The Beckett Blog

In a year absolutely crammed with jaw-dropping, stagger-inducing hobby headlines, yesterday’s announcement that Topps would not be granted a 2010 trading card license from Players Inc, the marketing and licensing arm of the NFL Players Association, was one of the biggest.

Reaction to the news from the collecting community has been fast, furious and full of passion in the 19 hours since Beckett Media first broke the story. Clearly, the news seemed to hit most collectors like a blindside blast from Ray Lewis.

Even in such a tumultuous time, the move still caught most collectors off guard if for no other reason than “Topps” is the most recognized brand name in sports collectibles history and has produced football trading cards for 54 consecutive years.

That seems destined to change in a big way.

Here’s a sampling of the spirited reaction we’ve received from collectors on Beckett.com and the Beckett Blog:

“A disappointing day for Topps NFL trading card collectors. Players Inc’s decision to eliminate Topps has not been very well received based on the comments on our forums. Only time will tell if the decision is for the betterment of the hobby. These are challenging times and I’m hopeful that both Panini and Upper Deck produce NFL trading cards that collectors will desire, and that the industry recovers from the downward spiral we have seen the last few years.”
– Thomas Fish, Blowout Cards

“No way . . .”
– Avery and Burton, from Beckett.com

“I guess Topps won’t be able to flood the market with sticker autos anymore. Hooray! Small victory for the collectors.”
– President Obama, from the Beckett Blog

“Topps has, by far, the most loyal and longtime collectors. They have been around forever and have the best sets and best affordable brands each year. Topps Chrome, Bowman Chrome, Topps, Finest – all these are nice cards with buildable sets. It seems to me these products sell well and keep value. Other cards are hot at release and drop off a cliff a couple of months later. The hobby might be better with fewer cards out there pushing all values down, but why couldn’t they have booted UD?”
– harvey57, from Beckett.com

“Instead of trimming the tree evenly to inspire new growth (by limiting the number of products by each company), the licensing people continue lopping off one or two big branches and leaving the other ones to keep going in the same direction and we’re left with the same overgrown and uglier tree.”
– Greg A, from the Beckett Blog

“A sad day indeed.”
– pbean, from Beckett.com

“This is crap! Topps is the best brand on the market. Topps is the longest running card company in the game and has the history to prove it. When I buy sports cards I always buy Topps first! Players Inc is just in it for the money; this is just another reason for collectors to walk away. We as the collectors are treated as if we don’t matter. But let me tell you, without us you will all go under.”
– Bill B, from the Beckett Blog

“Well that sucks big time. Great sets like Triple Threads and Topps chrome (one of the best all time sets) won’t be there any more.”
– titansaussiefan, from Beckett.com

“I’m just getting into collecting cards and have really come to enjoy and prefer Topps. They may be ‘old school’ to some, but they do a fantastic job without getting lost in all the flash and awe, like Upper Deck.”
– Brimey, from the Beckett Blog

“This is very, very bad. Topps has the best football products: Finest, Triple Threads and Topps Chrome. I can’t even imagine not having them next year. Why don’t they boot Upper Deck? All the Panini [sets] are OK, but all their products are mirror images of each other. Please let this be a bad dream!”
– LPearce7, from Beckett.com

“They don’t deserve the license.”
– Tim H, from the Beckett Blog

“What an absolute bonehead move. Topps has been making cards for decades now and you drop them and go with a company that has been around for a few months and has been making crap during that time. It’s a good time to get out! Card stores can officially close their doors now; there is no future in this hobby.”
– HeritageKing, from Beckett.com

“Is anyone really surprised by this move? Upper Deck is not the only one that has redemption problems. Topps has them, too. But I do like Topps products the best. I guess it’s just money, and that sucks for collectors!”
– hometownhero, via Beckett.com

“It’s a very sad day for football card collectors. I am not shocked by this move. We have seen it on the baseball and hockey side so why not football? Why do the people who make these decisions not consider those who actually collect the cards? Oh never mind, it’s all about the dollar.”
– BigT314, from Beckett.com

– Tracy Hackler