The baseball card industry is quite large, producing billions of cards each year for collectors and traders worldwide. It is difficult to determine an exact number, as production figures are proprietary information held by the various card manufacturers, but estimates indicate that the total number of baseball cards produced annually ranges from 4 to 6 billion cards.
The three largest producers of baseball cards that dominate the market are Topps, Panini, and Leaf. Topps has been the dominant manufacturer for decades, holding the exclusive Major League Baseball license for most of their history. They produce the flagship base card sets such as Topps Series 1 and 2 each year. It is estimated that Topps produces around 2 billion cards annually on their own.
Panini acquired the exclusive MLBPA player license in 2020, taking over production of the official MLB player card products from Topps. In their first year with the player rights in 2021, Panini produced an estimated 1-1.5 billion cards across all of their various MLB sets and brands like Contenders, Prizm, and Immaculate Collection. Their output is expected to increase in future years as they ramp up production.
Leaf is the third major player, producing an estimated 500 million cards per year across their Leaf Metal, Leaf Trinity, and Leaf Draft sets among others. They hold partnerships with the NBA and NFL as well which adds to their overall annual production.
Beyond the big three manufacturers, there are numerous smaller independent companies that produce many specialty and limited run niche sets each year. Companies like Archives, Dynasty, and Allen & Ginter each produce 100’s of millions of cards yearly for their collector bases.
There are also many digital-only platforms now as well that “produce” virtual cards in apps and games. Platforms like Topps BUNT see billions of virtual cards claimed and collected digitally through in-app packs and sets each year of current MLB players and legends. These types of inserts are not physically printed cards but represent another large segment of the broader baseball “card” industry.
When factoring in all the physical card production from Topps, Panini, Leaf and the numerous smaller independent producers, plus the virtual “cards” generated in digital apps, the total number of unique baseball-related trading items produced annually is conservatively estimated to now exceed 4 billion units. As the hobby and player fungibles space continues expanding into the digital realm, that number may well grow over time alongside new technological and experiential innovations in the collecting space.
The size and scope of the modern baseball card industry is massive, with the three main manufacturers of physical cardboard together producing roughly 4 billion cards per year alone. When accounting for all sectors of physical and digital production, the grand total number of unique baseball-related collectibles produced annually for trading and collecting globally is likely in the range of 4 to 6 billion units industry-wide. With no signs of slowing, the baseball card business continues to thrive and grow year after year.