What do you think is the State of the Hobby-2026?

[Raymond23]

Curious of everyone’s thoughts about the state of the hobby (non-sports cards in general as well as the major brands/licenses in non-sports.

I’m mostly a Star Wars guy, but dabbled in Marvel during the e-pack blowout. Most of the other licenses, I only have a passing familiarity with.

Star Wars:
Not great for collectors I think, but a lot of money is being dumped into the line. Almost all sets are chrome something or other (100 random character base cards or recycled galaxy art cards) with countless parallels. Most of the activity is with low numbered parallels and most product is prices sky high and being sold to breakers/flippers. Very little chance for collectors to get a box and ROI is poor. Less and less sketches and AP’s are gone. Pump and dump is the name of the game here. Last set I worked on was from 2019 and I don’t see any reason to jump back in this year.

Marvel:
UD losing the license resulted in a flurry of activity for cheap. First time in years I found products affordable and almost everyone had a blast with this while it lasted. Unfortunately, those days are gone, along with all of UD creative card designs. Topps seems to be doing the same thing with Marvel as it is with Star Wars…chrome everything. I haven’t heard a lot of enthusiasm for these (but I haven’t been paying much attention). MCU is still struggling but I think Marvel comics are going well. The line might get a shot in the arm if Avengers Doomsday is successful.

DC:
UD acquired this when it was losing Marvel I don’t see nearly as much buzz for DC as Marvel and I haven’t seen that much activity on epack for the license. Hopefully UD can develop the same level of excitement and creativity for DC as it did for Marvel, but it seems like an uphill battle.

E-pack:
I left right after the Marvel clearance sales since nothing else there excited me. In talking to others, it sounds like there was a mass exodus at that point and it’s been quiet ever since. I deleted my account so I can’t tell how active it is, but it looks quiet from the outside. Again, DC might be able to revive the site if they can develop a few exciting products to build up some buzz.

Other licenses: I have no idea. I’ve heard some hype about Disney, and smaller licenses can be crazy creative when the stars align.

So, what are your thoughts? I’m concerned by the increasing focus on flippers/breakers, pump n dump, high MSRP with limited ROI, decreasing focus on collectors, and Topps getting a monopoly on this segment of the hobby. Not much I’m looking forward to at this time, but I hope Topps makes a nice Star Wars 50th set next year.

Anything you are excited about? Are otherness cynical about the state of the hobby?

[finfangfan]

2025 was definitely a transition year for nonsports as UD lost Marvel to Topps and it’s now pretty impossible to acquire physical Marvel to open at a decent price.

UD also didn’t help themselves with the DC license so far by dropping some lackluster sets. And the flaking of the foiling found the the Batman Metal cards was disappointing.

There are not really any 2026 sets that I know of that are on my must buy radar at the moment. I will likely focus on slabbing existing cards in my collection through COMC using funds from sales there.

Maybe Topps reopens eTopps at some point to become a direct to consumer ePack competitor and I will be able to open more Marvel again.

EDIT: I’m also not really too enthused about UD switching ePack storage from COMC to The Authority. I’m not really up for dealing with a separate storage site. I’m already annoyed by multiple streaming platforms and multiple apps to shop at various stores. Splitting my ePack colllection between two separate storage facilities seems like it will be a hassle.

[Sickleclaw]

I'm really hoping that the DC license gets some uplift with the Batman animated and DC inspirations being released as cheaper sets.

[YayNJ]

Genuinely don't think I will be buying anything in 2026?

The upcoming DC release (Inspirations?) looks rubbish.

No Time To Die will probably be my last set for a good while.

[Gidtheson]

I think 2026 will be a year that allows us to catch up on sets that have been on the back burner for a while.
Hoping for a more reasonable, non-chrome (read: no superfractors to pump it up) Star Wars set. Flagship 2026?
On a positive note, I do like the addition of SP inserts as a way to sprinkle in a little more value.

[eastbayak]

Topps SW products are mostly trash and Topps Marvel/Disney products are quickly getting there too.

[Wolverine011]

Last SW product I went hard with was 2021 SW Galaxy Chrome. I'm largely done with Star Wars as the new content doesn't resonate with me any longer (with the exception of Andor S2, which was excellent). I still bought a box of 2025 Galaxy Chrome just to check it out but the explosion of numbered/non-numbered "hits" to keep pace with the increased print run just doesn't do it for me.

As others have stated, I'll be in catch up mode in 2026, mainly with Halo Legacy Collection and dwindling my ePack account.

[PoPCulture]

My big hope for this year is that Topps has someone employed that remembers that there is still a place for $80-100/box paper sets like the (not-so) old days. Not asking for much, Even 1 or 2 per year for Star Wars and Marvel would be fine. I remember when there was a national helium shortage a few years ago. Hoping to read about a National Chrome shortage this year.

[PrinceVegeta]

It's a clown show that I'm still trying to enjoy

[CicadaMound]

Topps will continue catering to sports-style breaking/quasi-gambling in an attempt to expand the nonsports genre to a wider audience, simultaneously dumbing the sets down and increasing the prices. This will continue to drive out the longtime dedicated collector bases of their legacy licenses, but they will be replaced by sophisticated, deep-pocketed sports collectors expanding into the nonsports subjects they like. Unfortunately, the ex-sports collectors won't be nearly as dedicated as the former nonsports collectors, and a wider bifurcation between major and minor subjects will emerge.

Upper Deck will continue trying to replace the vibrant, sophisticated Marvel card collecting community they cultivated, especially via ePack, with a DC card collecting community. Many former UD Marvel collectors, who were more fans of "collecting" and just bought whatever was released, will keep buying the on the familiar platform and chase whatever's put out, but others will just quit because they're more "Marvel fans" and find less of what's offered interesting to them. UD's high-quality releases will be more fun to sophisticated collectors than Topps' increasingly repetitive and expensive offerings. However, UD WON'T be focused on expanding the collector base by catering to casual, retail-only plebs, and will nerf physical cards hard to funnel everyone to virtual breaking on ePack. That'll be a mistake, since the most fun you can have with cards comes from handling them in person. I just hope they don't abandon low-end physical-only sets like the awesome Fleer Brilliants Superman.

Panini will continue to flail around with flotsam and jetsam like Squishmallows and The Rolling Stones instead of leveraging their current successful, wide-ranging sticker album licenses to bring cards over here. They'll continue parallel inflation that dilutes both base sets and chase sets

Rittenhouse will keep on chugging along, producing great sets of increasingly poorly-received legacy sequels to beloved series and movies. They'll continue to cater to the loyal fanbases they've cultivated, but have to compete for the smaller pool of "fandom-friendly" franchises that don't have a trading card licensee.

Cryptozoic will also keep moving along with their boutique offerings, less successfully than Rittenhouse, but buoyed by their other collectible categories. They could probably use a little more focus on the cards, but they're more constrained by the available licenses. If nothing new gets put out that is amenable to trading card sets, Cryptozoic will suffer. They're in the same niche as Inkworks back in the day, but it's harder for sufficiently large fandoms like Buffy, Xena, Charmed, or Supernatural to develop in the Streaming age.

Cardsmiths seems to be doing well with the cryptocurrency themed releases, but it's difficult to rip since each individual box is so expensive. It can probably keep going on with that for a while, but they're like Cryptozoic in that they have to be scrappy and pursue and develop smaller licenses.

The Pernas seem to be doing well and the Canada Post strike is over, so they should keep up with their stuff.

The biggest wildcards are the Chinese companies. They have deep pockets and are willing to make cards normal human beings can actually afford. I'm not a great Kakawow fan, since their stuff seems to be boring portraits to me, but the cards themselves are good and the subjects are underused so far.

I'm a bigger fan of Kayou, though - they're stuff is cheap, shiny, and they have very nice ORIGINAL ART. The My Little Pony cards are really well done, and if they can develop that property or use it to acquire a property more suited to American tastes, they'll do really well. I went to a couple Targets and Meijers over the holiday and their cards were sold out everywhere I went, unlike some other non-sports or TCG cards. Cheap, shiny, cute, different stuff available at retail is a niche that hasn't been explored yet here, but it seems to be doing well.

[finfangfan]

Great post Cicada! Nice to hear input on other companies out there beyond Topps/UD.

That leads me to ask… what nonsports properties are ripe for a company to pick up and produce sets in 2026 and beyond?

I think more can be done in the video game space. Nintendo is ripe for a comprehensive sets if not multiple sets. Even stuff like SuperCell properties like Clash of Clans (which has been around 10+ years and Clash Royale could probably produce a well received set or two.

Simpsons is also a good target for a new set. South Park?

And I also think more could be done with various music artists to produce some cool sets.

I feel like the nonsports market is actually wide open. It will just take a competent (and admittedly well-funded) company to take advantage of what is out there to produce some great nonsports sets.

