Pope Leo XIV trading card sets Topps Now sales record, exceeds LeBron and Wemby milestone cards
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, became an instant hit among trading card collectors. His Topps Now card released Thursday has set an all-time record for any non-sports card within that brand with 133,535 copies sold as of Monday afternoon, the company announced. Topps Now cards are printed to order and made to commemorate milestone events, then sold individually for a limited time.
The card for the Chicago-born pope went on sale Thursday on Topps' website at $8.99 for one card and discounts for bulk orders.
NEW RECORD: Pope Leo XIV has set an all-time record for any non-sports Topps Now card.
133,535 copies sold. https://t.co/GR9WU0wsob
— Topps (@Topps) May 12, 2025
With 133,535 copies purchased, the print run exceeds that of notable Topps Now offerings like the card produced to mark LeBron James reaching 40,000 career points (86,072 printed), Victor Wembanyama's NBA Rookie of the Year win (113,777), and Paul Skenes' NL Rookie of the Year win (43,593). The record for a sports Topps Now card is currently held by the one produced to commemorate Shohei Ohtani becoming the first MLB player to achieve a 50/50 season, which had a print run of 653,737.
Advertisement
The large print run for the Pope Leo card means it qualifies for additional Chrome parallel cards, with serial numbers to 99, 50, 25, 10, 5 and a one-of-one 1/1 SuperFractor. There is also an image variation with a white smoke background numbered to 267 (since he is the 267th pope). These limited parallels and variations are likely to command high values on the secondary market. A presale of a white smoke variation card stands as the highest priced Pope Leo XIV card in the set so far at $195. There will also be foil parallels numbered to 50, 25, 10, 5 and a one-of-one FoilFractor.
Leaf is also selling Pope Leo XIV cards for $9.99. Variations include deep dish pizza, Chicago hot dog, snow and skyline backgrounds.
Pope trading cards are nothing new, though. Belgian company Chocolat Guerin-Boutron produced a Pope Leo XIII card in 1909. The Philadelphia Phillies produced a Pope Francis 'rookie' card when he visited the city in 2015. The most expensive pope-related trading card sale occurred Sept. 28, 2023 when a 2009 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts signature card of Pope John Paul II sold for $1,800 on eBay.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Coveted Star Visits Michigan Immediately After Ohio State Meetings
Coveted Star Visits Michigan Immediately After Ohio State Meetings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Ohio State Buckeyes are pushing hard to land the top recruit from Texas. But they have Big Ten competition for the prospect. Advertisement One week after five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo officially visited the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio, Ojo will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan to see the Michigan Wolverines during the first full weekend of June. "Felix Ojo has been a busy man. He has already taken official visits to Colorado, Florida, Ohio State and Ole Miss," On3's Chad Simmons wrote. "The five-star offensive tackle out of Texas will be in Ann Arbor this weekend and the Wolverines have some ground to make up. Texas is setting the pace and Ohio State looks to be the Longhorns' top competition heading into the weekend. "Can the Wolverines become a contender? This is their chance. They would love to dip into Texas, like they did with Ty Haywood a year ago, and steal one." Ohio State Buckeyes football head coach Ryan Day© Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images One could argue the Buckeyes are trying to "steal" Ojo instead. Based on Simmons' assessment, Ohio State has a better chance of landing the five-star recruit. Advertisement But the question is whether Michigan can move the needle for Ojo this weekend. Ojo had already posted a picture from the beginning of his Ann Arbor visit early Friday morning. Based on the 247 Sports composite rankings, Ojo is the No. 2 offensive tackle and top Texas recruit in the 2026 class. Ojo is also a top 10 recruit overall, sitting at No. 7 on the 247 Sports composite rankings for the entire class. The tackle will play his final high school season at Lake Ridge in Mansfield, Texas this fall. Related: Highly Touted Star Sends Strong Message on Ohio State Football This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Boxing tonight: Live updates for Abdullah Mason fight card
So the show will go on. Only without Keyshawn Davis, who weighed in Friday 4.3 pounds over the 135-pound limit for his bout scheduled for Saturday. That led to the cancelation of his WBO lightweight title fight against Edwin De Los Santos – and an adjustment to the lineup for Saturday. Advertisement The new main event: Abdullah Mason vs. Jeremia Nakathila in a 10-round lightweight bout. There will be no major championship belt at stake. What will be on the line: Mason's perfect record. Mason, a 21-year-old from Ohio, is 18-0 with 16 KOs. In his last fight, he knocked down Carlos Ornelas three times before the referee stopped the fight after the sixth round. There could be more knockdowns Saturday considering Nakathila (26-4, 21 KOs) suffered back-to-back KO defeats in 2023 before winning his past three fights. Abdullah Mason fight time Abdullah Mason vs. Jeremia Nakathila fight date: Saturday, June 7 Advertisement Time: Main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. Prelims start at 6 p.m. ET Where to watch Abdullah Mason vs. Jeremia Nakathila: ESPN+ (Main card also available on ESPN) When is Keyshawn Davis' next fight? Keyshawn Davis, an Olympic silver medalist at the Tokyo Games in 2021, won the WBO title in February with a fourth-round TKO of Denys Berinchyk. He said he plans to move up in weight and fight at 140 pounds. There is no set date for his next fight after the cancelation. Abdullah Mason stands on a scale during Top Rank weigh-ins at the American Bank Center on April 12, 2024, in Corpus Christi, Texas. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Keyshawn Davis undercard goes on; Abdullah Mason to fight
Associated Press
10 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Milam, Pearson hit grand slams in LSU's 16-9 victory over West Virginia in super regional opener
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Steven Milam and Josh Pearson both hit grand slams, Derek Curiel drove in five runs, and LSU rolled over West Virginia 16-9 on Saturday in the opening game of the Baton Rouge Super Regional. Milam's grand slam highlighted a seven-run fifth inning and Pearson's slam capped a six-run sixth that gave the Tigers a 16-5 lead. Curiel had a three-run home run off starter Griffin Kirn (5-3) in the fourth, an RBI single in the fifth and a bases-loaded walk in the sixth. LSU's 16 runs came on only eight hits but the Tigers took advantage of eight walks and one West Virginia error. The Mountaineers got two-run home runs from Gavin Kelly in the seventh and Kyle West in the ninth. LSU starter Kade Anderson (10-1) got the win although he allowed seven runs, six earned, in seven innings. Game 2 is Sunday. LSU (47-15) is one win away from advancing to the College World Series for the second time in three years. LSU has 19 previous appearances in the College World Series with seven championships. West Virginia (44-15) lost to North Carolina last year in the Mountaineers' first super regional appearance. ___ AP college sports:
