manufacturer
Topps
American trading-card company whose modern sports-card history developed from a confectionery business founded by the Shorin family in 1938.
Overview
Topps
Topps began as a confectionery company and entered modern sports-card production in 1951, becoming one of the defining names in post-war trading-card culture. In Europe, Topps acquired Merlin Publishing in 1995 and later launched Match Attax in 2006, extending card collecting into a game format closely associated with football culture.
Why it matters
Topps is a core reference point for TMR’s card collections because it links mass-produced popular imagery, sport, licensing, set-building and the changing design of collectible cards across generations.
Coverage
The Material Record
2 objects
TMR holdings represented across 1977–2023.