2019 Topps Series 1 Baseball Checklist Released

Some changes are coming with 2019 Topps baseball cards.  Expect to pay a little more for a little less.

After many years of putting 36 ten-card packs into a hobby box, Topps will give collectors 14 cards in a pack but there will be only 24 packs per box.  Jumbo boxes are moving from 50 cards per pack to 46.  The net result is a loss of 24 cards per hobby box and 40 per Jumbo.  Hobby boxes are selling for $50-$60 online with Jumbos typically at $90-$100.

This year’s theme is the 150th anniversary of professional baseball.

Inserts in 2019 Topps Baseball Series 1 highlight 150 years of professional baseball, including a look at some of the greatest players and moments #ToppsBaseball pic.twitter.com/VVGFq4fW6d

— The Topps Company (@Topps) January 24, 2019

The Design

Topps went borderless with its 2018 set but  the borders are (sort of) back in ’19. The company says the border colors will be based on the player’s team.  Complete career statistics are returning to the backs.

Base Set

The base set will again consist of 350 cards with veterans, future stars, rookies, team cards, league leaders, World Series highlights and stadiums among the subjects. 

The set will lead off with 2018 National League Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr. as card #1. 

The National League Rookie of the Year took the honor after thousands of votes were cast by fans and collectors last fall.  The announcement was made on MLB Network’s Hot Stove show on Monday.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to be the Topps Card No. 1,” Acuña Jr., told MLB Network. “Thank you to all the fans that voted for me. I sincerely appreciate their support, as well as the recognition from Topps.”

The Atlanta Braves outfielder took home 12.7 percent of the vote, and follows in a four-year trend of young stars getting the Topps Card. No. 1 nod. The first year of the voting found Mike Trout taking home the honor in 2016, followed by Kris Bryant (2017), and Aaron Judge (2018).

Parallels to the 2019 Topps Series 1 base set include:

• Rainbow Foil Parallel – 1:10 packs
• 150th Anniversary Parallel – 1:6 packs 
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 2019
• Vintage Stock Parallel #’d to 99
• Independence Day Parallel – #’d to 76
• Black Parallel – #’d to 67 HOBBY/HOBBY JUMBO ONLY
• Mother’s Day Pink Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Father’s Day Blue Parallel – #’d to 50
• Memorial Day Camo Parallel #’d to 25
• Clear Parallel (100 subjects) – #’d to 10 HOBBY ONLY
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1.
• Printing Plates – #’d 1/1.

Base Set Single Prints (SP) and Super Short Prints (SSP)

Yes, they’re back.  Early indications that photo variations feature a variety of images, many of the fun variety while others are just different pictures than the standard base version.  Some of the photos were taken of players in streetclothes on the red carpet during last year’s All-Star festivities.  

The best way to identify an SP or SSP is through the code on the back of the card.  Regular cards have #1910; SSPs have #1967 and SSPs will have #1968 printed on them.  Once again, there’s nothing that literally spells out that a card is a short-printed variation.

Inserts

The 150 Years of Professional Baseball inserts should be a favorite with baseball history lovers. They’ll fall into three categories:
• Greatest Players – Highlights fifty of the greatest players to play the game at the professional level.
• Greatest Moments – Celebrating fifty of the most memorable moments from the last 150 years.
• Greatest Seasons – Showcasing the best seasons of past award winners.

Chase elements for the 150 Years inserts will include four parallels, including 1/1 Platinum and autographed versions numbered to 25.

A related insert is Evolution of: which will mark the changes in professional baseball from inception to its sesquicentennial year.
• Team Logos/Uniforms
• Stadiums
• Equipment

All will have the following parallels:
• 150th Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 150.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1.

Revolution of the Game inserts feature non-player subjects that had what Topps calls “a revolutionary effect on the game.” Look for:
• 150th Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 150.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1.
• Autograph Parallel – #d to 199 or less

Topps should make fans of the 80s happy with its 1984-style inserts, which celebrate the 35th anniversary of the unique set. The checklist will include current players and retired stars with an anniversary logo.  Each will have three parallels including the 150th Anniversary (# to 150), Red (# to 10) and 1/1 Platinum versions.

Greatness Returns are dual-player cards that pair past and present players with the 150th, Red and Platinum parallels along for the ride.  Iconic Card Reprints, we assume, will be as the name suggests and there will be autograph parallels numbered to 25. 

Sketch Cards 

Sketch artists will create over 100 cards for 2019 Topps.  All, of course, are numbered 1 of 1.

Autograph Cards

Legacy of Baseball Autographs will highlight players across all eras and include:

• 150th Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 150.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50 or less.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25 or less.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1

There will also be dual Legacy of Baseball versions, numbered to 5.

World Series Champions and Postseason Performance will feature players from the 2018 playoffs, all numbered to 50 or less and signed.  Look for Red (# to 25) and Platinum (1/1) parallels.  There will also be auto relics for both of those subsets.

Exclusive to Hobby and Hobby Jumbo packs will be Topps Reverence Autograph Patch Cards, described as a “high end card featuring on-card autographs and premium relic pieces.”  Each will be numbered to 10.

A Don Mattingly rookie-style card with an autograph?  Yup.  Those 1984-style cards will also have autographed versions with parallels to chase: 

• 150th Anniversary – #’d to 150.
• Gold – #’d to 50 or less.
• Red – #’d to 25 or less. HOBBY EXCLUSIVE
• Platinum – #’d 1/1. 

Major League Materials is another auto relic hit, highlighting what Topps calls “impact players from each MLB team, past and present.”  All are numbered to 50 or less with Red and Platinum parallels.

Relic Cards

New this year, Historic Homes Relic cards celebrating fields and stadiums from the past and In The Name Relics
with nameplate letters from the All-Star Game Workout jerseys.  All are 1/1.

Other relic card subsets include:

Major League Material with:
• 150th Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 150.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1. HOBBY/HOBBY JUMBO ONLY

1984 Topps Baseball Relics with:
• 150th Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 150.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1. HOBBY/HOBBY JUMBO ONLY

World Series Champion Relic Cards– Sequentially #’d to 99.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1.

Postseason Performance Relic Cards – Sequentially #’d to 99.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1.

Manufactured relic cards return in the form of  Retro Hat Logo Patches which will feature current stars alongside cap logos from retro uniforms.  They’ll only be found in Hobby or Hobby Jumbo boxes and will include:

• 150th Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 150.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1.
• Autograph Parallel – Sequentially #’d to 10.

Also new and exclusive to hobby boxes are  150th Anniversary Commemorative Medallion cards with a checklist of past greats  accompanied by a 150th Anniversary Medallion. Those will have five different parallels including an autographed version: 

• 150th Anniversary – #’d to 150
• Gold  – #’d to 50
• Red – #’d to 25
• Platinum – #’d 1/1
• Autograph – Sequentially #’d to 10.

There will also be 1/1 Cut Signature cards in Series 1.

Returning for 2019, Silver Packs will again be part of a hobby shop promotion with packs of exclusive cards handed out for each box.  

• You can buy 2019 Topps Series 1 baseball by clicking here. 
• 2019 Topps Series 1 Checklist

2019 Topps Silver Packs checklist 

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About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]