Topps paid the Major League Baseball Players Association $20.4 million in licensing fees in 2020. That’s according to the union’s annual report with the U.S. Labor Department. The figure represents a $1,666,108 increase from 2019. The MLBPA receives more money from Topps than any other licensee. The company’s cost of maintaining its MLBPA rights has … [Read more...]
UFC Trading Card License Moving from Topps to Panini America
Panini America has landed a new, multi-year licensing agreement with UFC and will release its first set of trading cards in April. The move ends UFC's relationship with Topps, which had held the contract since 2009. Panini plans to use its popular Prizm brand to kick off the new deal, with a product set to release in April. Panini will also produce 2021 UFC … [Read more...]
Topps Remains MLBPA’s Top Licensee as Union Stockpiles Cash
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...]
Topps, MLS to Continue Trading Card Deal
Topps and Major League Soccer will be trading card partners for at least a few more years. The two entities announced a “multi-year” extension of their exclusive partnership for both physical and digital cards and collectibles on Thursday. The move came on the day America’s top pro soccer league announced it was putting its 25th anniversary season on hold because of … [Read more...]
Topps, WWE Extend Partnership
The Topps Company has reached a multi-year agreement that extends its global partnership with WWE for licensed trading cards. Topps has featured WWE Superstars since 2005. “We’re excited to see how far we can push the WWE license to bring new and exciting products to fans around the world,” said Topps General Manager and Vice President David Leiner. Specific … [Read more...]
NBA Trading Card License to Remain with Panini
The NBA is sticking with Panini. The league and the trading card maker announced what they called a “long-term, multiyear extension” of the exclusive trading card contract first signed in 2009. The deal means Panini won’t be facing any competition from other trading card makers for at least the next several years. It’s the second renewal of the agreement … [Read more...]
Panini Wins NFLPA Award
Panini America has been named one of the NFLPA’s Licensee of the Year award winners. The announcement came during the recent Licensing Expo 2016. Panini America won for Hardlines Licensee of the Year, EA SPORTS won for Digital Licensee of the Year and 500 Level for Apparel Licensee of the year. The NFLPA, via its licensing and marketing arm, NFL Players Inc., launched … [Read more...]
Topps Will Bring Football Brands to Digital Deal
They won’t be making pro football cards you can hold but on Monday, Topps announced long-term agreements with the NFL and the Players Association to continue publishing digital cards in its Topps NFL Huddle app. The deals allow Topps to continue to deliver some of its most popular brands in digital form. In other words, you can still collect Chrome and Inception—but only on … [Read more...]
NFLPA, Panini Create Football Index
Trading card manufacturers have generally avoided referencing card values or secondary market sales when promoting their products or initiatives. Panini America and the NFLPA are doing just that as their exclusive licensing arrangement kicks in. On Wednesday, the two entities unveiled the first NFLPA Trading Card Index, a new quarterly report which will rank the … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Time to Cut the Auto-Relic Cord?
It seems almost impossible to fathom now, but back in the 1970s collecting sports cards meant piecing together one main set. Topps did football, baseball, basketball and hockey. You bought packs (boxes or complete sets if you were an adult) and that was was pretty much it. If you lived in the right area, you could buy something like the 1970 or ’71 Supers,’72 Posters or '77 … [Read more...]