Latest news with #GoldFoil
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pope Leo XIV card sets Topps NOW record with 133k sales
Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Thursday as the first pope from the United States. (Credit: Topps) The Topps NOW card celebrating Pope Leo XIV's election as the first American pontiff sold 133,535 copies, a record for any non-sports card from the instant-release program. First released Thursday, the card had an open print run during a limited-release window that lasted until Sunday. Advertisement In addition to the base card parallels included with the release — Gold Foil /50, Orange Foil /25, Black Foil /10, Red Foil /5 and the 1/1 FoilFractor — the card's historic print run unlocked a number of parallels new for the 2025 Topps NOW season. By reaching a print run of 100,000 or more, the card will receive additional chrome parallels numbered to 99, 50, 25, 10, 5 and the 1/1 Superfractor. New Opal Chrome parallels would have been unlocked had the card reached print run thresholds of 250,000 and 500,000. Topps NOW's print-to-demand program, which first launched in 2016, has experienced significant interest in recent months behind a number of high-end chases included with select releases. A then-record 588,035 base cards were purchased by collectors chasing the Olympic triple autograph card of LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant in 2024. That card has yet to surface publicly months later. Advertisement The Topps NOW print run record was broken soon after by the card celebrating Shohei Ohtani's 50-50 season, which sold a record 653,737 copies. Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pope Leo XIV Has Made Trading Card History
White smoke billowed from the top of the Vatican last week, signaling the election and imminent arrival of a new pope. The announcement proved to be historic, as Pope Leo XIV emerged as the first American pope in history. The Chicago-born pope is still less than a week into his papacy, but he also made history in another unexpected space: the trading card market. The Topps NOW card commemorating Pope Leo XIV's election is now the highest-selling non-sports card in the program's history. 133,535 copies of the card sold during its limited release window from Thursday through Sunday. The recipients of the cards will now wait to see if they've received special numbered refractor versions - Gold Foil to 50, Orange Foil to 25, Red Foil to five and the 1 of 1 FoilFractor. After selling more than 100,000 copies, the card will receive even more exclusive variants with rarities of 99, 50, 25, 10, five and a 1 of 1 Superfractor. Another special 'White Smoke' variant of the card will be limited to just 267 copies, in tribute to Leo XIV being elected as the 267th pontiff. The Topps NOW program began in 2016, and offers collectors the opportunity to hunt cards associated with special events. Cards are only available for a limited time - usually a few days - giving fans the chance to select cards during historic or significant moments. 588,035 copies of an Olympic basketball card featuring LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were sold last year, as collectors sought an ultra-exclusive 1 of 1 card featuring signatures from all three players. More fans purchased 653,737 copies of a card commemorating Shohei Ohtani's historic 50/50 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers last October. The chase was once again fueled by an extremely valuable 1 of 1 card featuring a personal autograph from Ohtani. The new pope may be featured on a baseball card, but he was also a part of baseball history. After his election, historians combed through footage to find that Leo XIV - born Robert Prevost - attended at least one game during the 2005 World Series. To date, it's the last time the Chicago White Sox have won the most prestigious prize in baseball. We'll see if his election brings the team good fortune.
