After a few days of generally positive vibes, the 2021 Industry Summit came to a close Wednesday with one trading card company chief addressing the elephant in the room. Leaf doesn’t have a major sports trading card license, but in light of the new deals Fanatics has reportedly made to essentially take control of the major contracts, company president Brian Gray is feeling … [Read more...] about Prepare to Pivot: Leaf’s Gray Offers Message to Industry in Wake of New Trading Card Player
trading card license
Labor Dept. Report: Topps Paid MLBPA Over $20 Million in 2020
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...] about Labor Dept. Report: Topps Paid MLBPA Over $20 Million in 2020
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...] about UFC Trading Card License Moving from Topps to Panini America
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...] about Topps Remains MLBPA’s Top Licensee as Union Stockpiles Cash
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...] about Topps, MLS to Continue Trading Card Deal
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...] about Topps, WWE Extend Partnership
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...] about NBA Trading Card License to Remain with Panini
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...] about Panini Wins NFLPA Award
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...] about Topps Will Bring Football Brands to Digital Deal
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...] about NFLPA, Panini Create Football Index