[HiltonL]

It's a clown show that I'm still trying to enjoy

^this

I haven't touched a single Topps Marvel sealed product. I did pick up some loose cards in lots I've purchased

I'm still on my mission to force UD to give me physical cards by combining digital cards. With the activity low on epack, it's a struggle

MtG has captured a few IPs that I like a lot, but I only open a little and I don't play the game. Hoping to pick up some odd lot bargains here and there in 2026

[TheVolta]

Yeah, that was a great post, Cicada. Love it

[CicadaMound]

Here's a year-in-review from GPKNews.com - similar complaints about poor traditional releases, but an appreciation of better sketch art:

After a down year for Garbage Pail Kids in 2024, there was some optimism going to 2025 that GPK would have a comeback in their 40th anniversary year. While there were more releases, 2025 will be seen as a letdown due to a lackluster 40th anniversary effort by Topps, and massive changes to everything GPK. Retail, or more realistic, “Hobby sets”, were the main focus in 2025 for GPK. Fanatics has now implemented many of the changes they have wanted to since purchasing the company more than three years ago. Gone are the usual yearly themed releases, and standard chrome releases. 2025 did see a Chrome release, allbeit with major structure changes. That was followed by the 40th anniversary release, which was popular, but with that ushered in a new distribution model that was followed by Sapphire and Green Day sets. For a lot of collectors, 2025 will also be seen as the year of the reprint. The majority of releases in 2025 featured reprints or reimagined artwork based on old characters. Only the controversial Green Day set saw fully new artwork. 2025 also saw a continued focus on GPKs being inserted into other brands. Three baseball releases saw the inclusion of GPK cards during the year. Collectors should expect much more of this in 2026.

Online sets saw a bit of a decrease in launches in 2025. Only one packed out release, two six week series, and a couple of standard releases this year. Licensed merchandise surprisingly saw an some new licensees in 2025. After trimming down the old licenses, it looks like the company has started to make new partnerships with companies like ThrillJoy, Homage, and Bull Airs. With some of the others still involved, 2025 was a solid year for licensed GPK merchandise.

There was still a lot to celebrate in 2025. Sketch card artwork may have had its best year ever due to changes in quality standards set by Topps. There was also the largest group of new artists in years to choose from. The following is the 9th annual 2025 GPKNews.com Best of GPK Awards. Winners have been selected by the editor of GPKNews.com in eight categories. Additionally, a Reader’s Choice winner was also named in each category. Readers of GPKNews were able to vote in a poll on GPKNews’ Facebook page in mid-December. On some awards there is agreement, while others vary in opinion. Let the debate begin! It’s time to celebrate the best in GPKs for 2025!



https://gpknews.com/the-2025-gpknews-com-best-of-gpk-award-winners/

[Sickleclaw]

Topps will continue catering to sports-style breaking/quasi-gambling in an attempt to expand the nonsports genre to a wider audience, simultaneously dumbing the sets down and increasing the prices. This will continue to drive out the longtime dedicated collector bases of their legacy licenses, but they will be replaced by sophisticated, deep-pocketed sports collectors expanding into the nonsports subjects they like. Unfortunately, the ex-sports collectors won't be nearly as dedicated as the former nonsports collectors, and a wider bifurcation between major and minor subjects will emerge.

Upper Deck will continue trying to replace the vibrant, sophisticated Marvel card collecting community they cultivated, especially via ePack, with a DC card collecting community. Many former UD Marvel collectors, who were more fans of "collecting" and just bought whatever was released, will keep buying the on the familiar platform and chase whatever's put out, but others will just quit because they're more "Marvel fans" and find less of what's offered interesting to them. UD's high-quality releases will be more fun to sophisticated collectors than Topps' increasingly repetitive and expensive offerings. However, UD WON'T be focused on expanding the collector base by catering to casual, retail-only plebs, and will nerf physical cards hard to funnel everyone to virtual breaking on ePack. That'll be a mistake, since the most fun you can have with cards comes from handling them in person. I just hope they don't abandon low-end physical-only sets like the awesome Fleer Brilliants Superman.

Panini will continue to flail around with flotsam and jetsam like Squishmallows and The Rolling Stones instead of leveraging their current successful, wide-ranging sticker album licenses to bring cards over here. They'll continue parallel inflation that dilutes both base sets and chase sets

Rittenhouse will keep on chugging along, producing great sets of increasingly poorly-received legacy sequels to beloved series and movies. They'll continue to cater to the loyal fanbases they've cultivated, but have to compete for the smaller pool of "fandom-friendly" franchises that don't have a trading card licensee.

Cryptozoic will also keep moving along with their boutique offerings, less successfully than Rittenhouse, but buoyed by their other collectible categories. They could probably use a little more focus on the cards, but they're more constrained by the available licenses. If nothing new gets put out that is amenable to trading card sets, Cryptozoic will suffer. They're in the same niche as Inkworks back in the day, but it's harder for sufficiently large fandoms like Buffy, Xena, Charmed, or Supernatural to develop in the Streaming age.

Cardsmiths seems to be doing well with the cryptocurrency themed releases, but it's difficult to rip since each individual box is so expensive. It can probably keep going on with that for a while, but they're like Cryptozoic in that they have to be scrappy and pursue and develop smaller licenses.

The Pernas seem to be doing well and the Canada Post strike is over, so they should keep up with their stuff.

The biggest wildcards are the Chinese companies. They have deep pockets and are willing to make cards normal human beings can actually afford. I'm not a great Kakawow fan, since their stuff seems to be boring portraits to me, but the cards themselves are good and the subjects are underused so far.

I'm a bigger fan of Kayou, though - they're stuff is cheap, shiny, and they have very nice ORIGINAL ART. The My Little Pony cards are really well done, and if they can develop that property or use it to acquire a property more suited to American tastes, they'll do really well. I went to a couple Targets and Meijers over the holiday and their cards were sold out everywhere I went, unlike some other non-sports or TCG cards. Cheap, shiny, cute, different stuff available at retail is a niche that hasn't been explored yet here, but it seems to be doing well.

Going to say that getting the Jurassic park license for cryptozoic is potentially something that could turn things around for them. Jurassic has a huge following and is not necessarily “niche” as it used to be before the world films came out.

[finfangfan]

Jurassic Park would be cool… not just for the potential autos but also if they do Dinosaur (not human) sketch cards. I was online friends with George Nadeau back in the old Scoundrel days but haven’t really followed the CZE releases since his passing.

[orion9578]

It's a clown show that I'm still trying to enjoy

Nailed it.

[ddilts399]

Topps marvel is just ridiculously priced right now, do not forsee ever owning any. I like breaking more so that chasing singles, so it just really isnt worth even trying.

[dd316]

If you're rich, 2026 is going to be great!

I hardly bought anything in 2025, and the current trajectory indicates 2026 will be the same.

What this has quietly been doing is opening doors for small publishers to sneak out some pretty great stuff. THAT is what I've been spending my collecting money on. And yes, it's a little self-serving since I'm in that world now, but being on that side of it I can REALLY appreciate the love and effort that goes into self-producing cards. I don't know how RRParks does it - he's a one-man operation putting out endless sets that aren't small in scope. He's published some legit licenses like Ultraman and the sets are all amazing. Ingrid Hardy has been doing great stuff and is putting out her first licensed set with Time Bandits (Kickstarter launches tomorrow! (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ingridkvhardy/time-bandits-1981-the-trading-card-set?ref=discovery&term=time%20bandits&total_hits=6&category_id=273)). I'd rather spend $30-$50 on guaranteed sets than drop $300 with a 1% chance I'll find $300 worth of value in the box.

[BlowoutBuzz]

At some point, I think card companies will identify why they are losing collectors -- all companies ... sports and non-sports. How long that will take? Not sure.

[crdbored]

Fanatics will continue increase prices and print runs.
Breakers will continue to get most of the allocations.

The same sets and autos will continue to get churned out.

Honestly, doesn't look great. The 10-card box of stranger things at $299 is telling.

[kingofsnake]

As an autograph collector, I think the state of the hobby is bleak, personally. I think there were only four products that interested me in 2025 - Rittenhouse Twin Peaks, Topps Allen & Ginter, UD Time to Die - and for me it was singles only. One of the big disappointments was having Shadows pushed back endlessly.

I have no interest in Disney, Marvel, Star Wars if there are no autographs it.

[Sickleclaw]

Jurassic Park would be cool… not just for the potential autos but also if they do Dinosaur (not human) sketch cards. I was online friends with George Nadeau back in the old Scoundrel days but haven’t really followed the CZE releases since his passing.

Cryptozoics page for the product says “one hand drawn dinosaur OR character sketch card in each box.” So Dino sketches will be in this!

[dd316]

At some point, I think card companies will identify why they are losing collectors -- all companies ... sports and non-sports. How long that will take? Not sure.

