The annual mini tour through baseball card history resumes with 2019 Topps Archives baseball, due to arrive late this summer. This year’s product will not only include the use of some past designs, but also offer a career send off to a newly retired great, a shout out to the Montreal Expos in what would have been their 50th anniversary season and the wink to a 1990s Topps publication.
2019 Topps Archives Configuration and Base Set
There’s no change from last year on the content side of Archives. Each hobby box will have 24 packs with eight cards per pack and two autographs per box.
While those hits are certainly part of the attraction, Archives is built around past card designs. The base set is once again 300 cards, split up equally on designs that mimic the 1958, 1975 and 1993 Topps designs. Current players and past greats–even Babe Ruth–
will be on the checklist, which will be released about a week before the release date of August 21.
As usual, there will be parallels for the base set including:
• Purple Parallel: sequentially numbered to 175.
• Silver Parallel: sequentially numbered to 99.
• Blue Parallel: sequentially numbered to 25. (hobby only)
• Gold Foilboard Parallel: numbered 1-of-1.
Topps also hinted that other parallels may be added before production.
Archives Inserts
Ichiro will be a big part of this year’s Archives set with a special ‘Retrospective’ set. Topps will reprint the base cards from throughout his career, starting with his 2001 rookie card. Each will include a special gold foil logo. Some of the cards will be short-printed. Parallels include:
• Blue Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 150.
• Green Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 99.
• Gold Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 50.
• Red Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 10.
• Black Foil Logo Parallel: Numbered 1-of-1.
Parallels for the still unidentified SPs from the Ichiro set will include Green, Gold, Red and Black, all serial-numbered as above.
Vlad’s back…and so are some other ex-Expos in the 50th anniversary tribute to Canada’s first MLB team (now the Washington Nationals). Parallels for the Expos inserts include:
• Blue Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 150.
• Green Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 99.
• Gold Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 50.
• Red Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 10.
• Black Foil Logo Parallel: Numbered 1-of-1.
1994 Future Star Inserts will include current ‘future stars’ in MLB as well as ‘future stars’ from 25 years ago.
Topps Magazine inserts will either recreate or be inspired by the covers of the old Topps Magazine that lasted for a few years. There will also be inserts designed along the lines of the 1975 Topps Highlights and Minis and 1993 Topps rookies.
Archives Autographs
2019 Topps Archives autograph content is built around what Topps calls “personalities, fan favorites, retired greats and active MLB stars, on vintage Topps card designs.” Sandy Koufax autographs will be among the big pulls. Look for:
• Purple Parallel: sequentially numbered to 150.
• Silver Parallel: sequentially numbered to 99.
• Blue Parallel: numbered to 25. HOBBY ONLY
• Gold Parallel: numbered 1-of-1.
The insert cards in Archives will have autograph versions. The Ichiro signed cards will be tough, with each one numbered only to 5 and a 1/1 Black Foil parallel.
Parallels for the Expos autographs will also be in the mix including:
• Green Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 99.
• Gold Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 50.
• Red Foil Logo Parallel: sequentially numbered to 10.
• Black Foil Logo Parallel: Numbered 1-of-1.
1978 Topps Record Breaker Autographs will recreate that design with a signature. All will be numbered to 25 with Red (# to 10) and 1/1 Gold versions.
1994 Future Stars autographs will include Blue (# to 25); Red (# to 10) and 1/1 Gold Parallels.
The rare Topps Magazine autograph cards will have Blue (# to 25) and 1/1 Golds to chase.
The Topps Originals concept features an assortment of buyback cards from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, which will be autographed by the players featured. All will be numbered to 10.
Topps appears to be touting on-card autographs for most, if not all Archives cards.
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