They’re still a year away from taking over the NBA license and two years from owning the NFL rights, but Fanatics/Topps is going full steam ahead on trading card releases for both sports.
Having acquired some exclusive autograph deals with key players, the company will produce a variety of basketball products in the months to come, including Topps Chrome, which will return as an NBA release for the first time since the 2009-10 season. It’s expected to arrive this summer.
Topps kicked off its promotional efforts for the product with an image of an autographed card of rookie Victor Wembanyama.
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Fanatics has an exclusive autograph contract with the French phenom and recently announced it had also struck a deal with LeBron James, who left Upper Deck. James autographs will appear in upcoming Topps products along Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Durant and others.
At their Industry Conference in Atlanta Tuesday, Topps announced some of the basketball products it will be releasing in the months ahead, including:
Midnight Cosmic
Chrome Finest
Motif (a higher end release)
Royalty Collection
Collegiate Chrome
Bowman U Chrome
For products devoted to professional players, Topps still can’t use NBA or team logos or nicknames until it takes over the license from Panini America next year.
Football
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Topps won’t have an NFL license until 2026 but will also be pushing out more football products in the months ahead, mostly centered on college players. However, CJ Stroud rookie autographs will start appearing soon.
Motif will be another release here along with “Composite,” which appears to be a brand similar to Panini’s Chronicles line in which Topps will use a mix of designs from its various lines. It will release in the third quarter of 2024.
Other football products currently in production include:
Motif
Collegiate Chrome
Collegiate Royalty
Bowman U Chrome
Bowman U Best
Soccer
Topps will produce a Champions League Dynasty soccer product that will include all on-card autographs and match-worn gear and a women’s Champions League soccer product with patch autographs. Topps also announced that its soccer products will include “The Grail” inserts, spread across six different products. The grand prize for collecting the set will be an all-expense paid trip to the 2024-25 Champions League Final.
As we reported a few weeks ago, 1/1 MLS Debut Patches are coming. They’ll appear in Renaissance, Finest and Chrome. It’s a similar concept to the MLB Debut Patches that Topps has been utilizing in baseball since last season.
UFC
Finest will return as a UFC brand now that Topps has taken over the license from Panini. Also in the works is a high-end product called Royal, along with UFC Midnight, Knockout and Gold Label.
F1
Formula 1 releases in the Topps pipeline include Paddock Pass (essentially Stadium Club for F1 with chrome cards). Paddock Pass will have a retail configuration. Also coming: Topps Chrome Finest, Dynasty (with booklet cards and Michael Schumacher cut signatures).
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Notes: Bedard Day; Fanatics Strategy; Sesame Street and 1972 Topps Football; Simms, Florio Talk Memorabilia
Notes: Wembanyama 1/1 Rookie Nets Huge Price; Kid in Jackie Robinson Photo Meets Collector; More
