Business Buzz
Fanatics purchases Steiner Sports assets and inventory
Fanatics' continued growth in the sports memorabilia market has a new chapter.The Jacksonville, Fla-based company has acquired the assets of Steiner Sports, according to a tweet via veteran sports business reporter Darren Rovell.
Steiner's deals include game-used memorabilia for the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knocks, New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden.
Ja Morant signs exclusive autograph deal with Panini America
One of the possible top picks in this year's NBA Draft has a new team already.He's former Murray State star Ja Morant and he's signed an exclusive autograph card and memorabilia deal with Panini America. He's perhaps going to be a top-five pick next month and his first autographed items will be available via Panini Authentic after the draft.
“I’m very excited to join the Panini America family as an exclusive member of the team along with some of the greatest names in the game,” Morant said in a prepared release. “I dreamed of having my own trading card to share with family, friends and fans, and Panini America is helping make that dream come true. I’m appreciative of that and look forward to a long relationship.”
Topps' return to basketball cards appears to be coming soon

It looks like Topps is getting back into the basketball card market.
The former NBA card licensee last produced a basketball set early in the 2009-10 card season before the league opted for Panini America as an exclusive card-maker. But a new image floating around social media channels -- one from a likely first-round draft pick -- indicate there's more cardboard to come.
Garbage Pail Kids hit cereal, energy drinks, chocolate at FYE

To collect 'em all, you'll need some cereal.
Topps' Garbage Pail Kids are coming to FYE stores with a little more than just stickers involved. In fact, it's the stickers that are the insert in new Garbage Pail Kids Cereal revealed on Monday.
A mix of "crazy crisps and marshmallow barf bits" make up this one with two of four stickers included in every box. And cereal isn't the only option as an energy drink and chocolate bars are also on the way with GPK branding.
“As long-time Garbage Pail Kids fans, we are excited to be bringing this pop-culture classic to our customers in new and innovative ways,” says Jodie Evans, FYE’s SVP of Entertainment Merchandising and Marketing. “To further the interactive experience, we’ll be hosting [GPK artist Joe Simko] at a variety of live events to autograph cereal boxes, provide GPK sketches and engage with fans.”
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (May 8)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.
What's Buzzing Today: Nothing but baseball today -- everything from "alteration vs. conservation," Shohei Ohtani's return, Vladdy 2.0, Cody Bellinger and more.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signs exclusive with Topps Authentics
Baseball's biggest rookie has signed with a new team -- at least for autographed memorabilia.Topps announced that Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has signed with Topps Authentics, making it the exclusive home for his newly signed items.
“We are thrilled to add Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as one of our exclusive athletes with our memorabilia line, Topps Authentics,” said David Leiner, Topps Global GM of Sports & Entertainment. “He is exactly the type of player and person who embodies Topps with his great athletic ability, perseverance and excitement that he brings to the field every day. We are proud to partner with baseball’s next rising star and give fans an opportunity to be closer to the game.”
PSA adds more rewards to Registry Achievement Program

After a few months of its new-look set registry running strong, there is more added into the mix for collectors.
Professional Sports Authenticator announced this week that it has unveiled a second round of reward medals and points to the PSA Set Registry. The move lets members earn points and digital medals as part of a gaming element alongside collecting PSA slabs -- and there will be more to come.
“We want to keep things fresh for our Set Registry members,” said PSA President Steve Sloan. “As a result, we are adding new medals, more points and wider features to the Registry gradually over the course of 2019.”
Topps Now Future packs bring interactive play & prizes
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Topps Now is now in pack form -- with a predictive fantasy twist.
Topps revealed on Tuesday the Topps Now Future program, which will include packs with cards where World Series winners at season's end will mean prizes.
"This is an exciting way to follow your team all the way to the World Series," said David Leiner, Topps Global GM of Sports & Entertainment. "These exclusive cards can’t be found anywhere but on Topps.com. Topps Now continues to push the envelope with its innovations year-after-year."
Panini NBA Player of the Day promotion arrives for new run

Basketball collectors now have another reason to hit the hobby shop daily.
The annual Panini NBA Player of the Day promo is back and it gives basketball collectors a little extra to check in on when they rip into packs of Panini America cards at participating shops through April 14.
Among the prizes? The chance to spend the say with an NBA player as well as autographed cards and other bonuses.
“The Player of the Day promotion helps hobby shops sell more trading cards while rewarding collectors who purchase Panini America products,” said Jason Howarth, Panini VP of Marketing. “We are thrilled to support hobby shops selling our NBA trading cards by expanding this proven promotion to even more hobby shops. We look forward to creating more memorable experiences for collectors this year.”
Kyler Murray signs autograph deal with Panini America

