When Topps developed its new “Project 2020” program, commissioning 20 world-renowned artists to each create re-imagined versions of 20 classic baseball cards depicting all-time greats, it’s natural that New York would be well represented, both in players and artists. Gotham fans are in for a treat as seven of the 20 cards show players with N.Y. teams, including Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Don Mattingly, Dwight Gooden and Mariano Rivera.
The first two cards, issuing today, are an Ichiro by Ben Baller and Koufax by Jacob Rochester.
New York’s vibrant art scene has also provided a few of the artists, including Andrew Thiele, Blake Jamieson, Sophia Chang and JK5, with several others having ties to the region.
“When we think of the collectible world and where it has evolved today, sports and pop culture continue to collide,” said Jeff Heckman, Topps Global Director of Ecommerce. “We could not think of a better way to expose trading cards to a new audience than working to reinvent some of the classic baseball cards and personalities of the game of baseball through the eyes and hands of many of the world’s greatest pop culture figures of today. ‘Project 2020’ will be a must have for core and casual baseball fans, and will more importantly showcase the names and stories of the artists and the players on the cards to a global audience whose interests lie well beyond the sport. It is a transformative move we are very excited about.”
For the full list of cards and artists, and to see which cards are available each day, visit the Project 2020 website.