Panini Now Has Rights to Produce Cards of Foxx, Cobb, Gehirg and More

Panini America announced today that it has inked a trading card agreement with CMG Worldwide. The deal, effective immediately, gives Panini America rights to incorporate 12 of CMG Worldwide’s most legendary baseball names in its newly licensed Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) products including, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson, Jimmie Foxx, Johnny Mize, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott, Rogers Hornsby, Roy Campanella, Thurman Munson, Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson.

That legendary list of players will be incorporated into several of Panini America’s future baseball card sets, beginning with 2011 Panini Prime Cuts available in March.

“We are truly excited to partner with CMG Worldwide on a deal that will significantly strengthen our baseball product roster by giving us access to some of the greatest players in baseball history,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “Utilizing our unrivaled expertise in the areas of innovation and collectibility, we’ll show these all-time greats to fans and collectors in a whole new light.”

Added Phillip Korkis, CMG Worldwide’s Director of Sports Licensing & Legal Counsel, “We have the pleasure of representing some of the greatest players in baseball history – it was a natural fit to work with one of the global leaders in the trading card industry, Panini America. Panini has an innovative and exciting product vision and we are looking forward to having our clients be a part of that"

In September, Panini America acquired a trading card license from the Major League Baseball Players Association to become the only company in the world that manufactures licensed trading cards and stickers for the NBA, NFL, NFL PLAYERS, NHL, NHLPA, MLBPA and FIFA World Cup. The company also owns exclusive entertainment licenses with Disney, Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson, and more than 600 global licenses with other sports and entertainment properties.