“Pin-Up” of the Week: Topps Pro Debut MiLB Logo Pin

The National Sports Collectors Convention is filled with all kinds of little Easter eggs for you to discover.  On Day #2 this year, I decided to try my luck opening a box of 2016 Bowman Baseball over at the Topps booth.  As soon as I got up to the counter, I handed the Topps employee one of my Sports Card Info pins.  Right away, he reached to the shelf below and handed me a small plastic container.  Inside, attached to a piece of foam was this Pro Debut pin.  I had no idea that these even existed.  Topps wasn’t even advertising that they had them.

For those who are unfamiliar, Pro Debut is a Minor League Baseball product produced by Topps.  Its been around since 2010, and the design mirrors that of the main flagship set.  The 2010 and 2011 sets contain cards of Mike Trout.  I’m impressed at how those Mike Trout Pro Debut cards have held up in value.  Cards picturing players in their MLB uniforms will always be more desirable than ones from MiLB.  The Trout from 2010 sells for $75, and the 2011 brings about $20.  I think the price collectors are willing to spend on the 2011 card shocks me the most.  $20 is a lot considering its a second year Pro Debut card.  Plus its two years after his 2009 Bowman Chrome and Bowman Sterling stuff.

This pin was not specially made for the NSCC.  When and why Topps had these made is still unknown to me.  A good guess would be that they arrived after 2010.  They existed in 2015, because a collector over on the Blowout Cards forums received one in the mail out of the blue directly from Topps.  Back in the 90’s, it wasn’t uncommon for card companies to issue pins to their collector club members.