The move marks Panini’s first foray into golf after 60-plus years in the sports collectibles space.
Since its inception, LIV Golf hasn’t been afraid to try new things.
The league announced its latest partnership on Thursday morning, a multi-year deal with trading card company, Panini. The move marks Panini’s first foray into golf after 60-plus years in the sports collectibles space.
Products aren’t yet available, but physical trading cards will be released under the Prizm and Impeccable brands in the third quarter of this year according to Sports Business Journal, who was first to report the news. In the future, Panini will also launch an instant card program, where real-time cards will be released after tournaments that feature highlights from the season. Team card sets can be pre-ordered now.
“We have often thought about how to introduce some of our most popular trading card brands to golf, but the sport always had challenges. LIV Golf brought in a whole new dynamic into the sport with their fresh, unique and innovative approach,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “The team and league format aligns itself to something that did not exist that creates another level of collectability for fans.”
The league returns to play next week in Saudi Arabia with LIV Golf Jeddah, March 1-3, at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.
The late Kobe Bryant is still in many basketball fans’ hearts, and his trading cards are still highly sought after. The 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor, his rookie card, is a popular choice among investors, with the 1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal …
The late Kobe Bryant is still in many basketball fans’ hearts, and his trading cards are still highly sought after. The 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor, his rookie card, is a popular choice among investors, with the 1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green being the most expensive.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is making room for Taysom Hill, asking the Saints for memorabilia from his historic performance against the Bears:
Now that’s something special. The New Orleans Saints announced Monday that the Pro Football Hall of Fame reached out to request memorabilia from Taysom Hill’s uniform after his historic performance against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Hill became just the fifth player in pro football history to have 10 passing touchdowns, 10 rushing touchdowns and 10 receiving touchdowns in a career. Hill’s touchdown catch against the Bears finally sealed the deal.
If you’re curious, Hill was the first player to do so since New York Giants great Frank Gifford accomplished the feat in 1957; according to ESPN, he’s now one of five players in the 10-10-10 club, along with Gifford; Charley Trippi, leader of the old Chicago Cardinals’ “Million Dollar Backfield”; Red Grange; and Jimmy Conzelman.
Those four have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hill may not receive his own bronze bust (he doesn’t have the All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition of those old-school legends of the game), but his name and memorabilia will be in Canton for years to come. And that’s definitely worth celebrating.
#Chiefs assistant running backs coach Porter Ellett was given a one-of-a-kind piece of sports memorabilia from the BYU football program. | from @TheJohnDillon
Recently, BYU gifted Ellett a one-of-a-kind custom helmet with a split design that features both the Cougars’ and Chiefs’ color schemes and logos. He shared a video of the masterpiece on Twitter, showing the world the unique design of the helmet and thanking the BYU football program for the exceptionally cool piece of memorabilia.
While BYU’s campus in Provo, Utah is far from Ellett’s current home in Kansas City, clearly the school’s connection to him is never out of his reach. Their football program has had an indelible effect on the Chiefs given its connection to Ellett and head coach Andy Reid. Fans shouldn’t be surprised if Kansas City eyes some of their prospects in the 2023 NFL draft as they look to defend their status as reigning champions next season.
There have been at least 26 sales of NBA cards worth seven figures and most of them involve Jordan, LeBron, Kobe and Curry.
We’re in the golden era of sports cards, with some being sold for millions of dollars. Though not as hot a property as some baseball cards, there’s a big market for the basketball stuff too. Per our research, there have been at least 26 sales of NBA cards worth seven figures.
Most of them involve Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry. One featuring the Warriors superstar actually tops the list of the most expensive sales ever.
The 2003-04 Upper Deck LeBron James Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autograph is the card sold most times in our list with 12. Other players that collectors are investing in are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic. The trading card industry is booming and still growing, and we’re sure there will be new record sales soon.
This isn’t the first time the South African legend has been forced to publicly deal with a dispute with his family.
If you thought you were going to be able to get your hands on some Gary Player collectibles via an auction, guess again.
On Monday the nine-time major champion released a statement saying he has “taken action” against his son and former manager, Marc Player, after several trophies and other memorabilia were put up for auction.
