Pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training may signal the beginning of baseball season for many fans, but for card collectors it is the release of Topps’ flagship series.
Topps’ Series 1 for 2023 has hit the shelves. I no longer chase the set any more, opting instead to build sets for Heritage and Allen & Ginter. I do, however, buy a complete set of Topps when Series 1 and 2 have been out for a while.
So for the purpose of review, I stick to buying blaster boxes. The one at my local Target cost $24.99 and had seven packs, with 14 cards to a pack. There is also a commemorative patch in each blaster, giving the collector 99 cards.
As usual, Series 1 will feature 330 cards of MLB veterans, rookies, future stars, league leaders and team cards.
What will be interesting about the Series 1, 2 and Update series is that every card will have a Golden Mirror base variation. That works out to 990 cards across all three sets, but the odds of pulling one are long — 1 in every 1,360 packs.
One way to tell if you have a Gold Mirror card is that the Topps logo on the card front is stamped in gold, rather than silver. But the real tipoff is on the card back, which sports a large “SSP” against a gold background.
Good luck.
Topps’ Series 1 for 2023 has hit the shelves. I no longer chase the set any more, opting instead to build sets for Heritage and Allen & Ginter. I do, however, buy a complete set of Topps when Series 1 and 2 have been out for a while.
So for the purpose of review, I stick to buying blaster boxes. The one at my local Target cost $24.99 and had seven packs, with 14 cards to a pack. There is also a commemorative patch in each blaster, giving the collector 99 cards.
As usual, Series 1 will feature 330 cards of MLB veterans, rookies, future stars, league leaders and team cards.
What will be interesting about the Series 1, 2 and Update series is that every card will have a Golden Mirror base variation. That works out to 990 cards across all three sets, but the odds of pulling one are long — 1 in every 1,360 packs.
One way to tell if you have a Gold Mirror card is that the Topps logo on the card front is stamped in gold, rather than silver. But the real tipoff is on the card back, which sports a large “SSP” against a gold background.
Good luck.
I like the design for this year’s set, as opposed to the 2022 product. There is an action shot on the front that dominates the card, with a white border and a thin line with a primary color of the team’s uniform.
A mug shot of the player anchors the bottom left-hand corner of the card, with the team logo directly to the player’s right at the bottom center. The player’s name is in block white letters below the mug, and his position is situated in the lower right-hand corner.
A mug shot of the player anchors the bottom left-hand corner of the card, with the team logo directly to the player’s right at the bottom center. The player’s name is in block white letters below the mug, and his position is situated in the lower right-hand corner.
Most of the cards I pulled had a vertical design on the front, which I prefer. I know that the 1956 and 1960 Topps sets had horizontal card front designs, but the standard design has been vertical. Certainly, Topps would slip in a horizontal design after that — the 1971 Thurman Munson card comes to mind — but I’ve always believed the vertical design looked much better in card binders.
The card backs return to a horizontal design, showcasing vital statistics and year-by-year numbers. Where there is room, a short biography/highlights paragraph is also included.
Of the 99 cards I pulled, 84 were base cards. That includes three league leader cards and three team cards.
There are plenty of parallels, but the Royal Blue can be found in the retail versions of 2023 Topps. I pulled one of Tigers pitcher Beau Brieske.
The card backs return to a horizontal design, showcasing vital statistics and year-by-year numbers. Where there is room, a short biography/highlights paragraph is also included.
Of the 99 cards I pulled, 84 were base cards. That includes three league leader cards and three team cards.
There are plenty of parallels, but the Royal Blue can be found in the retail versions of 2023 Topps. I pulled one of Tigers pitcher Beau Brieske.
As for inserts, there are plenty to chase.
In keeping with its trend of honoring card designs from 35 years ago, Topps had included a 100-card set of cards featuring the product’s 1988 design. There were two in the blaster I bought — Brendan Rogers and Mookie Betts.
The cards feature a silver foil stamp that denotes the 35th anniversary of the 1988 set.
Stars of the MLB is a 30-card set, with one card per pack. I pulled seven, plus a Chrome version, which falls once in every 10 retail packs. The Chrome card was Juan Soto.
In keeping with its trend of honoring card designs from 35 years ago, Topps had included a 100-card set of cards featuring the product’s 1988 design. There were two in the blaster I bought — Brendan Rogers and Mookie Betts.
The cards feature a silver foil stamp that denotes the 35th anniversary of the 1988 set.
Stars of the MLB is a 30-card set, with one card per pack. I pulled seven, plus a Chrome version, which falls once in every 10 retail packs. The Chrome card was Juan Soto.
One-Two Punch is a 25-card set that features two pitchers who have combined to lead at the top of their team’s rotations. My card featured Carlos Rodon and Logan Webb.
The 2022 Greatest Hits set pays tribute to great at-bats during last season. There are 25 cards in this subset.
Betts is also featured in the 30-card promotional Home Run Challenge. The challenge is simple — predict the date when the player will connect for a home run.
Collectors who guess correctly will receive a parallel card. Collectors who predict that the home run will travel more than 425 feet will win a special parallel card.
The 2022 Greatest Hits set pays tribute to great at-bats during last season. There are 25 cards in this subset.
Betts is also featured in the 30-card promotional Home Run Challenge. The challenge is simple — predict the date when the player will connect for a home run.
Collectors who guess correctly will receive a parallel card. Collectors who predict that the home run will travel more than 425 feet will win a special parallel card.
All winners will be entered into a drawing, with the winner receiving a trip to the 2024 Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Speaking of Arlington, the commemorative team logo card I pulled from my blaster was the Texas Rangers.
Topps’ flagship set comes out at the perfect time. In a new era where fans must learn to adjust to ghost runners and no defensive shifts, at least Topps gives collectors what they expect every season.
And it's time for baseball season.
Speaking of Arlington, the commemorative team logo card I pulled from my blaster was the Texas Rangers.
Topps’ flagship set comes out at the perfect time. In a new era where fans must learn to adjust to ghost runners and no defensive shifts, at least Topps gives collectors what they expect every season.
And it's time for baseball season.
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