Topps began producing baseball cards in 1938 and over the decades has grown to become one of the largest trading card and licensing companies in the world. As the exclusive producer of Major League Baseball cards, Topps employs hundreds of people across North America and around the globe to support its iconic baseball card business.
Some of the key areas of employment at Topps related to its MLB baseball card operations include design and art, product management, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and more. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the jobs and career opportunities available.
Design and Art
Topps maintains a team of talented graphic designers, illustrators, and artists who are responsible for conceptualizing and creating the visual design of each new baseball card set released each year. Designers work closely with Topps licensing and brand managers to determine themes, photograph selection, layouts, and any special insert cards or parallel variations for each series. Illustrators are also employed to hand draw certain cards featuring special retro or vintage styled artwork. A bachelor’s degree in graphic design, fine arts, or similar field is required for these positions.
Product Management
Product managers are critical to planning each new baseball card release from Topps. They work with various internal teams and MLB to determine release schedules, number of cards per set, checklists, parallels, memorabilia cards, autograph cards and more. They also oversee photography and licensing needs. Most product manager roles require a bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of related experience in project or product management. Advanced degrees are preferred for some senior level positions.
Marketing and Promotions
Topps maintains a sizable marketing department focused entirely on promoting its baseball card products. This includes devising theme-driven campaigns, creating digital and print advertisements, working with team and player partners on special initiatives, developing promotional calendars, and more. Marketing roles span areas like social media, public relations, graphic design, analytics, and campaign management. A bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or related field is usually required.
Manufacturing and Production
To produce the tens of millions of baseball cards it releases each year, Topps operates large manufacturing, printing and production facilities. Machinists, operators, supervisors and engineers are needed to oversee high-volume printing presses, card cutting and collating equipment. Quality control specialists ensure consistent high quality. Shipping and warehouse employees handle storage and distribution logistics. No degree is required for many production roles, though advanced degrees are valued for engineering positions.
Retail and Distribution
Getting Topps baseball cards in the hands of fans requires a skilled distribution team. Sales representatives work with major retailers like Target, Walmart and hobby shops to ensure full availability of new releases. Warehouse employees receive, count and ship bulk product orders. Direct customer service support agents help consumers with any questions. Experience in sales, logistics or customer service is usually required.
Other Key Roles
Beyond these major functional areas, Topps also employs people in research and development, finance, IT, legal and human resources to support the overall baseball card business. Scouts and sourcing experts help acquire license rights and photography. Even retired players can find opportunity acting as spokespeople or endorsers. Overall the diversity of career paths at Topps ensures there are job opportunities for individuals from a wide range of educational and experiential backgrounds.
For those passionate about sports collecting, Topps offers the unique opportunity to be a true part of maintaining the legacy and growth of the iconic MLB baseball card industry. Whether in creative, operational or business support roles, employees work directly with America’s pastime on a daily basis. For loyal fans of the brand and dedicated professionals alike, Topps presents a rare chance to build a career around what they love. With Major League Baseball cards still going strong after over 80 years in the business, the future remains bright for Topps and continued job growth within this specialized field.
