Artists re-imagine iconic cards in Topp’s “Project 2020”

The Topps Company, Inc., the preeminent creator and brand marketer of physical and digital sports cards, commissioned 20 popular artists from around the world to participate in “Project 2020.” The artists were charged with re-imaging 20 iconic cards from the past 70 years.

Derek Jeter trading card created by King Saladeen. (Photo provided by Jerry Milani PR)

The cards in the Project 2020 offering include: 1952 Willie Mays; 1952 Jackie Robinson; 1955 Sandy Koufax; 1959 Bob Gibson; 1980 Rickey Henderson; 1989 Ken Griffey Jr; 1969 Nolan Ryan; 1984 Don Mattingly; 2001 Ichiro; 1992 Derek Jeter; 1992 Bowman Mariano Rivera; 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken; 1983 Tony Gwynn; 1975 George Brett; 2011 Updates Mike Trout; 1987 Mark McGwire; 1990 Frank Thomas; 1985 Dwight Gooden; 1955 Roberto Clemente and 1954 Ted Williams.

232,000 cards have been sold in the first seven weeks. Among the top seven sellers are three of former New York Yankees legend, Derek Jeter.

Two Topps “Project 2020” cards are issued daily on weekdays via the Topps.com website and are only available for a 48-hour period. Interest in the program and the cards continues on the upswing, as most of the top 20 sellers have been issued in the past three weeks.

“Project 2020” is a limited-time on-demand trading card initiative.

The artists participating in the “Project 2020” set include:

Ben Baller- jewelry designer with a huge celebrity following that includes Kanye West, Drake, Snoop Dogg and others

Tyson Beck– Australia based, recently redesigned the NBA logo to look like Kobe Bryant, with a petition to change the logo with over 3 million signatures.

Sophia Chang– Queens native whose lifestyle illustrations and basketball cards have landed her collaborations with Nike, Adidas and Puma.

Efdot- NYC based, paints murals with the ubiquitous “Blob” character as the star of his pieces

Ermsy- Cartoon style UK artist living in Paris, whose popular works include reimagined classics like Garfield and Betty Boop.

Fucci- Toronto-based artist who paints vibrant post-pop art and ligne-claire style illustrations with a minimalist approach.

Derek Jeter trading card created by Groteskito (Photo provided by Jerry Milani PR)

Groteskito- Creative director for Nike basketball

Blake Jamieson- N.Y. based painter who has done portraits for over 350 professional athletes including numerous prominent NFL players.

JK5- based in Brooklyn, native of North White Plains, N.Y., who weaves layers of poetry, spirituality, symbolism, color and line across various media.

Just Don- Chicago based, worked with Kanye West on a number of collaborations, including projects for Nike and Mitchell and Ness, as well as other NBA apparel.

King Saladeen- Philadelphia based NBA artist who has done murals at the Philadelphia Airport and various NYC locations.

Mister Cartoon– L.A. based :West Coast style” tattoo artist who has done illustrative work for Kobe Bryant and Snoop Dogg, and tattoo work on CC Sabathia’s back. Currently working on a mural at L.A. landmark Casa Vega.

Naturel– Creative Director for many apparel projects from Crooks , painted one of the most famous Kobe Bryant murals in Los Angeles.

Old Man Alan- Sacramento-based, tastemaker who advised a number of brands

Jacob Rochester- L.A. based native of Connecticut whose Allen Iverson hair progression art has garnered some attention

Keith Shore- Philadelphia based; the lead creative for Mikkelar Beer

Gregory Siff – lives in L.A., worked with MLB on a number of projects including Stance

Matt Taylor- Brighton, U.K., artist who specializes in movie poster designs and has collaborated on projects with Marvel, Amazon Studios, LucasFilm and more, as well as ESPN for the US Open tennis tournament.

Andrew Thiele- based in NYC, drew “Whole Squad Ready” art for 2018 World Series; has worked for ESPN on MLB and NBA graphics.

Joshua Vides- Black and White style, based in LA, famous collaborator with Converse in 2019, also produced “locker room art” for MLB at the 2018 All-Star Game.