The Baseball Card Thread: 2022

[batmagadanleadoff]

First Fanatics receives an exclusive license from MLB to produce baseball trading cards, beginning in 2025, thus ending Topps' 60+ year reign as the premiere baseball card distributor.



Today, Fanatics buys out Topps for about half a billion bucks.



https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/04/fanatics-acquires-topps-trading-cards.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/04/fanatics-acquires-topps-trading-cards.html





I guess this means that we'll continue to see Topps Heritage releases, even when Fanatics takes over. They'll just be called Fanatics Heritage cards.

Edited January 4, 2022 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

It seems to me that, having already beaten out Topps for the license that was Topps' golden goose, the main reason to acquire Topps would be to get the Topps brand and continue putting it on baseball cards.

[seawolf17]

Yeah, and Topps sort of said as much today. I'm sure we'll see changes in distribution and process and whatnot between now and then, but it looks like the brand will survive.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

They'd be idiots to try and futz with the brand. Make Fanatics your NFT sub-brand

[seawolf17]

Exactly. Topps is a fuckin' cash cow, which is why they bought it. Everyone panicked (myself included, a little bit) when the original deal when down, but I said at the time that a LOT would happen between then and 2025, and this proves it. Fanatics isn't going to spend millions of dollars and then alienate the oldest part of their fan base with the most disposable income to blow on this stuff.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

https://scontent.fdet2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/274095649_10159794018764594_3856110389251747814_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=2c4854&_nc_ohc=YFaxFBDt_kcAX9MbZMq&_nc_ht=scontent.fdet2-1.fna&oh=00_AT8oMwPrXW1tYm1G2EZbFxmMiKay056lbs-dhR-KNpkXng&oe=6213143C>



Topps posted this neat graphic showing each year's designs. Would make for a cool poster.

[seawolf17]

I am super excited for this year's design, especially after last year's was such a mass. Haven't seen them in the wild yet, but they usually show up on Fridays. I bought into a break on The Bench too.

[G-Fafif]

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Got my first pack today. Impressive how Topps PhotoShopped Guardians uniforms on the Cleveland players. A long way from those 1977 Blue Jays and Mariners!



https://beckett-www.s3.amazonaws.com/news/news-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-Topps-Series-1-Baseball-Variations-21-Shane-Bieber.jpg>



https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61x31oZhcTL._AC_SL1000_.jpg>



https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-WTSwebRL._AC_SY445_.jpg>

[Willets Point]

The Topps airbrush artists were, um, creative at times.

https://beckett-www.s3.amazonaws.com/news/news-content/uploads/2021/02/agee-spectacular-400.jpg>

[batmagadanleadoff]

Have it Your Way. I am not a crook. Ya Gotta Believe!



Topps Heritage celebrates 1973.



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/qsYAAOSwJTBiL-t7/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Ln4AAOSwjv5iL-p3/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/kRYAAOSwD9diL8Kg/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/jvkAAOSwi1piL8nT/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/8GIAAOSwrhJiM51O/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LNsAAOSwHjRiMyNf/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/NJgAAOSw0nViMyNg/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HrYAAOSwUiBiLUgj/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]



[FIMG=333]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/UH0AAOSwgfZiMlWb/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]

[seawolf17]

My favorite thing about Heritage every year is how Topps echoes the old sets. Those Dom and Marte photos are right out of the 1973 set. (So's Pete, for what it's worth.)

[Benjamin Grimm]

Two of those cards overlap with previously existing Schaefer cards:



http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/PeteAlonso1973.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/DominicSmith1973.jpg>

[seawolf17]

This is far and away the wildest baseball-card related thing I've ever seen. Tanner Jones is a card collector/designer who is the world's biggest Jose Canseco fan, and what he just made is absolutely mind-blowing.



https://tanmanbaseballfan.com/2022/05/youve-never-seen-a-baseball-card-like-this-before-mystery-cabinet-full-of-secrets-surprises.htmlhttps://tanmanbaseballfan.com/2022/05/youve-never-seen-a-baseball-card-like-this-before-mystery-cabinet-full-of-secrets-surprises.html