Doesn't matter if they're losing collectors, they're being replaced with investors and the cash is flowing.

All anyone has to do is read this thread to know why they're losing collectors. Until they start reporting losses, things will keep going the way they are.

[Sickleclaw]

Topps will continue catering to sports-style breaking/quasi-gambling in an attempt to expand the nonsports genre to a wider audience, simultaneously dumbing the sets down and increasing the prices. This will continue to drive out the longtime dedicated collector bases of their legacy licenses, but they will be replaced by sophisticated, deep-pocketed sports collectors expanding into the nonsports subjects they like. Unfortunately, the ex-sports collectors won't be nearly as dedicated as the former nonsports collectors, and a wider bifurcation between major and minor subjects will emerge.

Upper Deck will continue trying to replace the vibrant, sophisticated Marvel card collecting community they cultivated, especially via ePack, with a DC card collecting community. Many former UD Marvel collectors, who were more fans of "collecting" and just bought whatever was released, will keep buying the on the familiar platform and chase whatever's put out, but others will just quit because they're more "Marvel fans" and find less of what's offered interesting to them. UD's high-quality releases will be more fun to sophisticated collectors than Topps' increasingly repetitive and expensive offerings. However, UD WON'T be focused on expanding the collector base by catering to casual, retail-only plebs, and will nerf physical cards hard to funnel everyone to virtual breaking on ePack. That'll be a mistake, since the most fun you can have with cards comes from handling them in person. I just hope they don't abandon low-end physical-only sets like the awesome Fleer Brilliants Superman.

Panini will continue to flail around with flotsam and jetsam like Squishmallows and The Rolling Stones instead of leveraging their current successful, wide-ranging sticker album licenses to bring cards over here. They'll continue parallel inflation that dilutes both base sets and chase sets

Rittenhouse will keep on chugging along, producing great sets of increasingly poorly-received legacy sequels to beloved series and movies. They'll continue to cater to the loyal fanbases they've cultivated, but have to compete for the smaller pool of "fandom-friendly" franchises that don't have a trading card licensee.

Cryptozoic will also keep moving along with their boutique offerings, less successfully than Rittenhouse, but buoyed by their other collectible categories. They could probably use a little more focus on the cards, but they're more constrained by the available licenses. If nothing new gets put out that is amenable to trading card sets, Cryptozoic will suffer. They're in the same niche as Inkworks back in the day, but it's harder for sufficiently large fandoms like Buffy, Xena, Charmed, or Supernatural to develop in the Streaming age.

Cardsmiths seems to be doing well with the cryptocurrency themed releases, but it's difficult to rip since each individual box is so expensive. It can probably keep going on with that for a while, but they're like Cryptozoic in that they have to be scrappy and pursue and develop smaller licenses.

The Pernas seem to be doing well and the Canada Post strike is over, so they should keep up with their stuff.

The biggest wildcards are the Chinese companies. They have deep pockets and are willing to make cards normal human beings can actually afford. I'm not a great Kakawow fan, since their stuff seems to be boring portraits to me, but the cards themselves are good and the subjects are underused so far.

I'm a bigger fan of Kayou, though - they're stuff is cheap, shiny, and they have very nice ORIGINAL ART. The My Little Pony cards are really well done, and if they can develop that property or use it to acquire a property more suited to American tastes, they'll do really well. I went to a couple Targets and Meijers over the holiday and their cards were sold out everywhere I went, unlike some other non-sports or TCG cards. Cheap, shiny, cute, different stuff available at retail is a niche that hasn't been explored yet here, but it seems to be doing well.

ALSo more niche new players like Saturday morning cards. Not bought any yet but the do seem to be gaining momentum.

[Kodiak10]

Watch out for first app vintage graded Star Wars & Batman. Still way under priced

[worldtravel00]

Given Disney/Marvel/SW box prices will continue to escalate with little ROIs, I think most collectors will go back to buying singles and/or completing their sets.

UD really hasn't done much with DC/Warner Brothers licenses so far. They need to use it properly with the right product line & price points. Until then, it will be barren desert in the epacks.

I'll be focusing more on the singles on autos from different TV shows until Disney/Marvel/SW/DC/WB becomes more affordable when that may be...

[Chrominator]

If you're rich, 2026 is going to be great!


:cry:

[Raymond23]

Fortunately, I’ve been phasing out of the hobby for years now…mostly plugging holes when I can. I’m a Star Wars guy, mostly focused of the Lucas era films. Last set I went hard on was 40th Anniversary in 2017, and the last mini-master was Black & White in 2019. I branched out a bit into Marvel with the epack sales, but no interest on building further on that. I recently added a Prequel Era sketch side collection, and was floored how much sketch cards had climbed in price. With both of those in the rear view, there are only about a dozen cards that I’m chasing(and unlikely to find). Only thing I’m interested in collecting in the future might be Star Wars 50th Anniversary (if it’s a nice set that is reasonably priced…which I am very skeptical about). Aside from that, I’m happy sitting on the sidelines, but sad to see the hobby I have loved for a half century burn to the ground…

[CicadaMound]

ALSo more niche new players like Saturday morning cards. Not bought any yet but the do seem to be gaining momentum.

Saturday Morning Cards is doing a few things right - they're commissioning original art by named artists, and actively licensing underutilized IPs. I don't like the encased-one-per-box format or $30/card price point, but the art and custom magnetics do look nice.

However, the actual card content is second to the fact that it's run by infamous hobby figure The Great Curator, who has a whole sordid history I'm not going to repeat here. To be fair, actually creating your own stuff is a good thing and if he treats his artists well and keeps his nose clean I'll moderate my stance. I'm not going to pick up any of his stuff on a whim, though.

Unless for some unfathomable reason he licenses Titan A.E., but only a truly insane person would attempt that and think they could turn a profit.

[YayNJ]

Watch out for first app vintage graded Star Wars & Batman. Still way under priced

I dunno. The obvious Mark Hamill / Luke card is pretty darn expensive now. Nobody really wants much else.

Pretty sure the Batman 'RC' has been artificially pumped to where it is at the moment, can't be much more upwards energy left there?

[Brobocop]

I think the state is not good based on what has been said and also on an interaction I just had on Facebook. On the Blowout post announcing the newest Stranger Things, there is someone arguing with me that $300 a box for that product isn’t expensive. They also are claiming that the SpongeBob product also wasn’t overpriced.

Their logic was “Look at how much the highest end cards sell for” just further reinforces that non sports has been fully infiltrated by hype beasts and investors. The latest MCU product that was announced also shows that the future is less packs with less cards so breakers can speed run opening in order to make everyone more money except for consumers.

[Angus Con]

As an OG collector of women's football (soccer), I've already been witness to where non-sports is heading at least for the niche stuff. It's why I got out of it except for the occasional player that is affordable. The speculators, investors and breakers come and go, but trash the hobby along the way.

I think the worst part is how the little communities get trashed along the way. Often feels like you can't even have open discussions any more because of all the different agendas in play publicly.

At this point, if I read someone saying how great a deal is on these forums, I assume it's just some hype garbage because if something is actual a great deal these days, you don't share it. You just buy it.

And that's where I view the nonsports hobby right now. Still some great product out there and great deals too. But you have to sort through so much meh to find them. And Topps can just suck it. Plain and simple. They will never get my money direct. I'll buy your singles on the cheap when they get mass dumped.

[dd316]

Their logic was “Look at how much the highest end cards sell for” just further reinforces that non sports has been fully infiltrated by hype beasts and investors.

That's all it's about now. I watched a Facebook video from a local shop. It was about a kid opening a $100 repack, pulling a Justin Herbert auto, and all the graphics were:

-$100

+$140

$40 PROFIT!!!

They're not encouraging collecting with kids, they're encouraging flipping.

And where's this kid getting $100 to blow on repack crap? Must be nice.

[DynaEtch]

I don’t do stuff like Whatnot breaks….but someone the other day posted a clip in a FB marvel group from a topps marvel break on there. Man….dude was really playing the part. Sunglasses indoors at night, standing up/down constantly all hyped up arms waving, yelling the entire time at the camera, about how hits can be worth $5K, maybe even 5-6 figures…shouting about giveaways, pump music playing in the background.

Made me reflect a little- the marvel card hobby at one point was buying $2 packs of Marvel Universe or Fleer Ultra-Men at the local corner store in the 90s. Opening those packs, collecting sets, trading with friends. Whatever this is now under topps is basically foreign to me…and with these lackluster sets it’s not about the cards anymore obviously. Gambling, investing, speculation off the charts. One of the first things that comes along with many marvel card posts on Reddit is: 1)I just hit this, what’s it worth, and 2)should I grade it.

