Summary
Ahead of Leo XIV’s inauguration at the Vatican City later this month, the NYC-basedleading baseball trading card company, Topps, released a non-sports card dedicated to the first US-born Pope. And already, it’s breaking records.
As reported byThe New York Times, it has sold over 130,000 copies, making it the best-selling non-sports Topps Now card. But even in the realm of sports, it has dethroned legendary basketball player LeBron James' 40,00 career points commemoration card, as well as Lionel Messi/Steph Curry’s 2024 card and John Cena’s solo WWE card (it even beat out his The Rock/Travis Scott collaboration).
Yes, the Pope has alt art. There’s a variation with white smoke and the number ‘267’ in the background (given that he’s the 267th Pope).
With its enormous print run, the Pope Leo XIV card is now eligible for future Chrome parallel variations, including a singular 1/1 SuperFractor. But Topps isn’t the only one selling cards commemorating the Chicagoan Pope:Leaf also has a new $9.99 cardwhich superimposes Leo over a deep dish pizza, as well as ones that place him in front of the Chicago skyline, its snowy streets, and, of course, a few hot dogs.
Of Course, They’re Scalping The Pope
As with any popular trading card, the Pope is beingscalped. While there are some more reasonably priced options on eBay right now, in the $4 to $10 ballpark, some are trying to sell their presales for upwards of $350. Thankfully, nobody has spentthatmuch on a Leo card, but people are definitely paying extortionate prices.
Looking through eBay’s ‘sold’ tab, you’ll see that several presale Pope Leo XIV cards have sold for as much as $99.99, not including shipping fees. Someone spent $150 on a collection of Topps and Leaf metal cards, complete with acrylic displays, and someone else even spent $195 on the alt white smoke variant (again, not including shipping).
Granted, it’s not just trading cards. People are also paying $20 to $80 for “unread” newspapers announcing “An American Pope”. At least that’s a slice of history. Though there’s something oddly fitting about the first US-born Pope breaking trading card records and being scalped on eBay.
