Topps Prints a Line of Penny Cards Following Discontinuation

On Wednesday, the U.S. Mint struck its final penny after 232 years of production. President Trump ordered the discontinuation back in February, citing the absurd fact that each penny costs nearly four cents to make. The viral news sparked a minor run on 2025 pennies as collectors scrambled to grab pieces of history, and Topps wasted zero time capitalizing on the moment.

The trading card company dropped two Topps NOW commemorative penny cards on Thursday with a 48-hour sales window. That window closes tomorrow at noon Eastern, and depending on how many people buy in, this could unlock some legitimately interesting parallel variations.

For anyone not familiar with Topps NOW, here’s the deal: these are print-on-demand cards commemorating current events and viral moments. You order during a limited sales window, Topps prints exactly that many cards, and the final print run gets revealed after sales close.

Unlike traditional trading cards where print runs are predetermined, the community literally votes with their wallets on how rare these become.

The penny cards come in two versions. The base card features the penny front and center, almost glowing like a freshly polished coin, with “1793-2025” underneath showing the full production span. The foil variation has the same design with added foil treatment for an extra dollar.

Both versions include standard foil parallels: Green (/99), Gold (/50), Orange (/25), Black (/10), Red (/5), and FoilFractor (1/1). But here’s where it gets interesting.

This is new for 2025 and it’s honestly genius from a collecting standpoint. Topps introduced tiered Chrome parallels that unlock based on total print run:

50,000+ Print Run:

• Chrome parallels /99 and /50 unlock
• Plus all lower parallel structure

100,000+ Print Run:

• Chrome parallels /25, /10, /5 unlock
• 1/1 SuperFractor unlocks
• Plus all lower parallel structure

250,000+ Print Run:

• Opal Chrome parallels /50, /25, /10, /5 unlock
• Plus all lower parallel structure

500,000+ Print Run:

• 1/1 White OpalFractor Chrome unlocks
• Plus all lower parallel structure

So the more people buy, the rarer and more valuable the chase cards become. It’s basically gamifying the print run, turning it into a community achievement system.

There’s also penny relic cards numbered to /25, /10, /5, and /1, with the 1/1 featuring a genuine 1793 Flowing Hair Large Cent. Yes, an actual 232-year-old penny embedded in the card. That’s the kind of thing that could sell for stupid money if this print run goes big.

Here’s where trading card reselling gets tricky. Topps NOW cards are pure speculation plays. Print run determines everything, and you won’t know what you’re dealing with until after the sale closes.

Historical context: major sports moments can hit 5,000 to 20,000+ print runs depending on player popularity. Non-sports Topps NOW cards like the solar eclipse or papal election typically run lower because the audience is smaller. The penny discontinuation went legitimately viral this week with CNN, NBC, and every major outlet covering the story, so there’s crossover appeal beyond just card collectors.

Early eBay presale listings are already popping up in the $4 to $40 range. Someone’s even listing a graded 10 presale for $40, which is ambitious considering the card doesn’t exist yet. Base cards will almost certainly flip for less than retail if this print run goes massive. The money’s in the parallels.

If this hits 50,000+ and unlocks Chrome /99s and /50s, those could move for $20 to $50 each depending on demand. If it somehow reaches 100,000+ and SuperFractors enter the mix, you’re looking at potential three-figure flips for low-numbered Chrome.

Don’t even get us started on that 1/1 1793 penny card either. There are two main variants of this coin, the “chain” and “wreath”. “Chain” variants are one of the most collectable US coins ever minted, with passable examples reselling for over ten thousand dollars. This is a serious chase opportunity for coin collectors.

But that’s all contingent on print run. If this caps at 10,000 copies, the parallel structure barely unlocks and you’re sitting on $9 cards that might sell for $12. The foil parallels will have value regardless, but the Chrome chase is what makes this potentially interesting.

Sales close November 16th at 9 AM Pacific. That’s less than 24 hours from now. If you’re buying to flip, here’s the calculus: base cards at $8.99 are probably a break-even proposition unless print run explodes. Foil variations at $9.99 have slightly better odds since they’re explicitly marketed as variations.

The real play is buying multiples and hoping you hit a foil parallel in the randomization. Standard foil parallels /99 through /5 replace the base card in your order randomly based on total cards ordered. The more you buy, the better your odds of hitting something numbered.

Keep in mind Topps doesn’t ship these for about 30 days after the sale closes. You’re committing capital for a month with zero guarantee on flip value. That’s a long time to have money tied up in speculation, especially if the print run disappoints.

For collectors, this is a no-brainer piece of American currency history at under $10. For resellers, it’s a calculated gamble on how viral this moment actually was and whether the trading card community shows up in force.

This is one of those moments where Topps nailed the cultural timing. The penny discontinuation picked up genuine mainstream attention, not just hobby press. That crossover appeal could push this print run into interesting territory, especially with the Chrome unlocks creating legitimate chase cards.

But you’ve got hours, not days. If you’re buying, do it now. Print runs get revealed after sale close, and eBay will immediately reflect whether this was a massive hit or a modest commemorative.

Sales close tomorrow. Don’t miss the window if you want in. If this doesn’t interest you, we’ve found an opportunity to make serious profits flipping 2025 pennies following the discontinuation.