But I’m not saying anything new, it’s all been said in this thread. Guess we’re a bunch of dinosaurs, reminiscing on the days of a better hobby more geared to the collector, without outrageous box prices. Been pretty obvious whats going on since the pandemic…the early waves of Topps nonsports sets like Disney Chrome, first Marvel Chrome set, really got a lot of this going too- so obvious what was happening to the hobby, and once all these other Topps chrome sets like VeeFriends and Topps Chrome heck knows what else started popping up…writing is basically on the wall for how this is going to play out. One things for sure, in Marvel- there seems to be a steady exodus of actual collectors of new product ever since Topps took over (referring to the art base sets not MCU like the Studios set)- these sets are not typically liked or praised in the marvel groups I’m in. On here you barely see any thread activity in terms of collecting in sets like Marvel Chrome, most of the thread activity in those threads is about EQL’s and getting in on box lotteries etc.

I recall a card show vividly from the fall (granted card shows are predominantly sports and Pokémon)….I was on the lookout for anything of note non-sports, particularly marvel. I found just one Marvel box…a 2025 Marvel Chrome hobby box for $600. I just remember chuckling to myself a bit thinking this is the state of the hobby. And the singles prices on that stuff is already falling like a rock, since there is barely any end-audience for this stuff. Just imagine when Topps Chrome Marvel 2029 hits.

[TimBuckTwo]

That's all it's about now. I watched a Facebook video from a local shop. It was about a kid opening a $100 repack, pulling a Justin Herbert auto, and all the graphics were:

-$100

+$140

$40 PROFIT!!!

They're not encouraging collecting with kids, they're encouraging flipping.

And where's this kid getting $100 to blow on repack crap? Must be nice.

For a second I thought you said Justin Beiber LOL

[cmixer]

Cryptozoics page for the product says “one hand drawn dinosaur OR character sketch card in each box.” So Dino sketches will be in this!

This is when I remind everybody that Character card require approvals. It's much easier to draw a dinosaur.

[finfangfan]

This is when I remind everybody that Character card require approvals. It's much easier to draw a dinosaur.

Hopefully it’s like 90% Dino sketches. Pulling a character card sketch in this would be disappointing.

[Kodiak10]

I dunno. The obvious Mark Hamill / Luke card is pretty darn expensive now. Nobody really wants much else.

Pretty sure the Batman 'RC' has been artificially pumped to where it is at the moment, can't be much more upwards energy left there?

Really? There are plenty of cards in high grade in the Star Wars & ESB that have room to grow. Have you seen the extemely low pops in PSA 8 or higher? it's only a matter of time. I could list about 20 1st app. I wasn't talking about the entire set.

How is the Batman card being pumped? Is he not arguably the biggest super hero of all time? There are no PSA 10's in existance, never will be. PSA 9 is pop 13. Total pop graded PSA 6 and higher is 380. Still has much room to grow imo

[PoPCulture]

One small bit of hope that I have for non sports is that, while Fanatics is busy tearing down everything that long-time collectors have loved about the hobby, this will give smaller independent creators a bigger audience in the space as it used to be. A couple hours ago, I picked up Ingrid’s new Time Bandits Kickstarter set. 2 base sets, 2 sketch cards, 2 film relics, an Auto (one that I actually want to own guaranteed and not a luck of the draw crapshoot) all for $120. I hope that more people that have the resources and skill to produce these small sets will be encouraged to give it a try.

[PoPCulture]

^^^ I should also mention that if anyone forgot about this set going live today and wants a set with the auto, you might want to hurry as only 15 of the 45 are still available at this time!

[YayNJ]

Really? There are plenty of cards in high grade in the Star Wars & ESB that have room to grow.

In Star Wars?

The vast majority of the cards from the OG SW set are in PSA 8, there's no shortage of them. For whatever reason, even through the Covid-era people haven't gone all in on the set.

[Hollywood42]

I can't say much about the modern non-sport era as I don't do much of anything with it save for a few Star Wars sets, but I have been having a lot of fun lately learning more and trying to track down the earliest cards of some of my nostalgia subjects, especially Scooby Doo. There seems to be pretty limited info on the early Scooby cards out there so it turns into some pretty decent research projects to even just find out what all is out there and try to put checklists together to have something to go off of

[cypher]

Fanatics has perfected the distribution model. Sell maybe 1% online at a reasonable price and the rest goes to the machine. Product starts sky high at the big 3 and then just goes up. They can cut down boxes per case as it doesn't even matter anymore how many hits per case just as long as there is a 'chase'. Also seems sketch quality is going down since they don't need to pay up for better artists to help sell the products. I was so disappointed with the QC on Star Wars Sapphire scratches all over bubbling on the back of cards.

[Kodiak10]

In Star Wars?

The vast majority of the cards from the OG SW set are in PSA 8, there's no shortage of them. For whatever reason, even through the Covid-era people haven't gone all in on the set.

Well Luke #1 is at 10% PSA 8 or higher and Vader #196 is at 38% PSA 8 or higher for examples. I wouldn't consider anything under 40% rate the "vast majority" would you? Gotta do you research bud. The only reason the % are that high is people aren't sending in the countless PSA 3's or the % would be much much lower. I'm only talking about the top 15-20 cards in the set and a handfull in ESB. Not the commons that nobody cares about.

[finfangfan]

State of the hobby in 2026… Who would have thought Lids would be the best place to buy Marvel hobby boxes?

[Brobocop]

State of the hobby in 2026… Who would have thought Lids would be the best place to buy Marvel hobby boxes?


It’s still mucked up that Lids is owned by Fanatics and yet they are charging $319 for Marvel Studios Chrome when EQL was almost $100 less. I hate it.

[finfangfan]

It’s still mucked up that Lids is owned by Fanatics and yet they are charging $319 for Marvel Studios Chrome when EQL was almost $100 less. I hate it.

Yeah… I got sticker shock earlier in the year when GameStop released the standard comic character Marvel Chrome and when I went in to buy it, it was $350 vs $250 the manager quoted the week before release when she checked for it on her computer.

Lids price today was cheaper than I see places online, but it’s definitely expensive. I was telling the manager at Lids today how our hobby used to be cheap to buy boxes until COVID changed things. I got the impression he and his district manager are shocked how much people spend on the hobby. I told him he should try to move the card display from the back corner to a more convenient position for people to casually browse. My local GameStop also has their cards stuck in a back corner… and that is even worse since it’s primarily behind the counter. So, if there are people in line buying stuff or having staff look something up you are blocked from browsing their card display. Have to do the old phone pic and then zoom in on the pic!

[baseballcarding]

I'm really hoping that the DC license gets some uplift with the Batman animated and DC inspirations being released as cheaper sets.

So are these both going to epack eventually? How do we know when / what release goes to epack? I was surprised to hear that Superman Brilliants is only retail...at least I thought someone stated that.

Does epack have a release calendar or anything like that? seems like it would be a good way to build hype. I am semi-new to epack, really only got into it during the Marvel blowout sales and was interested in DC but there is very little as far as DC goes right now.

[finfangfan]

EPack doesn’t really provide a release calendar and generally only announces a new set dropping roughly 48 hrs prior. I would think most DC hobby sets will eventually make it to ePack. The Superman set you mentioned was an outlier. Probably an experiment to see if they could generate retail sales with an exclusive set. I think there was a different color parallel for multiple retailers. It didn’t do too well and is still sitting at my GameStop.

[YayNJ]

Well Luke #1 is at 10% PSA 8 or higher and Vader #196 is at 38% PSA 8 or higher for examples. I wouldn't consider anything under 40% rate the "vast majority" would you? Gotta do you research bud.

I think you have misunderstood what I meant.

[fabiani12333]

I don’t do stuff like Whatnot breaks….but someone the other day posted a clip in a FB marvel group from a topps marvel break on there. Man….dude was really playing the part. Sunglasses indoors at night, standing up/down constantly all hyped up arms waving, yelling the entire time at the camera, about how hits can be worth $5K, maybe even 5-6 figures…shouting about giveaways, pump music playing in the background.

Made me reflect a little- the marvel card hobby at one point was buying $2 packs of Marvel Universe or Fleer Ultra-Men at the local corner store in the 90s. Opening those packs, collecting sets, trading with friends. Whatever this is now under topps is basically foreign to me…and with these lackluster sets it’s not about the cards anymore obviously. Gambling, investing, speculation off the charts. One of the first things that comes along with many marvel card posts on Reddit is: 1)I just hit this, what’s it worth, and 2)should I grade it.