Baseball, football ... it doesn't matter -- Kyler Murray has a new team.
The Heisman Trophy-winning former Oklahoma Sooners star has signed an autograph deal with Panini America with the news formally announced on Monday. His first autos will arrive this month in 2019 Panini Prizm Draft Picks and 2019 Score will be the home of his first NFL cardboard.
“Kyler is one of the most dynamic playmakers to enter the NFL Draft and he has raised the level of excitement for this entire draft class since declaring,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop in a prepared statement. “We’re thrilled to be able to partner with him to deliver to fans and collectors his only officially licensed trading cards and autograph cards for the 2019 season.”
Conference Notebook: Topps plans plenty for reminder of 2019
Topps is wrapping up its second Industry Conference at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., today, and the company revealed some of its plans for releases to come throughout the rest of this year.The company's MLB lineup is relatively similar to recent years save for the return of Bowman Sterling, which is planned for an August release in place of Bowman Tek. It will be back with one auto and five base cards per pack and five packs per box. MLB products for the second half of the year include Diamond Icons, Archives Signature Series (both versions), Tribute, Topps Chrome Luminaries, Heritage High Number, Archives, Five Star, Gold Label, Bowman Chrome, Triple Threads, Heritage MiLB, High Tek, Topps Update, Dynasty, Transcendent, Bowman Draft and Bowman's Best. (Details on all of these will arrive with their First Buzz previews throughout the year right here on The Buzz.)
Possible Transcendent guests for Topps include Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr., though nothing firm was announced yet. There are also plans for a Bowman Transcendent release beyond this year. Meanwhile, Topps National Baseball Card Day will return on Aug. 10 in participating hobby shops with teasers at baseball stadiums, MLB Network publicity and packs in shops. Holiday packs also will return late this year, while silver promo packs will continue through Topps Update.
Topps Industry Conference set for next week in Arizona

A top prospect and the reigning National League MVP will be there ... and dealers and distributors out there should be, too.
Topps' second Industry Conference is set for next week at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., and registrations ($250) are still available for the event beginning on Sunday.
Set in the heart of the Cactus League, this event will include several speakers during the three-day duration of this one with San Diego Padres prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. a signing guest for the opening reception Sunday and Christian Yelich to be on hand Monday night. There also will be gifts for each day of attendance.
Keep reading for a breakdown of the schedule as provided by Topps.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on Blowout Forums (Feb. 11)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.
What's Buzzing Today: Luka Doncic signs auto-mem deal with Fanatics, pondering punter cards, not a bad redemption to find, Panini One pulls, NBA breaks ... and The Goodwill LeBron. (The Gold Refractor above? It was purchased for just $80.)
Blowout launches YourDozen.com -- your shot at free stuff
Make your picks with a click ... and free stuff could be yours.Blowout Cards launched today YourDozen.com, a new hot spot for your shot at free stuff -- store credit, boxes, memorabilia and other prizes.
This week's first prize? A $200 Blowout store credit.
How does it work? Keep reading ...
PSA/DNA authenticates Super Bowl LIII game-used footballs

When Tom Brady or Jared Goff touch a football for the first time on Sunday in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, they won't be close to the first people to handle them.
Beyond the typical game preparations and inspections, each of the 120 footballs for the biggest NFL game of the year will have been "tagged" by PSA/DNA with synthetic DNA ink. Each team has 54 balls prepped to be used at some point during the game and there will be 12 additional balls prepped exclusively for kicking plays.
They will be marked with nearly invisible counterfeit deterrent markings that have a one in 33 trillion chance of being duplicated, according to the company.
Tracking big hits is focus of collector's new subscription site

Curious about whether a rare card might still be sitting in packs or whether it was pulled in the past? A new membership website can help you find out.
It's The Ultimate Tracker -- the creation of Amichai Cardozo, a collector based in The Netherlands. It's been a hobby of his for some time after seeing others' notable finds.
"For me pulling a bat barrel or bat knob out of National Treasures was like hitting the mother lode," Cardozo said. "That is why a few years back I started to track these specific sets on the Blowout Cards Forums. That way people would know what main hits were not yet pulled. Earlier this year, I was thinking to myself, 'Why don’t I create a website where I can track multiple sets and post pictures of every card that was crossed off the checklist?' ... I really enjoy putting in effort by browsing eBay and searching all kinds of social media."
PSA switches to red-label slab for all encapsulations

