Sports card collectors like Thomas Datwyler have witnessed a sea change in the NBA collecting landscape. Following a 16-year hiatus, Fanatics-owned Topps brand returned to the basketball fold in late 2025 with two highly anticipated releases: Topps Flagship and Topps Chrome. With Panini’s longstanding license sunsetting, Topps actually began producing unlicensed NBA basketball cards in mid-2024, but these did not include the critical team logos that make them desired by collectors.
The Topps legacy in basketball extends to the 1957 season, when the chewing gum company expanded beyond baseball cards, which it had produced since 1952, to create an 80-card NBA set. This included 28 future Hall of Famers and 25 rookies, of whom Celtics’ legends Bob Cousy and Bill Russell are the most famous. According to eBay auction data, a Russell card graded PSA 1, which means off-centered, worn edges, and generally poor condition, sold in January 2026 for $2,241. Meanwhile, a copy graded PSA 6.5 (excellent) went for $20,577 at auction.
Topps was strictly a base cardboard issue for many years and missed nearly the entire 1980s. The iconic issue of that decade is1986 Fleer, which featured the iconic Michael Jordan rookie. In 1992-93, Topps resumed making cardboard NBA cards. This is what the Topps Flagship set hearkens back to, though with an updated, contemporary design. What set it apart from Panini’s mainstay Prizm is its stunning photography, often featuring in-game action.
Released on October 23, the 2025-26 Topps Basketball set featured Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on its boxes and advertising. With Flagg enjoying a stellar inaugural season that is likely to earn him Rookie of the Year honors, his unnumbered base card fetches $5 ungraded. While this may not seem like a lot, it’s worth noting that around 1.26 million base cards exist for every player in the Topps flagship set.
Where the chase for Topps rookie collectors really occurs is in the many parallels of the base card. These come in various colors and background design patterns, ranging from the FoilFractor 1/1 to the Gold /2025. Many of these carry outsized price tags for sought-after rookies. For example, the Orange Rainbow /25 Flagg autograph card brought $12,268 at auction.
Released in January 2026, Topps Chrome features the same design but with different photos and a premium chromium stock. This concept was first introduced by Topps in 1993 for its baseball line and made its way to basketball in 1996-97, just in time for a heralded rookie class that includes Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. A PSA 10 of the iconic Kobe Bryant rookie Topps Chrome regularly exceeds $10,000 at auction. While there were not numbered cards in that year’s product (those started the next year) short-printed Kobe refractors can fetch far higher prices at auction.
The Topps Chrome product, including many inserts pointing back to the 1990s, was well-received by collectors and carried a premium price point that reflected a lower print run and high demand. As a comparison, the Topps Chrome base Cooper Flagg sells in the $23 range, or nearly five times higher than the Topps flagship base. Looking at eBay auctions, the same Flagg Orange Rainbow /25 parallel that went for $12,268 with Topps flagship went for $26,301 in Topps Chrome, though with a different photo. Meanwhile Topps Chrome Flagg autograph Sapphire /10 brought a healthy $78,300 at auction.
All of this said, collecting is not all about financial investment. For many collectors like Thomas Datwyler, the primary aim is to connect with sports and teams they love.