Prior to Monday, much of the hobby was highly skeptical of how successful 2023-24 Topps Chrome Basketball cards might be.
Because the set is packed with unlicensed cards as Fanatics awaits rights to the NBA license in 2025 — or possibly even after — many collectors expected the lack of team logos to be a deal breaker.
A day removed from pre-orders going live, the narrative has completely shifted.
Not only did collectors opt-in for an unlicensed product, they temporarily crashed the Topps website, with both Hobby Boxes and cases selling out almost instantly.
In the hours after sellout, guaranteed pre-orders have reached stunning prices on the secondary market. Originally priced at $269.99, Hobby Boxes have been selling for $400-plus on eBay, with some sales nearing $500.
The return of Topps Chrome Basketball was expected to be big, but many thought the first licensed product would be what inspired collectors. But 15 years since its last release in 2009, it appears the anticipation made an unlicensed product palatable.
Considered to be significantly less desirable than licensed releases — even a "never buy" to some — unlicensed products typically have to deliver incredible designs or a fantastic checklist of autographs to win collectors over.
The 190-card base checklist likely won’t do much for collectors, but 2023-24 Topps Chrome Basketball has an autograph lineup worth chasing. Along with San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, Chrome Basketball has autographs from LeBron James, who had exclusively signed for Upper Deck until moving to Fanatics earlier this year.
Topps also added in throwback insert sets such as Youthquake, Destiny and Season’s Best to go alongside modern chases like Helix and Radiating Rookies.
Even with an immediate sellout, collectors are still questioning if the set will hold long-term value. Unlicensed cards haven’t been popular for a reason, and 2023-24 Topps Chrome Basketball, even with a strong autograph checklist, didn’t exactly reimagine the format.
The 2023-24 Topps Chrome Basketball set is currently scheduled to release Aug. 28.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.