I was very sad and disappointed to learn that Topps has acquired exclusive licensing of Major League Baseball cards.  The deal starts with the printing of the 2010 baseball cards.  Upper Deck, making cards since 1989, is the big loser in the deal.

Up until 1981, Topps was the only consistent manufacturer of licensed trading cards.  There were times before that when Fleer attempted to issue cards to compete, but Topps was so recognized and popular that all minor challenges were beaten back.  That all changed in 1981 when Fleer and Donruss both issued player cards for the 1981 baseball season.

Upper Deck got into the action in 1989.  Their cards featured a much thicker card stock, better photography, and the ‘premium’ tag.  In 1991 Topps countered by issuing Stadium Club, a set which featured borderless cards and premium Kodak technology (their logo was on the wrappers).

From there, things went nuts.  Every company producing cards started issuing a premium set, a mid-level set, and a low-end product designed for kids.  It seemed as though the hobby shifted from the collector to the investor overnight.

This ruined the hobby for many.  To get all of the cards of a player a person rooted for became next to impossible because companies stressed the scarcity of a card to appeal to the hobbyist only collecting to sell.  There were cards issued with serial numbers on the back.  You could get a card that said 1 of 1, meaning it was the only card created for that player.

Eventually, the competition got to be too much for Fleer and Donruss.  Upper Deck stayed around and is now being penalized for promoting the league.  Upper Deck is allowed to issue cards with the likeness of a player, but not allowed, under the new agreement, to use team logos and trademarks.  Basically, if Upper Deck continues to produce, the consumer will have a choice to buy pieces of what will look like someone’s Facebook page.

I hate the new deal.  Granted, the average collector could walk into any shop and have to decide between 25 different packs of cards to choose from, that was ridiculous.  But to hand Topps the keys to the kingdom while everyone else gets pushed into the moat makes no sense to me. 

The perception of collecting is also a problem right now.  A kid does not open a pack of baseball cards in hopes of finding his or her favorite player, but rather hoping to get lucky and pull a high dollar insert card.  It Topps wants to do the right thing with their new exclusive licensing, they will eliminate insert cards altogether and focus on the players instead of the gimmicks.

Topps has been quoted as saying that the move will help bring kids back into the collecting realm of the hobby.  News Flash to Topps *** The people who put cards in the spokes of their bikes in the 50’s owned a bike.  I seldom see a kid riding a bike, no less with his or her glove on the handlebar.

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