Topps launches first-ever March Madness product 🍀

Rise and shine, card enthusiasts! This is Penny Sleeve, the sports card newsletter that’s as timeless as a home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• Topps launches first-ever March Madness product 🍀

• Have we entered the “junk card show" era? 🗑️

• People to follow in the hobby 👥

• Meme of the day 🃏

TOPPS LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER MARCH MADNESS PRODUCT 🍀

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Topps just released its inaugural Bowman U March Madness series, capitalizing on NIL agreements with collegiate stars. Priced at $139.99 per pack, each pack contains eight cards - six base cards, one autograph card, and a parallel card numbered to /99 or less. It’s only available for sale on the Topps website until Thursday.

The roster of athletes represented is short, but star-studded. There’s ten men’s and ten women’s athletes, with Players of the Year Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Zach Edey of Purdue as the standouts. 10% of all packs contain dual auto cards, featuring prominent pairings such as Clark/Edey and Reese/Van Lith, adding a bit of extra excitement for collectors.

Topps has until April 1 to product Caitlin Clark cards, after which her exclusive contract with Panini starts.

What does this mean for the hobby? When Fanatics promised to 10x the hobby, hobby participants rejoiced that their cards would skyrocket in value. But what it probably means is that they’ll produce 10x the cards. The cards that you own right now won’t necessarily be the ones that people will be chasing in the future.

HAVE WE ENTERED THE “JUNK CARD SHOW“ ERA? 🗑️

Sports Card Dad brought up a great point: are we in a “junk card show“ era? In the aftermath of the pandemic, the pent-up demand for social interaction and in-person trading led to an explosion in the number of card shows. But an abundance of shows causes issues for collectors and dealers alike — scheduling conflicts, increased operational costs, and difficulty maintaining profitability due to tighter margins amidst rising competition.

Different people attend shows for different reasons: buying, selling, networking, content creation, the list goes on. But at the end of the day, it’s important to consider the sustainability and profitability of participating in card shows, whether you’re a small-scale hobbyist or a large dealer.

On top of all that, many people are pinning the erosion of the traditional card show experience on repackers, whose bulk purchases sidestep the more modest deal-making nature of most shows.

What’s next? Sports card shows are going to navigate through some changes and challenges over the next several years as the hobby evolves. With Fanatics launching their events division for card shows last year, it’ll be interesting to see how new paradigms in the hobby integrate with the long-standing traditions of card shows.

PEOPLE TO FOLLOW IN THE HOBBY 👥

• @Crown_Collect: Fun stack sales

• @BrosFloro: Fan of sports, collector of cards!

• @roroweber1: Passionate collector who writes hobby stories

MEME OF THE DAY 🃏