Fanatics is striding forward in the sports card industry with its partner Topps, despite only being a year away from obtaining the NBA license and two years from grabbing NFL rights. The dynamic duo recently shared their plans for an ambitious lineup of card releases, demonstrating their proactive strategy in diversifying their offerings across basketball, football, UFC, soccer, and F1 during their Industry Conference in Atlanta.
Catching the limelight in basketball is the triumphant return of Topps Chrome. The relaunch this summer marks its first appearance since the 2009-2010 season. Card enthusiasts and hoop fans alike can barely contain their engaging excitement, with a promotional autographed card from NBA newbie sensation Victor Wembanyama amplifying the anticipation. Fanatics/Topps further sweetens the basketball deal with exclusive autograph contracts from top-tier talents such as LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kevin Durant, ending James’ former association with Upper Deck. The forthcoming release promises an alluring amalgamation of Midnight Cosmic, Chrome Finest, Motif (high-end release), Royalty Collection, Collegiate Chrome, and Bowman U Chrome. However, without access to NBA logos or team nicknames until the official license transfer from Panini America next year, the wait might be a bit of a cliffhanger.
Topps is also pushing the envelope in football, focusing primarily on college themes until the NFL license kicks off in 2026. The pending football releases are drafted to include Motif, Composite (similar to Panini’s Chronicles series), Collegiate Chrome, Collegiate Royalty, Bowman U Chrome, and Bowman U Best, all slated for an exciting launch in the third quarter of 2024.
Soccer enthusiasts aren’t left behind. Topps is enhancing their soccer card scene with the introduction of the Champions League Dynasty product, boasting all on-card autographs and match-worn gear. The lineup will further include a Women’s Champions League product with patch autographs and “The Grail” inserts across six different soccer products. The grand prize? A fully covered trip to the Champions League Final of 2024-2025. Additionally, unique 1/1 MLS Debut Patches will be sprinkled across the Renaissance, Finest, and Chrome collections.
The UFC license addition packs another enthusiastic punch with a re-introduction of the Finest series. The UFC collection expands with premium products – Royal, UFC Midnight, Knockout, Gold Label, feeding the frenzy of UFC card collectors.
Finally, the F1 lineup expands with the introduction of Paddock Pass, fronting chrome cards akin to the Stadium Club series alongside other releases – Topps Chrome Finest and Dynasty, including booklet cards and Michael Schumacher cut signatures.
This diverse and bold release lineup from Fanatics/Topps stands testament to their commitment to broadening their reach and supercharging the sports card collecting experience. It stamps an undeniable promise of exhilarating times for collectors in the near future.
