Do Unlicensed Sports Cards Matter?
One of the biggest basketball cards of 2024 was recently pulled, sparking a debate about whether licensing on sports cards is as important as it has been in the past.
This young collector just pulled the 1/1 Topps Chrome Wemby rookie cardβ¦look at the pure joy! β€οΈπ₯Ή pic.twitter.com/S1QMhRQu4P
β Topps (@Topps) October 19, 2024
After 14 long years, with some exceptions, Topps released a full basketball product for the first time this year.
There was a strange era in basketball cards between 2009 and 2012 when basketball cards were much more limited than they are now. In 2012, we saw the first release of one of basketball's most important products, Prizm. With the basketball licensing switching over to Fanatics and Topps in the next few years, we might be seeing some of our last Prizm basketball releases β at least the last few years of licensed Prizm basketball.
Bringing it back to 2024, this year, Topps reintroduced Topps Chrome Basketball. Topps not only acquired the license to make NBA cards in a few years, but in recent years, they also signed the exclusive autograph rights to one of the most hyped prospects since Zion Williamson β Victor Wembanyama. This means that any Victor Wembanyama rookie autographs would be exclusive to Topps.
This Topps Chrome product is bucking the trend weβve seen in the sports card industry for a while. Unlicensed cards are generally not viewed on the same level as licensed cards. In a few years, we will really see the impact of this product.
Topps needs to recoup the money from the exclusive contract they signed with Wembanyama, which could explain the release of their Topps Mercury product, packed with his autographs. This product also includes LeBron James autographs to entice buyers, though some have argued the price point of $8,000 per box is a little too high.
ππ₯πππππ‘π: The first EVER LeBron James & Victor Wembanyama dual autograph card has officially arrived.
β Topps (@Topps) September 17, 2024
There are 6 of these cards in existence: a 1/1 Superfractor, and a Red version limited to 5 copies. pic.twitter.com/T11j18DkAE
Could Topps have waited until they had the full license to start making basketball cards again? Probably. But this serves as a good test run for them to gauge the market. Although the product is unlicensed, itβs a good way to see how popular this type of product could be before releasing fully licensed cards in the future.
Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.