But I’m not saying anything new, it’s all been said in this thread. Guess we’re a bunch of dinosaurs, reminiscing on the days of a better hobby more geared to the collector, without outrageous box prices. Been pretty obvious whats going on since the pandemic…the early waves of Topps nonsports sets like Disney Chrome, first Marvel Chrome set, really got a lot of this going too- so obvious what was happening to the hobby, and once all these other Topps chrome sets like VeeFriends and Topps Chrome heck knows what else started popping up…writing is basically on the wall for how this is going to play out. One things for sure, in Marvel- there seems to be a steady exodus of actual collectors of new product ever since Topps took over (referring to the art base sets not MCU like the Studios set)- these sets are not typically liked or praised in the marvel groups I’m in. On here you barely see any thread activity in terms of collecting in sets like Marvel Chrome, most of the thread activity in those threads is about EQL’s and getting in on box lotteries etc.

I recall a card show vividly from the fall (granted card shows are predominantly sports and Pokémon)….I was on the lookout for anything of note non-sports, particularly marvel. I found just one Marvel box…a 2025 Marvel Chrome hobby box for $600. I just remember chuckling to myself a bit thinking this is the state of the hobby. And the singles prices on that stuff is already falling like a rock, since there is barely any end-audience for this stuff. Just imagine when Topps Chrome Marvel 2029 hits.

Not one bit surprised, Dyna. Topps' model is to maximize the gambling aspect of trading cards. That means selling most unopened product through group breakers and emphasizing the values of the biggest chase cards. This allows Topps to sell product at higher prices and pay licensors higher fees.

But unlike baseballs cards, non-sports cards don't have the traditional large collector/investor base -- the end-users. So Topps' non-sports cards don't have a strong secondary market that helps support and justify pricing. And prices are too high to allow for new collector growth.

[meandsharon11]

The state of the hobby will be the same as 2025

[dd316]

I told him he should try to move the card display from the back corner to a more convenient position for people to casually browse. My local GameStop also has their cards stuck in a back corner… and that is even worse since it’s primarily behind the counter.

Probably keep em buried to deter theft. Also, I don't know that putting a $350 box of cards at the front of the store will do anything for sales - the people who will buy the cards know to go there and seek them out.

[dd316]

That's all it's about now. I watched a Facebook video from a local shop. It was about a kid opening a $100 repack, pulling a Justin Herbert auto, and all the graphics were:

-$100

+$140

$40 PROFIT!!!

They're not encouraging collecting with kids, they're encouraging flipping.

And where's this kid getting $100 to blow on repack crap? Must be nice.

Here's a screenshot of what I'm talking about. The kid in the video has to be 12 or 13.

[Brobocop]

If liquidity dries up, even slightly, it is going to put so much pressure on these breakers. for as hot as Marvel Studios Chrome seems to be, every time I've take a look at Fanatics Live, it seems like the breaks aren't filling up.

[finfangfan]

I think the actor auto sets probably work better for sports breakers in the long run than the comic based sets.

The inevitable Avengers Doomsday set should be a big one but I can see people growing tired of the standard comic sets with multiple colored parallels.

[Brobocop]

I think the actor auto sets probably work better for sports breakers in the long run than the comic based sets.

The inevitable Avengers Doomsday set should be a big one but I can see people growing tired of the standard comic sets with multiple colored parallels.

Doomsday Chrome is going to be $599 a box with 2-3 autos per 8 box case. Quote me.

[finfangfan]

I think you are probably correct and they might get RDJ to sign which along with the other signers will hype it up to those levels.

[Jaysabz]

That's all it's about now. I watched a Facebook video from a local shop. It was about a kid opening a $100 repack, pulling a Justin Herbert auto, and all the graphics were:

-$100

+$140

$40 PROFIT!!!

They're not encouraging collecting with kids, they're encouraging flipping.

And where's this kid getting $100 to blow on repack crap? Must be nice.

It's funny, it reminds me of back in the junk wax era. I'd get my Beckett price guide and go through my binders and write down the prices of all of my cards on loose leaf.

I remember showing my dad how much a given binder was worth based on my detailed 4th grade loose-leaf note taking, and when I'd say it was worth $40 or whatever it was worth, I remember him saying, "No it isn't."

I can remember getting angry, telling him the price guide said so, and I distinctly remember him telling me he wouldn't give me a nickel for the full binder. How right he was, it's only worth what someone will give you - not what some magazine arbitrarily says its worth. :D

On an unrelated note, I love (as someone else in this thread touched on) how liquid these "rippers" that do the profit / loss videos seem to think these cards are - like you can put them in a machine and it'll print you out a cash voucher, LOL.

In that regard, these kids would be better off playing the lottery, only the lotteries are regulated and you have to be a certain age to play, because the states have decided from a public policy perspective they don't want children gambling.

But make it trading cards, and HAVE AT IT! Just get a PayPal account and you can use the $300 in birthday money you got from your grandparents and aunts and uncles to rip one $250 slab pack like the big boys!!! The government has to step in soon to regulate these sites - they're pure gambling. They give you CASH offers after you rip.

I wonder if these breakers realize if they scam people using via the internet across state lines it's a federal crime?

[Xpl0de]

It's funny, it reminds me of back in the junk wax era. I'd get my Beckett price guide and go through my binders and write down the prices of all of my cards on loose leaf.

I remember showing my dad how much a given binder was worth based on my detailed 4th grade loose-leaf note taking, and when I'd say it was worth $40 or whatever it was worth, I remember him saying, "No it isn't."

I can remember getting angry, telling him the price guide said so, and I distinctly remember him telling me he wouldn't give me a nickel for the full binder. How right he was, it's only worth what someone will give you - not what some magazine arbitrarily says its worth. :D


I wonder if they're going to look back and call this the paltry parallel years or numbered nonsense era? Then again, maybe I'm just being too pessimistic about a lot of these card holding their value...

[finfangfan]

I wonder if they're going to look back and call this the paltry parallel years or numbered nonsense era? Then again, maybe I'm just being too pessimistic about a lot of these card holding their value...

Welcome to the boards!

[Yanks23]

Im not surprised at all on fanatics marvel products being chrome after chrome with 50x different colors. All of the marvel fb groups are now just posts of "how much is this mcu chrome hit or i dont do marvel but spend $$ on breaks so what can i sell this stuff for". I'm surprised by several of the bigger sales on mcu chrome bc you can get same actors autos for way less in ud products so im not sure who is buying these unless sports people are pumping it up. MCU has always been a much smaller segment of marvel collecting with lot of collectors i dealt with over years not touching these products and only do comic / mm/ metal/ ultra products. I think fanatics will continue to use the breakers to pump products and as mentioned the comic stuff will be much harder to hype with those fake character autos.

I saw guy posting yesterday on fb groups the pablo super auto and said he turned down $11.5k and getting crushed in comments.

[crdbored]

I wonder if they're going to look back and call this the paltry parallel years or numbered nonsense era? Then again, maybe I'm just being too pessimistic about a lot of these card holding their value...

With they way disney/pixar/star wars have gone under fanatics, almost everything over /99 I list for sale instantly.
They will continue to print countless products, with the same people signing over and over.

Don't think the actors in marvel studios won't continue to sign under Fanatics.

In 2026, I'll be focusing on consolidating my collection for rarer/lower numbered stuff. Even then they won't hold as much value considering the amount Fanatics is printing.

[kyle1707]

Marvel and Star Wars is over priced garbage

But a whole new generation does not give a truck about cost and value

Star Wars masterworks is 600 dollars ?

Marvel minted is 500-600 ?

Chrome boxes are 500

I can go on and on

Who buys this shiz

[Xpl0de]

Welcome to the boards!

Thanks! Been lurking for a little while, so figured might as well make an acct.

Marvel and Star Wars is over priced garbage

But a whole new generation does not give a truck about cost and value


I'd like to think with licensed Chinese companies (card.fun, Kayou, etc...) starting to creep in, prices would be forced down with the competition, but I'm not holding my breath. That's assuming they can continue gaining traction.

[Brobocop]

I'd like to think with licensed Chinese companies (card.fun, Kayou, etc...) starting to creep in, prices would be forced down with the competition, but I'm not holding my breath. That's assuming they can continue gaining traction.

I wouldn't put much into the licensed Chinese cards. Look at Marvel under Upper Deck versus Topps now. Hype is a big part of the game and Topps has mastered hype versus any other card company. It's how they can get away with charging what they do without giving much in return.

[finfangfan]

I wouldn't put much into the licensed Chinese cards. Look at Marvel under Upper Deck versus Topps now. Hype is a big part of the game and Topps has mastered hype versus any other card company. It's how they can get away with charging what they do without giving much in return.

It is weird that “a rising tide lifts all boats” isn’t really helping the Upper Deck DC stuff. I mean Topps has been able to effortlessly sell Star Wars, Marvel, SpongeBob, and Stranger Things while UD’s DC stuff hasn’t really benefited from the same market.

I know licensing restrictions won’t allow it, but I bet if Topps released a DC Chrome next week it would sell out quickly.

