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It's official: Fanatics to buy Topps
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01-03-2022, 10:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-03-2022, 10:11 PM by ashlandmark.)
It's official: Fanatics to buy Topps
Deal gives them ability to produce cards immediately.
https://www.sportico.com/business/sales/...234657556/ https://www.facebook.com/sportscollector...=3&theater 
I wondered if this might happen after hearing Fanatics got the MLB contract.
Would be nice to see Topps Finest or.... Fanatics Finest back for football.
(01-04-2022, 01:43 AM)Nintari Wrote: Sad... sad day.Is it a sadder day than in August when Topps lost their license? That day spelled the doom for Topps and all its iconic brands unless Fanatics bought them. This is a day we were all hoping for. This means Topps doesn't die but lives on under new ownership. 
Happy with this outcome...now Topps brand lives. Great for the continuation of Topps baseball products plus eventuality of finest and chrome for football and basketball. Getting Upper Deck would be cool for hockey (see what I did there!) also but I think they have an exclusive contract with Jordan and James (?) which can be cancelled by them if sold so I don't see it happening. Congrats to us collectors!!!!
With Panini having an approximate 2x or more market value higher than Topps, not seeing a purchase by Fanatics for a year or more.
*When it's all said and done - all we have left is our reputation.
While not really unexpected, I don't think anyway, I'm glad that it actually happened. Fanatics will now be able to continue to produce lines of cards that people are familiar with instead of being deluged with a bunch of product that nobody is familiar with at all. Though I am curious to see what new product lines they will develop and hope that they are truly new and not a rehashed design of something else.
I'm going to assume that Fanatics will eventually purchase Panini as well. And even though they don't currently produce baseball cards anymore, it would also be interesting to see if they purchase Upper Deck.
I am happy the Topps brand will continue. I consider it an iconic company and brand. I love their products (have since I was a kid). I have no love for Panini. Customer service is okay (especially considering certain other relevant customer service departments we deal with on a regular basis). They get overwhelmed at times, but that is understandable. Requiring customers to pay the prices associated with exceptional customer service is probably not the best business model for the sportscard industry.
Fanatics looks to be global but headquartered in the US. That is a plus for me. They seem to be community service-oriented (similar to Topps). That is an even bigger plus for me. Topps Chrome Football was one of my favorite products before Topps lost NFL licensing. That product will certainly get me back as a customer.
01-04-2022, 11:07 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-04-2022, 11:09 AM by rjcj2017.)
RE: It's official: Fanatics to buy Topps
I actually think this has the potential to be awesome ...
IF ... And this a huge IF ... Fanatics goes back to the roots of what made collecting great, meaning, makes it about the actual collector again ... Brings back iconic brands in all sports (well, except hockey) and doesn't try to squeeze the last penny out of a very naive and desperate audience ... And ups the overall customer service game to at least a respectable level ... i.e., no more emails and voicemails to nowhere; no more silly "rewards" programs that do not deliver on pledged content on live products; no more gouging for shipping on said "rewards" programs; limits redemptions and when necessary, actually delivers promised content on them ... This could be beyond great. I'd give anything to find affordable basketball and football products again. (Baseball, because in general Topps has been as solid as always, has been decently available. Well, other than Bowman.) But ... IF Fanatics decides to go the Panini corporate doosh route of "you gotta pay more to see the show" and makes it all about the flippers, the gougers, the breakers and the DBN in general, it's over. This is a very pivotal moment in our hobby and the industry in general. I hope they deliver. (01-04-2022, 11:07 AM)rjcj2017 Wrote: I actually think this has the potential to be awesome ...Completely agree. The good news is at least at this point they are saying all the right things. Promising exactly what you asked for and getting the focus back on the collector, not the investor. I know it's all talk at this point, so we'll see if their actions follow suit. But as for now they claim to be giving us collectors what we want. |
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