Iconic baseball card will be first featured collectible in Topps Timeless NFT series and first Topps auction on OpenSea
New York, Feb. 10, 2022 — The Topps Company Inc., a division of Fanatics Collectibles and next-generation physical and digital trading card company, today announced the auction of a 1-of-1 Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle Card nonfungible token (NFT) as part of its unique Topps Timeless Talents NFT Series. Beginning on Tuesday, March 1 at 6 pm UTC, Topps will allow fans to own the next evolution of one of the most sought-after collectibles in history with their first-ever NFT auction on the OpenSea platform.
Presented in cooperation with Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Mickey Mantle Estate, this unique NFT is the first featured collectible in the Topps Timeless Talents Series, a new collection celebrating the company’s most iconic baseball cards through exclusive, premium 1-of-1 NFT collectibles.
“Throughout Topps’ rich history, and especially over the last few years, several iconic baseball cards have been designated as holy grails to the collecting community. With our Topps Timeless Talents Series, we now bring these historic cards to the blockchain as NFTs that can be owned forever and passed down for generations,” said Tobin Lent, vice president and general manager of Topps Digital Sports & Entertainment. “The Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle card continues to be one of the most coveted baseball cards of all time, and we’re excited for one passionate fan to be able to add this monumental piece of sports history to their digital collection.”
“This card has been part of my father’s legacy for 70 years and it is amazing to see its continued impact with collectors and baseball fans around the world. We are very pleased to share this piece of history with Topps in a new and exciting way through NFTs,” said Danny and David Mantle, sons of Mickey Mantle.
The NFT will be minted as an ERC-721 protocol token and is a stunning recreation of the classic Topps baseball card, complete with video footage of historical imagery and memorabilia that showcases and celebrates Mickey Mantle’s legacy. The 1952 Mickey Mantle NFT Auction will go live on the OpenSea platform on March 1 at 6 pm UTC and ends on March 4 at 6 pm UTC. Any bid placed in the last 10 minutes will extend the auction by an additional 10 minutes. The winner of the auction will also have the rare opportunity to have a 30-minute video interview with Mickey Mantle’s sons, Danny and David Mantle.
Topps has been bringing digital collectibles to the market since 2012, with the launch and continued growth of its suite of mobile sports and entertainment digital collectibles apps, including their flagship baseball app, Topps Bunt. Last year, Topps introduced five unique MLB NFT collections on ToppsNFTs, including the 2021 Topps Series 2 Baseball NFT Collection and the 2021 Topps MLB Inception NFT Collection. With this release, the Topps Timeless Talents Series joins the company’s growing product line of baseball-centric NFT collections.
For more information on this auction and other Topps NFTs, visit the website, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and join the Topps NFTs Discord channel.
About Topps
Founded in 1938, The Topps Company Inc. is part of Fanatics Collectibles, a next-generation physical and digital trading cards company that was launched in 2021 and is a subsidiary of Fanatics Inc. through Fanatics Collectibles. Topps entertains and delights consumers with a diversified, engaging, multi-platform product portfolio that includes physical and digital collectibles, trading cards, trading card games, sticker and album collections, memorabilia and curated experiential events. Properties include MLB, Major League Soccer, Union of European Football Associations Champions League, Bundesliga, National Hockey League, Formula 1, Star Wars, Garbage Pail Kids and more. Topps Digital Sports & Entertainment has connected with people around the world who have downloaded our apps, including the Bunt, Kick, Star Wars: Card Trader, NHL Skate, Marvel and Disney Collect apps. For additional information visit these websites: Fanatics Inc., Topps and its apps website.
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