Panini America sponsors The MINT Collective

The MINT Collective presented by eBay, has announced that exclusive trading card partner of the NFL, NBA, UFC, Premier League, FIFA World Cup and WWE, Panini America, will be the first trading card manufacturer to join as an Official Sponsor of the first-of-its-kind event uniting sports collectors, professionals, and investors. The MINT Collective is taking place March 25-27, 2022 in Las Vegas.

Those attending The MINT Collective’s speaker series, MINT Signature Sessions, featuring keynotes from leaders in the industry, will hear from Panini America’s VP of Marketing, Jason Howarth, and receive an exclusive UFC Chronicles White Sparkle parallel card.

“The trading card category has seen unprecedented growth, transforming the category into a global marketplace and as a result bringing new collectors into the market. Panini has experienced this first-hand anchored by the power of our brand IP and expansion of trading cards into new markets,” says Mark Warsop, CEO of Panini America. “We are excited to partner with The MINT Collective to bring collectors and business leaders together from the collectibles world and to deliver a new experience to engage with one another.”

The MINT Collective will celebrate the love of collecting and explore its role in portfolio building and long-term earning potential. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with top collectors and experts, leading sports and collectible brands, investment strategists, and influencers seeking to shape the future of this industry; buy, sell and trade in an exclusive marketplace; take part in an on-site auction; view rare memorabilia at a Collector’s Carnival; and go behind-the-scenes at UFC APEX.

The MINT Collective is a joint endeavor from IMG, a global leader in sports, events, fashion, and media, and Collectable, the leading fractional investing platform for blue chip sports collectibles. Tickets for The MINT Collective are now on sale at TheMINTCollective.com.

Stateside | Panini America and Funko to launch Funko Pop! Trading Cards

Collectables giants Funko and Panini America are witnessing their worlds collide, as the pair come together to launch a new Pop! product line, Funko Pop! Trading Card collection that will span multiple sports.

Launching later this year, the initial series will feature six NBA players and six NFL players, hitting retailers across the US in time for the Christmas shopping season.

The introduction of Funko Pop! Trading Card will incorporate Panini’s popular Prizm trading card brand for both the NBA and NFL. Similar to the popular Pop! Albums and Pop! Comic Covers, Pop! Trading Card will feature the Panini Prizm trading card art packaged together in a protective case that can be hung on a wall.

The Pop! Vinyl figure will replicate the poses from the player imagery from their respective Prizm trading cards.

“We are excited to enter into this collaboration with Funko, the success of our Panini trading cards in the collectible space along with the success that Funko is experiencing in the vinyl figure collectibles space, makes this the ideal collaboration for sports fans and consumers,” said Jason Howarth, vice president of marketing of Panini America.

Funko’s manager of brand licensing, Matt Lattier, added: “This is the perfect union of two amazing collector bases. The strength of what Panini is doing in the trading card space and Funko’s passionate fan base provides trading card and Pop! collectors the opportunity to display their fandom in a unique way.”

UFC taps Panini America as its official collectable trading card partner

The mixed martial arts organisation, UFC has entered into a multi-year licensing agreement with Panini America to become the brand’s official and exclusive collectable trading card partner.

Under the new deal secured by IMG, Panini America – recognised as the world’s largest licensed sports and entertainment collectables company – will launch its official UFC collection this April with the roll-out of the UFC Prizm collectable series. Panini will also add UFC trading cards to other popular product lines such as Select, Contenders, and Immaculate throughout the year.

“We are thrilled to welcome Panini America as UFC’s new official collectible trading card partner,” said UFC senior vice president of global consumer products, Tracey Bleczinski.

“Many of our fans use collectible trading cards to stay connected to our brand and to their favorite UFC athletes, and Panini America is the industry leader, creating innovative and unique products for our fans to enjoy.”

Panini America CEO, Mark Warsop, added: “This truly is a dream match-up that brings together the unquestioned leaders of trading cards and combat sports for a partnership that will excite and captivate UFC fans and collectors across the globe for years.

“We’ve watched with great interest over the years as UFC has grown into a major force on the mainstream sports landscape with some of the most marketable athletes in the world.

“We’re passionate UFC fans here at Panini America, and we’re excited about what we can do with the UFC brand and the athletes on our trading cards. We’re looking forward to this relationship.”

As part of the partnership, Panini America will capitalize on UFC’s biggest moments in real-time with the company’s direct-to-consumer Panini Instant platform. Panini Instant makes trading cards of UFC’s biggest fights, moments and milestones available just hours after they happen. These special cards will be available for a limited time and are made to order.