MUMBAI: Global sports e-commerce company Fanatics Inc. has truck a deal to acquire the trading card division of Topps Co. for about $500 million, as per multiple US media reports.
The acquisition will include only Topps’ name and sports and entertainment division, not the company’s candy and gift cards line, CNBC quotes a source close to the developments as having said.
The agreement comes after Fanatics captured Major League Baseball’s trading card rights last August. Fanatics will also obtain rights for Major League Soccer, UEFA, Bundesliga, and Formula 1, CNBC further reports. All these leagues have active agreements ongoing with Topps.
The deal set to be finalized Tuesday means Fanatics Trading Cards’ MLB and MLBPA rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards – originally slated to start in 2026 – will begin immediately, ESPN reports.
As per ESPN, the official announcement will be made some time on Tuesday (US time).
And last year, Fanatics secured trading card licenses for the National Football League Players Association and National Basketball Association. To land these agreements, Fanatics provided equity to leagues and player unions that is guaranteed to bring at least $1 billion in revenue over the duration of the partnerships.
The sports trading card business is projected to reach $98.7 billion by 2027, according to Verified Market Research.
