Report: Michael Eisner may be shopping Topps
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
A “Heard on the Street” item published by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday suggests that Michael Eisner may be looking to sell Topps, the longest-running manufacturer of baseball cards.
“We overhear the former Walt Disney chief may be looking to sell Topps. The firm is famous for its baseball and football trading cards, not to mention Bazooka Joe bubble gum and Ring Pops. Mr. Eisner teamed with Madison Dearborn Partners to buy Topps in 2007 for about $385 million.
“No word on what Topps could fetch now. The company denies it is on the market. But it likely would draw some interest.”
Topps is the exclusive official licensee for Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, USA Baseball, WWE and Ultimate Fighting Championship trading cards while also holding licenses for the NFL and other non-sport properties.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
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I hope if he does sell, it’s to a consumer-minded individual or company. Topps, IMO, has dropped significantly in quality and consumer appeal. There products seem very rushed, and not very well thought out. I really think the hobby suffers from the amount of product they dump on the market without establishing true brand identities or brand stability (i.e. the way the Topps Finest seems to change year in and year out, except for the refractors).
I hope he sells to a single person who enjoys the hobby and puts better hits in the high end boxes.
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There is only one Topps…It’s like the New York Yankees….You can’t buy that kind of branding.