However the powers that be have chosen Topps to represent Major League Baseball... and at the end of the day, I'm comfortable with their decision.
The New York based trading card company is like my daily venti non-fat misto from Starbucks. In other words... it's the card manufacturer that I crave on a regular basis.
2010 Topps The Cards Your Mom Threw Out #CMT1
My infatuation with Topps baseball cards began in the 80's when I was in my card collecting infancy. They had two major things going for them: solid history and readily available. Even as a nine year old collector growing up in a pre-junkwax era, I had heard of the famous 1952 Topps set.
1977 Topps #207
And even if I hadn't, I was still familiar with their Star Wars trading cards. Plus their wax boxes were always stocked at Long's and Sunrise Pharmacy, while the same couldn't be said for Fleer and Donruss.
Sure... there were short periods when I defected and chased sets like 1986 Sportflics and 1988 Score.
And when it comes to some of my all-time favorite sets... there are plenty without Topps' logos... like... 1989 Upper Deck, 1994 Skybox Emotion, and 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces.
1954 Topps Baseball Tin
But the fact remains. If the Cardboard Gods made me choose one card company to support the rest of my life... it'd be Topps.What about you? If you had to stay loyal to only one card company...
Which one would you pick?
Happy Monday and sayonara!
Nice baseball tin. As for brand loyalty I don't really like it because the companies just laugh their way to the bank when people do it, but if I was stuck with one, I'd go with Choice/Grandstand/Multi-Ad, technically they're three different companies but they're all pretty much the same in that they make the cool baseball card sets you can pick up minor league ballparks.
ReplyDelete"The New York based trading card company is like my daily venti non-fat misto from Starbucks. In other words... it's the card manufacturer that I crave on a regular basis."
I thought you were going to say it's overpriced and leaves you wondering why you didn't go for the cheaper alternatives.
I like Topps but I'm not particularly loyal. I grew up in the 90s with too many choices, so I miss having Score and Pacific and Collector's choice. I'd probably be most loyal to UD Collector's Choice if it was an option.
ReplyDeleteI miss Upper Deck and others having a license, but agree with your opinion, that if there is only going to be one card manufacturer, then let it be Topps. Love the tin at the bottom of the post. Cool item.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with Topps. So if I had to choose one it would be Topps. Upper Deck a close second.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with Topps mostly...but as is the case for you too, we were 9 years old when the monopoly broke up. Honestly, I miss the mid-80s efforts from Donruss and Fleer. But, I'm not sure I like any of the monopolies or the card manufacturers enough to choose any of them. If I have to choose, I'm going to take Upper Deck. Consistently good products.
ReplyDeleteSSPC and pre-Topps Bowman! :D
ReplyDeletezippy - as usual... comment of the year material. if i didn't keep receiving their gift cards from my students... i'd probably just use the keurig @ work
ReplyDeletelost collector - 90's score, pacific, and collector's choice? we're definitely on opposite ends of the spectrum. although back in the 90's... i sure bought a ton of pacific products.
snorting bull - topps tin = $8.42 (free shipping) on Amazon
mark hoyle - I agree. I'd go with UD after Topps
tony - oh how i wish i had access to 84-87 fleer and donruss. i bought them whenever i found them... which wasn't very often.
scott - glad to meet another sspc fan.
I'll probably be in the minority here but as much as I enjoy Topps products, I've been gravitating more towards Panini this year for my baseball selection. As a kids, I really enjoyed Upper Deck's baseball offerings ... but for now I'd go with Panini as my preference behind Topps.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, I am glad that if only one company has the MLB exclusive that it is Topps. I guess you can say it was because I have been collecting Topps cards since the 1970s, I would love to see Upper Deck come back though.
ReplyDeleteI have no loyalty. If I could bring a company back to life it would be Upper Deck. They started about the same time I started buying cards.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with Topps, so Topps it is. I find this is pretty much a generational thing. With a few exceptions, people who grew up during the Topps monopoly are fine with Topps, people who grew up with lots of card choice want lots of card choices.
ReplyDeleteTopps for me. When we went to get our first packs of cards at the Walgreens, the only set they had for sale was Topps. If they had Fleer or Donruss, then we probably would have gotten some of each and who knows where my brand loyalty would lie.
ReplyDeleteAdam - I know a few people who like Panini products. What's the saying? One man's trash is another man's treasure.
ReplyDeleteCorky - If the Cardboard Gods granted me just one sports card related wish... it'd be that UD received their MLB license again.
Matthew - You're the Switzerland of card collectors. Nice.
NO - I wish I would have had the foresight to collect during the Topps monopoly years. I was too busy playing with my damn Star Wars action figures.
Jafronius - I would pick up Fleer and Donruss whenever they stocked them... but I think they would only receive one box of each... and multiples of Topps.