She might be a music icon, but when it comes to Britney Spears trading cards, there really isn’t a lot out there. This is especially true if you’re looking for readily available mainstream releases. That said, the pop legend does have some interesting and impressive trading cards out there, including autographs and very early (and official) promo releases.
If you’re up for a hunt, there are definitely some Britney Spears trading cards to be on the prowl for.
Britney Spears Trading Cards Guide
This is not a definitive list of all Britney Spears trading cards. It highlights key and important releases that picture the singer.
1998 Britney Spears Jive Records #B-1
If you’re looking for the closest thing to a Britney Spears rookie card, you might be looking for a while. This Jive Records promo card was included inside specially marked “Baby One More Time” cassette and CD singles. So hunting in music stores might end up getting better results that looking at the usual trading card shows and online.
Who would have guessed that Ms. Spears was a fan of Third Eye Blind?
1994-2001 Grolier Story of America Britney Spears #132-14
Not a traditional trading card, both in size and distribution, this early Britney Spears card is part of a massive subscription-based series covering people and moments that helped shape the United States. Collectors would subscribe to the series and get 20-card decks every month in the mail. For those who stuck with the entire marathon, the master checklist has over 2,500 cards.
Measuring 6 1/4″ x 4 13/16″, it is much larger than a traditional trading card. The back essentially reads like an encyclopedia entry.
Carrying a copyright date of MM, this one arrived in 2000, right near the end of the line’s lengthy run.
2001 Sports Illustrated for Kids Britney Spears #43
Sports Illustrated for Kids magazine has a history of including nine-card sheets in issues dating back to the late 1980s. Usually, it’s athletes. For Britney Spears, they made an exception. Included in the April, 2001 issue, the timing the magazine hit stands likely coincided with her performance at the Super Bowl XXXV Halftime Show, although it is not mentioned. While the Jive Records card predates this one, this could be considered the first mainstream Britney Spears card.
It’s worth noting that the card, which isn’t done to traditional standards, has perforated edges along the top and sides. Separating it from the sheet can be precarious and cause quick damage like creasing from folds and paper loss.
2001 Top Trumps Smash Hits Pop Stars Britney Spears
Top Trumps aren’t traditional trading cards. Rather, they’re decks of game cards that come in a variety of themes and licenses. This is the first of a handful of Britney Spears cards from the company as part of a collection of pop singers. It wouldn’t be the last from them, either.
2002 Pepsi Pass Britney Spears
When it comes to early Britney Spears cards, 2002 Pepsi Pass might be some of the coolest. A promo set distributed in Thailand, these are all done on chromium-like stock. The result is a shiny look befitting of a pop princess.
Although a standard set is small with just eight cards, collectors can chase lots of variations based on the ads that are on the back.
2002 Pepsi Pass Britney Spears packs each come with three cards.
2003 Top Trumps Smash Hits Pop Stars 2 Britney Spears
Oops, they did it again. Top Trumps included Spears in their second Smash Hits Pop Stars set. This time she’s joined by the likes of Beyonce, Eminem and a chart’s worth of one-hit wonders you probably don’t remember.
2005 Top Trumps Limited Editions FCUK Celebs Britney Spears
This one moves beyond just musicians and clumps Spears together with a broader celebrity base. She’s joined on the checklist by the likes of Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Kate Moss.
2005 Top Trumps Specials Smash Hit Pop Stars 3 Britney Spears
Smash Hit Pop Stars 3 marked the third in the series with Ms. Britney appearing in all three. Again, not much is different from her other Top Trumps other than the image.
2007 Topps Hollywood Zombies Britney Speared #45
Technically, this isn’t a Britney Spears card. But it’s clear who the satirical piece is aiming at. Whether it’s in good taste, that’s another debate. 2007 Topps Hollywood Zombies created a world where dozens of celebrities and prominent moments from their lives — on screen and off — were fodder for some horror-driven cards. Think Garbage Pail Kids for the 21st century.
Besides a card in the base set, Britney “Speared” has a Freaky Foil parallel. There are also two fairly tough Bonus Cards that came one per blister pack. These have similar art save for one version giving her a little hair and the other appearing post-head shave.
2011 Leaf Pop Century Britney Spears Autograph #BA-BS2
The fact that certified Britney Spears autograph cards exist might be somewhat surprising given her level of star power. Each year, though, Pop Century seems to have a couple of major gets and in 2011 it was the pop singer’s turn. Besides a standard base autograph and its multiple parallels, Spears has a handful of themed inserts — including a dual autograph with Lindsay Lohan.
Here’s the list:
- Award Winners Autographs Britney Spears #AW-BS2
- Co-Stars Autographs Britney Spears / Kara DioGuardi #BSKD
- Co-Stars Autographs Britney Spears / Lindsay Lohan #BSLL
- Dressing Room Autograph Memorabilia Britney Spears #DR-BS2
- Smash Hit Autographs Britney Spears #SH-BS2
- Stunning Starlets Autographs Britney Spears #SS-BS2
- Walk of Fame Autographs Britney Spears #WF-BS2
When the set first came out, there was some concern among collectors about the signatures as there is a significant amount of variance. But Leaf responded, saying that they stood behind their authenticity and that they had legal documents from Spears and her people that she did in fact sign all of the autographs.
2012 Leaf Pop Century Britney Spears Autograph #BA-BS1
Leaf followed up with more Britney Spears autographs in 2012 Pop Century. However, this time collectors have a lot fewer options with just a base signature and a Dressing Room Autographs (#DR-BS1) card that has a swatch of clothing from the singer as well.
Geez – Sports Illustrated for kids – interesting photo