The election of the first American gained worldwide attention in early May, not just among the faithful, but also among collectors who sought to capitalize on the fact that the new pontiff is not just an American, but an avid baseball fan.
Topps NOW released a limited-edition trading card commemorating the historic moment, and it has paid off in a big way. The Pope Leo card has been in high demand, resulting in the production of 133,535 copies as of the time of this writing.
On Sunday, the Pope Leo XIV Superfractor 1-of-1 sold for $16,500 at auction through Fanatics Collect, Sports Illustrated reports.
Topps also printed a White Smoke Variation card in honor of Pope Leo XIV. The company printed 267 of the cards to honor him as the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The white smoke is in keeping with the church tradition to burn white smoke from the Vatican to announce the selection of a new pope.
After much speculation over where the pope’s true baseball allegiances lie, the pontiff appeared in a black White Sox hat for pictures earlier this month, settling the dispute and leaving Cubs fans bitterly disappointed.
The pontiff’s wearing of the ChiSox hat gave North Siders a rare cause for happiness and hope. The White Sox currently sit at 28-56 and are a whopping 24.5 games out of first place. Only the lowly Colorado Rockies (essentially a minor league team) are further behind their division leader (33.5 games).
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