A new trading card set with exclusive refractors will debut next month during the first Fanatics Fest event in New York.
Announced Monday, the new Topps Chrome Baseball release will include all-new Big Apple Refractors, which can only be purchased on-site during Fanatics Fest NYC.
????????????????????????????????????????: “Big Apple Refractors” are ONLY available in Fanatics Fest NYC Exclusive Topps Chrome Boxes.
— Topps (@Topps) July 29, 2024
There are Big Apple Refractors of every player in the 2024 Topps Chrome base set, and each card is highly limited.
These cards fall SIX per hobby box. pic.twitter.com/C4pN3Q3ydo
The exclusive Fanatics Fest boxes will be available in both Value and Hobby formats and will share the same configuration and guarantees as regular 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball formats with the addition of the Big Apple Refractors, which will be available for all players included in the 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball base set.
According to Topps, Big Apple Refractors have a print run of less than 50 and will fall six times per Hobby Box and once every six Value Boxes.
Pricing and the total production run weren’t immediately released, though Topps did confirm that a limited number of boxes will be available, and a ticket to the event doesn’t guarantee the chance to purchase. VIP ticket holders will receive priority access, but are also not guaranteed an opportunity to purchase.
Topps also confirmed to cllct Tuesday that it is working on special products for future Fanatics Fest events, but didn’t provide additional details.
Fanatics Fest NYC will take place Aug. 16-18 in Manhattan’s Javits Center with future events expected in Pittsburgh and Orlando. Dates for future shows have yet to be determined.
The first flagship event produced by the new Fanatics Events team, Fanatics Fest NYC aims to pair a 300-table card show with a comic con-like environment.
Led by Fanatics Events CEO Lance Fensterman, the architect behind New York City Comic Con, Fanatics Fest NYC will feature a number of athlete appearances, panels, autograph signings, giveaways and more.
“I feel like this is an opportunity to kind of elevate the idea of what a card show can be,” Fensterman told cllct earlier this month. “And the reason I say that is not that there’s anything at all bad about the community of card shows now. In fact, they’re unbelievable — they serve that community of collectors really, really well. I think what we were hoping to do is offer a different format.”
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.