Topps is dealing with an unexpected headache after a Fernando Mendoza rookie card image started making the rounds online for all the wrong reasons.
The card photo looks nothing like the former Indiana quarterback, and fans were quick to call out the mismatch as soon as it surfaced on X. Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, has a pretty recognizable face. The version shown on the card does not come close.
Collectors immediately began suspecting the listings were built with AI-generated images. The theory gaining traction is that sellers are posting early versions on eBay before the physical cards actually arrive, using fake images to chase early sales.
“This doesn’t look like Fernando Mendoza at all 😭” one user wrote.
Another reaction put it bluntly: “No way that’s the actual card right? Looks like some AI slop to me.”
A third user offered a more detailed explanation: “It’s because it’s not the real card… it’s an eBay user using AI to try to garner early sales before they have the card in hand.”
More comments followed the same line. One collector said, “The listings are using AI images.” Another added, “Looks like ai slop.”
And the complaints kept piling up. “There’s SO many of them on eBay and they look nothing like Fernando,” one user noted.
Mendoza’s rise from a lightly recruited prospect at Cal to a national champion at Indiana made him a familiar name and face, with his sharp postgame interviews helping turn him into a fan favorite. That’s part of why this card image hit such a nerve with collectors - it’s so far off that it barely resembles the player at all.
Topps has not publicly addressed the specific listings yet, and buyers are still pointing out the obvious differences. For now, the episode is another reminder of the growing problems surrounding AI-generated product photos in the sports card market.
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