The project was first announced by Topps back on April 12th. After the success of NBA TopShot, it was inevitable for the MLB and Topps to enter the NFT market, but the execution by Topps was nothing like TS.
A rough start: website crashes, credit card declines, price mismatches, and much more.
The first problem that occurred for the Topps release was the overload of the website. Unlike TS, they didn’t utilize a queue system to mitigate the high traffic. This resulted in an overload of the servers and set back the release time by 30 minutes.
Due to high demand on the site, Packs for the @Topps @MLB Series 1 #NFT Collection will go on sale at 1:30PM ET release. Stay tuned for more updates. pic.twitter.com/mG16uaHK1G
— Topps Digital (@ToppsDigital) April 20, 2021
The continued overload of the website also resulted in many problems with the payment system and payment confirmations. Many people were unable to put in their payment information once they selected a pack to purchase. The people who could put their payment info and buy a pack were either getting a price mismatch error or not getting an email confirmation after buying. So, this left many buyers confused about whether or not they actually bought the pack.
Note from @WAX_io: If your payment for @Topps @MLB Series 1 #NFTs went through, you'll receive your packs once the system is caught up. All orders are processed on a first-come, first-served basis - if you do not receive your packs, you will be refunded automatically.
— Topps Digital (@ToppsDigital) April 20, 2021
Topps NFT release is a dumpster fire.... pic.twitter.com/GL4pFA8jmd
— Rain City Cards (@raincitycard) April 20, 2021
So far, Topps has released seven packs differing in what you can get. The rarity of each collectible is broken down into seven different rarities. You can get anything from a “Common Collectible” which can be a wooden coin, to a “Legendary Exclusive Collectible” which can be a 1/1 card.
I opened up my Topps NFT promo pack and well . . . pic.twitter.com/cAdoHz0AFA
— WinkyChrist Holo MMXX 🇸🇾 (@WinkyChrist) April 19, 2021
Card owners can display their collectibles on their wallets. They can also trade, sell, gift, or burn the cards. The burn system is something interesting to look out for. There are events called “Burn to Earn,” where users can burn collectibles for the chance to earn a new collectible.
There are also three different resell markets set up for this project. The cards can be sold on AtomicHub, NFTHive, or WaxStash. The most significant resale to come out of this project is a Mike Trout Legendary Exclusive for 420,000 WAX ($74,364.39).
The question is now, how long will this project last?
After the lousy launch and mediocre presentation, it’s hard to imagine this project will have the same success as TS. One issue about this project is that Topps will always compare it to TS, and unless Topps makes significant changes, it will always be TS 'little brother. Another potential issue is the sport of baseball. Outside of America and Asia, baseball is not a popular sport, and even in America, it’s considered a dying sport. So, it seems it would be hard for Topps to grow this project continually.
