Topps and Upper Deck Unveiling Dueling Two-Of-Two Card Program Connected With Atheltes
PublishedQuick Facts
- Within days of each other, both Topps and Upper Deck unveiled new a trading card concept that builds a special connection between athlete and collectors
- Topps revealed the new Topps Now Diamond parallel during the World Series
- Upper Deck’s 2-of-a-kind set will feature 100 new cards each season
- Upper Deck is also offering collectors who pull select 2-Of-A-Kind cards the chance to meet the athlete with the matching card
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Call it a cosmic coincidence or just one company seizing on the other’s really good idea, but Topps and Upper Deck both debuted new trading card programs that will connect collectors to their favorite athletes in a very special way within a week of each other. For older collectors, it might strike a similar feeling to when you saw other companies use Topps’ Refractors parallels or Upper Deck’s designs for Exquisite Collection, but this new concept has a personal touch.
Topps Now Diamond Parallel Companion Card
Topps revealed their new Topps Now Diamond Parallel Companion Card that’s numbered to 2 during the Milwaukee Brewers World Series locker room celebration. Brewers like Jacob Misiorowski and Cooper Pratt were gifted the cards housed inside a diamond chain, while the second card will be randomly inserted in the 2026 Topps Now Milwaukee Brewers Team Set that’s only available until the end of November 4.
Upper Deck 2-Of-A-Kind
Upper Deck’s take on the 2-of-2 cards is called 2-Of-A-Kind. It is a new continuous 100-card set that will refresh every season and begin in 2026-27 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee Hockey and is set to release around 2027 NHL All-Star Weekend. Each player featured in the set will be given the card that’s numbered 1 of 2, while the 2 of 2 card will be inserted into both hobby and retail packs of O-Pee-Chee. To provide a unique shine, the card fronts use a metallic foilboard finish, and the back will have a rose gold substrate look. Upper Deck is also teasing the opportunity for collectors who pull the 2-Of-A-Kind cards to meet the featured player at a future date, although details for these meet-ups have not been set in stone yet.
While fans and haters of both brands will get into the weeds of who developed their two-of-two card program first, the concept of having some sort of actual connection to the athlete is an idea that has been a long time coming. From athletes promising fans they will follow them on social media if they pull a particular card to the frenzy of superstars putting out major bounties for the high-level pulls, it is a far cry from the previous generations. Even though pulling an autograph or a relic with a multicolor patch of a superstar is still something collectors would feel over the moon to pull, the two-of-two card adds a personal stake, especially if the athlete is a collector themselves.
For example, Jacob Misiorowski might be happy that he has the Topps Now card with the diamond chain, but if he has a completionist streak in him, he will want the other card as well. There is also the possibility that when Upper Deck hosts one of their 2-Of-A-Kind athlete meet-ups, the athlete could hand their card over to the collector so they have the full set. It will certainly be interesting to see the reaction to these cards, no matter the brand, once they arrive in Topps Now and 2026-27 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee Hockey.
From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. His current hot take is that people are really underrating the Psyduck trading card market. Email: juan@soleretriever.com Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | Threads : @ezyville
