CNN
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The trading card industry literally collapsed.

Topps, Fanatics’ trading card company, is partnering with the Westminster Kennel Club to launch a line of inserts called “Stars of the Show,” which feature champion dogs of Sage the Miniature Poodle to Trumpet the Bloodhound.

This release includes so-called relic cards, particularly rare cards sought after by collectors that contain a small piece of memorabilia, such as the wood of a used baseball bat or the fabric of a game-worn jersey. The Topps “Stars of Show” relics will feature authentic cut-out pieces of the winning dog’s “Best in Show” ribbon. Even rarer are the seven unique cards that include the manager’s purple winner’s reverse fully inserted into the card.

“Cards capture a moment and connect you to a hero,” said Clay Luraschi, senior vice president of product at Topps. “Heroes come in all different forms, and in this case, they are champion dogs.”

The Topps collaboration speaks to Westminster’s desire to capitalize on the power of fandom that drives the sports trading card industry. Fanatics said that of the $1 billion in revenue generated in 2023, baseball cards accounted for $640 million. after acquiring Toppsaccording to AdAge reports,

Dogs appearing on trading cards are nothing new: Some baseball cards from the late 1800s featured star players alongside their four-legged companions. But Luraschi says a series of cards in which dogs take center stage represents the first of its kind.

Westminster Dog Show each year, it welcomes nearly 3,000 purebred dogs from hundreds of different breeds, who compete for the title of “Best in Show”. The Topps collaboration is part of the brand’s efforts to appear more accessible to fans as it prepares to return to Madison Square Garden ahead of its 150th anniversary.

Making a historic brand accessible

The Westminster Dog Show, first held in 1877, is America’s second oldest continuous sporting event and predates the invention of the light bulb and the automobile. That history has given the brand a high-profile image, but Westminster President Don Sturz said that despite its storied past, the dog show is “an elite event, but it’s not an elite event elitist.”

“You have to find a balance between respecting tradition and not doing anything that might disrupt that value,” Sturz told CNN. “But at the same time, it’s about wanting to stay relevant, expand the audience and bring in new fans who maybe didn’t see this as something that was meant for them.”

Maintaining the prestige of the show while promoting accessibility was a balancing act that guided the creation of the cards. The Westminster subset is part of Topps’ Allen & Ginter 2024 series, a vintage-themed deck of cards based on the tobacco company of the late 1800s – a move that represented Westminster’s homage to the history. But Sturz says the emphasis on the dogs’ names rather than their official titles and the choice of images highlight their personalities.

“They chose to use photos that really captured the personality of these dogs in addition to their status as champions,” he said. “In all their greatness as a best-in-show champion, they are also someone’s beloved pet.”

“We live in a very digital age, and the fact that people can still be connected to these tangible three-and-a-half-inch pieces of paper is incredibly special,” Luraschi said.