Topps will launch its Pyeongchang Games trading card series on Friday, signing skier Lindsey Vonn to anchor the series with a special collection celebrating her career milestones. Forty-eight past and current Olympians comprise the series, which will be distributed in hobby stores and online but not in big box stores. It is the fourth Topps Olympics collection since the cardmaker became the USOC’s official licensee in '12. Every package will include at least two of the “Lindsey Vonn career milestone” cards. Topps Marketing Communications Manager Susan Lulgjuraj said of Vonn, “She’s one of the most popular Olympians in Olympic history, especially when it comes to the Winter Games. She’s somebody everyone knows." Prior lead athletes in the Topps series have included swimmer Michael Phelps ('12), speedskater Shani Davis ('14) and swimmer Missy Franklin ('16). There is an “outside chance” that Topps will be able to create its Topps Now product, a “live run” style card to celebrate a particular moment in Pyeongchang, but the legal approvals in the Olympics are proving more complicated than in other sports, Lulgjuraj said.
