Topps is taking its Gold Logoman chase to another level in 2026.
After introducing Gold Logoman cards in 2025 for the 2024 MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Award winners, Topps Chrome Baseball is set to feature Back-to-Back Dual Gold Logoman Autograph relics next year for Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Tarik Skubal of the Tigers.
Mike Mahan, the CEO of Fanatics Collectibles, said the goal is to keep building cards that match the level of the players themselves. One of the things Mahan noted was, "to create cards for the best athletes worthy of their achievements." He added that while rookie cards will always matter, Fanatics wants to keep innovating so the biggest stars still have cards that feel as special as what they do on the field.
Collecting on SI got an early look at the Shohei Ohtani version, and it is a striking piece. The card is vertical and includes two autographs from Ohtani, one in English and one in Kanji.
The Gold Logoman patches are tied to the specific years he won MVP, with one from 2024 and the other from 2025. It is unclear whether Judge or Skubal will also sign twice, or whether that detail is unique to Ohtani.
The news of the Kanji inscription came after the interview with Mahan took place.
Naturally, the next question was whether this concept could keep going if Ohtani keeps stacking MVPs in back-to-back seasons. Mahan joked, "I'm not breaking any news today," but he also said he did not see why it would not be possible to continue, while stopping short of making any commitment.
The idea could also stretch beyond baseball. Fanatics holds licenses across MLB, NBA, NFL, Premier League, Bundesliga and more, and Mahan did not rule out the possibility of similar back-to-back award-winner patches showing up in other sports. He pointed to the success of Gold Logoman and Gold Shield sales so far and said Topps and Fanatics have been fortunate that leagues have been open to new ideas.
He also brought up the World Cup, where Lionel Messi wore four custom patches in the final. Those, presumably, would eventually become cards when Topps takes over the World Cup license in 2031 or beyond.
The market is already bracing for what these cards could mean. The 2025 Topps Chrome Ohtani sold for $3 million, and after speaking with a few people around Sports Cards Nonsense, the expectation is that the Back-to-Back Dual Gold Logoman Autograph Relic could land somewhere north of 1.5 times that number, in the $4.5-6 million range.
Asked how the team feels knowing these cards command that kind of premium, Mahan smiled and said, "Good. Real good."
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