Montgomery Club
The Montgomery Club sounds like a speakeasy or a mutual fund, but it actually is a part of our hobby. This week I’m going to delve into what the Montgomery Club is and see if it is something that is worth the time and money for hobbyists or something that is best forgotten.
What in Tarnation is the Montgomery Club?
The Montgomery Club is basically an exclusive Topps club that gets early access to certain products along with an exclusive stamped factory set. The window to join said club is very short and Topps has sold out of memberships quickly in the past. Current members got to renew on Thursday and new memberships will be available next Tuesday. Prices were $150 for renewal but no word yet on if new memberships will cost more (they typically do). The Topps Montgomery landing page with more info is here.
What Do You Get This Year?
For $150, 2024’s version of the club offers first-chance access to 2023 Formula One Chrome Sapphire, 2023/4 Topps Chrome UEFA Men's Club Competitions, 2024 Topps Star Wars Chrome Sapphire, 2024 Topps Cosmic Chrome Baseball, 2024 Topps Museum Collection, 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball Sapphire, 2024 Bowman Draft Sapphire, and 2024 Brooklyn Collection. Importantly, there are STRICT limits on how many boxes one can order using an MC account. Most of the time, the limit is one or two boxes. The advantage here is getting to buy wax without dealing with scalpers and bots.
MC membership also comes with a nice stamped factory set. The recent versions of these aren’t that popular and tend to sell for around $40 to $50. That’s certainly worth factoring in when deciding if the MC makes sense for you.
Declining Benefits
The true benefit to the MC was in getting wax that was priced way too low for a guaranteed low price. Fanatics is much better at pricing than Topps was though. The days of $50 Finest Flashbacks boxes are long gone. Now, the MC prices are fairly close to what one pays at retail. MC members did get $10 discounts on some products this year, but the idea of getting a box for $50 that instantly sells for $400 is over. The MC went from being a club that offered four figures of profit to one that is closer to breaking even.
The only sets next year that could be winners based on recent sales are Bowman Draft Sapphire and Topps Cosmic Chrome. Unfortunately, both will likely come with pricing closer to their current market prices. It is possible though that the Bowman Draft Sapphire box could pay for one’s membership if they keep their initial price similar to this year’s. Cosmic is less likely to pay dividends, but has a shot at being a winner. I like some of the other offerings (Brooklyn is a favorite) but they are all likely to be readily available at, or even lower, than the initial Topps’ price.
There are some benefits that are not reliant on wax prices that also got cut. MC members used to get five small sets a year (20 cards each). While the sets aren’t extremely popular, getting five different ones throughout the year along with a relatively low print run meant that these sets added decent value to the membership. Last year, they dropped the bonus sets to one and it looks like they have ended them now for good. Even though they weren’t popular, they still sold for $10 to $30 a set so it’s a $50 to $150 drop in value for a membership that was already taking a downward trajectory.
A Bet on the Future
The MC offerings are a bit weak this year, but there is one major selling point for those on the fence. Topps/Fanatics will regain the basketball and football licenses soon. One would ostensibly think that MC members might get the first shot at the Sapphire versions of products from these sports. The first issue of Sapphire for both basketball and football could be a big enough deal to justify the MC membership price.
That said, any basketball or football benefits won’t come until 2025. That means that if this is your main reason for buying a membership this year that you are basically paying $150 to be first in line for next year’s renewals. There is also a very real chance that Fanatics makes separate clubs for basketball and football and that current MC members will get no preferential treatment for these sports. It’s all speculation at this point.
Wrap-Up and What’s Making Me Happy in the Hobby
The exclusive factory set, Bowman Draft Sapphire access, and the potential for basketball and football products down the line were enough to get me to renew my membership, barely. I’m hopeful that Fanatics will continue to figure out ways to make the Montgomery Club attractive for collectors even if we never get back to the days when a Montgomery Club membership was the same as a license to print money.
As for what’s making me happy in the hobby this week, it is the new Topps World Baseball Classic set. I normally don’t get into game-used stuff, but the items they have from the World Baseball Classic are special and they did a great job presenting them. I especially love the game used base cards which is something I never thought I’d say.