July 12, 2026

Soccer jersey sales are up 1400% for the World Cup

Plus two adidas retro away kits leaking with dates, a Fanatics Fest Topps exclusive, a $1.56M pack-fresh Mantle, and a $20K anime Murakami.

Mover of the Day

Soccer.com reports jersey sales up 1400% year over year, with 5-10x spikes tied to big performances and a near sold-out marketplace, via amNewYork July 12

Soccer jersey sales are running 1400% ahead of last year for the World Cup

Soccer.com's merchandising director Billy Lalor told amNewYork that jersey sales are up 1400% year over year through the World Cup, beating the market's own forecast by 15 to 20%. Christian Pulisic and Lionel Messi lead the regional sales charts, and a big performance still moves shirts fast: Lalor says a standout game drives a 24-hour spike worth 5 to 10 times normal sales, the way Messi's hat trick against Algeria did. USMNT shirts stayed sold out even after the Round of 16 loss to Belgium, and the marketplace is now down to a couple of small sizes. If you have been circling a shirt this summer, this is the stretch where it disappears.

The amNewYork report ↗

Gear check · curated picks (disclosure) Spain National Team adidas 2026 FIFA World Cup Champions Trophy T-Shirt - Red ↗ at Fanatics

Lionel Messi Christian Pulisic USMNT 2026 World Cup

Source: amNewYork · Published July 12, 2026

Drop Radar

Full leaked official imagery plus a July 23, 2026 release date, per Footy Headlines

Arsenal's 26-27 away kit flips the Bruised Banana, out July 23

Adidas is reworking the 1991-93 'Bruised Banana' away shirt for Arsenal's 2026-27 away kit, but with the palette flipped: Collegiate Navy takes over as the base color while the old red and yellow drop back to accents next to the Trefoil. Footy Headlines has the full leaked official images and a release date of July 23. If the Bruised Banana is your era, this is the modern one to watch for.

The Footy Headlines leak ↗

Arsenal Adidas Bruised Banana

Source: Footy Headlines

Leaked official imagery and a July 22, 2026 release date, per Footy Headlines

Manchester United's 26-27 away kit goes 1988 blue, on sale July 22

Manchester United's 2026-27 away kit pulls its royal blue from the 1988 shirt, with a flowing wave pattern adidas says represents the River Irwell and red and white accents under the Trefoil. Footy Headlines reports it becomes available Wednesday, July 22. Another retro nod in a summer full of them.

The Footy Headlines leak ↗

Manchester United Adidas 1988 shirt

Source: Footy Headlines

Beckett News confirms the Fanatics Fest exclusives and the EQL ticket-holder raffle; the July 11 edition had only the general Series 2 note

Topps Series 2 gets a Fanatics Fest NYC exclusive, raffled to ticket holders

Topps is putting a New York spin on 2026 Topps Series 2 Baseball for Fanatics Fest NYC, running July 16-19. The exclusive brings Big Apple Foil Variations (100 cards, falling 1:4 packs) featuring the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge, plus New York-themed Home Field and Swinging For The Stars inserts. Fanatics Fest says fans with verified tickets can enter EQL raffles for hobby boxes starting in July. We flagged Series 2 and the Big Apple foils yesterday in general terms; today Beckett fills in the named inserts and the ticket-holder raffle mechanic.

The Beckett breakdown ↗

Topps 2026 Topps Series 2 Baseball Fanatics Fest NYC

Source: Beckett News

Live Heat

Six lots over $500,000, two over $1M, reported by SI Collectibles and corroborated by a Collectors Universe buyers' thread, July 10-11

Heritage's summer sale closes with six lots over $500K, led by a $1.56M Mantle

Heritage's Summer Sports Card Catalog closed July 10-11 with six cards clearing $500,000, and Sports Illustrated has the tape. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 PSA 8 led at $1,555,500, followed by a 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Tom Brady auto PSA 8 at $1,113,250, a 1933 Sport Kings Jim Thorpe #6 PSA 9 at $777,750, a 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson #312 PSA 8.5 at $622,200, and a 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Kobe Bryant Limited Logos PSA 7 at $617,320. A Collectors Universe thread of Heritage buyers backs up the Robinson and Thorpe figures and adds more, including a reported record $159,000 for a 1933 Goudey 'Yellow Ruth' PSA 7 and $402,500 for a 1954 Bowman Mantle PSA 9. We previewed this sale yesterday; now the results are in.

The SI roundup ↗

Heritage Auctions Mickey Mantle Tom Brady Jackie Robinson

Source: Sports Illustrated (Collectibles) · Published July 12, 2026

$20,000 sale on July 8 reported by SI Collectibles via CardLadder, with stated pull odds of 1 in 232,824 packs

An anime Munetaka Murakami sells for $20,000, second-highest Murakami ever

A 2026 Bowman Chrome Kanji Anime Munetaka Murakami sold for $20,000 on July 8, per Sports Illustrated citing CardLadder sales data. SI puts the pull odds at 1 in 232,824 hobby packs, which is most of the story on the price. It ranks as the second-highest Murakami sale on record, behind a Topps Chrome Black Superfractor redemption that went for $74,420 on June 6.

The SI report ↗

Munetaka Murakami Bowman Chrome Topps Chrome Black

Source: Sports Illustrated (Collectibles) · Published July 10, 2026

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