Rare Pope Leo XIV Topps NOW Card Sells for Thousands
Back in May, following Pope Leo XIV's election to the head of the Catholic Church, Topps NOW released a limited-edition trading card in celebration of the historic moment. The first-ever American born Pope, Leo's card was a hit with collectors, and commanded an impressive print run of 133,535.
JUST SOLD: Pope Leo XIV's Superfractor 1/1 fetched $16,500 at auction 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rbIV2gucFv
— Topps (@Topps) June 27, 2025
Yesterday, the rarest of these cards, a Pope Leo XIV Superfractor 1-of-1 sold for $16,500 at auction through Fanatics Collect.
RELATED: From Conclave to Card: Topps NOW Marks Pope Leo XIV's Election
Bidding was very active for the one-of-a-kind card of the new Pope, with 56 bids coming in total. The online-exclusive release was available on-demand for three days, generating a ton of interest in The Hobby.
The Topps NOW release included a popular White Smoke Variation numbered to 267, celebrating Leo XIV's place as the 267th Pope. The White Smoke Variation honors the papal tradition that occurs when the conclave has chosen on a new pope, and sends White Smoke out of the Vatican to indicate that the conclave has determined who will take the papacy. Card Ladder registers 21 sales of $499 or more for this variation, with the top sale at writing coming in at $900.
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This unique release also included foil parallels numberd to 50, 25, 10, 5, and 1. At writing, the next-highest sale behind the recently-sold 1/1 Superfractor was for a foil parallel numbered to 5, which sold for $3,300 on June 1.
RELATED: Papal Power: Pope Leo XIV Topps NOW Card Shatters Non-Sports Record
The $16,500 sale of Leo XIV's Topps NOW Superfractor 1/1 is another example of the success of this interesting release, that shows real collector interest for a card at the intersection of history and The Hobby.
Michael Terry is a writer based in Brooklyn. He specializes in sports, culture, and collecting. His work has appeared at Topps RIPPED, ESPN, Grantland, Vice Sports, and more.
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