Cards
Syracuse star Kiyan Anthony, GG’s Cards and Breaks shine on Topps Rip Night
Topps celebrated its fourth edition of Rip Night on Feb. 21. To say it's grown since 2023 is an understatement.
It's designed to celebrate the hobby and specifically Topps. Considering they control the trading card licenses of three major sports, it had a bigger feel this year.
Topps does a great job having athletes and celebrities headline and participate in Rip Night, not only here in the states but also abroad. This year's event took place in over 150 hobby shops and locations across the globe.
The events are not designed as a ”signing event” but more of a meet-and-greet that includes giveaways, discounts, pack wars and, as the name implies, ripping product.
I attended my second Rip Night at GG’s Cards and Breaks, which is run by friends Josh Gideon and Anthony Campbell. I’ve personally seen how hard they work to build their upstart store, which has become a big part of the hobby community in the Syracuse, N.Y. area. Their operation exemplifies the hobby community, from in-store trade nights to even hosting trade nights at other community establishments as well.
Related Content:
As some may know, acquiring a direct partnership with Topps is not a layup, but through some difficulties that was accomplished. To get a Topps Rip Night designation is a whole other thing. Josh says when he got the confirmation, he was beside himself. When he found out that Kiyan Anthony, son of former NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony, would be in attendance and participating, it ramped up that excitement.
Josh and Anthony don't do anything halfway so they had to hustle to get everything organized. They did an incredible job leading into an incredible night.
While it's not a prerequisite, GG’s teamed with a great local restaurant, The Wildcat, to provide food for a crowd estimated between 200 to 300 people, including a lot of kids. The menu included chicken fingers, pasta, meatballs, sausage and pizza, which made collectors happy as they anticipated Kiyan's arrival.
Broadcaster Dan Tortora MC’ed the event masterfully as giveaways started as people walked through the door and continued throughout the night. Most walked out with more than they came with. I also was honored to represent the Sports Card Nation podcast and my SGC bulk service.
Kiyan arrived to cheers and high-fives, making his way to the front counter, where a small Q&A session was led by Tortora. A few pack wars, a kids Q&A and more giveaways ensued.
Kiyan took an incredible selfie with all the kids behind him holding up their Bowman University Kiyan Anthony cards. It was a really cool moment on an incredible hobby night for the Syracuse community.
Kudos to Josh, Anthony and their staff who made it all seamless. They put a lot of smiles on faces and something tells me that this will become an annual event for the shop. They definitely deserve it.
— John Newman is a collector, dealer and the host of the Sports Card Nation podcast. Catch his Hobby Quick Hits on Monday and his guest interviews on Friday on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach him at sportscardnationpc@gmail.com or on Twitter at @sportscardnati1
John Newman is the host of the Sports Card Nation podcast
