Topps continues its formula of consistency when it releases Series 2 of its 2018 flagship baseball set in June, but with just enough new wrinkles to keep collectors intrigued.
A hobby box will contai
n 36 packs, with 10 cards per pack. Collectors will find either an autograph or relic card. Jumbo boxes will have six packs, with 50 cards per pack. There will be three hits — an autograph card, a relic, and a manufactured 
commemorative relic.
Series 2 is due out the week of June 13.
You can see a preview gallery and the checklist below.
2018 Topps Series 2 Base Set, Parallels
Like Series 1, 2018 Topps Series 2 will feature 350 base cards. Rookies and established players who were not included in the first series will grace Series 2. The design will remain consistent with Series 1: a full-bleed photograph, with a swirling ribbon — that actually looks like a water slide — curling around the player’s name and the team logo.
Numerous parallels will dot the set, beginning with rainbow foil and gold (numbered to 2018). There also will be negative parallels, along with Vintage Stock (numbered to 99), Independence Day (76), black (67), Father’s Day
Powder Blue (50), Mother’s Day Pink (50), Memorial Day Camo (25), hobby-exclusive clear (10), platinum (1/1) and printing plates (1/1). The negative and
black parallels will be exclusive to hobby and jumbo boxes.
Inserts
On the insert front, Topps Tribute returns with another 100-card subset. Some of the themes will be Legends, Rookies, Throwback Uniform Days and other special events and abilities. Also continuing from Series 1 is the tribute to the 1983 Topps set with current players featured in the design used 35 years ago.
Making its debut is the 50-card Instant Impact insert, which highlights the breakthrough seasons of baseball’s newest stars. Longball Legends will recognize the game’s greatest sluggers.
The inserts all have parallels, with bl
ue, black (numbered to 299), gold (50), red (10) and platinum (1/1) sprinkled throughout packs.
Medallions and Manufactured Patches
Exclusive to hobby and jumbo boxes, Topps Team MVP medallion cards will depict the most valuable player 
from each team (as selected by Topps). Each card will contain a special medallion. Gold parallels of these cards will be numbered to 50, with red numbered to 10 and platinum parallels a 1/1 card. Autograph parallel versions, with up to 20 different players featured, will be numbered to 10.
A second hobby-jumbo exclusive will be the 30-card MLB All-Star Game logo patch cards. This set will feature players who excelled during the Midsummer Classic, and also will have parallels in gold (numbered to 50), red (10) and platinum (1/1). Autograph parallels, featuring up to 20 players, will be numbered to 10.
Autographs
Autograph cards will have a 1983 flavor to them. Rookies and All-Star autos sporting an ’83 design also will be issued in parallel form, with gold (nu
mbered to 50), hobby-exclusive red (25) and a 1/1 platinum parallel that can be found in both hobby and jumbo boxes.
Topps Salute Autographs will take on a more modern design and will include up to 70 different players. All will be numbered to 99 or less. Parallels will come in red (numbered to 25) and a 1/1 platinum version.
Relic cards will feature swatches on insert cards. That is the case with Longball Legends relics, which also will have a red parallel numbered to 25 and a 1/1 platinum card. Instant Impact will be featured only in hobby and jumbo packs and will have the same kinds of parallels as Longball Legends. A third relic set, called Major League Material cards, will have parallels in black numbered to 99 or less, plus parallels in gold (50), red (25) and platinum (1/1).
A pair of hobby a
nd jumbo exclusives are both 1/1 offerin
gs: Own the Name, which displays a full letter from a player’s jersey nameplate; and Sketch Cards, which will showcase hand-drawn versions of baseball’s top stars.
Longball Legends and Instant Impact cards also will have autograph relic versions, with red parallels numbered to 25 and 1/1 platinum cards. Major League Material autographs will feature more than 15 players and will have red (25) and platinum (1/1) parallels.
Topps Reverence Autograph Patch cards will be exclusive to hobby and jumbo packs, with red (5) and platinum (1/1) parallels.
To skew an old phrase in a positive light, it can be said that for set builders and collectors of Topps’ flagship product, familiarity breeds content.
You can see sets, boxes and cases available on eBay by clicking here.
2018 Topps Baseball Series 2 Checklist
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