Naturally, it is not Topps’ fault, as the 2020 Gypsy Queen set was already printed and ready to go last month.
The new set will still be pleasing to collectors. Gypsy Queen follows the same format it has since Topps revived the old tobacco card set in 2011.
I pulled 38 base cards, one short-printed card (Ted Williams) and one logo swap card of Dwight Smith Jr.
The player’s name is shown beneath the action shot in a ribbon-like display, with his last name and first initial. Meanwhile, the team name is shown beneath the ribbon in very small print.
The logo swap is interesting, as the GQ logo is switched out for a purple-and-white stencil drawing of a woman. The logo swaps occur once every 41 packs, according to Topps.
The team logo sits atop the player’s name at the top of the card.
I pulled two inserts from the blaster box I bought. One was a Fortune Teller card of Yordan Alvarez, which predicted the young outfielder/designated hitter would knock in 101 runs to top Jeff Bagwell’s two-year team total for a Houston player’s first two seasons (178). That looks unlikely right now.
The Gypsy Queen set is an interesting one, with fewer inserts to chase than the Allen & Ginter set, which is comparable in its retro feel. There are autographs and memorabilia cards, but those are more likely to be found in hobby boxes.
The other main difference besides the inserts is that Gypsy Queen stays focused on baseball, while the A&G set hops around between sports, history, pop culture and politics. From that standpoint, Gypsy Queen is much easier to collect.