Topps Archives is one of those sets that give collectors a taste of different set from years past. Unlike Heritage, which only concentrated on one year — this year’s product pays tribute to the 1974 Topps set — Topps Archives spoons out nostalgia in small doses.
This year’s set places its main focus on the 1956, 1965 and 2003 Topps designs. I have always loved the 1965 design, since it was the first set I ever actively collected when I was young. I gained an appreciation for the 1956 set in later years, when I turned to filling in the Topps run from 1952 to the present (still trying).
I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that the 2003 Topps design is considered for the Archives set, since it seems like I was putting the set together yesterday. But time flies, and it is 20 years old, so it qualifies.
This year’s set places its main focus on the 1956, 1965 and 2003 Topps designs. I have always loved the 1965 design, since it was the first set I ever actively collected when I was young. I gained an appreciation for the 1956 set in later years, when I turned to filling in the Topps run from 1952 to the present (still trying).
I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that the 2003 Topps design is considered for the Archives set, since it seems like I was putting the set together yesterday. But time flies, and it is 20 years old, so it qualifies.
As usual, I bought a blaster box. There are seven packs to a box, with eight cards in each pack. As an added bonus, blasters contain three 1969 Topps Single Player Foil cards. So, 59 cards in this box.
The set contains 300 base cards.
The breakdown among the three sets was fairly even. There were 18 cards from the 2003 set, and 17 apiece from the 1956 and 1965 sets. The 1956 cards are listed as the first 100 in the checklist, with cards 101 to 200 featuring 1965 designs.
The final 100 base cards showcase the 2003 layout.
There is a nice mix of rookies, veterans and legends in the base set. The 2003 cards I pulled, for example, included Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente. I did not have any Hall of Famers from the 1965 cards I pulled, although the checklist includes Wade Boggs, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Kirby Puckett, Honus Wagner, Randy Johnson, Stan Musial and Mike Piazza.
The set contains 300 base cards.
The breakdown among the three sets was fairly even. There were 18 cards from the 2003 set, and 17 apiece from the 1956 and 1965 sets. The 1956 cards are listed as the first 100 in the checklist, with cards 101 to 200 featuring 1965 designs.
The final 100 base cards showcase the 2003 layout.
There is a nice mix of rookies, veterans and legends in the base set. The 2003 cards I pulled, for example, included Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente. I did not have any Hall of Famers from the 1965 cards I pulled, although the checklist includes Wade Boggs, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Kirby Puckett, Honus Wagner, Randy Johnson, Stan Musial and Mike Piazza.
The 1956 Cooperstown crew I pulled included Tom Seaver, Ken Griffey Jr., Robin Yount and Lou Gehrig.
To throw a curveball at those collectors who are set builders, each year depicted in the Archives set has variations.
The 1956 designs have a white back variation, just like the original set. The difference should be obvious to collectors, but they can be confirmed because the code on the card back ends in 268. In a blaster, the odds of finding such a card is one in every 64 packs. The odds are slightly better for hobby boxes at 1:61, according to Topps.
There are 40 different variation cards from the 1956 design.
The 1965 Inverted Variations are interesting in the sense that while the main photo remains the same, all of the other elements of the card front are reversed. So, the flag with the team name, and the player name plate and position, along with the Topps logo in the top left-hand corner appear as if someone is holding it up to a mirror.
To throw a curveball at those collectors who are set builders, each year depicted in the Archives set has variations.
The 1956 designs have a white back variation, just like the original set. The difference should be obvious to collectors, but they can be confirmed because the code on the card back ends in 268. In a blaster, the odds of finding such a card is one in every 64 packs. The odds are slightly better for hobby boxes at 1:61, according to Topps.
There are 40 different variation cards from the 1956 design.
The 1965 Inverted Variations are interesting in the sense that while the main photo remains the same, all of the other elements of the card front are reversed. So, the flag with the team name, and the player name plate and position, along with the Topps logo in the top left-hand corner appear as if someone is holding it up to a mirror.
The code is the same as the 1956 variations, and so are the odds. And there are 35 cards with these variations.
For the 2003 cards, the variations include a foil stamp where the team logo was positioned on the base card. That means toward the lower right side of the card front.
The code ends with 271 and there are 20 card variations.
There is also simply a straight variation card, where one image — or, in the case of the 1956 design, a main and secondary image — are swapped out.
The chances of finding one in a blaster box are one in 337 packs. Again, the odds are not much better for hobby boxes, with the ratio at 1:332.
For the 2003 cards, the variations include a foil stamp where the team logo was positioned on the base card. That means toward the lower right side of the card front.
The code ends with 271 and there are 20 card variations.
There is also simply a straight variation card, where one image — or, in the case of the 1956 design, a main and secondary image — are swapped out.
The chances of finding one in a blaster box are one in 337 packs. Again, the odds are not much better for hobby boxes, with the ratio at 1:332.
I was not fortunate enough to pull any kind of variation card, but then again, I did not expect it.
I did, however, unwrap a green parallel card from the 1965 design featuring Carlos Rodon. The card was numbered to 99.
There are several inserts in the Archives set that allows Topps to dip deeper into its vault of card designs.
The Baby Bombers is a 25-card subset that borrows from the 1998 Topps set. The card I pulled was Josh Jung.
The largest insert set is the 1969 Topps Single Player Foil card. There are 60 in the subset and I found three — Mike Trout, Julio Rodriguez and Joey Votto.
I did, however, unwrap a green parallel card from the 1965 design featuring Carlos Rodon. The card was numbered to 99.
There are several inserts in the Archives set that allows Topps to dip deeper into its vault of card designs.
The Baby Bombers is a 25-card subset that borrows from the 1998 Topps set. The card I pulled was Josh Jung.
The largest insert set is the 1969 Topps Single Player Foil card. There are 60 in the subset and I found three — Mike Trout, Julio Rodriguez and Joey Votto.
The 1989 Doubleheaders insert is a 25-card offering that features a player photograph on each side of the card. They fall about once in every eight packs.
here was a possibility that I might not have pulled such a card, but I did get lucky and found a Padres double-sided card featuring Juan Solo and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Trout was featured in another insert I pulled — the 1957 Topps Hit Stars subset. There are 15 cards in the subset, and they fall approximately once every seven packs.
The 2023 Topps Archives set is a fun one to collect. I love new players featured on vintage designs, and it is nice to see sharp versions of those layouts. It is not surprising that almost all of the 1956 and 1965 Topps I own have seen better days, so seeing crisp photogrpahy and sharp corners is a treat.
here was a possibility that I might not have pulled such a card, but I did get lucky and found a Padres double-sided card featuring Juan Solo and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Trout was featured in another insert I pulled — the 1957 Topps Hit Stars subset. There are 15 cards in the subset, and they fall approximately once every seven packs.
The 2023 Topps Archives set is a fun one to collect. I love new players featured on vintage designs, and it is nice to see sharp versions of those layouts. It is not surprising that almost all of the 1956 and 1965 Topps I own have seen better days, so seeing crisp photogrpahy and sharp corners is a treat.
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