Last week, Topps filed trademark applications for FINEST VINTAGE and TOPPS SHELF. Wait, those sound like alcohol-type products. Does this mean Topps is going to release its own vintage of hooch? I mean, it'll ease the pain after you bust a box of Bowman Chrome, only to find that the base auto you received was a prospect currently batting .172 in low-A ball.
Actually, no. Both applications recite the field of Goods and Services are "Trading Cards."
Legal translation: It's not alcohol related, but what a great idea that would be!
The filed applications for both FINEST VINTAGE and TOPPS SHELF contain little information about either product, other than that the applications are "intent to use" applications.
Legal translation: They are both potential future products. While Topps currently intends to launch products with these names, it does not mean it actually will.
It would appear that FINEST VINTAGE is a forthcoming, higher-end Topps' Finest product. TOPPS SHELF might also be a higher-end product. Or maybe it's a name to compete with FINEST VINTAGE for the same product, and only after a Thunderdome marketing, focus-group battle, Topps will choose which name it likes best.
"Two marks enter! One mark leaves!"
Or, maybe, it's a name for an every-other-week Topps blog, that, as far as I can see, launched in 2011, but does not appear to exist any more.
Only time will tell what TOPPS SHELF and FINEST VINTAGE refer to, and I'm holding just a little hope that it is in the field of adult beverages.
For those interested, the information for both filings is provided below:
| Word Mark | FINEST VINTAGE |
| Goods and Services | IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: Trading cards |
| Standard Characters Claimed | |
| Mark Drawing Code | (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK |
| Serial Number | 86072867 |
| Filing Date | September 24, 2013 |
| Current Basis | 1B |
| Original Filing Basis | 1B |
| Owner | (APPLICANT) The Topps Company, Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE One Whitehall Street New York NEW YORK 10004 |
| Attorney of Record | Andrew Baum |
| Prior Registrations | 1886614 |
| Type of Mark | TRADEMARK |
| Register | PRINCIPAL |
| Live/Dead Indicator | LIVE |
| Word Mark | TOPPS SHELF |
| Goods and Services | IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: Trading cards |
| Standard Characters Claimed | |
| Mark Drawing Code | (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK |
| Serial Number | 86072855 |
| Filing Date | September 24, 2013 |
| Current Basis | 1B |
| Original Filing Basis | 1B |
| Owner | (APPLICANT) The Topps Company, Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE One Whitehall Street New York NEW YORK 10004 |
| Attorney of Record | Andrew Baum |
| Prior Registrations | 0835967;1809166;2806701;AND OTHERS |
| Type of Mark | TRADEMARK |
| Register | PRINCIPAL |
| Live/Dead Indicator | LIVE |
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