Topps Allen & Ginter is known for its eclectic mix of sports stars and celebrities and food and exotic places. The nearly 20-year-old brand always has something new for collectors.
This year’s edition is no different with Westminster Kennel Club cards, featuring Best in Show dogs from the historic brand. It fits right in with the theme of Allen & Ginter, which celebrates world champions.
“When you think about what Allen & Ginter is, it’s a turn-of-the-century card product. When you look at products from that era, there are all kinds of animals, including dogs in those products,” said Topps SVP of Product Clay Luraschi, who had a framed set of tobacco cards featuring English Bull Terriers on his wall as a kid. “When I saw that email, I was like, ‘Oh, this is a no-brainer. We have to work with them.’”
The Westminster Kennel Club cards are getting special billing in 2024 Topps Allen & Ginter. Besides just having adorable pups on the cards, they are part of a special insert set that includes Dog Show champions with 40 total cards.
There are also two different relic cards with one featuring Best in Show ribbons and a Winner Circle Relic highlighting seven past champions that includes the handler’s purple winner’s lapel in the card with a paw print in the circle of the lapel.
The idea came about when Westminster Kennel Club President Donald Sturz received a card in the email to sign. He wasn’t sure if he should sign the front or back and as he talked to his staff and contemplated the card, he realized it would make a great way to showcase the Westminster Kennel Club.
That’s when he reached out to Topps.
And it made sense to everyone.
“Everybody is blown away by the concept,” Sturz said. “I think to have their dogs immortalized in this way, so to speak, and to become part of someone’s personal life and personal connection and personal passion, that’s what I think the thing that everyone connected with the most.”
Card collecting and showing dogs are not so different. Hobbyists are passionate about what they love to do and immerse themselves in those worlds.
Sturz showed his first dog at 8 years old and has been ingrained in the sport that he loves since he was a child.
Many card collectors can relate to that type of origin story and can appreciate the history behind the cards.
The release also comes at a perfect time for the Westminster Kennel Club. The first Dog Show took place in 1877 – which only beat the first Allen & Ginter set by 10 years – and the 149th annual Dog Show will take place this February in New York City.
While many people have heard and know the Westminster Kennel Club name, there is still room to grow.
“I think that because it’s a legacy brand and it’s got this history, it doesn’t mean that it’s saturated,” Sturz said. “There’s always a new market. We’re always looking for new fans and new audience members. It is iconic. One of the things that I’ve striven to do as president coming in was to maintain the elite status of the event and to pay homage to its tradition and its history, but at the same time move it forward and keep it relevant and inclusive of a wider audience. I think this was just a perfect opportunity to do that.”
If the reaction of card collectors is similar to Sturz’s colleagues, these cards are going to be a huge success.
“They started trading cards right there at a dinner meeting, which was a real hoot to watch,” said Sturz, who is on the hunt for a Trumpet card. “That excitement. That’s really it for me. Westminster has so many personal memories.”
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