Resellers Feast on Topps' SpongeBob Sapphire Launch

Topps ran another EQL raffle for their Chrome Sapphire SpongeBob 25th Anniversary Hobby Boxes on November 7th, giving resellers a second shot at boxes currently flipping for $400 to $440. Winners are getting emails right now, so we’re expecting a new wave of sealed boxes to be hitting the market soon.

Topps launched standard Chrome SpongeBob boxes in September at $250, and they performed well enough to justify this premium Sapphire Edition. The Sapphire treatment adds that gem-like foil effect collectors chase, making the same base set shinier and more limited.

The 200-card base set includes multiple parallel variations: Green Sapphire, Gold Sapphire, Orange Sapphire, Black Sapphire, Red Sapphire, and ultra-rare Padparadscha Sapphire. Topps added exclusive inserts like Nautical Nonsense and Sapphire Selections that don’t appear in regular Chrome.

Each box contains 32 cards across 8 packs, yielding four chase cards (numbered parallels or autographs). Voice actor signatures from Tom Kenny (SpongeBob) and Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick Star) are the big pulls, available in Solo, Dual, and Triple Autograph tiers.

We’ve seen a recent spate of Topps’ non-sports trading cards catch viral attention and flip for major profits. From Gary Vee to Dune, even Labubu; we’re living in a new era of collectable cards.

Just like the original drop, Topps teamed with EQL to raffle off their cards. Winners would be able to buy up to five Hobby Boxes at once.

At $320 retail flipping for $400 to $440, that’s $80 to $120 gross per box. After eBay’s 13% fees, you’re looking at roughly $48 to $85 net per box. With five boxes maximum, winning entries netted $240 to $425 after fees.

This was pretty low risk. Theoretically, Topps could flood the market with additional restocks. This is already the second EQL raffle for SpongeBob Chrome (first was standard, now Sapphire). Each new drop dilutes “limited edition” claims and adds supply.

The trading card market is volatile. Non-sport card prices drop fast once hype fades, especially if breakers on YouTube and Whatnot aren’t pulling valuable hits. If early boxes don’t yield good autographs or rare parallels, demand could evaporate.

If you won, you made money. $80 to $120 profit per box isn’t massive, but it’s consistent. Five boxes maximum nets a few hundred for entering a raffle.

For those who missed the drop, boxes will appear on secondary market as winners flip allocations. Whether prices hold at $400 to $440 depends on how many winners open versus flip sealed. If most flip, supply spikes and prices drop. If collectors rip packs hunting autographs, sealed box prices might climb.

The original Chrome SpongeBob boxes maintained their premium over retail after two months, suggesting demand isn’t just short-term hype. Whether Sapphire boxes follow the same trajectory depends on Topps managing future supply and whether breakers keep finding valuable hits.