There are few surprises in the 2023 Topps Update baseball product, which was released a month ago. Actually, the biggest surprise in my area is that it took more than a month for blaster boxes to hit Target and Walmart stores.
But that’s a distribution issue that is out of my control, so when I saw a shelf full of the Update series at Target, I naturally bought a blaster box.
Collectors know the drill. The 330-card Update series is the final installment of Topps’ flagship product, featuring rookies, traded players, veterans and combo cards. If you are a set collector, completing the Update series finishes off the master set for the year.
In another bizarre device that Topps has used over the past few years, there are two cards listed at US149 — Levi Stoudt and Teoscar Hernandez. There is no US250 card.
But that’s a distribution issue that is out of my control, so when I saw a shelf full of the Update series at Target, I naturally bought a blaster box.
Collectors know the drill. The 330-card Update series is the final installment of Topps’ flagship product, featuring rookies, traded players, veterans and combo cards. If you are a set collector, completing the Update series finishes off the master set for the year.
In another bizarre device that Topps has used over the past few years, there are two cards listed at US149 — Levi Stoudt and Teoscar Hernandez. There is no US250 card.
As usual, I bought a blaster box to get a taste of the set. There are seven packs to a box, with 12 cards to a pack. In addition, Topps provides three Orange and Black Foil cards, so a blaster will contain 87 cards.
The design remains consistent with those from Series One and Two of the flagship set.
There is an action shot on the card front that dominates the space, with a white border and a thin line containing the primary color of the team’s uniform.
A mug shot of the player is positioned in the lower left-hand corner, with his name in white block letters below the smaller photograph. His position is anchored in the bottom right-hand corner of the card.
Every base card in the blaster I bought — and there were 68 of them — had vertical designs, which I love and prefer. There were also 30 rookies in that group.
The design remains consistent with those from Series One and Two of the flagship set.
There is an action shot on the card front that dominates the space, with a white border and a thin line containing the primary color of the team’s uniform.
A mug shot of the player is positioned in the lower left-hand corner, with his name in white block letters below the smaller photograph. His position is anchored in the bottom right-hand corner of the card.
Every base card in the blaster I bought — and there were 68 of them — had vertical designs, which I love and prefer. There were also 30 rookies in that group.
The card backs follow the same pattern as the first two series this year and utilize a horizontal design. There are columns of statistics, which look so much better in a horizontal format. The Update set uses that design to highlight the player’s vital statistics and year-by-year numbers. Where there is room, a short biography or a paragraph explaining a career highlight is included.
The most interesting parallel was a Jack-O’-Lantern Foil card of Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Jack-O’-Lantern dovetail nicely with the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons. They fall once in every 21 packs and are a blaster exclusive.
Another autumnal theme is evident in the Orange and Black Foil parallel cards. As promised, there were three in the blaster I opened — Royals pitcher Amir Garrett, Athletics infielder Aledmys Diaz and Yankees pitcher Jhony Brito.
The most interesting parallel was a Jack-O’-Lantern Foil card of Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Jack-O’-Lantern dovetail nicely with the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons. They fall once in every 21 packs and are a blaster exclusive.
Another autumnal theme is evident in the Orange and Black Foil parallel cards. As promised, there were three in the blaster I opened — Royals pitcher Amir Garrett, Athletics infielder Aledmys Diaz and Yankees pitcher Jhony Brito.
I also pulled a Gold parallel card of Reds second baseman Matt Reynolds that was numbered to 2023. I also found a Rainbow Foil parallel of Rangers receiver Jose Leclerc.
As for the inserts, 2023 Topps Update Series Baseball returns with 50 cards featuring the 1988 Topps baseball design.
The cards I pulled were Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.
The cards are stamped in foil that reminds collectors that this design is 35 years old. Mind-blowing for sure. Has it really been that long?
Laid Out is a 20-card insert set that features players stretching to make big defensive plays. The card I pulled was of Braves outfielder Kevin Pillar.
As for the inserts, 2023 Topps Update Series Baseball returns with 50 cards featuring the 1988 Topps baseball design.
The cards I pulled were Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.
The cards are stamped in foil that reminds collectors that this design is 35 years old. Mind-blowing for sure. Has it really been that long?
Laid Out is a 20-card insert set that features players stretching to make big defensive plays. The card I pulled was of Braves outfielder Kevin Pillar.
Action Stars is a 30-card insert set that has a similar theme as Laid Out, although much more foil-oriented.
I pulled a card of Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette.
Stars of MLB inserts return for the Update set and typically fall one per pack. One pack had two in the blaster I opened, so I wound up with eight of them.
The other insert is a 50-card offering commemorating All-Star Game selections.
he two cards I pulled featured outfielder Adolis Garcia, who would be the Rangers’ most valuable player in the American League Championship Series; and Rays shortstop Wander Franco.
The Update set is an enjoyable way to wrap up the year for Topps’ main set. It is predictable, but that is its strength.
I pulled a card of Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette.
Stars of MLB inserts return for the Update set and typically fall one per pack. One pack had two in the blaster I opened, so I wound up with eight of them.
The other insert is a 50-card offering commemorating All-Star Game selections.
he two cards I pulled featured outfielder Adolis Garcia, who would be the Rangers’ most valuable player in the American League Championship Series; and Rays shortstop Wander Franco.
The Update set is an enjoyable way to wrap up the year for Topps’ main set. It is predictable, but that is its strength.
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