“I would like to draw the public’s attention to the fact that several trophies and other pieces of memorabilia that form part of my legacy have been put up for auction by my son and ex-manager, Marc. These items belong to me and I have taken action to recover them. I have placed no items for sale – whether by auction or otherwise,” the statement read via Player’s Twitter account.
Golf fans will know that this is far from the first time the South African legend has been forced to publicly deal with problems with his family.
Back in 2020, the Hall of Famer was awarded $5 million as well as the rights to his name and likeness as part of a settlement with Marc, who operated the Gary Player Group.
Wayne Player, who missed the cut in each of his 18 PGA Tour appearances from 1979-1986, hijacked the first-tee ceremony at the Masters in 2021 by holding up a sleeve of golf balls as a marketing ploy while Augusta National honored the legendary Lee Elder. That also wasn’t Wayne’s first fiasco at Augusta. He was arrested and spent five days in jail on a fraud charge stemming from the week of the 2018 Masters after being charged with deposit account fraud/bad checks greater than $499.
The USGA is collecting artifacts that not only celebrate the winners, but also tell the whole story of golf.
(Editor’s note: This is the second article of a four-part series explaining the mission of the United States Golf Association. The USGA, which governs the game of golf in Mexico and the United States, serves several functions. What exactly is the USGA? Why is the organization important? This series delves into these questions and others. This article looks at how the organization not only crowns champions but also works to preserve the game’s history and ensure that future generations remember important people and events from different cultures and backgrounds that make golf unique.)
Jon Rahm’s right fist clenched, and his uppercut in the air would have made Mohammed Ali proud. The crowd behind the 18th green erupted, and Rahm bounded toward the cup, smiling and shouting. He had just holed a long birdie putt at Torrey Pines South and, on that Sunday evening, was on the cusp of winning his first major championship, the 2021 U.S. Open.
Hitting balls in preparation for an unlikely playoff, he learned he had officially won. Rahm hugged his caddie, Adam Hayes, then picked up his son, Kepa, who had been in the arms of Rahm’s wife, Kelley.
“Little man, you have no idea what this means right now,” said Rahm as he hugged the two-month-old boy. He had just become Spain’s first U.S. Open champion. “You will soon enough.”
Jon Rahm celebrates making a putt for birdie on the 18th green during the final round of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) on June 20, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Rahm’s words and those images were broadcast worldwide and seen by millions of golf fans, instantly becoming a part of the game’s history.
Fifty-six days later, Jensen Castle, a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, also became a part of the game’s history. Seeded No. 63 among the 64 golfers to advance to match play, Castle won the 121st U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Westchester Country Club in Harrison, New York, by defeating Yu-Chiang Hou, 2 and 1.
Rahm and Castle’s names are now permanently etched on a wall in the Hall of Champions inside the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Far Hills, New Jersey. All the winners of USGA championships have their names on the walls of that room, which is also the permanent home of the real trophies for each of the USGA’s 14 national championships. Inside their protective cases, they glimmer and shine safely, free for anyone to view.
The USGA Museum’s Hall of Champions (USGA)
Along with establishing the rules of the game and testing equipment to ensure it is legal for play, one of the USGA’s biggest jobs is preserving the legacy of golf. That means doing everything it can to ensure future generations remember stars like Rahm and U.S. Women’s Open winner Michelle Wie West, along with winners of other championships, like Castle, and people who played an essential role in the game who did not win major championships.
To that end, the USGA Golf Museum and Library acts as a repository for things like clubs, balls, scorecards and artwork and a place where researchers can access more than 100,000 documents, periodicals, letters and papers in 25 different languages. The collection is constantly growing, and only a tiny part can be displayed to the public at once, but that doesn’t mean the work will stop.
It was 23 years ago today that Larry Johnson hit one of the most memorable shots in Knicks history. His four-point play in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals propelled the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals and became one of the franchise’s most iconic moments. Now, more than two decades later, Johnson’s game-worn jersey from that night has surfaced. A collector purchased Johnson’s game-worn jersey from the four-point play last month for $63,000 at Heritage Auctions.
