Topps On Demand Garbage Pail Kids cards have undergone much change throughout 2017. After slowing down and stopping the daily Trumpocracy cards in July, Topps has been sticking to weekly awards/holiday sets. They decided to change things up a little this past week, but did the experiment end up selling well? Today, Topps revealed the print run for Garbage Pail Kids Classic online set. The changes with this set compared to previous sets were many. The set was double the size of previous online sets at 40 cards, for the first time in an On Demand GPK product an artist sketch is included in each set, the first GPK set to be sold under the Topps On Demand banner, and non-themed cards for the first time On Demand much like the classic GPK sets were in the past. However, some things didn’t change, and collectors were vocal in other items they wanted to see. The price point of the set at $99.99, while in line with current online pricing, ended up pricing out many collectors from purchasing the set. Collectors also taking the “Classic” name to heart wanted to see die-cuts on the cards, numbering on the front, and card back art like awards and puzzle pieces. In the end Topps sold 156 GPK Classic sets. The print run is higher than the last couple of online sets offered.
The question now is, was that enough to make GPK Classic Series 2? Also, what will become of all the artist sketch cards created for the set. 32 artists each created 28 sketches for the set. That’s 896 total sketches. Topps has a couple of options here with these sketches. They were created on card stock that wasn’t themed to a particular set. Topps could use those sketches in a GPK Classic Series 2 set if they choose to make one. The sketches could also be used in any number of future GPK products. Of course Topps could also choose to destroy the sketches after support for the product has ended and they are no longer needed as replacements, (Usually one year.) Only time will tell how Topps views the success of GPK Classic.