2023-24 Topps Chrome Basketball

[Nomad]

And so the verdict is in. Bounty hunters vs. collectors. Nutrition vs. empty calories. Hyped flavor du jour vs. ecosystem. Box HODLers vs marathon breakers. Fast food wins.

[auburn35]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

Well, I think this is the future of Topps products. This release showed that all that's needed to sell a product is a big chase card with a huge bounty. It can still be unlicensed with everything else being garbage.

The gamblers just need a big chase card.

I still think this unlicensed move could end up hurting Topps/Fanatics, and therefore the hobby.
Without knowing the details on how NBPA license suddenly became a non exclusive, the players association might like two revenue sources they opened up. It's pretty clear, a certain segment doesn't care about the NBA license, which Fanatics paid $$$ to acquire.

Swap Topps with Panini in 2026, and Panini could potentially pull a similar move, and acquire the rights to the top RC's.
Even if not successful, the cost of preventing the "unlicensed rookie grab", will be passed onto the hobby.

[Nomad]

Originally Posted by auburn35

Without knowing the details on how NBPA license suddenly became a non exclusive, the players association might like two revenue sources they opened up.

Swap Topps with Panini in 2026, and Panini could potentially pull a similar move, and acquire the rights to the top RC's.

Someone should call up Grant Williams. Seriously.

So you're sayin that Panini, not paying billions in licensing, will have a massive war chest to give Fanatics a taste of own medicine on the players that count. Fair enough. Guess they will need to find new printing presses though.

[boxbuster7]

This couldn't have been more of a worse outcome for fanatics - lebron and wemby supers pulled less than one week after release

[mossoholic]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Someone should call up Grant Williams. Seriously.

So you're sayin that Panini, not paying billions in licensing, will have a massive war chest to give Fanatics a taste of own medicine on the players that count. Fair enough. Guess they will need to find new printing presses though.

Panini already has. A ton has come out the last few weeks. A bunch of new products are listed as coming out over the next month too.

[mossoholic]

Originally Posted by boxbuster7

This couldn't have been more of a worse outcome for fanatics - lebron and wemby supers pulled less than one week after release

Why? Would Fanatics have made 1 penny more if they were pulled in 6 weeks versus now?

[kevin2323]

Originally Posted by boxbuster7

This couldn't have been more of a worse outcome for fanatics - lebron and wemby supers pulled less than one week after release

I thought the same but changed my mind. if 1 million was paid for the 1/1 what does that do to the price of the #ed 5 , 10, etc .

[Nomad]

Makes them lower, if the bounty thing really is just a gimmick. And exposes the rift between manipulated and market prices.

I think Panini, whatever quantity of product they are pushing out, still uses Fanatics printers?

[codered]

Originally Posted by auburn35

I still think this unlicensed move could end up hurting Topps/Fanatics, and therefore the hobby.
Without knowing the details on how NBPA license suddenly became a non exclusive, the players association might like two revenue sources they opened up. It's pretty clear, a certain segment doesn't care about the NBA license, which Fanatics paid $$$ to acquire.

Swap Topps with Panini in 2026, and Panini could potentially pull a similar move, and acquire the rights to the top RC's.
Even if not successful, the cost of preventing the "unlicensed rookie grab", will be passed onto the hobby.

Pretty sure fanatics deal is exclusive with the nba and the nbapa (same as the nfl) so this won’t happen. I mean fanatics used its leverage to try to get the nbapa and nflpa to walk away from their existing deals with panini. Fanatics knows what they are doing even if they release some stinker releases along the way (other than a few cool wemby and lebron cards TC kind is stinks haha)

[Nomad]

Anyway, a monopoly by its nature creates an opportunity for another competitor that moves the boundaries much further than Panini ever did or would.

I kind of liked how Panini was a design company first and foremost, and sports part of that.

I don't think they will miss basketball as much as basketball will miss them. (But then what is really missed is fleer?) It also gives Panini an opportunity to create their own breaker distribution network, as I assume breakers will soon be de facto reps, to preserve the integrity of breaks in a CT scan era.

i.e., according to contract one must randomly break or sell boxes allotted, verified by serial number. Or sumthink.

[auburn35]

Originally Posted by codered

Pretty sure fanatics deal is exclusive with the nba and the nbapa (same as the nfl) so this won’t happen. I mean fanatics used its leverage to try to get the nbapa and nflpa to walk away from their existing deals with panini. Fanatics knows what they are doing even if they release some stinker releases along the way (other than a few cool wemby and lebron cards TC kind is stinks haha)

For sure, Fanatics has the future exclusive deals in place, but so did Panini.

