Topps will release the second part of the annual baseball card trilogy, 2016 Topps Baseball Series 2, on June 15. A full checklist for the product is linked below.
Two fan favorites will have their own insert sets as part of the chase element. Ken Griffey Jr., expected to be a 2016 Hall of Fame inductee and Ichiro, inching toward a big career milestone, are getting the special sets.
Following on the heels of the winter release of 2016 Topps Series One, each pack of Series 2 will have 10 cards with 36 packs per box. Each hobby box promises one autograph or relic card at a price expected to fall between $55 and $60 at retail upon release. Jumbo boxes will be higher, with one guaranteed autograph and two relics in each box.
“There are the base cards for traditional collectors, inserts for those looking for a challenge, and autographs and memorabilia cards to have fans feel closer to the game,” said Clay Luraschi, Vice-President of Product Development for Topps. “There really is something for everyone to collect.”
2016 Topps Series 2 Base Cards
There are 350 base cards in Series 2 again this year, with a card design that is borderless and with an in-game player picture on the front.
All of the base cards will again have plenty of parallels, and most have numbered print runs. Gold is numbered to 2016 and Vintage Stock has a print run of 99. The Black parallel, numbered to 65, is only in hobby and hobby jumbo packs. The Pink version is numbered to 50 and the Clear is numbered to 10 and only found in hobby packs. One of every ten packs will have a Rainbow Foil parallel.
There are also three 1 of 1 parallels: Platinum, found in all packs, with Framed and Printing Plates in hobby and jumbo.
Griffey, Ichiro Inserts
“Chasing 3000” honors the Japanese star’s quest to reach the milestone (he’ll likely get it sometime in 2016) and those insert cards will be found in one of every nine packs. There are also memorabilia versions, numbered to 10, and signed cards which are 1 of 1 items. Ichiro Stamped Originals are buyback cards from past issues, with a special foil stamp added.
Griffey Jr. is the subject of Topps’ “Tribute to the Kid” insert set. Falling at a rate of one per eight packs, the set includes 30 cards in all. There are autograph, relic and buyback Griffey cards too, with 1 of 1 Autograph Patches appearing only in hobby packs.
Rip Cards in Series 2
Topps will insert rip cards into packs of 2016 Topps Baseball Series 2 and collectors will have to make a choice between keeping the card as it is or ripping it open to have the mini-card and its possible prize. If the player achieves the task on the card, like a certain number of hits on a specific day of the 2016 MLB season, Topps will issue a prize, with autographed cards part of the mix.
2016 Series 2 Inserts, Autographs
Other insert sets bring more memorabilia cards, autographs and also continue a set for Cubs fans which will also be in Series One. The 100 Years at Wrigley Field inserts are found in one of every eight packs and also include memorabilia and autograph parallels. The Wrigley Field subjects include Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace and Greg Maddux (there are 10 in all).
Team Logo and SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game Pin cards also have signed parallels. World Series Champion Coin and Stamp cards come with the items from the year of the World Series featured on the card, and have versions with quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. There is also an autographed version of the cards with quarters.
Scouting Report, Hallowed Highlights and Berger’s Best insert sets cover the players of today and the past and also have numbered parallels with memorabilia and autographs.
Topps Laser cards use the team logo as a cover and the card can be opened to fully reveal the player picture. These are numbered to 99 and also have rarer parallel versions. Topps Bunt cards and more First Pitch inserts will also be in packs, showcasing personalities who tossed out the ceremonial first pitch at big league parks this year. Among those on the checklist are Tom Watson, former President George H.W. Bush, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Kimmel, Lea Thompson, Jim Harbaugh and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong.
Some of the hardest cards to find will be the 1/1 Cut Signatures and Own The Name Relic cards. The Own The Name Relic set will have one letter from the player’s MLB jersey on the card, giving player collectors a challenge to complete an entire name. There are also Glove Leather Autograph cards, numbered to 25, with signatures on simulated gloves.
You can see 2016 Topps Series II on eBay here.