Collectors Have Spoken: The Poppy Awards Crown the Best of Non-Sport

By the end of 2025, it was no longer accurate to describe non-sport cards and trading card games as a side lane of the hobby. Pokémon continued to dominate grading volume, One Piece cemented itself as a global force, and franchises like Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars produced releases that routinely sold out and crossed into five- and six-figure territory. At the same time, wrestling, history-based sets, sketch cards, and pop-culture products built passionate collector bases of their own.

In other words, non-sport didn’t just grow in 2025—it matured. And with that growth came a clear gap that Hobby Nonsense crew aimed to fix: there was still no collector-driven way to recognize what actually resonated beyond auction results and news headlines.

That’s where the Poppy Awards come in.

A Collector-First Awards Concept

Launched this year by the Hobby Nonsense community, the Poppy Awards were designed as a grassroots response to how non-sport collecting actually works. Instead of compressing everything into a handful of catch-all categories, the Poppies broke the space into 17 distinct awards, covering everything from TV and movie sets to wrestling, Pokémon, non-Pokémon TCGs, inserts, sketch artists, and even non-sport cards embedded within traditional sports products.

Just as important as the categories was the voting pool. Ballots were shared within deeply engaged collector communities, including the 85,000-plus members of Non Sports Cards Nonsense Facebook group, keeping the results rooted in the voices of people who actually rip, collect, and trade this stuff every day. The goal wasn’t hype or marketing momentum; it was to capture real collector sentiment.

Standout Winners—and the Fields They Beat

The inaugural winners reflect how broad and competitive the space has become. 2025 Topps Chrome Disney took home Best Overall Non-Sport Card Set, emerging from a field that included Chrome Marvel, SpongeBob SquarePants, Star Wars Masterwork, and Upper Deck’s Skybox Metal Universe Batman—a signal that accessibility and franchise depth still matter.

FIRST LOOK: Mickey Mouse’s official MLB trading card in Topps Chrome Disney. https://t.co/91mQIwkAu2 pic.twitter.com/2Yw6cVPStC
— Topps (@Topps) September 24, 2025

Topps was named Best Non-Sport Trading Card Company, but not without pressure from Upper Deck, Leaf, Panini, and Rittenhouse, each of which had meaningful releases this year. In design-driven categories, Topps Star Wars Galaxy Chrome claimed Best Visual Design Set, edging out visually ambitious competitors like Chrome Marvel and Skybox Metal Universe Batman.

One of the more talked-about results came in Best Direct-to-Order Non-Sport Card, where 2025 Topps Now: Pope Leo beat out novelty-heavy and viral releases, underscoring how cultural relevance can outweigh traditional chase mechanics.

NEW RECORD: Pope Leo XIV has set an all-time record for any non-sports Topps Now card.

133,535 copies sold. https://t.co/GR9WU0wsob
— Topps (@Topps) May 12, 2025

Elsewhere, One Piece Card Game: OP-13 continued its run as the breakout TCG outside Pokémon, while Prismatic Evolutions captured Best Pokémon Set, reinforcing Pokémon’s continued dominance even as the broader TCG landscape grows more competitive.

PRISTINE KAIDO TIMES 3! 👀

This 2022-24 One Piece Promos Championship 2023 Textured Kaido BGS PRISTINE 10 Collection (3 Different) - Includes 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Examples is available now in our Fall Pop Culture Elite Auction.

Bid now: https://t.co/N6IX2CJx97 pic.twitter.com/463ifV1App
— Goldin (@GoldinCo) October 5, 2025

Hear the Full Story on the Podcast

The complete results, along with deeper discussion around why certain releases won and what they say about collector behavior, were revealed on the latest episode of the Hobby Nonsense podcast. Hosted by Jesse Gibson and Ray Solorio, the episode also dives into market moments, recent shows, and what the hosts see coming next for non-sport and TCG collecting.

Non-sport collectors can find the full weekly podcast series available to follow the space more closely heading into 2026.

Why the Poppys Matter

The Poppy Awards don’t aim to replace price guides or auction records. Instead, they offer something the hobby often lacks: a snapshot of enjoyment, creativity, and connection. In a year when non-sport and TCG fully established themselves as a second pillar of collecting, the Poppys gave that side of the hobby its own voice—and let collectors decide what truly mattered.