Searches, Sales for Project 2020 Cards on eBay Made Huge Leaps from April to May

While Topps continues to rack up tens of thousands of sales for its Project 2020 cards, the primary secondary market for the artist-inspired series has seen plenty of action, too.

According to eBay search and sales data obtained by SC Daily, nearly 72,000 Project 2020 listings have sold there since the project’s launch in the third week of March. 

Some eBay sellers were offering individual cards after buying in bulk from Topps.  Others waited until the 48-hour sales window closed on Topps’ website and took advantage of a robust market for cards could no longer be purchased there.  The average price for a Project 2020 listing on eBay from April 1 to March 28 was $43, more than double times the cost of a card originally purchased through Topps at release. 

Prices for some of the cards released during the first couple of weeks of the program skyrocketed as Project 2020 gained more exposure and it became evident many of those early print runs of fewer than 2,000 cards were the exception. 

While prices for many of the cards spiked over a short period of time during the latter half of May, they’ve since settled back as the market frenzy died down.  Still, the secondary market for Project 2020 continues to be more active than most collectors expected.  According to eBay:

• Searches for “Topps Project 2020” jumped more than 600% from April to May.
• Sales for Topps Project 2020 increased 510% from April to May. 
• The average sale price for a Topps Project 2020 increased by 77% from April to May. 

Hatched by Topps as the latest print-to-order program and launched during deep concerns over the impact of COVID-19, the program has generated millions of dollars in sales for the company in just over two months.  The program has 20 modern artists and designers putting their own spin on 20 popular Topps cards across all eras.  Two new cards are released each weekday with print runs announced after the sales window expires. Thus far, 90 of the 400 cards planned for the series have been released. 

According to eBay, the top five sales for Project 2020 listings have been for lots and the sales prices reflect some of the early volatility of the secondary market.  A collection of the first 50 cards sold for $12,100 while at another point, a collection of only the first 10 cards netted the biggest price at $14,000 and another group of the first ten sold for $8,000.

Top 10 Project 2020 eBay Sales by Price

1. Topps Project 2020 Lot #1-10 – $14,000
2. Topps Project 2020 Set Lot #21-40- $13,400
3. Topps Project 2020 Set Lot #1-50- $12,100
4. Topps Project 2020 33 Card Bundle- $12,000
5. Topps Project 2020 Set Lot #1-10 – $9,995
6. Topps Project 2020 Card #1 2001 Ichiro Suzuki Artist Proof- $9,500
7. Topps Project 2020 #1 Ichiro Suzuki Artist Proof- $8,499
8. Topps Project 2020 Set Lot #1-10- $8,000
9. 2020 Topps Project 2020 #4 Mike Trout – $7,750
10. Topps Project 2020 Set Lot Cards: #3-7, #9-44, #47-50 – $7,500

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Topps Project Artists Getting Exposure Through MLB Broadcasts Notes: Kid’s 2004 LeBron Pull Now Worth a Small Fortune; New ’51 Topps-Style Set; Uzit Cobb a Hit That’s a Wrap: Topps Project 2020 Series Closes with Final 3 Cards Notes: Young Collector Spots Kinlaw Error; Topps’ New Set, Shipping Update; R.J. Hampton Shoes; Player Masks Dr. K Gets a Mask in Efdot’s Project 2020 Card Notes: New MHCC Auction Opens; eBay Stats; Project 2020 Update Topps Tallies Early Sales of Project 2020 Cards Notes: One Auction Halted Over Suit, Another Delayed; Topps On-Demand Update

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].