[Brobocop]

It is weird that “a rising tide lifts all boats” isn’t really helping the Upper Deck DC stuff. I mean Topps has been able to effortlessly sell Star Wars, Marvel, SpongeBob, and Stranger Things while UD’s DC stuff hasn’t really benefited from the same market.

I know licensing restrictions won’t allow it, but I bet if Topps released a DC Chrome next week it would sell out quickly.

For as annoying as Topps may be with their chrome everything, I take that over what Upper Deck seems to do which is PMG everything. I hate to give Topps credit, but I have always thought their designs were much better when it came to base cards which makes the color refractors pop. Upper Deck always, always, always over designed their cards which make them ugly to me.

[nabzy28]

It is weird that “a rising tide lifts all boats” isn’t really helping the Upper Deck DC stuff. I mean Topps has been able to effortlessly sell Star Wars, Marvel, SpongeBob, and Stranger Things while UD’s DC stuff hasn’t really benefited from the same market.

I know licensing restrictions won’t allow it, but I bet if Topps released a DC Chrome next week it would sell out quickly.

There is zero benefit to the breakers/flippers to support older product(s) from another manufacturer that the vast majority aren't in the direct distribution channel of. Kissing up doesn't benefit them, so they won't bother. I believe UD still has extremely strict requirements for direct product, etc. So, between them having very limited access to new product to hype from UD and the fact that most of them are relatively new to the hobby and have near zero knowledge of anything before 2021, you don't see the hype pushed for stuff that probably should get more attention.

[nabzy28]

For as annoying as Topps may be with their chrome everything, I take that over what Upper Deck seems to do which is PMG everything. I hate to give Topps credit, but I have always thought their designs were much better when it came to base cards which makes the color refractors pop. Upper Deck always, always, always over designed their cards which make them ugly to me.

All breakers/insane box and case pricing aside, you have absolutely no idea how psyched I am that Topps is making NFL cards again, in April. I don't like the myriad new parallels of most stuff but, you nailed it on the design aspect. I cannot wait for mid to high end NFL stuff that looks like some of the MLB sets again. Topps really only got to do about 2 or 3 years of 'higher' end type stuff before they lost the NFL license a decade ago.

[finfangfan]

There is zero benefit to the breakers/flippers to support older product(s) from another manufacturer that the vast majority aren't in the direct distribution channel of. Kissing up doesn't benefit them, so they won't bother. I believe UD still has extremely strict requirements for direct product, etc. So, between them having very limited access to new product to hype from UD and the fact that most of them are relatively new to the hobby and have near zero knowledge of anything before 2021, you don't see the hype pushed for stuff that probably should get more attention.

While that certainly makes sense on some level. From the licensor perspective, I would think DC (which btw looks like it will soon be acquired by Netflix in the impending merger of media giants), would prefer the dollars generated by Topps method vs the UD “niche” market method which is struggling to hype and sell DC cards at anything close to the level Topps is doing with Marvel cards.

[DynaEtch]

I know licensing restrictions won’t allow it, but I bet if Topps released a DC Chrome next week it would sell out quickly.

Firmly believe this as well. We’ve seen 1)Topps Chrome anything…whatever it even is…Veefriends etc, sells and people eat it up. And 2)The sports crowd flocks to whatever Topps is doing lately. You see it in the threads. Topps with its Chrome and Sapphire has a dedicated base that buys/gambles/flips their latest products. And that would be no different with a DC set…it would be eaten up. Also, the breaking paradigm Fanatics has in place is making epack look dated in a lot of ways (although I much prefer epack over getting into the breaking game on Whatnot, Fanatics, etc).

The rehashed art doesnt phase that dedicated base either at all- I’d even argue they prefer it- going back to Marvel Retro 2013 PMGs- since clipped comic art is usually very clean looking/bright/pulpy…over the heavily painted (and often darker as of late) original art type cards in recent marvel sets like 2018-2024MM. Shiny bright, simple, and clean- no backgrounds required, just use a design- seems to be the preference.

To me it’s super generic and not interesting at all…but Topps gets the $$$ from the breakers, sports people, etc…not me, so they won’t care. It’s disappointing that currently *both* major comic art genres, DC and Marvel, are putting out all-rehashed art sets. This could just be since it’s close to the license shift though. UD does have a massive uphill battle to climb for DC cards to become popular- they aren’t Topps with as much sports $$$ backing it- so more actual collectors are going to have to become more interested in DC, which I don’t think were seeing all that much yet.

[dd316]

Firmly believe this as well. We’ve seen 1)Topps Chrome anything…whatever it even is…Veefriends etc, sells and people eat it up.

The success of VeeFriends is the perfect example of the state of the union and what to expect in 2026.

[finfangfan]

Here’s another reminder of the 2026 State of the Hobby… $1.5 million of Stranger Things Topps Now sales in one week!

https://i.imgur.com/6ndv8TG_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand

[fabiani12333]

All breakers/insane box and case pricing aside, you have absolutely no idea how psyched I am that Topps is making NFL cards again, in April. I don't like the myriad new parallels of most stuff but, you nailed it on the design aspect. I cannot wait for mid to high end NFL stuff that looks like some of the MLB sets again. Topps really only got to do about 2 or 3 years of 'higher' end type stuff before they lost the NFL license a decade ago.

Panini excelled with high-end NFL products -- even though they used player-worn and retail patches for their RPAs, instead of game-worn ones. Topps had products like Strata and Definitive before losing the NFL license -- Strata was discontinued.

Topps will be expected to share the designs for all their main sports products -- they re-used the Topps MLB flagship and Chrome designs for their NBA releases late last year, for example.

With Topps taking over the NBA and NFL licenses from Panini, as well as the Marvel license from Upper Deck, they will likely be overwhelmed with amount of products they will have to produce annually and will look for ways to streamline the process. That likely means re-using the same designs and a lack of innovation and creativity.

[fabiani12333]

I hate to give Topps credit, but I have always thought their designs were much better when it came to base cards which makes the color refractors pop. Upper Deck always, always, always over designed their cards which make them ugly to me.

Hmm -- I thought Upper Deck generally made premium-quality base cards. I have thought for a long time now that Topps makes relatively cheap-looking base cards -- dull, flimsy and disposable.

[fabiani12333]

Firmly believe this as well. We’ve seen 1)Topps Chrome anything…whatever it even is…Veefriends etc, sells and people eat it up. And 2)The sports crowd flocks to whatever Topps is doing lately. You see it in the threads. Topps with its Chrome and Sapphire has a dedicated base that buys/gambles/flips their latest products. And that would be no different with a DC set…it would be eaten up. Also, the breaking paradigm Fanatics has in place is making epack look dated in a lot of ways (although I much prefer epack over getting into the breaking game on Whatnot, Fanatics, etc).

The rehashed art doesnt phase that dedicated base either at all- I’d even argue they prefer it- going back to Marvel Retro 2013 PMGs- since clipped comic art is usually very clean looking/bright/pulpy…over the heavily painted (and often darker as of late) original art type cards in recent marvel sets like 2018-2024MM. Shiny bright, simple, and clean- no backgrounds required, just use a design- seems to be the preference.

To me it’s super generic and not interesting at all…but Topps gets the $$$ from the breakers, sports people, etc…not me, so they won’t care. It’s disappointing that currently *both* major comic art genres, DC and Marvel, are putting out all-rehashed art sets. This could just be since it’s close to the license shift though. UD does have a massive uphill battle to climb for DC cards to become popular- they aren’t Topps with as much sports $$$ backing it- so more actual collectors are going to have to become more interested in DC, which I don’t think were seeing all that much yet.

The non-sport Topps products are still in the novelty phase -- we've gotten the first TC Marvel, the first TC MCU, the first TC SpongeBob, the first TC Labubu in a short period of time. The first of anything has the novelty factor that will disappear with successive iterations.

Give it some time, and the excitement and luster for TC non-sports products will gradually diminish. Unlike sports cards, you don't have a new crop of rookies to drive hype and sales and keep product lines fresh -- it's the same characters over and over again.

It's strange to say group breaking, which involves humans opening boxes and packs in livestreams, has made ePacks, which are virtual packs of physical cards, outdated. If that were true, why have digital repacks, which are essentially the ePack version of repacks, become so popular? Epack offers much more convenience than group breaking, as you can purchase an ePack at any time as long as you have access to the internet, while group break participants must first bid on spots and wait for product to be opened.

[fabiani12333]

While that certainly makes sense on some level. From the licensor perspective, I would think DC (which btw looks like it will soon be acquired by Netflix in the impending merger of media giants), would prefer the dollars generated by Topps method vs the UD “niche” market method which is struggling to hype and sell DC cards at anything close to the level Topps is doing with Marvel cards.