@ShamsCharania
Licensed sports giant Fanatics has reached a deal with the NBA and NBPA to replace Panini in 2026 for exclusive license to produce basketball cards – giving equity to players and league in the new trading cards venture.
4:31 AM · Aug 23, 2021

Somehow, the NBPA allowed Fanatics to start earlier than originally reported, so that's why I think this could be a risky move. The NBPA might get use to the money, having two partners.

[codered]

Originally Posted by auburn35

For sure, Fanatics has the future exclusive deals in place, but so did Panini.


Somehow, the NBPA allowed Fanatics to start earlier than originally reported, so that's why I think this could be a risky move. The NBPA might get use to the money, having two partners.

I don’t think panini ever had exclusive deals with the respective PA’s, fanatics does. Also unless i am mistaken the fanatics deals offers equity to the PA’s. The players are essentially partners, more successful fanatics does, the more money they get. It’s why you see so many players doing things like fan fest and a push for them to sign their autos in a timely matter. Panini would have to put out product similar to their baseball products, retired players and NIL deals with collegiate players. I don’t know if that works well enough in football or basketball to be sustainable for panini.

[auburn35]

Originally Posted by codered

I don’t think panini ever had exclusive deals with the respective PA’s, fanatics does. Also unless i am mistaken the fanatics deals offers equity to the PA’s. The players are essentially partners, more successful fanatics does, the more money they get. It’s why you see so many players doing things like fan fest and a push for them to sign their autos in a timely matter. Panini would have to put out product similar to their baseball products, retired players and NIL deals with collegiate players. I don’t know if that works well enough in football or basketball to be sustainable for panini.

Yeah, the equity with Fanatics might prevent the idea of a Panini/Topps role swap, but $ has a way to open doors.
I previously shared this in the thread, but it sounds like Panini did think they had a nbpa exclusive. Maybe we'll get some more info on the contracts, in future court filings.

Originally Posted by auburn35

Likely the reason why Topps/Fanatics is able to release this product, the NBPA said the previous exclusive with Panini was actually an nonexclusive deal.

[Nomad]

The other interesting question reroduct, at the quantities they are now shipping them, is whether the oil & gas infrastructure explosively going off line and biofriendly alternatives not yet ready to meet demand, will impact costs of shipping and production.

I am one to argue that production should be more limited. We don't need a billion fugly cards floating around. And like Lego going bioplastic, card companies and leagues can be made to stomach the costs of going completely green.

Just look at say Haliburton. He's collectively more influential than Fanatics (he's got a bigger rolodex). If someone such as he said let's start a card company by and for NBA fans, people would listen.

[Durantula]

Am I the only one who pulled no Wemby auto!?

[Nomad]

On the flipside, this set could restart Nesmith collecting in the Philippines. I haven't seen many numbered copies of #103 come online and assume they are going to be used to create a board game that will bring the fun back to collecting. Like a Fantasy league with Speckle and Blue Amoeba power boosts.

The design will come to be seen nostalgically not as ultimate rush job but hearkening to a 90s halcyon days of manufacturers putting out sets like they didn't care. Even when Wemby's career tanks, the set will hold and then rise in value.

[bub838]

We still have a sapphire release to go too!

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by bub838

We still have a sapphire release to go too!

I'm sure the EQL release will go great for these.

[Jwax13]

Originally Posted by Durantula

Am I the only one who pulled no Wemby auto!?

If you ripped a case of hobby and didn't hit a Wemby auto, then yes. You are the only one.

[daeve]

They could've made this product "environment friendly" by just dutch auctioning the Wemby autos and sending the rest out as a pdf.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by daeve

They could've made this product "environment friendly" by just dutch auctioning the Wemby autos and sending the rest out as a pdf.

The future of sports cards as we know it.

[Xiarmadillo]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

If fanatics simply pays someone to have a million dollar chase card bounty in every product they release, their business model will sustain in perpetuity, like the super lotto.

Who is to say this isnt done already thru a third party? put a dollar value on the highest of lottery card and milk the expectancy
I mean most people busting are gambling for hits and not really directly collecting most of the cards they pull

[90skid]

How funny is it that Blez posts on instagram to the china dude to pick up the phone and sell him the card, haha

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_WoUsoy0MW/?hl=en

[90skid]

**edit, delete - forum was acting up, dup post.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by Xiarmadillo

Who is to say this isnt done already thru a third party? put a dollar value on the highest of lottery card and milk the expectancy
I mean most people busting are gambling for hits and not really directly collecting most of the cards they pull

The earliest bounty I can remember was for the 2017-18 NT RPA Tatum Logoman auto.