If you haven’t heard, Topps tennis cards are being created and will be a game-changer for tennis. There are Topps cards for football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey already. They even have some for Star Wars, so why shouldn’t there be cards for tennis?
There have been tennis cards before, but they always needed to be more popular to get mass produced. In this article by CARDLINES, they reveal that Fanatics aims to change that and will produce the cards through Topps. The agreement applies to men’s and women’s tennis. The players will maintain their rights to their image and likeness so the players can negotiate their deal on much they should get for the cards.
And now with some of the cards released in 2023, it’s finally time to take a look at what Topps tennis cards has to offer fans. From the Hall of Fame collection to the 2021 Chrome Sealed Case, there are several options that you can pick from. So, let’s dive into the Topps tennis cards.
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This History of Topps Cards
The Topps Company is an American company that manufactures trading cards and other collectibles. Topps is one of the most well-known producers for baseball and other sport themed trading cards and have also produced cards under the names Allen & Glinter and Bowman.
While Topps was founded in 1938, you can really trace their beginnings around 1890 with an earlier firm called the American Leaf Tobacco, which was founded by the Saloman family. The company imported tobacco, but once they faced difficulties during World War I, the business decided to focus on a new product while taking advantage of their distribution channels.
This is where the company changed to Topps, where they began to produce chewing gum. Around 1950, the company was selling one of their more successful products, the Bazooka Bubble Gum, while including trading cards with Western star character, Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd).
Soon, Topps began creating trading cards with baseball players, the first made by the Sy Berger. Since then, Topps has been known as one of the leading brands to produce high-quality trading cards.
Topps Tennis Cards
We know that tennis cards are not a big market, but Topps is trying to monopolize the sports trading card world. It will take longer to do that as they try to achieve this goal. They hope they can reach a new audience and, at most, reach collectible people and tennis fans for the deal to pay out.
The Fanatics signed a 20-year contract with the tennis card deal, so they must see the potential in it becoming a huge deal. They are exploring an unknown ground since there have been cards before, but they never got the recognition they deserved.
Is the reason they didn’t sell so many cards because they weren’t produced through the well-known Topps industry? We won’t know until we see how the Topps tennis cards do. This article by Sports Business Journal says it is not clear when they will have the first Topps tennis trading card released, but they suggest keeping a look out for next year.
Are Topps Cards a Good Investment?
Generally, yes.
Topps sports trading cards are one of the leading producers for sports cards and with the resurgence of collecting sports trading cards during the pandemic in 2020, you’re now more likely to generate a profit from collecting cards.
Especially thanks to rare parallels that you can find. From autographed cards to rare versions, for those wanting to see a return in trading cards, there is quite the market right now to do so.
However, making a profit is not the only benefit, as starting collections are a great hobby for those that enjoy displaying, finding rare products, or for a way to explore more of your passions, so it’s definitely worthwhile for those that are interested.
Who Will Have a Topps Tennis Card?
There are many famous tennis players, so we can only wonder who will make it onto tennis cards. We listed a few of the top players in tennis that you can find when purchasing some of the Topps tennis cards.
- Ken Rosewall
- Coco Gauff
- Roger Federer
- Andre Agassi
- Stan Smith
- Billie Jean King
- Emma Raducanu
We believe many more players will get their own, but we must wait and see. This article by Rookie Road breaks down the six main places where tennis is the most popular. It leads us to believe that when cards are sold, we will see the most sales in England, Australia, the United States, France, Switzerland, and Spain.
How Will the U.S. Factor in?
You may be surprised to know that the United States is the place that holds the largest stadium in the world, which is right in the city that never sleeps, New York City. It is called Arthur Ashe Stadium and can hold up to 23,771 people.
The stadium was built in 1997 and became the National Tennis Center. As a result, this leads us to believe that the United States will play a big role in Topps tennis card sales and trading.
Tennis will have a new avenue for collectibles once tennis cards are created. We believe that collectors who already collect sports cards, especially those made by Topps, will purchase these new cards when available.
From everything we have gathered, we believe tennis cards will be a hit when the time comes. We’ll be sure to provide updates once we hear of any movement, production, or further deals.
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Topps Tennis Cards Released
Topps has finally released the tennis card packages that you can purchase, each with a certain number of cards, parallels and exclusive items. Let’s check out each one of them and why they’re a worthy purchase for sports fans and collectors alike.
5. 2019 Tennis Hall of Fame Set, $19.99
The first option that you can pick up is the 2019 Tennis Hall of Fame set that is only $19.99. It includes 50 cards for a complete set and features 48 current Hall of Famers including players like Stan Smith, Billie Jean King and more, as well as 2 future Hall of Famers, Roger Federer and Naomi Osaka.
For collectors, this is probably the best set to start with and grab, as it’ll truly bring to life your tennis trading card collection. With big names like Martina Navratilova, you’ll be able to highlight the sport properly. While it is the most affordable, it also has the most stunning images and description of these fantastic players.
4. 2021 Tennis Chrome Sapphire, $59.99
The next best option for first time purchases can be this 2021 Tennis Chrome Sapphire set for only $59.99. With this box, you’ll receive 8 total packs within the box, with each box consisting of 4 cards, meaning you will receive 32 cards total with this purchase.
But what makes this box worth it is the fact that you’ll receive at least 2 exclusive sapphire parallels per box, with the chance of getting more. Parallels are just rare versions of base cards, and are worth more, making it an incredible investment if you end up finding one.
3. 2021 Topps Tennis Chrome – Hobby Lite Box, $79.99
The middle choice out of these options so far is the 2021 Topps Tennis Chrome Hobby Lite Box for a decent price of $79.99. In this pack, you’ll receive 16 packs total in the box, with 4 cards included in each pack, giving you a total of 64 cards.
This is definitely a better deal, as you get double the cards from the previous listing for a bit more expensive. Along with that, you’ll be able to find 4 exclusive B&W Mini-Diamond parallels inside, making it an amazing deal as collectors will be able to get their hands on some valuable, rare parallels quickly.
2. 2021 Topps Tennis Chrome – Hobby Box, $179.99
For 18 packs consisting of 4 cards each, this Chrome Hobby Box has a total of 72 cards included for a grand total of $179.99. While that might not seem like a great value for the previous entry, this box includes rare chrome autographed cards. For collectors, this could be a huge investment.
It’s well-known that cards that not only have a rare parallel version are worth more, but cards with an autograph is worth a lot more, making it a great profit if you intend to turn around and sell it. While it’s a hefty price upfront, if you end up picking up a great card, you’re likely to find a decent profit.
1. 2021 Topps Tennis Chrome – Sealed Case, $2,049.99
For dedicated and long-time fans or enthusiastic collectors, this set will surely be the best option. While it’s a pretty pricey, sitting at a bit over $2,000, there is a lot of benefit to snagging this one up rather than the others. It’s also an incredible jump from the previous entry, making some fans hesitate, but this box consists of 12-boxes, making it a worthy purchase for true collectors and fans.
Some highlights with this purchase are that you can receive 4 Clay Court Parallels per box, and a variety of other parallels depending on your luck, as well as some amazing, autographed cards. All-in-all, for those that want to dive into the world of collecting Topps Tennis Cards and are serious about it, this is the way to go.
