Topps paid the MLB Players Association $18,768,721 in licensing fees in 2019. That’s according to the union’s annual report with the U.S. Labor Department. The figure represents a $5.6 million increase from 2018 and more than $7 million more than in 2017. The MLBPA receives more money from Topps than any other licensee. While Topps continues its longstanding … [Read more...]
What Qualifies as a Vintage Baseball Card?
So, just what is a vintage baseball card, anyway? The idea came to me recently, though it certainly wasn't on my own. See, a baseball card group to which I belong, Old Baseball Cards, debated the topic a week or so ago. As you can imagine, answers were sort of all over the place because getting a consensus on something like that is basically impossible. To find a … [Read more...]
Topps Returns To The Ice With 2019-2020 NHL Sticker Collection
Topps is returning to the ice, and the company is ready to get physical. Topps, which has operated the NHL Skate app that offers digital hockey cards, has returned with something collectors can touch. The 2019-2020 Topps NHL Sticker Collection will be available the week of Nov. 15, with 629 total stickers available to chase. Panini has produced NHL stickers in the … [Read more...]
Topps Baseball Cards of the 1950s Extended Beyond Their Base Sets
While there are baseball players in the 1948 Topps Magic set, most collectors consider the 1952 set as their first 'standard' issue. The company was new to the baseball card world and quickly competed with Bowman for top billing in the industry. Topps quickly won that battle, ultimately buying Bowman. As they navigated the new landscape of post-war bubble gum cards, the New … [Read more...]
Topps Security Breach May Have Exposed Customer Information
Topps has announced a security breach that may have impacted customers who used the company’s website from November 19-January 9, 2019. Topps filed a data breach notification late last week. They’re telling customers they became aware of possible unauthorized access on December 26 and launched an investigation with help from an external security firm. On January 10, they … [Read more...]
15 Cards for 50 Cents: 1989 Topps Baseball Set Turns 30
There are some collectors who cringe about the 1989 Topps baseball card set. After all, it was one of the sets that was mass produced during the glut of cards from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Here's something more cringe-worthy, however: The ’89 Topps set turned 30 this year. Collectors who were 10 years old in 1989 are fast approaching middle … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: 1980-81 Topps Basketball the Way They Were Meant to Be
A seller in a collector group to which I belong made the offer. Up for grabs was about 175 panels from the 1980-81 Topps basketball set along with a dozen 'intact' cards. The asking price was $20 delivered, which seemed low enough as it was. But the last thing I needed was to be sucked into another collecting project. Anyway, I'm mostly a pre-War guy, for … [Read more...]
No Retreads: Topps, Adidas Create Cleats Inspired By Baseball Cards
Topps and adidas are hoping that their new partnership will gain some traction among sports collectors and training enthusiasts. The two companies announced the adidas Baseball x Topps pack, a cleat and trainer product that features the adizero Afterburner, Icon cleat and Icon Trainer. The product combines the experience of opening a pack of Topps cards — specifically, … [Read more...]
Inside the Rhode Island Plant That Printed Topps Cards in the 1990s
John Tassoni Jr. is a busy guy. He likes it that way. He produces two trade newspapers and hosts a pair of talk shows. He’s a hockey official who also drove a Zamboni for 10 years. From 2001 to 2012, Tassoni was a Rhode Island state senator, serving on committees that tackled health care, housing and municipal government. He currently runs his own public relations firm … [Read more...]
Mysterious 1971 Topps Greatest Moments Baseball a Star-Studded Set
Most baseball card sets are full of commons with a selection of star players. But the 1971 Topps Greatest Moments set was the opposite. This short 55-card issue featured primarily big name stars. That, plus an elusiveness that appeals to collectors who like a challenge is what makes it so collectable. Here's a closer look at this unique, oversized set. 1971 Topps … [Read more...]