Sheen Gives Twitter Shout as 2014 Archives Arrives

2014 Topps Archives baseball will again bring its share of quirkiness to the table.  Archives was released Wednesday, bringing eight cards per pack with 24 packs per box and ten boxes to a case.  Each hobby box will hold two autographs and cards of a certain movie star/collector will be randomly inserted.

The product will again utilize Topps designs from the past while tossing some kisses to the classic baseball motion picture Major League.  On Wednesday morning, Sheen used his Twitter account to promote the product to more than 11 million followers and posted a photo of himself holding one of the cards.

Sheen also appeared recently on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight and talked about (and autographed) his Ricky Vaughn card.  ESPN had Brand Manager Zvee Geffen on set this week to discuss the product’s tie to the film.

A checklist is linked below, but among the other highlights in 2014 Archives:

Case loaders include original Topps player contracts similar to those sold in the Topps Vault eBay auctions.

The base set will consist of 250 cards, with the last 50 being short prints and the checklist including current stars, retired stars and top rookies.  There are four different vintage Topps set designed used in the base set:

• 50 cards (1973 Topps Design) #’d 1 – 50

• 50 cards (1986 Topps Design) #’d 51 – 100

• 50 cards (1989 Topps Design) #’d 101 – 150

• 50 cards (1980 Topps Design) #’d 151 – 200

• 50 Short Printed Base Cards #’d 201 – 250

Hobby only parallel cards include:

• Archives Gold #’d to 199

• Archives Silver #’d to 99

• Base Card Printing Plates

The Fan Favorites Autographs return and feature current stars and retired legends for the first time in addition to famous names from the past.

Popular rookie slugger Jose Abreu has signed cards for 2014 Archives.  One of his Purple Parallel autographs, numbered to 10, was listed on eBay on the first day of release.

There are several insert cards and autographed cards to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Major League.  Aside from commemorative cards, which have a series of low numbered parallels, actors from the motion picture have signed a limited number of autographs.  The actors who have autographs inside the product include:

Corbin Bernsen — Roger Dorn

Tom Berenger — Jake Taylor

Chelcie Ross — Eddie Harris

Margaret Whitton — Rachel Phelps

Charlie Sheen — Ricky Vaughn

You can see the cards featuring the stars of the movie here.

Fan Favorites Autographs now has five parallels, ranging from 1/1 Ruby Red and Printing Plates to Silver bordered cards numbered to 25.  Ruby Red and Silver parallels are hobby only.

On the Topps Original Autographs, stars will sign copies of a vintage card, which are sequentially numbered to 10 and include a Topps Originals foil-stamped logo.  There are Triple Autographs and pop culture stars autographs.

Archives is known for being all over the place with its throwback designs and 2014 is no exception.  They’re reproducing everything from the 1997 Stadium Club Firebrand die-cut design using past and present players (hobby only), to 1971-72 Topps hockey designs, 1987 Topps All-Star designs with autographs numbered to just 5 and 1969 Topps Deckle minis (also hobby only).  Look for autographed Firebrand parallels among the cases.  

For 60 consecutive days, Topps will post a bounty on a specific card(s) through social media.  They’ll be asking collectors to take pictures with these cards.  The first collector to respond will win a prize from company “Archives”.  Prizes include, but are not limited to items such as autographed baseballs and autographed bats to boxes of baseball cards.

Because of a production error, a planned insert devoted to the movie “The Warriors” was removed from the product.

You can see singles, sets, boxes and cases of 2014 Topps Archives on eBay here.

2014 Topps Archive Baseball Checklist

Related Stories:

Topps’ Jeter Vault: Images from Earliest Baseball Card Shoot Up for Auction 1915 Ruth Signed Baseball, Joe Jackson Voucher Among Lelands Fall Highlights Notes: Sheen, Ovechkin Coming to Chantilly; Topps’ Double Yaz; Grandma’s Mahomes Collection; DeJong Buys “M” Will Ferrell Cards Coming to Topps Archives 2014 Topps Archives Box Break/Review What’s Hot in the Shop? Topps Archives Blasting Off Shelves Topps Plans Prize Giveaway with Next Year’s Archives Baseball

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].