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BASEBALL CARDS STOCK SYMBOL

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While baseball cards are primarily collected for their nostalgic value and as a fun hobby, some see them as an investment or way to profit as well. With the rise of sports card investing, especially in recent years, it’s natural for some to wonder if there is a stock symbol associated with baseball cards that would allow investing in them on the stock market. There is no single stock that represents the entire baseball card market. The closest proxy would be companies involved in the sports memorabilia industry and card publishing businesses.

Some of the major publicly traded companies associated with baseball cards and the broader collectibles market include:

Fanatics (Ticker: FAN) – Fanatics is a sports e-commerce giant that acquired Topps (the major baseball card publisher) in a $500 million deal in 2022. While Topps cards themselves aren’t publicly traded, Fanatics stock could potentially benefit from Topps card sales and serve as a way to gain exposure to the baseball card market. However, Fanatics is heavily diversified across many sports properties.

BEP (Brookfield Event Partners) – BEP owns substantial sports franchises and entertainment assets, including Topps trading card company. They acquired a 75% stake in Topps’ parent company for $1.3 billion in 2020. Like Fanatics, BEP is a large diversified company not solely focused on baseball cards.

MSG Networks (Ticker: MSGN) – MSG Networks owns and operates regional sports networks, including the YES Network which airs New York Yankees games. To some degree, interest in following the Yankees could increase baseball card sales and collectibles. It’s an indirect relationship.

Authentic Brands Group (Ticker: AUTH) – AUTH owns media and marketing rights to major brands and properties, including sports legends like Muhammad Ali and sports memorabilia. They could potentially benefit from increased collectibles sales, but baseball cards are not a core part of their business.

Bowers & Merena Auctions (Private) – A leading sports collectibles auction house that sees consignments and sales of rare vintage baseball cards. It’s a private company not publicly traded.

Collectors Universe (Ticker: CLCT) – Provides authentication, grading and conservation services for collectibles like trading cards, coins and memorabilia. Could benefit from increased collectibles demand long-term, but not a pure play on baseball cards.

MJ Holdings (OTC: MJNE) – A cannabis cultivator and brand operator that also owns Collectable.com, an online marketplace for trading cards, comics and collectibles. Collectibles make up a small part of the overall business.

As you can see, while there are companies involved in baseball cards, sports collectibles and memorabilia through various businesses, there is no single stock that directly represents or tracks the performance of the entire baseball card market. Most options provide only indirect exposure since they are larger, diversified companies not solely focused on cards.

For investors specifically interested in the baseball card collectibles market, some alternative investment approaches could include:

Purchasing shares in a baseball card exchange-traded fund (ETF) like the Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF which holds Fanatics stock.

Buying and flipping individual vintage rookie cards of star players that have historically increased in value over time, such as a Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr. or Mike Trout rookie card.

Investing in a baseball card subscription/membership site that acquires and holds a diversified portfolio of cards long-term with the goal of profiting from price appreciation.

Consigning or signing up for auctions of rare, higher-end baseball cards through auction houses like PWCC or Goldin Auctions with the hope the card sells above estimated prices.

Purchasing shares of a privately-held sports memorabilia/collectibles company if/when they eventually go public.

Joining a baseball card investment club or fund that researches the market and makes group purchases of undervalued cards.

While the baseball card market has grown significantly in value and interest in recent years, there is no single publicly traded stock that directly represents or tracks the performance of the entire market. Investors need to consider alternative investment vehicles that provide more specialized exposure to cards if looking to invest directly in the collectibles space long-term. The businesses of larger companies involved are often too diversified away from cards solely. Direct card purchases, consignments, or membership sites may offer more targeted ways to potentially profit from the market.

TOPPS BASEBALL CARDS STOCK SYMBOL

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Topps is one of the most iconic trading card brands in the world, known especially for its decades-long dominance in the baseball card industry. Founded in 1938 and headquartered in New York City, the Topps Company manufactures, markets and distributes trading cards, confections, and various other entertainment products. Its stock trades on the public markets under the ticker symbol TOPP.

Topps began as the Brooklyn-based American Leaf Tobacco Company, founded by brothers Israel and Lazarus “Larry” Shorin as a chewing gum manufacturer. In 1938, they decided to include a series of lithographed baseball card images inside their chewing gum packs, marking the birth of modern sports and entertainment trading cards. This innovative marketing strategy proved wildly successful, and Topps gained the exclusive rights to produce MLB player cards starting in 1948.

For over half a century, Topps was the undisputed king of the baseball card industry, holding the MLB license without competition for decades. Its iconic designs like the “action pose” card became instantly recognizable worldwide. Topps expanded into other sports and pop culture genres as well, including non-sports trading cards depicting movies, television shows, music artists and more. Baseball remained the company’s biggest driver and most iconic product line by far.

In the 1990s, competition to Topps began to emerge. Fleer and Skybox obtained MLB licenses to produce rival sets, chipping away at Topps’ market share. Upper Deck debuted ultra-premium cards that captured collector attention. During this time, the collectibles bubble also burst, sending the entire trading card industry into a downturn. Topps struggled with declining sales and profits. Attempts to branch into new businesses like candy and toys also failed to gain traction.

As it faced stiffer competition, Topps underwent a strategic reevaluation. In 2000, former Disney executive Michael Eisner acquired the privately-held Topps in a leveraged buyout for $385 million. Eisner aimed to revive Topps by emphasizing brands, innovation and tapping into growing collector demand for vintage material. New products like limited autographed memorabilia cards caught fire. Topps also acquired rival operations like Bazooka Joe, Cracker Jack and the sports division of Fleer.

After over a decade of ownership, the Eisner private equity group decided to take Topps public again. In October 2021, Topps merged with Mudrick Capital Acquisition Corporation II, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a deal valued at $1.3 billion. This brought Topps to the Nasdaq stock exchange under the new ticker symbol TOPP. The move provided Topps with growth capital as it aimed to evolve its digital offerings and expand internationally.

Since going public, Topps stock has seen mixed performance in its first year of trading. Shares started strong in the immediate aftermath of the SPAC merger but the initial enthusiasm soon faded. TOPP sank amid broader market weakness and uncertainty around Topps’ plans for ramping up new revenue streams. As of spring 2022, Topps shares trade around $8, below the initial pricing of $10 following the SPAC deal.

Looking ahead, Topps faces challenges balancing its legacy physical card business with developing compelling digital offerings. Digital functionality and the rise of NFTs have injected new excitement into the collectibles space, but monetizing this remains a work in progress for Topps. There is also uncertainty around the future of print media and memorabilia amid economic headwinds. The Topps brand remains one of the most iconic in the industry due to its deep history and relationships in sports and entertainment. If the company can successfully transition more of its business online while remaining the market leader in traditional cards, the long-term outlook for TOPP stock may brighten over coming years.

In summary, TOPP is the public ticker symbol for the legacy Topps Company, best known as the creator and long-dominant force in the baseball card industry. After over 80 years of success but also volatility, Topps went public via SPAC in 2021 to fund its evolution into digital platforms. The stock currently trades modestly below its IPO price as Topps works to prove out new revenue streams. Though it faces challenges balancing print and digital, Topps remains one of the most storied brands in collectibles due to its rich history at the root of modern sports cards.