You’re digging through a dusty stack of 2025 Topps Chrome, looking for that one Shohei Ohtani base card you remember tossing aside. Why? Because that piece of cardboard is suddenly a $20 bill.
The Topps Chrome MVP Buyback is easily one of the smartest moves Fanatics and Topps have ever made to keep people ripping packs late into the season. It basically turns specific cards of the league MVPs into "currency" at your local hobby shop.
If you haven't been paying attention, the 2025 winners are already locked in: Aaron Judge took the American League crown, and Shohei Ohtani secured the National League honors.
It’s a simple concept, but the details are where people usually trip up. You aren't getting cash, and not every card with their face on it counts. Honestly, if you try to bring in a card from Topps Series 1 or Topps Heritage, the shop owner is just going to give you a polite "no thanks."
How the Topps Chrome MVP Buyback Actually Functions
The program is a partnership between Topps and hundreds of local card shops (LCS) across the US and Canada. You bring in eligible cards of the reigning MVPs, and the shop gives you store credit.
You can use that credit for anything—new boxes, supplies, or even a different single for your personal collection.
Important Note: The window for the 2025 program is open right now, having started in November 2025, and it is scheduled to close on January 31, 2026.
If you miss that deadline, your Ohtani base card reverts back to being a regular card worth whatever the market says it is, which is usually a lot less than twenty bucks.
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What kind of money are we talking about?
Topps set a fixed pricing scale so there's no haggling. It’s pretty straightforward.
A standard base card of Judge or Ohtani gets you $20. If you have a non-numbered Refractor, that’s $40.
Things get interesting when you move into the numbered parallels. Any card numbered higher than /100 (like a /199 Aqua or a /150 Blue) is worth $100. If you're lucky enough to have a card numbered /99 or lower—think Gold, Orange, or Red—that’s a $200 credit.
There's a weirdly specific "multiplier" for those 2024 stamped buyback cards that were reinserted into 2025 packs too. Because Ohtani went back-to-back, a stamped /50 Ohtani can actually net you $1,200 in credit. That is a massive jump from the standard $200 for a regular /50.
Identifying Eligible Cards (Don't Get Fooled)
This is the part that kills most collectors. You see a Judge card, you see it's "Chrome," and you think you're golden. Not so fast.
The buyback only applies to 2025 Topps Chrome and 2025 Topps Chrome Logofractor.
If you have an Ohtani card from 2025 Topps Cosmic Chrome, 2025 Topps Chrome Black, or 2025 Topps Chrome Sapphire, it is not eligible. I know, it's confusing because "Chrome" is in the name of all of them, but Topps is very strict about the flagship Chrome product being the only one that qualifies.
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Condition doesn't matter (mostly)
One of the coolest parts of this program is that the cards don't need to be PSA 10s. In fact, they don't even need to be "Mint."
As long as the card is in one piece and isn't literally ripped in half or significantly altered (like someone drawing a mustache on Judge), the shop should take it. Soft corners or a surface scratch won't disqualify you. Topps ends up destroying or "stamping" most of these anyway, so they aren't looking for perfection.
The NBA Expansion: A New Frontier
For the first time ever, the Topps Chrome MVP Buyback is moving beyond the diamond.
In December 2025, Topps announced that the program will officially include the NBA for the 2025-26 season. This coincides with the return of Topps Chrome Basketball.
The mechanics are almost identical. You’ll want to hoard cards of the guys leading the MVP race—think Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Once the NBA announces the MVP in the Spring of 2026, you'll have about a three-month window to trade those in.
The credit values for basketball are expected to mirror the baseball side: $20 for base, $40 for refractors, and up to $200 for low-numbered hits.
What if You Don't Have a Local Shop?
Not everyone lives five minutes away from a hobby shop. If you're out in the middle of nowhere, you aren't out of luck.
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Topps has "Authorized Mail-In Partners" for this exact reason. Three big names usually handle the bulk of these:
- Dave & Adam's Card World
- Steel City Collectibles
- Midwest Cards
You basically fill out a form on their website, ship your cards to them, and they'll credit your online account once they verify the cards. It’s pretty seamless, though you do have to pay for the shipping to get the cards to them.
Strategy: Buying the Dip
Some people treat the Topps Chrome MVP Buyback like the stock market. During the summer, you might see Shohei Ohtani base cards selling on eBay for $10 or $12.
If you're confident he's going to win MVP, you can buy those up. When the program goes live, you're effectively turning that $12 into $20 of store credit.
It’s a bit of a gamble, though. If a player gets injured or a dark horse candidate like Bobby Witt Jr. (who had a monster year) had actually overtaken Judge, those "buyback" cards would have crashed in value.
Navigating the Fine Print
Believe it or not, there's a "No Purchase Necessary" way to get in on this.
Topps technically allows you to mail in a 3x5 card with your info to a specific address in Mesquite, Texas, for a chance to receive a random redeemable card. It’s a legal requirement for sweepstakes-adjacent promotions, but honestly, most people just find their cards in packs.
Also, keep in mind that shops have the right to limit how many cards they take. If you show up with 500 base cards of Aaron Judge, a small shop might not have $10,000 worth of inventory they're willing to part with for credit. Most shops are happy to take a dozen or two, but it's always worth calling ahead if you're sitting on a mountain of Chrome.
Steps to Take Right Now
- Check the Year: Double-check that your Judge and Ohtani cards are actually from the 2025 Topps Chrome set. Look for the "2025" on the back.
- Verify the Set: Ensure it's the base "Chrome" or "Logofractor" set. No Sapphire, no Black, no Cosmic.
- Find a Partner: Use the Topps store locator to find a shop near you or prep a shipment to Dave & Adam's before the January 31, 2026 deadline.
- Plan Your Spend: Since you're getting store credit, have a plan for what you want to buy. Many collectors use the credit to "roll" into the next big release, like 2026 Topps Series 1.
- Look Ahead: If you’re a basketball fan, start eyeing those 2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball packs because that buyback window will be here before you know it.