NFLPA Shuts Topps Out- Blowoutcards is quoted
Consolidation of the trading card industry has left Topps at the football card altar after this season.
Topps' 53 year-run as a maker of pro football trading cards took a major blow Monday when Beckett Media reported the NFL Players Association had decided not to issue a license to the company in 2010.
The move would leave only Upper Deck and Panini with deals to produce cards carrying the NFLPA's blessing. It is the latest major move in an industry rocked by a push toward contraction of the market at the hands of leagues and licensees.
Topps has offered some kind of pro football set every season since 1956. The company made AFL cards only in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967 as Philadelphia Gum enjoyed a brief run as exclusive manufacturer before fading from the scene. Since returning to the NFL in 1968, Topps has been a constant partner with what is generally regarded as the nation's most popular sport.
Topps produces two of the NFL card market's most popular brands, Chrome and Finest, using technology that collectors seemed to appreciate.
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NFLPA Shuts Topps Out | Sports Collecting News, Memorabilia, Baseball Cards#@-#@Sports Collectors Daily