It looks like the wrapper might be a throwback to 1979 and now we know some of the card designs in the 2016 Topps Archives Baseball set will be, too. The annual edition will make its return the week of June 1.
In addition, Topps has snared autographed cards from the cast of one of the most popular baseball movies ever made, “Bull Durham”. A full checklist for the product is below.
Each pack will have eight cards with 24 packs per box and two autographs randomly inserted.
Base Set Features Past Card Designs
2016 Topps Archives Baseball will continue to showcase notable designs from decades past. This year’s release will pay homage to the 1953, 1979 and 1991 base designs across a 300-subject base set (100 of each design).
Base Card parallels will include:
- Blue Border: sequentially numbered
- Red Border: sequentially numbered
- Black Border Parallel: # 1/1.
- Printing Plates: number #1/1.
There will also be base card short prints this year but only ten. In the past, as many as 50 cards were SPs, which should make
it easier on set collectors.
Bull Durham Movie Subset, Autographs
Archives will salute the movie “Bull Durham” with an insert set featuring characters from the movie along with director Ron Shelton. The regular insert set has seven cards but there will be nine autographed cards in the mix.
Those autos will be hard to pull, however, falling only one in every other case.
Actor Kevin Costner, who played Crash Davis in the 1988 flick, will sign autographs on some of them and so will Tim Robbins (Nuke LaLoosh), Susan Sarandon (Annie Savoy) and Robert Wuhl (Larry Hockett).
Topps will use its 1988 design for the B
ull Durham cards to commemorate the year of the movie’s release. Autographs will be on card and parallels for both the insert and autographed cards will include Red, Black (1/1) and Printing Plates (1/1) parallels.
Blast from the Past Inserts
Fans of the 1969 Topps Super set should smile over Topps’ plan to create a modern-day insert set based on the design of the very limited original set.
The 1985 Topps #1 Draft Pick subset gets a new look in ’16 Archives with top MLB Draft picks from years past featured while the ’85 Father-Son subset also gets a shout this year as Topps recognizes the most renowned father-son combinations to have played in Major League Baseball.
Parallels for the 1969 Topps Super and 1985 Topps #1 Draft Pick Inserts will include:
- Red Parallel: sequentially numbered.
- Black Parallel: numbered 1/1.
- Printing Plates: numbered 1/1.
Archives Autographs
Fan Favorites Autographs will return with on card signatures on vintage Topps designs. The checklist includes several current stars and Hall of Famers (notably Sandy Koufax) and several 1960s and 70s names like Steve Garvey, Rollie Fingers, J.R. Richard and Doc Gooden. Parallels will include Blue, Red and 1/1 Black Border parallels.
Topps Originals Autographs will be actual cards from the year of issue, foil stamped and signed on card, with Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, Reggie Jackson and Greg Maddux among a star-studded field. Each will be sequentially numbered.
You can see Topps Archives boxes for sale on eBay here.
2016 Archives Baseball Checklist
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