PSA is making another move on its slabs.
This time around, the Newport Beach, Calif.-based company will be using its red-label slabs with the style used for graded cards on all items -- a move that affects autographed cards or other items that are PSA/DNA certified as well as over-sized photo and letter slabs.
"Uniformity and consistency are significant aspects for collectors," PSA President Steve Sloan said, "but we also believe that the added security measures that come with the red labels, such as the PSA LightHouse logo and the fugitive ink pattern, are critical components of collecting today."
Two new promos let Blowout buyers possibly grab even more
Blowout Cards has two ways for customers to win big without ever setting foot on the field.
The Big Game Jackpot and the Superb Owl promo are open now, giving customers two ways to take home more cardboard -- one with certain boxes as bonuses and one with store credit.
How do they work and what's up for grabs? Keep reading ...
University of Notre Dame signs card deal with Panini America

A school with one of the richest traditions in college football history is now on Panini America's team.
The University of Notre Dame signed an exclusive multi-year trading card agreement with Panini that will begin in April, joining more than 200 colleges and universities to appear on trading cards and potentially be showcased on products solely featuring past stars from the school's athletic programs.
“The ability to finally be able to welcome Notre Dame into the Panini America fold is something we’re extremely proud of," said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. "There is such a rich history with Notre Dame and we look forward to producing unique trading cards for the Fighting Irish faithful, some of the most passionate fans in the world.”
FYI: Blowout Cards holiday shipping schedule basics

Ok, shopping slackers ... this is your final shot at making sure you or your collector can find the cardboard you want when you need it later this month.
Yes, that includes the card you see above -- it can be found in these packs.
All of the basic deadlines and other info about the latest sates when your cards can be ordered is here ... if you keep reading.
PSA reveals new Set Registry Achievement Program
Fans of the PSA Set Registry will now have different ways to compete with other collectors as they use the platform.It's the PSA Set Registry Achievement Program and it "draws inspiration from fantasy sports" and "will challenge existing PSA Set Registry members as well as newcomers in the field to test their mettle in all facets of set collecting and earn points and rewards -- digital medals -- for their efforts."
Visitors to www.PSAcard.com/SetRegistry will find that PSA has opted to add gamification -- "the intent is to reward collectors for reaching various milestones on their way toward building collections."
WWE extends card-licensing exclusive with Topps

Topps and World Wrestling Entertainment are continuing to be tag-team partners.
The card company revealed its multi-year deal to extend its exclusive deal to make WWE cards on Tuesday morning -- a deal that has run since 2005.
“Topps is at the forefront of innovation and the leader in the category for e-commerce and on-demand trading cards,” said Topps GM and VP David Leiner. “We’re excited to see how far we can push the WWE license to bring new and exciting products to fans around the world.”
Topps offers exclusive cardboard in 582 Montgomery Club

What's 582 Montgomery Club?It's Topps' new exclusive membership club where collectors who sign up get a crack at new cardboard inspired by the company's earlier days in Brooklyn.
"Members will receive exclusive benefits that are not available to the general public, including trading card products featuring recently discovered lost designs from our Brooklyn facility," reads a description for the program. "There will be new products sent to members six times per year, and the exclusive opportunity to purchase the highest-end trading card release ever offered on Topps.com."
Topps Holiday packs are back in hobby shops this week

A holiday feel for holiday cardboard? That's exactly what Topps has coming to hobby shops this week.
Topps unveiled its plans for the 2018 Topps Holiday pack program -- a bonus for making a $10 purchase on the company's cardboard at participating hobby shops.
MLBPA and Topps extend card-licensing agreement
MLB's players are on the Topps team, too.The card-licensing deal between Topps and the Major League Baseball Players Association has been extended. Terms of the agreement were not announced.
“Topps has been a great longtime partner of the MLB Players Association,” said Evan Kaplan, Director of Licensing and Business Development for the MLBPA. “Through its innovative trading cards and products, Topps has promoted Major League Baseball players in original ways giving a wide range of athletes the spotlight.”































