1/1 SuperFractor of Pope Leo XIV Blessed by CGC and Offered by Fanatics Collect

On May 8, 2025, smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signifying that a successor to Pope Francis had been chosen. Stunning those in attendance at St. Peter's Square and viewers watching around the world, the Catholic Church elected an American pope for the first time ever. Not long after, Topps NOW commemorated the historic event by creating a trading card of Pope Leo XIV. One lucky collector received the highly sought-after one-of-one SuperFractor and entrusted the rarity to CGC® for certification and grading.

Now, the rare collectible is being offered in a Fanatics Collect auction. Online bidding is already underway for the Fanatics Fest June Premier Auction, which concludes on June 26, 2025. One of the highlights of the sale is the CGC-certified 2025 Topps Now #POPE-1 Pope Leo XIV - SuperFractor graded CGC 9 (lot 276). With only one of these SuperFractors issued, the coveted card has already garnered multiple bids and currently sits at $3,300 with several days left in the auction.

2025 Topps Now #POPE-1 Pope Leo XIV - SuperFractor graded CGC 9 Click images to enlarge.

Topps NOW is well known for creating limited-edition releases of new cards that feature some of the most important in-season moments in sports. Each card is only made available for a short time, usually between 24 to 72 hours. While most Topps NOW cards are connected to sports, some non-sports cards have been issued as well, like cards tied to the presidential election or, in this case, the election of a new pope.

The Pope Leo XIV card was offered for four days, with 133,535 copies of the base card sold, which broke the record for the highest-selling non-sports card of all time offered by Topps NOW. Collectors who ordered the base cards had a chance to be randomly selected to also receive a series of numbered parallels, with one lucky collector receiving the one-of-one SuperFractor parallel.

Every base card and color parallel features an image of Leo XIV waving to the crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, as he was revealed to the world and later addressed the crowd in St. Peter's Square. The SuperFractor features gold chrome cardstock, with the front including the Topps NOW logo, his papal name and the date of the pope's election. It also includes the text: 'Habemus Papam!' Leo XIV Named 1st American Pope. The back side of the card features the pope's name again, the card number, his nationality, birth information and a short recap of the day he was chosen as pope.

Although this is considered a non-sports card, there is now a surprising link to the papacy and American sports. Cardinal Robert Prevost, as he was known before choosing the papal name of Leo XIV, was born in Chicago, Illinois, and is a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox. In a now-famous image that was unearthed after he became pope, Leo XIV is seen with family members attending the 2005 World Series and supporting the White Sox during their championship run. Most recently, he was photographed during a public appearance at the Vatican wearing a White Sox hat, which the team shared on social media on June 11.

The current record for the Pope Leo XIV card was set by a red parallel that is serial numbered to only 5 copies made, which sold at auction for $3,300. Considering the SuperFractor copy has already matched the current record with almost two weeks left in the auction, it could go on to shatter the milestone, as it takes over as the most expensive Pope Leo XIV card ever sold.