CDR Roundup-retailers today have a tremendous variety of trading cards to choose from, as there are almost a dozen high-profile, innovative suppliers in the field.
Topps Co., based in New York City, is one of the oldest companies in the business. As it commands over 35% of the business, according to some analysts, it remains the undisputed leader. To its regular lineup of baseball cards the company has added the upscale Stadium Series, which reportedly has been selling well enough to warrant the release of a third series.
In addition to its mainstay baseball cards, Topps offers regular and Stadium issue Batman cards and stickers, American Gladiators, Gruesome Greeting Cards and Nickelodeon cards.
Fleer Corp., of Philadelphia, is in a virtual dead heat for second place in this market (with the Donruss division of Leaf Inc.), with about a 15% share. Scheduled for a late June release, the company's Ultra II series of baseball cards have ultra-violet coating, gold-foil stamping, 3-D graphics and marblelike borders. They feature the latest trades and free-agent signings and rookies. Fleer is backing Ultra II with advertising on ESPN, CBS major league baseball telecasts and MTV.
The manufacturer has also upgraded its 1992 line of National Football League cards with several quality improvements and has inked a deal with Washington Redskin quarterback Mark Rypien for special subsets. Consumers also have the chance to get autographed Rypien cards either randomly or as part of a special offer.
Donruss also commands about 15% of the trading card business. It has improved its regular lineup by using better photographs and inserting a special gold-foil card in each pack.
Right on the heels of Fleer and Donruss is Upper Deck Co., which produces baseball, football, basketball and hockey cards. Its limited-edition sets have included holograms and foil stampings. A special Ted Williams hologram card was randomly inserted in foil packs this spring. Upper Deck also sells a line of Comic Ball cards; these feature such Looney Tunes characters as Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig in sports-related scenarios.
Score Co., which has become known for its fine-quality baseball cards, decided to widen the appeal of its products. So it entered the football arena in 1991.
Dallas-based Pro Set Inc., which already had a successful NFL football license, has been putting a lot of its effort into nonsports cards; this way it hopes to appeal to a wider audience than just teenage boys. The company has debuted a set of cards based on the television show The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and it has teamed with Walt Disney Co. for card sets based on the animated films The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Another Disney property, the TV show Dinosaurs, received its own line of cards from Pro Set too.
One company that has begun an outstanding television commercial to support its cards is Skybox International (formerly Impel Marketing Inc.). SkyBox recently premiered an ad campaign featuring Earvin (Magic) Johnson and his son Andre to promote the company's cards for the United States' Olympic basketball team that will compete in Barcelona, Spain. The manufacturer also honors Olympic legends, hopefuls and medalists with its U.S. Olympicards collection.
Some of the nonsports cards offered by Skybox are sets based on Marvel Comics, Star Trek and Disney characters.
Some other players in the marketplace include Classic Games Inc., with its football draft picks and world-class athlete lines; Star Pics Inc. with comic dinosaur cards; and Lime Rock International, which makes special hologram cards, as well as Mad magazine and cheerleading cards.
