Pope Leo XIV can add another major milestone to his résumé: a trading card set that outperforms LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama.
According to Topps, the first US-born pope’s run of trading cards set an all-time record for any non-sports card under the brand. Leo’s set of Topps Now cards sold 133,535 units during its limited time release from Thursday through Sunday.
Topps Now sets commemorate milestone events contemporaneously and are sold individually for a limited time. The card depicting the Chicago-born pope chosen Thursday to lead the Roman Catholic church was listed at $8.99 per card on the Topps website.
Topps is one of the most popular manufacturer of trading cards and collectibles in the US. And its run of Leo sales indicates the US’s excitement after one of its own was elected as the worldwide Catholic church’s pontiff.
In terms of sales, Leo’s Topps Now card has eclipsed other notable sets under the line, including James exceeding 40,000 career points (86,072) and Wembanyama’s NBA Rookie of the Year win (113,777).
The record for a sports Topps Now card belongs to Shohei Ohtani becoming the first MLB player to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, which had a print run of 653,737.
Pope-related trading cards have been around for years, including Chocolat Guerin-Boutron producing a Pope Leo XIII card in 1909. In 2015, with Pope Francis visiting, the Philadelphia Phillies released a Pope Francis “rookie” card.
Eight years later, a 2009 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts signature card of Pope John Paul II sold on eBay for $1,800 – the most expensive pope-related trading card sold.
