time. You’re talking about two decades of cards that have been numbered 1/1 [in the US]. If you’re 18-years-old, you don’t know any different. You’ve been educated that you can never have ALL the LeBron [James] cards. You can never have ALL the Michael Jordan cards because there are one-of-ones out there and every year there might be twenty or a hundred new one-of-ones released,” Jankie explained.
“AFL is a domestic product, it’s not a global product. If a manufacturer was going to go to a one-of-one type product, I don’t think it could be any of the major players, because it would be too detrimental to their core business model – set collecting – and the ability for people to collect.”
