By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

Card Show #32: Roman Reigns 2013 Topps and 2014 Topps Chrome Autographs

When Bray Wyatt’s first autograph was released as part of 2014 Topps WWE in the spring, some collectors insisted they would wait before spending the money. With 2014 Topps Chrome on the horizon, some incorrectly assumed the checklist would be the same, and Chrome would just be a premium version of the basic 2014 Topps WWE product.

How wrong they were.

While most of the 110 basic cards in Chrome feature the same design and photography as the basic 2014 Topps set, the autograph checklist is entirely different. Most of the top autographs from 2014 Topps WWE – including Wyatt, John Cena, and A.J. Lee – are not included in Chrome. There are also new relics and insert sets.

One name that many collectors didn’t expect to see on the 2014 Topps Chrome autograph checklist is Roman Reigns, whose only other autograph was found in last fall’s 2013 Topps Best of WWE set. Reigns’s signature is the standout of the 2014 Topps Chrome product, outselling all other wrestlers in the set.

The reason that some collectors passed on the Wyatt autographs from 2014 Topps is that they figured the card would depreciate in value if Bray’s signature was also included in Chrome. Chrome is a premium product, and some collectors prefer Chrome’s on-card autographs over the signed stickers used in all other Topps WWE sets since 2006.

Collectors feared that Wyatt’s 2014 Topps WWE autograph would peak in the spring and then drop in the summer with the release of Chrome. Wyatt’s exclusion from the Chrome product has protected the value of his 2014 Topps autograph – but what about Roman Reigns?

As chronicled in collectibles columns earlier this year, Reigns was the breakout star with card collectors during the first half of the year. His 2013 Topps Best of WWE autograph jumped from around $15-20 in December to as high as $100 in March. Has a newer, shinier card from Topps Chrome taken away from his 2013 autograph?

Reigns’s 2014 Topps Chrome autograph has been the top card in that product. During the first couple weeks of Chrome’s availability, the basic Reigns autograph has typically sold in the $75-100 range. The Refractor version, serial numbered to 50, has sold for as low as $85 and for as much as $200. One Red Refractor autograph, serial numbered to 25, sold for nearly $400. There are also Gold Refractor autographs serial numbered to 10 and a Superfractor autograph serial numbered 1/1, but those cards have yet to surface on eBay.




Reigns’s 2013 Topps Best of WWE autograph has dropped in value since March, but that may have more to do with a glut in supply in March than the release of Chrome in June. In January and February, as Reigns was breaking out, there was never more than a handful of his 2013 autograph available at any given time on eBay. But by March, once Reigns’s autograph started selling in the $75-100 range regularly, collectors attempted to cash in. Suddenly, there were more Reigns autographs listed on eBay than ever before. By the end of March, Reigns’s 2013 Topps Best of WWE Autograph was selling in the $55-65 range.

Throughout April and May, most of Reigns’ s2013 autographs sold in the $55-70 range, with most completed auctions on the lower end of that. Since the release of 2014 Chrome, fewer of the 2013 autographs have been listed for sale on eBay. Only three have sold as of June 24, for $44.89, $49, and $68, respectively. The drop in value seems to be more of a natural market correction following a shortage of supply, and not so much of a reaction to the release of Reigns’s premium Chrome autograph.

What does this mean for the two cards going forward? It’s very difficult to say, because this is uncharted territory for wrestling cards. Topps launched its first modern era WWE trading cards in 2005 with WWE Heritage, a set that featured on-card signatures of stars like John Cena, Jerry Lawler and Hulk Hogan. Since then, though, Topps has used signed stickers for WWE products.

The Reigns Chrome card has the advantage of an on-card, slightly more legible signature. However, there are collectors who look at the 2013 autograph as Reigns’s “rookie” signature. Future card sets will certainly include Reigns’ ssignature as well.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Send your responses to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com, or send out a tweet to @MMooreWriter on Twitter.

FYI: Friday’s PWTorch Collectibles Column will feature a full review on 2014 Topps WWE Chrome.

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