Lacrosse Card Landscape: Women’s Lacrosse Cards

If I were to describe the frequency of lacrosse card releases over the last 140 years, the word I would use is “sporadic.” Refining things a bit further, I am not sure there is a single word to similarly describe women’s lacrosse card releases over the same time period. Sadly, the most accurate description might just be “one step above nonexistent.” 

The first known women’s lacrosse card was issued in 1932. In fact, the same card was issued by Astra and Sanella, two competing German margarine companies. Both produced the same 112-card multisport set. The card fronts are identical while the backs, both in German, feature slightly different text and branding marks.

Many decades passed before another women’s lacrosse card was produced. In 2010, the University of Notre Dame issued a 27-card set featuring the Fighting Irish women’s team. James Madison and Liberty universities produced similar team sets in 2023. Aside from these particular issues, the sporadic Sports Illustrated for Kids (SIFK) cards and the 2022 Allen & Ginter Charlotte North lineup, female lacrosse players have rarely been pictured on trading cards.

On March 3, 2020, a new women’s professional sports league launched under the name Athletes Unlimited (AU). This four-sport league (beginning with lacrosse, softball and volleyball; basketball was added at a later date) implemented a unique player-centric model that focuses more on the individual athlete than a team. As a means of promotion, AU entered into an agreement with Topps to begin issuing trading cards across their different sports lines.

The first glimpse we saw of an AU lacrosse card actually came as part of the inaugural on-demand AU softball set. Card number 20 in the set was a promo for the upcoming AU lacrosse season. Though they were not individually named, the card pictures Michelle Tumolo, Meg Douty and Kayla Treanor, and can be found in base format as well as Purple /50, Blue /25, Orange /5 and Gold 1/1 parallels.

Following the 2020 promo, Topps produced the first-ever professional women’s lacrosse trading card set when they released the 2021 Topps Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse set. This 62-card set was printed on demand, which resulted in 1,551 sets being produced. Sets originally sold for $19.99 each and contained a complete base set, one autographed card and three parallels that again followed the Purple /50, Blue /25, Orange /5 and Gold 1/1 format.

With the exception of a few players who were previously featured on SIFK cards, this was the first trading card appearance for nearly every player in the set, and as their first cards in a professional uniform could all be considered rookie cards. The set is dense with talented players of the fresh-faced and veteran varieties including Taylor Cummings, Katrina Dowd, Meg Douty, Michelle Tumolo, Kylie Ohlmiller, Dempsey Arsenault, Sam Apuzzo, Nicole Levy and more. 

AU fans were able to get a double dose of their favorites on trading cards in 2021. From November 23 to December 23, Topps sold an AU Champions set again with an on-demand format. This 20-card set (a total of 737 sets were printed) featured AU champions from each sport with six cards showing lacrosse players: Taylor Cummings, Caylee Waters, Sam Apuzzo, Kady Glynn, Becca Block and a card with the first-place finishers from all three sports (Taylor Cummings). There were no autographed cards in this release and the familiar parallel pattern was implemented one last time.

After a successful first season and trading card set, AU fans anticipated another great summer of women’s lacrosse and a second series of cardboard to collect. Unfortunately the season came and went with no sign of lacrosse cards. In fact, more than 12 months passed without any word on a new AU set before rumors began to circulate about more cards being released early in 2023. 

A flagship AU set was indeed released early in 2023 and while it offered much for collectors to celebrate, it was also a cause of consternation for many. On one hand, Topps issued a beautifully designed set with autographs, parallels and inserts galore. The downside is that all four AU sports were combined into a single card set. While that might make sense for some and perhaps contributes to Topps’ and AU’s bottom line, it became a source of frustration for single sport collectors as they were forced to purchase cards that were of little to no interest to them. For lacrosse collectors, purchasing unopened product meant that three-quarters of the cards out of every pack, box or case featured basketball, softball and volleyball, and were ultimately of little personal value. This is likely the main reason that dealers quickly began offering steep discounts on unopened material.

Beyond the four-sport issue, 2023 Topps AU was a fantastic set. The base set contains 55 lacrosse cards featuring many of the best professional female players in the world, and includes rookie cards of Charlotte North and reigning NCAA champions and UNC stars Jamie Ortega, Taylor Moreno and Ally Mastroianni. Each base card has seven different parallels plus four 1/1 printing plates. A separate signature series was also produced with parallels in /50, /25 and 1/1 formats.

The following insert sets are also available in base form and /50, /25, 1/1 versions while the top four insert sets also have /10 autograph parallels:

• Being Unlimited – Highlights big performances in women’s sports.
• Face of the Nation – Players who have participated in international competition. 
• Record Breakers – Honors specific achievements.
• Unlimited Potential – Showcases young athletes.
• Relics – Includes memorabilia swatches.

Black Gold is an attractive insert set in which six lacrosse players are featured. Each card is limited to 250 copies.

Lastly, the AU set is home to the lacrosse genre’s first-ever quad autos. Two different cards containing four autographs each were produced and limited to just 10 copies. These are among the top cards in the entire release and it could be argued that they are the most desirable overall.

• Card #QA-BCKM – Becca Block, Lizzie Colson, Ally Kennedy, Marie McCool
• Card #QA-NAMJ – Charlotte North, Sam Apuzzo, Taylor Moreno, Amanda Johansen

For fans of women’s lacrosse, the 2023 Topps AU set will be hard to top. Topps and AU both deserve credit for their efforts, which leave collectors eagerly anticipating upcoming releases.

Next week we dive into the Premier Lacrosse League and the interesting ride that the three  Topps PLL sets (so far) have provided for fans and collectors of the fastest game on two feet!