After an exhilarating two-decade power play, Topps—a name synonymous with baseball cards and nostalgic collectors—makes its much-awaited return to the world of hockey. This isn’t your regular card shuffle; it’s more of an intricate dance on ice, as Topps teases its return to hockey fandom by tapping directly into the collectors’ market with a novel approach.
The last time Topps produced hockey cards under the NHL’s watchful zamboni was during the 2003-04 season. After that, the reigns were tightly held by Upper Deck, which nabbed exclusive rights to the league’s trading card licenses. But now, like a seasoned player eying a comeback, Topps is poised to reintroduce itself, albeit not in the traditional card format its fans might anticipate.
April 3 marks the day that Topps, now firmly nestled under the oversized umbrella of Fanatics, will slide back into the hockey scene with “Topps Under Wraps: Emanate 2024-25.” This launch is like spotting an old friend at a party—familiar, yet presenting itself in a whole new light. It’s not technically a trading card product, but it gives a welcome nod towards Topps’ legacy. Instead of the standard card packs, collectors will excavate autographed 8×10 photos. These aren’t your average portraits either; they’ve been engineered with the essence of oversized trading cards—artwork adorning both front and back, giving a nostalgic sigh of relief to veteran collectors.
Sal Barry, the seasoned collector and dealer behind PuckJunk.com, couldn’t help but spill the beans and praise the return of information-filled backs. Each photo is akin to a player’s own stat-filled resume on wall-worthy paper, designed to evoke joy and a sense of history all at once.
The Emanate collection is anything but ordinary; these photos are hand-signed, and Topps has rolled out the red carpet of authenticity embellished with serial numbers and holograms. Topping off the presentation are magnetic-display-ready folio cases that unveil their contents with a flourish.
Each collector will embark on a treasure hunt with Emanate’s six color variants infiltrating the market:
– Gold, which is limited to 50
– Orange, with a modest run of 25
– Blue, desired yet more elusive at 10
– Red, fiercely sought at just 5
– The visually stunning Iridescent, indeed a solitary marvel (1 of 1)
The checklist is like a reverent nod to the hockey pantheon, featuring more than 70 elite NHL players drawing on gold from all 32 teams. From the contemporary icons of Connor Bedard, Auston Matthews, and Nathan MacKinnon, to the legends like Alexander Ovechkin and Mark Messier. Even the up-and-comer, Macklin Celebrini, has found his place, demonstrating that this venture is a blend of heritage, talent, and promising futures.
If that doesn’t make collectors’ hearts race, Topps has added multi-signed editions to the mix—a crown jewel for any aficionado. Imagine a triple threat masterpiece: Ovechkin, Bedard, and Matthews, immortalized through a 1/1 triple-signed and inscribed piece.
Each Emanate box, awaiting eager eyes and anxious hands, holds one photograph. Priced at $130, it’s an investment into hockey nostalgia and passion. Such price play nudges the hemisphere of premium collectibles, yet bears the potential for pulling a rinkside marvel.
Is Topps fully back in hockey? Let’s play interpreter in this rink of rumors and confirm—while they’re not skating neck-to-neck with their old card formats, there’s no denying their presence is felt. Emanate is a whisper, a toe dip back onto the perhaps once too-frozen-over pond. With Fanatics now orchestrating the licensing symphony, other offerings could be in the pipeline, waiting to emerge afresh.
Topps Under Wraps: Emanate might be unconventional, but it proves that Topps knows its community well. As it edges back into the hockey narrative, a curious audience wonders, ‘what’s next?’ This could be the prelude to more defined returns, where enthusiasts can once again glory in the thrill of pack-breaking or coveting that elusive base-parallel rookie variant.
In the interim, collectors will revel in the lore of fresh signings and chase the chromatic delights of this ice-breaking edition, etching Autographs and nostalgia into the annals of modern hockey collecting.
