Topps and Chicago Cubs partner to create an exclusive, 82-card Topps archives collection

March 5, 2013

The Topps Company, Inc. and the Chicago Cubs have partnered to create an exclusive, 82-card Topps Archives set, featuring current and former Cubs players on classic Topps card designs. The player and design pairings are unique to the set, which will be delivered to Cubs Season Ticket Holders as part of their season ticket package. The set designated for Season Ticket Holders will include a logo to differentiate the collection from cards made available to fans over the course of four Cubs home games at Wrigley Field this season.

Cubs fans have the chance to secure the entire 82-card set by attending all four Topps promotional games at Wrigley Field. The cards will be given away in four installments on the following dates:

Friday, May 3, 1:20 p.m. vs. the Cincinnati Reds (Cards 1-20, featuring Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Shawon Dunston, Andre Dawson and Anthony Rizzo, among others)
Friday, July 5, TBD vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates (Cards 21-40, featuring Dave Kingman, Ryne Sandberg, Kerry Wood, Greg Maddux, Jeff Samardzija and Alfonso Soriano, among others)
Friday, Aug. 2, TBD vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers (Cards 41-60, featuring Billy Williams, Starlin Castro, Dennis Eckersley, Anthony Rizzo, Mark Grace, Glenn Beckert and Darwin Barney, among others)
Friday, Aug. 30, 1:20 p.m. vs. the Philadelphia Phillies (Cards 61-82, featuring Lee Smith, Milt Pappas, Keith Moreland, Fergie Jenkins and Rick Sutcliffe, plus a "Future Stars" card with Jorge Soler, Albert Almora and Javier Baez)

Tickets for these for promotional dates are available for purchase now in a custom Cubs Six-Game Pack titled the "Topps Baseball Card Pack," available at www.cubs.com/packs. The first 10,000 fans at each game receive a pack of the cards outlined above. Collectors are encouraged to arrive early to ensure they receive the cards. These cards are only available during the designated promotional dates at Wrigley Field and the sets will not be sold through retail. For a complete checklist of the cards included in the set, visit www.cubs.com/Topps.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Cubs on this effort. It is a special project that should not only unlock special value to Cubs fans, but also delight collectors in total," said Topps Vice President of Marketing Mark Sapir.

"We're excited to partner with our friends at Topps and to be the only club in Major League Baseball to provide a unique set of collectable Topps Archives cards to our Season Ticket Holders and fans," said Chicago Cubs Director of Ticket Sales and Service Brian Garza. "We hope our fans have as much fun opening these cards as we had creating them."

The Cubs provided a sneak preview of the card designs at the team's annual Cubs Convention Jan. 18-20 in downtown Chicago, where oversized cards were on display for Season Ticket Holders and fans.

In addition, images from each of the Topps Archives Cards are incorporated into the team's season ticket design. Players are featured on specific game dates based on the opponent, historical achievements, jersey numbers, calendar dates and more. Season Ticket Holders will receive an insert in their season ticket package with the rationale behind each choice.