Mark your calendars card collectors, Fanatics/Topps is on the move. With the acquisition of the NBA license just a lap away, and the NFL rights merely two steps behind, the trailblazing company is gearing up to radically redefine the trading card landscape. Their recent Industry Conference in Atlanta laid out the colourful tableau of their plans. From the classic sports like basketball and football, to ones with a growing fanbase like UFC, soccer, and F1, Fanatics/Topps is throwing down the gauntlet with an enviable spread of card releases.
Basketball devotees, brace yourselves for the grand reentrance of Topps Chrome to basketball. Do you hear the fans cheering? It’s been over a decade since its last appearance during the 2009-10 season. The buzz is nearly deafening, thanks in part to the surreal promise of an autographed card featuring the NBA rookie superstar Victor Wembanyama. The company even managed to secure exclusive autograph contracts with luminaries such as Wembanyama, LeBron James (fresh from exiting his alliance with Upper Deck), the invincible Shaquille O’Neal, and the legendary Kevin Durant.
Football isn’t just about pigskins and touchdowns, it’s about the power players, so the company is concentrating on expanding their football card collections around college themes until the NFL license rolls out in 2026. The forthcoming football collections flip the conventional playbook, presenting Motif, Composite, Collegiate Chrome, Collegiate Royalty, Bowman U Chrome, and Bowman U Best, with expected launches in the third quarter of 2024.
Bending it like Beckham, Fanatics/Topps is also giving a major boost to the soccer card scene with the introduction of Champions League Dynasty Product, featuring all on-card autographs and match-worn gear. Turning the sports equality spotlight, there’s also a new women’s Champions League series with patch autographs. As the cherry on top, bask in the grandeur of “The Grail” inserts across six assorted soccer products. The grand prize? An all-expenses-paid trip to the 2024-25 Champions League Final!
When it comes to UFC card collections, think premium. Fanatics/Topps is reintroducing the coveted Finest series along with absolute knockouts such as UFC Midnight, Knockout, and Gold Label, commemorating the acquisition of the UFC license.
The F1 lineup continues to gain speed, with the introduction of Paddock Pass (similar to the Stadium Club series but featuring chrome cards) and other exciting releases such as Topps Chrome Finest and Dynasty.
This remarkable and visionary outlay of releases from Fanatics/Topps is a testament to their commitment to diversify their reach and augment the joyous experience of sports card collecting. It’s an exhilarating motley of anticipation, nostalgia and invigoration, embracing veteran enthusiasts and enticing new ones to the extraordinary world of trading card culture. Buckle up, collectors, because Fanatics/Topps is about to take us all on a wild ride.