Topps Company, Inc. is an American confectionery and baseball card company. It is best known as the foremost producer of baseball cards, but also produces cards and collectibles for other sports and pop culture franchises. Topps was founded in 1938 in Brooklyn, New York by four brothers, Joseph, Abraham, Izzy, and Elliot Shorin.
Topps began as a chewing gum company that packaged baseball cards as a promotional item with their gum. In 1952, Topps secured the exclusive rights to produce Major League Baseball cards, finally surpassing their previous competitors like Bowman Gum. For decades, Topps baseball cards defined the baseball card industry and became an important part of baseball fandom and culture in America.
While still headquartered in New York City, today Topps is a publicly traded company owned by The Tornante Company and Michael Eisner. Although baseball cards remain a core product, Topps has significantly diversified its business over the years. It produces trading cards and collectibles related to other sports like football, basketball, soccer and WWE wrestling. Topps also holds licenses for entertainment properties like Star Wars, Disney animations, Game of Thrones, and Garbage Pail Kids.
The core of Topps’ business model involves securing exclusive multi-year licenses from sports leagues, entertainment companies, media properties and colleges to produce cards, stickers, banners and other physical and digital collectibles featuring their logos, photos and other intellectual property. While competitors like Panini have emerged, Topps remains the dominant force in American sports card publishing and one of the largest confectionery companies in the U.S.
In addition to physical card packs distributed globally, Topps has innovated with fan engagement through digital platforms. Topps BUNT and Topps NOW allow fans to collect and trade virtual cards on iOS and Android devices. Topps has also ventured into NFTs, selling exclusive digital baseball cards as non-fungible tokens on platforms like Wax and Candy Digital. These digital offerings are helping Topps attract younger generations of fans in an increasingly tech-centric collectibles industry.
Over the years, Topps baseball cards in particular have featured legendary players like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and more modern stars like Mike Trout, Ken Griffey Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. Iconic rookie cards of players like Mantle, Griffey Jr. and Tatis Jr. routinely sell for six or even seven figures at auction. The historic significance and financial value of vintage Topps cards demonstrate their success in cultivating a multi-generational community passionate about sports collectibles and memorabilia.
While demand for physical cards remains strong thanks to nostalgia and dedication from lifelong collectors, Topps recognizes digital avenues represent the future. It seeks to maintain relevance among younger collectors by embracing emerging technologies. Still headquartered in New York City, Topps employs approximately 1,000 people globally and generated over $575 million in annual revenue from physical and digital sports and entertainment products as of 2020. Topps’ 80+ year legacy as an industry leader defined by innovative licensing, marketing savvy and quality products endures in the modern marketplace.