2017 Topps Diamond Icons: Big Hits At A Big Price

For hardcore premium card lovers, the new 2017 Topps Diamond Icons promises big hits, but at a big price. The latest in Topps’ line of super premium issues, cards are slated to be released October 11.

2017 Topps Diamond Icons Basics

A hobby box contains 10 cards and will likely cost around $1,200 — but every card in the box is a hit. Topps is promising that nine of those cards will be on-card autographs. In addition, cut signature cards will appear in every other hobby box. Those cards will be numbered to 4 and will feature 100 different legends of the game. There also will be a 1/1 gold parallel.

The breakdown of a typical pack will be seven on-card autographs, two autograph relics (the signatures also will be hard-signed) and one relic.

Autographs and Auto Relics

All cards are numbered to 25 or less and will feature 50 different subjects. Parallels for the autographs will be issued in purple, numbered to 10; red (5) and gold (1/1). Red Ink Signatures also will contain 50 subjects and will be numbered to 25 or less. Like the regular autos, there will be parallels in purple (10), red (5) and gold (1/1).

Diamond Autographs will be numbered to 25 and will have the same breakdown for parallels in purple (10), red (5) and gold (1/1).

There will be two Autograph Relics per hobby box. Jumbo Patch autos will feature 30 different subjects and will be numbered to 25 or less. These will feature a hard-signed card and an authenticated patch. Parallels can be found in purple, numbered to 10; red (5); and gold (1/1). Meanwhile, 30 Autograph Relic cards will be numbered to 10. Single-player autographed dual relics will be numbered to 10, with dual autographed relic cards also numbered to 10. These cards will have red parallels numbered to 5 and 1/1 gold parallels.

Relic Cards

“Regular” relic cards will fall one per box. There will be 35 single-player relic cards numbered to 10 and five dual book cards numbered to 10. Both will have red parallels numbered to 5 and 1/1 gold parallels.  Diamond relics, featuring a piece of the real gem, will be numbered to 3 and also will have 1/1 gold parallels.

Primary Piece Relic cards will feature jumbo-sized pieces of game-worn cleats and will be numbered to 10. A Spikes Relic gold parallel will be a 1/1 card. In addition, 1/1 MLB Silhouetted Batter Logo Patch cards will feature 15 different subjects.

The cards are premium and scarce and the price point is extremely high but not along the lines of Transcendent. High rollers will enjoy the 100 percent hit rate and the hard-signed cards. But for a four-figure price that Diamond Icons will command, a collector should expect that sort of luxury.

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About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].