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UPDATED: Topps cuts up 1 of 2 known Gibson bats for Sterling Baseball Bat Barrel card
Topps’ relationships with Josh Gibson, Mickey Mantle and other former greats is fueling what will be its most elite product ever, the $250/pack Topps Sterling Baseball that is scheduled for release on Oct. 11.
Topps is garnering attention with what it is calling in press releases “The Greatest Card Ever Produced?” – a bat card featuring the nameplate from a Josh Gibson bat that it says was one of only two known Gibson game model bats when the company purchased it. Topps announced several months ago that it had signed an exclusive deal with Gibson’s estate and says it announced months ago it had purchased one of two known Gibson game-model bats. Gibson Bat Relic cards have been issued in Topps Triple Threads and will also be highlighted in Topps Allen & Ginter. The nameplate on the barrel was saved for the Sterling brand.
“There were only two known bats of Josh Gibson’s available, and we bought one of them,” Topps’ Clay Luraschi said. “And now we’re making a bat-barrel card out of the bat, and everyone knows how popular bat-barrel cards are.”
Ted Williams and Roberto Clemente are other players who are highlighting the checklist. Put into each $250 pack is one player-touched Autographed Relic card or a Relic card numbered to 10 or less. All Relic cards feature three pieces of memorabilia. Each pack also has three sequentially numbered base cards, and all four of those cards will be of the same player. “It’s a player-themed pack,” Luraschi said. “And also within that pack is a mystery pack that includes a parallel card or a cut-signature card.”
Topps is successfully addressing the high end of the market, Luraschi said, even in a year that has been kids-focused. “The timing for this set is perfect,” he said. “With the response that we got to Triple Threads, we’re solidifying ourselves in the high-end market. We think this product has cards that are of higher quality, more collectible and more valuable than cards that have been produced in previous high-end products.”
Topps’ relationships with Josh Gibson, Mickey Mantle and other former greats is fueling what will be its most elite product ever, the $250/pack Topps Sterling Baseball that is scheduled for release on Oct. 11. Topps is garnering attention with what it is calling in press releases “The Greatest Card Ever Produced?” – a bat card featuring the nameplate from a Josh Gibson bat that it says was one of only two known Gibson game model bats when the company purchased it. Topps announced several months ago that it had signed an exclusive deal with Gibson’s estate and says it announced months ago it had purchased one of two known Gibson game-model bats. Gibson Bat Relic cards have been issued in Topps Triple Threads and will also be highlighted in Topps Allen & Ginter. The nameplate on the barrel was saved for the Sterling brand.
“There were only two known bats of Josh Gibson’s available, and we bought one of them,” Topps’ Clay Luraschi said. “And now we’re making a bat-barrel card out of the bat, and everyone knows how popular bat-barrel cards are.”
Ted Williams and Roberto Clemente are other players who are highlighting the checklist. Put into each $250 pack is one player-touched Autographed Relic card or a Relic card numbered to 10 or less. All Relic cards feature three pieces of memorabilia. Each pack also has three sequentially numbered base cards, and all four of those cards will be of the same player. “It’s a player-themed pack,” Luraschi said. “And also within that pack is a mystery pack that includes a parallel card or a cut-signature card.”
Topps is successfully addressing the high end of the market, Luraschi said, even in a year that has been kids-focused. “The timing for this set is perfect,” he said. “With the response that we got to Triple Threads, we’re solidifying ourselves in the high-end market. We think this product has cards that are of higher quality, more collectible and more valuable than cards that have been produced in previous high-end products.”
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