by Today Topps is launching its “Project 2020” in which the cardmaker commissioned 20 world-renowned pop artists to create re-imagined versions of 20 classic baseball cards of all-time baseball greats. Each artist will do all 20 cards, for a total of 400 in the set, and each card will be available for 48 hours upon issue (three cards or so per day will be released).
Some of the artists include Ben Baller, Mister Cartoon, Tyson Beck, Sophia Chang and Just Don, and the player list represents the all-time greats like Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mariano Rivera.
Other cards depicting N.Y. players include Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Don Mattingly, Dwight Gooden and Mariano Rivera.
The first two cards, issuing today, are an Ichiro by Ben Baller and Koufax by Jacob Rochester.
New York artists in the mix include Andrew Thiele, Blake Jamieson, Chang and JK5, with several others having ties to the region.
“When we think of the collectible world and where it has evolved today, sports and pop culture continue to collide,” said Jeff Heckman, Global Director of Ecommerce. “We could not think of a better way to expose trading cards to a new audience than working to reinvent some of the classic baseball cards and personalities of the game of baseball through the eyes and hands of many of the world’s greatest pop culture figures of today. ‘Project 2020’ will be a must have for core and casual baseball fans, and will more importantly showcase the names and stories of the artists and the players on the cards to a global audience whose interests lie well beyond the sport. It is a transformative move we are very excited about.”