It'll be interesting to see how the Netflix deal for Warner Bros (DC) will affect the DC trading card license with Upper Deck. Will Netflix try to maximize the licensing fees of their DC IP by going with the highest bidders? In case of trading cars, that would presumably be Fanatics, who has been steadily gobbling up all the main trading card licenses the last half decade. But that would also mean one trading card company controlling both the Marvel and DC licenses -- and by extension, the Netflix and Disney licenses -- who are in direct competition with each other.

[CicadaMound]

The non-sport Topps products are still in the novelty phase -- we've gotten the first TC Marvel, the first TC MCU, the first TC SpongeBob, the first TC Labubu in a short period of time. The first of anything has the novelty factor that will disappear with successive iterations.

Give it some time, and the excitement and luster for TC non-sports products will gradually diminish. Unlike sports cards, you don't have a new crop of rookies to drive hype and sales and keep product lines fresh -- it's the same characters over and over again.

The Krusty Trading Card problem comes for all nonsports...

3zQqB81q6ec

[Sickleclaw]

Upper deck just announced Harry Potter as a new license….

[eldavojohn]

Panini excelled with high-end NFL products -- even though they used player-worn and retail patches for their RPAs, instead of game-worn ones. Topps had products like Strata and Definitive before losing the NFL license -- Strata was discontinued.

I ripped some Select WWE and Select NBA: parallel city. That said, the parallels did look nice but have the same colors and ice vs flash was painfully annoying. I think Topps is largely just following suit and going the too many parallel route and opening up to questionably rare unnumbered parallels like Panini did. Do these cards look similar?

https://img.comc.com/i/Basketball/2023-24/Panini-Prizm---Base---Red-White--Blue-Prizm/144/Kobe-Brown.jpg?id=ffa0ecf4-5560-434a-a843-738cf9b94210&size=zoomhttps://img.comc.com/i/Basketball/2025-26/Topps-Chrome---Base---Red-White--Blue-Refractor/268/Walter-Clayton-Jr.jpg?id=e74abfcd-8dfc-4190-86e7-58df345c53e3&size=zoom

Kinda just doing the same thing and it'll likely work at the same level. I think it was just whoever was willing to pay the most for the exclusive license got it. Not who was making nicer high end cards or abusing the print runs. The player associations don't seem to care about long term value, they want the guaranteed cash.

With Topps taking over the NBA and NFL licenses from Panini, as well as the Marvel license from Upper Deck, they will likely be overwhelmed with amount of products they will have to produce annually and will look for ways to streamline the process. That likely means re-using the same designs and a lack of innovation and creativity.

I'm not sure how public the numbers were for what Fanatics paid for the sports exclusives but I recall people speculating 10x - 20x what Topps/Panini were paying. I know Topps was making money but I can't imagine it was a ton of money. That means that a combination of things have to happen to justify that increase: Fanatics has to take losses, they have to sell their product for way more and they need to make way more product.

Hmm -- I thought Upper Deck generally made premium-quality base cards. I have thought for a long time now that Topps makes relatively cheap-looking base cards -- dull, flimsy and disposable.

Go open a box of any year of Goodwin Champions and tell me UD makes premium quality. Both companies make a whole spectrum of cards but I wouldn't compare Annual to Chrome or The Cup to Wonder. Sure I'm also considering sports cards but UD has the capability to make cardboard junk products. Flimsy wouldn't begin to describe the Shang-Chi blaster I opened or whatever that weird last minute ditched spiderman product was.

The non-sport Topps products are still in the novelty phase -- we've gotten the first TC Marvel, the first TC MCU, the first TC SpongeBob, the first TC Labubu in a short period of time. The first of anything has the novelty factor that will disappear with successive iterations.

Give it some time, and the excitement and luster for TC non-sports products will gradually diminish. Unlike sports cards, you don't have a new crop of rookies to drive hype and sales and keep product lines fresh -- it's the same characters over and over again.

I disagree. The number one looming problem is merely how many of each card are being packed out. Sapphire will continue to just dominate so long as the rarity is maintained. You could make yearly Sapphire Ren & Stimpy as long as they print the right amount of it. It's the same problem that caused the Junk Wax era. We are just lucky that there is enough restraint and made-to-order options that at least some small sector remains regulated enough and nice enough to be fun to collect. I think the two Topps Dune releases are the perfect example of both ends of this spectrum.

[finfangfan]

There is definitely a balancing act they have to manage to bend but not break the market. Both in box price as well as production numbers. Things also might change after Fanatics eventually ipos. That ipo has been delayed forever. But a lot of this card pumping is probably being made to benefit the amount of money they raise in their ipo.

[YayNJ]

While watching the third instalment last night, it occurred to me that the Knives OUt Trilogy would make a really nice set.

Just a brain fart, seemed like an appropriate thread to shove it in.

[finfangfan]

While watching the third instalment last night, it occurred to me that the Knives OUt Trilogy would make a really nice set.

Just a brain fart, seemed like an appropriate thread to shove it in.

I agree. Most of the card nonsports card sets are dominated by sci-fi/fantasy or cartoon/comic characters. It would be fun for Topps/UD to go off script. My guess is they don’t want to take too much of a risk on card properties… especially if they know there is already an established card audience for the nerdy stuff.

[pharmd19]

What are everyone's thoughts on the 2016 Marvel Masterpieces set long term?

Now that UD no longer has the license, this is the set that stands out the most to me from the last 10 years that is not MCU based.

I still have the complete base set (including true tier 4s /99, with multiple copies of some) and some tier 4 gold foils as well.

I've been contemplating selling some lately but don't want to look back in 5-10 years and these cards are selling for $1000s a piece. I know no one has a crystal ball and can see into the future, just was curious what some of you thought on long term value of this set. Thank you.

[orion9578]

What are everyone's thoughts on the 2016 Marvel Masterpieces set long term?

Now that UD no longer has the license, this is the set that stands out the most to me from the last 10 years that is not MCU based.

I still have the complete base set (including true tier 4s /99, with multiple copies of some) and some tier 4 gold foils as well.

I've been contemplating selling some lately but don't want to look back in 5-10 years and these cards are selling for $1000s a piece. I know no one has a crystal ball and can see into the future, just was curious what some of you thought on long term value of this set. Thank you.

You missed the boat on a lot of the set selling for top dollar. Like everything else, 4~ years ago was the peak. With that said, if anything has a chance to go way up...it'd probably be 16MM(along with a few other sets/subsets from various sets). There has been a Wolvie tier 4 on COMC for quite some time at $1,100. That would be a good card to put on your watch list to see if it moves. If it isn't selling for $1000s, none of the other Tier 4's will be...save perhaps Spider-Man.

If you want an attempt at some crystal ball action, I'll say nothing you mentioned(tier 4 base/golds) will do thousands in the next 5-10 years. 1 thousand~, perhaps Wolvie and Spider-Man. IMO, if you wanted multi-thousand dollar cards from that set...you missed the boat buying them. Specific plates, Red 1/1's, Jusko related items(Autos/sketches) etc. etc. are likely the only things that'll move that high. Perhaps someone who isn't patient would pay something along those likes for say...a Kaleidoscope or something, but yeah... I'm doubting it on anything /99. Cool cards though and I'm sure you've done well holding them this long!

[DynaEtch]

And one more thing to add to that list of cards worth thousands…the rarest MM16 achievements- tier 4 and master set achievements. They are very scarce and go for a ton.

I agree, I don’t expect tier 4 base or gold sigs etc to be into the thousands, would not worry about that happening in the future.

Truth is, we are a decade from MM16…it’s a legendary and arguably the best UD marvel set, but it’s out of sight and mind for a good chunk of the hobby and marvel cards in modern era very much tends to be “whats new and hot”. The market for dated marvel cards a decade old is….tough, to say the least. Like pulling teeth to get a sale at times and I would NOT recommend auctioning a high end older marvel card, basically ever..if you do go the route of selling. I would do BIN, and wait for a determined and maybe desperate set collector who will pay a lot for one. Sets like MM92 platinum and even Topps marvel sets are more on people’s minds and a lot more liquid right now compared to older MM cards.

I have been holding a set of MM16 battle spectra gem /99s, and following their prices. It is absolutely crazy the roller coaster thats been on. At peak pandemic market, the full set reached maybe $10-15k value, with the couple top cards like Carnage vs Venom going for $2-3k alone. But they have steadily dropped since…MM16 XL didnt do them any favors either btw, creating another way to own the BSGs. They have settled at way less than that- a whole set now is easily sub $5k with lower BSGs down to $100-200 a pop, if that. (Put it this way if I listed the set at $5k right now I don’t think it would sell, period). So basically they settled at way less than pandemic but still more than the initial pre-pandemic values. But that’s another /99 set…as Orion said the thousand dollar cards are mainly the /15 and below stuff.

