| While "Traded" or "Update" sets were originally | | | | each other, as did its competitors. The resulting glut |
| conceived to deal with players who changed teams, | | | | of different baseball sets caused the MLBPA to take |
| they became increasingly important for a reason. In | | | | drastic measures as the market for them |
| order to fill out a 132-card set (the number of cards | | | | deteriorated. The union announced that for 2006, |
| that fit on a single sheet of the uncut cardboard | | | | licenses would only be granted to Topps and Upper |
| used in the production process), it would contain a | | | | Deck, the number of different products would be |
| number of rookie players who had just reached the | | | | limited, and players would not appear on cards before |
| major leagues and not previously appeared on a card. | | | | reaching the major leagues. |
| They also included a few single cards of players who | | | | Although most of its products were distributed |
| previously appeared in the regular set on a | | | | through retail stores and hobby shops, Topps also |
| multi-player "prospects" card; one notable example is | | | | attempted to establish itself online, where a |
| the 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken, Jr.. Since a | | | | significant secondary market for sports cards was |
| "rookie card" is typically the most valuable for any | | | | developing. Working in partnership with eBay, Topps |
| given player, the companies now competed to be | | | | launched a new brand of sports cards called etopps |
| the first to produce a card of players who might be | | | | in December 2000. These cards are sold exclusively |
| future stars. Increasingly, they also included highly | | | | online through individual "IPOs" (or, "Initial Player |
| touted minor league players who had yet to play in | | | | Offering") in which the card is offered for usually a |
| the major leagues. | | | | week at the IPO price. The quantity sold depends on |
| For example, Topps obtained a license to produce | | | | how many people offer to buy, but is limited to a |
| cards featuring the U.S. Olympic baseball team and | | | | certain maximum. After a sale, the cards are held in a |
| thus produced the first card of Mark McGwire prior | | | | climate-controlled warehouse unless the buyer |
| to his promotion to the major league level, and one | | | | requests delivery, and the cards can be traded online |
| that would become quite valuable to collectors for a | | | | without changing hands except in the virtual sense. |
| time. This card from the 1984 squad appeared in | | | | Topps also acquired ThePit.com, a startup company |
| Topps's regular 1985 set, but by the next Olympic | | | | that earlier in 2000 had launched a site for online |
| cycle the team's cards had been migrated to the | | | | stock-market style card trading. The purchase was |
| "Traded" set. As a further step in this race, Topps | | | | for $5.7 million cash in August 2001 after Topps had |
| resurrected its former competitor Bowman as a | | | | earlier committed to invest in a round of venture |
| subsidiary brand in 1989, with Bowman sets similarly | | | | capital financing for the company. This undertaking |
| chosen to include a lot of young players with bright | | | | was not very successful, however, and Topps |
| prospects. | | | | unloaded the site on Naxcom in January 2006. The |
| Also beginning in 1989 with the entry of Upper Deck | | | | amount of the transaction was not disclosed, but |
| into the market, card companies began to develop | | | | Topps charged a $3.7 million after-tax loss on its |
| higher-end cards using improved technology. Following | | | | books in connection with the sale. |
| Topps's example, other manufacturers now began to | | | | Topps grabbed national attention early in 2007 when |
| diversify their product lines into different sets, each | | | | the new card of Yankees' shortstop Derek Jeter |
| catering to a different niche of the market. The initial | | | | was found to have been altered to include an image |
| Topps effort at producing a premium line of cards, in | | | | of Mickey Mantle standing in the dugout and |
| 1991, was called Stadium Club. Topps continued | | | | President George W. Bush walking through the |
| adding more sets and trying to distinguish them from | | | | stands. |