The annual cap on the trilogy of MLB flagship trading card product releases will arrive again this fall with 2018 Topps Update baseball.
The product will be distributed in two forms: standard Hobby boxes of 36 ten-card packs and 50-card ten-pack Jumbo boxes. A full checklist is below.
2018 Topps Update Baseball Basics
Hobby boxes will have either one autographed card or one memorabilia card (likely at around $60 per box upon release). The Jumbos will guarantee one auto and two memorabilia cards (probable cost of $90-$100).
The product will once again be focused on players featured in new uniforms after trades or free agent signings that took place in the off-season, rookies who made their debuts early this year and content focused around last season’s All-Star Game.
Base Set and Parallels
The base set will include a checklist of 300 cards with plenty of parallels to chase, for those so inclined. They’ll include:
• Gold Parallel – Numbered to 2018.
• Rainbow Foil Parallel – Inserted 1:10 packs.
• Vintage Stock Parallel – Numbered to 99.
• Independence Day Parallel – Numbered to 76.
• Black Parallel – Numbered to 66
• Mother’s Day Hot Pink Parallel – Numbered to 50.
• Father’s Day Powder Blue Parallel – Numbered to 50.
• Negative Parallel – Limited
• Memorial Day Parallel – Numbered to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – Numbered 1/1.
• Printing Plates – Numbered 1/1.
Topps is also promising there will be short prints, super short prints and short print autograph parallels.
Look for a few new inserts including An International Affair, which according to Topps will be “celebrating the international makeup of team rosters, both past and present.” There will be parallels which include:
Storybook Endings is another new insert. It’ll highlight the final year in the careers of former greats. Both insert sets will have parallels including:
The third new insert set is Don’t Blink!, which is focused on the fastest players in baseball history.
Topps Salute and 1983-style cards that debuted earlier in the season will return with a fresh checklist of new cards.
Look for the insert sets to have parallel versions including:
- Blue Parallel – Limited.
- Black Parallel – Numbered to 299.
- Gold Parallel – Numbered to 50.
- Red Parallel – Numbered to 10.
- Platinum Parallel – Numbered 1/1.
- Autograph Parallel – Sequentially numbered to 10 or less.
Relic Card
MLB Post-Season Logo Patch cards will featu
re the some of the notable players to participate in the playoffs over the past few seasons. They’ll come with Gold (# to 99); Blue (# to 50); Red (# to 10), Autograph (# to 10) and Platinum (1/1) parallels.
Autographs
Topps mentioned ‘Cut Signatures’ in their promotional material but no further details were released. It’s probably safe to assume they’ll be 1/1 autographs of some past greats and tough to find.
1983-style cards get the autograph treatment with Black (# to 99); Gold (# to
50) and Red (# to 10) parallels. They won’t be found at retail outlets; only in Hobby and Jumbo boxes.
Topps Reverence Autograph Patch cards will be numbered to 10, only found in Hobby/Jumbo boxes and include both Red and Platinum parallels.
All-Star Stitches and Dual Autograph cards will all be numbered to 25 or less with Jumbo Patch cards limited to 10. Look for Gold and Red low-numbered parallels for each.
Relic Cards
All-Star Stitches 
will include Blue (# to 50); Gold (# to 25) and Red (1/1) parallels with Dual and Triple versions numbered to 25. All-Star Jumbo Patches will be numbered to just 5 or less with 1/1 Platinum parallels.
Own The Name relic cards will be numbered 1/1 and feature nameplate letters from player jerseys, giving collectors the Huculean task of finding all of the letters to create the player’s name.
The Topps Silver Pack program will return with dealers ready to hand out one of the special 1983-themed packs with each Hobby box and two with each Jumbo.
The release date for 2018 Topps Update baseball is October 22. You can see cases, boxes, sets and more on eBay by clicking here.
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