Topps Opens Three-Day Collector Destination at 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
Topps and the National Football League opened a three-day Collector Destination event Thursday in Pittsburgh, coinciding with the start of the 2026 NFL Draft. The activation marks the first fan-facing event tied to Topps’ return as the exclusive NFL trading card licensee after Fanatics Collectibles, the NFL and the NFLPA announced the multi-year deal on April 2.
The event runs Thursday, April 23 through Saturday, April 25 and is free to attend.
Hours are 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, according to a Topps event guide. The program includes live pack openings, pack giveaways tied to 2025 Topps Chrome Football, and scheduled player appearances.
Eight hobby shops will operate on site, each assigned to an NFL division: Neighborhood Card Shop (NFC West), Wheelhouse (NFC East), Real Sportscards (NFC North), Indy Card Exchange (AFC South), Dave & Adams Card World (AFC East), Steel City Collectibles (AFC North), CardVault (AFC West) and CardsHQ (NFC South).
Player appearances include Terry Bradshaw, Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward on Thursday; James Conner, Mark Ingram and Ryan Shazier on Friday; and James Harrison, Joey Porter Sr., Heath Miller and Damar Hamlin on Saturday.
The event is the first major activation under the new licensing agreement that gave Fanatics Collectibles, through its Topps brand, exclusive NFL and NFLPA trading card rights beginning April 1. Panini’s prior NFL license expired March 31.
The first product under the new deal, 2025 Topps Chrome Football, was released April 15. It is the first fully licensed Topps Chrome Football set since 2015 and includes one-of-one Rookie PREM1ERE Patch Autograph cards and NFL Honors Gold Shield Autograph cards.
“This partnership between the NFL and Fanatics Collectibles brings together the league, our players and a best-in-class collectibles platform,” Casey Collins, SVP of consumer products at the NFL, said in a statement announcing the deal.
The Collector Destination culminates Saturday with Collector Celebration Day on the field at Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2026 NFL Draft runs Thursday through Saturday, with the first round beginning Thursday night.
For other upcoming in-person events, see the Sports Card Radio card show calendar.
