Friday, August 20, 2021

The End?

Before the regularly schedule subject matter - for anyone not catching the news yesterday, seems Topps is not going to be top for baseball card production in the near future as the MLB and MLBPA licenses will be headed to Fanatics which is the biggest pro sports apparel seller.

Do I care? I don't know....

I don't like that Topps will be out in a few years, as I can't see them making unlicensed stuff. I am not a fan specifically of Fanatics. Could they put out something worth buying? Maybe. It's just a huge change, and if the rumors are true that they are looking to do the same with other major pro sports, I don't like the monopoly idea....definitely will be something to watch. That said, Topps has the MLB license through 2026 I believe and MLBPA through 2023....not sure how that works out for the in between years though.

As I continue through this base set, a question comes to mind...


How is set order determined? I mean, obviously here, teams are done in alphabetical order as we travel through Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, etc.


Even so, how is the order of the team decided? At a glance here, I'm not sure - is it top lines? Random? Doesn't appear to be alphabetical.


Base sets seem to have a wide variety of what order the cards appear in. I know I have seen alphabetical like this, I've seen by team based on prior season placing, I have seen alphabetical by player name, so there are many possibilities.


It does raise the question - do you have any preference as a collector? Does it matter? Do you like players grouped to collect teams and have them in number order?


For my two cents, I don't mind the team being grouped together. In a binder, it's nice having a straight number run, and easier to know what numbers you are missing, but definitely not something I have put too much thought into...well, until thinking about it or this post.

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4 comments:

  1. JafroniusAugust 20, 2021 at 11:59 AM

    I was stunned when I read the article. It also said the MLB has a financial stake in Fanatics so I think it means they're making their own cards. At first I thought it meant the monopoly was over so here comes Panini, but right now I cannot picture a year of baseball without Topps.

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    1. CrazieJoeAugust 20, 2021 at 2:32 PM

      Yeah, looking at it, that's my concern - this is MLB finding a way to own the cards being made to make more money out of it.

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  2. Brett AlanAugust 20, 2021 at 1:20 PM

    Yeah, I'm REALLY confused about what happens in those in-between years. Will Fanantics start with no-logo cards the way Panini does it now? Will Topps be like Fleer football in the 70s for a couple of years, able to put out cards with team logos but not of specific players? It seems really, really unlikely that there would be years without fully licensed cards, but none of the articles I've read explain who would make them.

    My guess is that Fanatics will end up buying out Topps--either buying the whole company or just buying the trading card brands and IP and leaving Bazooka Gum Company behind. But that's just a guess.

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    1. CrazieJoeAugust 20, 2021 at 2:32 PM

      SO many possibilities....it'll be interesting, whatever happens.

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