The good thing is there is definitely interest in tier 4 base in that set, particularly for MM completionists and set collectors…so those will always carry good value, but I’m skeptical they go up much from here is all. Is it possible? Yes. Is it more likely they stay around these amounts or go down as the years go on? Also yes.

[glorbgorb]

Just some random thoughts:

-I haven't picked up any SW in a few years (my Lando auto collection is languishing in my office somewhere). I can't tell one release from the next anymore.

-I sold off a ton of Masterworks Cel cards and a pretty good collection of FUXM cuts. Made a lot on them. So there are pockets of collectability out there in places.

-The sketch market has softened a lot.

-The Marvel license moving was a turning point in the hobby, no doubt. Good for Fanatics, bad for collectors. Now all people are looking for are the 1/1s

-Cryptozoic picks interesting properties from time to time--some autos and sketches from the LotR franchise releases still sell very well on the secondary. The Christmas Story was exciting for a few months in 2024 (and a resurgence this past year never really happened). Not sure how Jurassic Park will look say, 6 months or a year after release, whenever that is. Will people pay a lot for sketches of dinosaurs?

-With the way streaming causes properties to flip around to different services, I can see why it is hard to build steam for shows, which therefore means so few card releases. Would the Stranger Things sets have done so well if they were not a Netflix-exclusive show?

-They keep putting out sets, but in 4 pages I didn't see anyone mention Rittenhouse.

-I have two pc characters, and the sameness of the Topps Marvel sets kills any enthusiasm I have.

-Chinese sets will never make a dent in other sets with wider/global releases.

-To see how much of a stranglehold Topps has on the non-sport world, look at prices of Spongebob cards.

-I hate the franchise, but have we ever gotten an Avatar release? It seems like that would be a homerun, so I assume Cameron is just not interested?

-Despite all the negative things we say collectively about Topps and their Marvel releases, I sincerely think that their Marvel Studios set may have the single best collection of autographs in any Marvel set ever released. Ever.

EDIT: Topps doesn't get a pass with all the parallels. Leaf, I'm looking at you.

[fabiani12333]

What are everyone's thoughts on the 2016 Marvel Masterpieces set long term?

Now that UD no longer has the license, this is the set that stands out the most to me from the last 10 years that is not MCU based.

I still have the complete base set (including true tier 4s /99, with multiple copies of some) and some tier 4 gold foils as well.

I've been contemplating selling some lately but don't want to look back in 5-10 years and these cards are selling for $1000s a piece. I know no one has a crystal ball and can see into the future, just was curious what some of you thought on long term value of this set. Thank you.

As someone who has a lot of low-numbered 2016 MM, I think prices hinge on how strong the Marvel card collector market is in the future. With Upper Deck -- the producer of MM -- losing the Marvel license to Topps, and Topps leaning heavily into the gambling side of trading cards, I don't foresee the market for older Marvel cards being very strong in the future. It pains me to say that, but I think it's the most likely outcome. Fortunately, I bought my '16 MM collection primarily within the first couple years after release, so they likely won't drop below the price I paid for them.

[PurplesaurusRex]

-The sketch market has softened a lot.



I see Topps Marvel sketch cards selling for hundreds of dollars and it just baffles me. A lot of the artists were the same ones working on Upper Deck cards and those older sketches can be picked up for $50-100.

[dd316]

-The sketch market has softened a lot.


Not in new sets. Breakers love em because it gives them frequent reason to go bonkers and yell "1 of 1!!!!!!!!" and they're selling for crazy amounts.

[greatgradegrate]

Not in new sets. Breakers love em because it gives them frequent reason to go bonkers and yell "1 of 1!!!!!!!!" and they're selling for crazy amounts.

Definitely -- the kind of sketches I could routinely pick up for $60 or less a year or two ago are now selling for $100+ (and usually listed for multi-hundreds of dollars).

The sports bros aren't very good at judging the class of sketch they got.

[glorbgorb]

Not in new sets. Breakers love em because it gives them frequent reason to go bonkers and yell "1 of 1!!!!!!!!" and they're selling for crazy amounts.

I should have clarified. I was referring to UD Marvel sets in general. However a reply after yours may indicate I am wrong.

[cmixer]

I see Topps Marvel sketch cards selling for hundreds of dollars and it just baffles me. A lot of the artists were the same ones working on Upper Deck cards and those older sketches can be picked up for $50-100.


This grinds my gears.
Artist "X" draws for U.D. or Rittenhouse 10 years ago, and it sells for $40
Artist "X" now draws for Topps Chrome something and it sells for $400

[HiltonL]

This grinds my gears.
Artist "X" draws for U.D. or Rittenhouse 10 years ago, and it sells for $40
Artist "X" now draws for Topps Chrome something and it sells for $400

This is classic psychology "anchoring" behavior.

Sealed product costs X per box
Hit occurs once per Y boxes
Hit value is some % of cost of product opened to get it

It's therefore obvious to today's market that a sketch that came out of every Rittenhouse box that retailed at $70 was selling for $40, so a sketch that comes out of Topps whatever that retailed at $700 is worth $400. I mean, QED

[eldavojohn]

Not in new sets. Breakers love em because it gives them frequent reason to go bonkers and yell "1 of 1!!!!!!!!" and they're selling for crazy amounts.

Wait, are you saying artists don't do this when they finish a sketch? :)!

[dd316]

Wait, are you saying artists don't do this when they finish a sketch? :)!

Not on live video!! :p

[crdbored]

Not in new sets. Breakers love em because it gives them frequent reason to go bonkers and yell "1 of 1!!!!!!!!" and they're selling for crazy amounts.

This is something I noticed with Spongebob. A lot of new people don't realize that ALL sketches are 1/1s lol
Then I realized that most of the current Topps non-sport buyers are sports "collectors" who are not familiar with sketches in products.
It's also why these current sketches are going for wild numbers compared to the UD ones.

Just another reason why Topps Non-Sport products will drop once those sports people move onto something else or don't like products.
It's already happening. Just look at Pixar Gold.

[fabiani12333]

This is classic psychology "anchoring" behavior.

Sealed product costs X per box
Hit occurs once per Y boxes
Hit value is some % of cost of product opened to get it

It's therefore obvious to today's market that a sketch that came out of every Rittenhouse box that retailed at $70 was selling for $40, so a sketch that comes out of Topps whatever that retailed at $700 is worth $400. I mean, QED

The break participants need to recoup their break costs, so they have to sell their singles for more to compensate for the higher cost of wax.

Topps Marvel has the novelty factor that helps support higher pricing. Once we're a couple years into the Topps Marvel era where there are many Topps Marvel sketches to choose from, prices will normalize.

[Archangel1775]

Its the Topps/Fanatics era. It'll be fine. Look for big things to happen at Fanatics Fest. But I'm buying Upper Deck Marvel stuff.

[Raymond23]

Definitely -- the kind of sketches I could routinely pick up for $60 or less a year or two ago are now selling for $100+ (and usually listed for multi-hundreds of dollars).

The sports bros aren't very good at judging the class of sketch they got.

Yeah. Sketch prices have not softened in my opinion, at least in Star Wars.

I was collecting a master sketch collection for Star Wars 40th Anniversary. One sketch per artist. 96 artists in that set. This was in 2017. I tried to keep my cost low while getting quality sketches. At first, my plan was to get as many as possible at under $100. I was down to 20 artists before I had to break that rule (Dan Bergren, Carlos Cabelero, Ingrid Hardy, Kris Penix, etc). You need to be a top tier artist that had a big following to crack $100.

I recently did a mini collection focusing on the prequels. I had a hard time getting anything for under $100 (usually auctions for lesser known artists). Otherwise, everything were well over that price. Some BIN for midlevel sketches from artists I had not heard of had BIN of several hundred (they weren’t selling but still was having a crazy hard time getting anything I liked for a price I could justify.

Of course, inflation on everything is crazy (lunch at McDonalds is closing in on $20), and COVID really pushed prices up. They are back down from the highs, but not even remotely close to pre-pandemic days.

Of course, I could get Carrie Fisher signed photos from OfficialPic at Celebration 2 for $15 each…yeah, I’m that old…

[NatsSBR]

For me it's all 20th century, all the time now. Maybe a couple of 2005ish sets here and there. There's plenty of pre-ultra-modern and true vintage out there that is vastly underappreciated.

There are so many older sets I've always liked and never got around to working on, plus a lot of trading card-like memorabilia for some of my favorite pop culture that fit seamlessly into a non-sport collection. Tons of great cartoon, anime/manga, and video game issues from the 1990s. The research is at least as much fun as the acquisition.

Would I rather have a 2025 Topps Chrome Marvel box or a bunch of 1952 Look N See? A 2025 Topps Chrome Luke Skywalker parallel or a 1977 Topps or 1995 Star Wars CCG Premiere Luke Skywalker? Easy questions to answer. If UM is going to be like this, I'm very happy to look at what came before.