Trading cards are doing big business at hobby shops, specialty retailers, and mass retailers across the country. According to recent data from The NPD Group, in the first four months of 2022, the collectibles subcategory of toys experienced 28% growth with sports trading cards fueling a large portion of the uptick. And when it comes to trading cards, the biggest name in the business is Topps.
This summer, the sports and entertainment trading card company (recently acquired by Fanatics Collectibles) will hit the road on its second annual, cross-country pop-up truck tour. The Topps truck will cover more than 8,000 miles as it makes its way across the country wrapped in more than 11,000 baseball cards ahead of Topps’ International Trading Card Day (formerly known as Baseball Card Day) on Saturday, August 6.
“International Trading Card Day honors the hobby of collecting across all realms, from sports and baseball to pop culture, film, and iconic characters, and the love for card collecting worldwide,” says Wendy Freedman, director, marketing at Topps. “This year, we wanted to expand our card collecting holiday internationally to reflect Topps’ footprint as a global brand, celebrating fans and collectors of all ages and across all industries. We’re excited to see how collectors embrace the holiday this year and to interact with fans around the globe as we continue to celebrate Topps’ rich heritage in the card collecting industry.”
The Topps Truck will kick off this year’s tour on Friday, July 16 at Major League Baseball’s (MLB) All-Star Week event in Los Angeles. At each stop on the tour, Topps staff members will host giveaways and special events. Other notable stops include the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa, and an appearance at the Major League Soccer All-Star Game in Minneapolis.
Select specialty retailers and hobby shops will have giveaways of MLB, UEFA Champions League, and Garbage Pail Kids cards and gifts with purchase as part of this year’s International Trading Card Day celebration. Additionally, select retailers will offer an exclusive Shohei Ohtani card on Aug. 6 and an exclusive Wander Franco card on Aug. 13 for returning guests spending $10 or more. Additional information will be made available at topps.com.
