Retro Gaming Meets Modern Collecting in Red-Hot Tecmo Bowl Topps Chrome Cards
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If there was one clear takeaway from the March eBay sales report, it's that video game nostalgia is causing demand spikes in the world of Pokémon collectibles. It also looks like that same story holds true with the latest Tecmo Bowl insert for 2025 Topps Chrome Football cards, as recent sales are starting to take off.
Topps Chrome Paying Homage to an '80s Classic
Tecmo Bowl was first released in 1987 as an arcade version, but due to its popularity, it was quickly picked up and made into a Nintendo (NES) game in 1989. Two years later, Game Boy released its own copy. The Nintendo game was a huge hit and led to multiple sequels, and has now inspired this vintage-looking Topps Chrome card.
The pixelated elements Topps incorporated, combined with the sleek Chrome finish, are both familiar yet modern, making for a fun insert. The in-game moment they modeled the design after is the touchdown celebration, including the Ed Hochuli-like referee in the background.
“The objective we wanted to achieve with these cards was for them to be more of an homage to the original games than a reimagining,” Topps Graphic Designer Preston Linzy II explains. “So, the elements present on the cards are depictions that mirror the games from the past, with those visual sensibilities applied to modern players as well.”
Biggest Sales & eBay Listings
While this insert is still hot off the press, it’s already gaining traction in the market with strong early sales. So far, Bo Jackson and Josh Allen are No. 1 and 2 respectively in terms of sales, according to Card Ladder. The Bo Jackson card sold for $6,000 on April 16, while the Allen card sold for $4,999 the day before.
The eBay listings for big-name players on these cards look incredibly high but given the state of the hobby we might look back in a few years and view these listings as bargains.
A quick search yields some massive asking prices, including a fantastic looking Patrick Mahomes with over 50 people watching it and a $20K price tag. While the highest listed Tecmo Bowl card on eBay is a one-of-one Walter Payton that has over 30 people watching it, despite the $50K asking price.
Autographed TOUCHDOWN! Variant
These cards also feature a stunning autographed Touchdown variant. The Topps team did the right thing by having the autographs in all white, so they really pop against the darker background. These variants also include the word "TOUCHDOWN!" in all caps in the background behind the autograph and the design, plus the all-white auto, make these cards look terrific.
There haven't been any public autographed variant sales yet, but the eBay asking prices reflect expectations from sellers that these will be five-figure cards. So far, the highest listed card on eBay is a one-of-one Randy White with a $49K asking price.
As nostalgia and scarcity collide, these Tecmo Bowl inserts could become defining cards of the modern Topps-led collecting cycle.
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Conor is a life long sports card enthusiast who started collecting in the early ’90s, inspired by hometown heroes like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz. Like many ’90s hoops fans, he also started building (and continues to build) a modest Michael Jordan collection.