Reflecting on the year of Disney cards
Collectors saw at least five new Disney 100 card releases
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With Disney celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2023, the company made the most of the milestone with toys, movies, apparel and everything in between.
Even cards.
There were at least five new Disney 100 trading card products in 2023.
First, the Kakawow craze kicked off the year. Then, Lorcana, a new trading card game, came out over the summer and the year ended with Topps stealthily releasing a Chrome Disney 100 set overseas. We can’t forget Weiss Schwarz and Card Fun with their Disney cards sprinkled throughout the year.
With at least five Disney card releases, the biggest problem was how tough they were to find. Kakawow, Topps Chrome, Weiss Schwarz and Card Fun did not have U.S. distribution.
Lorcana’s didn’t make enough to meet demand of its initial release, The First Chapter.
But collectors did not let distribution hurdles get in the way.
For the most part, the sets were all received. What helps is that Disney cards haven’t been done to death by the card companies.
The cards featuring Mickey and Minnie, Woody and Buzz, Moana and Ariel didn’t feel stale.
They were fun.
Families got in on the action as Disney is loved by adults and children. Parents and kids got to rip together searching for their favorite characters.
Even though the cards are fun, value always sneaks its way into the conversation. These sets had their share of high-dollar cards, which fueled the chase, and inflated the prices of sealed product.
Some rare cards sold for thousands of dollars. Low-numbered parallels got attention usually reserved for sports prospects and rookies.
While Disney sets have existed, the last couple of years in sports and non-sports have primed collectors for a different type of product. Collectors have become accustomed to manufactured scarcity, pretty refractors and FOMO.
The Disney cards checked off all of those boxes.
Can Disney cards capture that magic again?
With thet type of success seen in 2023, it likely won’t be the end. Card companies will figure out a way to cash in again in 2024.
Lorcana has already announced a third release with Into the Inklands. Kakawow has Marvels cards on the way. And Topps is always full of surprises.
It would be great if the companies waited, even a year or two, before releasing another non-TCG Disney set to give time for collectors to miss them. The Disney cards have the potential to go stale if they don’t get creative.
One way to keep new sets feeling fresh is to focus on new artwork in every release. This is how Pokémon has been able to release well-received new cards featuring the same characters year after year without new products feeling redundant.
Outside of Lorcana, which also features new artwork, card companies will have to find a way to make Disney cards exciting and fresh for collectors.
Disney Card Sales
With the release of so many Disney cards last year, let’s take a look at some of the top sales.
Weiss Schwarz Disney 100 Steamboat Willie - $13,200
Disney Lorcana Elsa D23 Expo Promo - $7,050
Topps Chrome Elsa Red Refractor - $2,250
Topps Chrome Scrooge McDuck Red Kaleidiscope Refractor - $2,025
Topps Chrome Dual “Autograph” Joy and Sadness Superfractor - $4,550