Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring but the arrival of a new season’s cards makes it actually happen.
The annual kick off to the baseball card collecting season is scheduled to release with the arrival of 2020 Topps Series 1 on Wednesday, February 5. A full Series 1 checklist is below along with a link to find boxes online. It’s one of the year’s biggest sale days for hobby shops, too.
This year’s theme is a “Celebration of the Decades” and there’s a contest to go with that.
2020 Topps Series 1 Basics
Packs will come in standard Hobby and Jumbo configurations in addition to the usual retail packs and blaster boxes typically found in retailers Target, Walmart and Meijer.
Hobby boxes will again contain 14 cards per pack and 24 packs per box with the promise of one autograph or relic card. They’re available for $50-$60. Jumbos will guarantee and autograph and two relic cards and hold 46 cards in all. They can be found for a little over $100 (see both on eBay here).
The card design will be borderless with the player’s name running up the left side of the card and a team logo on the lower left.
Base Set
The base set will contain 350 cards and it’s hardly a stretch that Series 2 will too when it arrives later in the year.
Parallel versions of the base cards will include:
• Rainbow Foil Parallel – 1:10 packs
• Gold Foil Parallel – 1:2 packs Hobby Jumbo Only
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 2020
• Vintage Stock Parallel – #’d to 99
• Independence Day Parallel – #’d to 76
• Black Parallel – #’d to 69 Hobby/Hobby Jumbo Only
• Mother’s Day Hot Pink Parallel – #’d to 50
• Father’s Day Blue Parallel – #’d to 50
• Memorial Day Camo Parallel – #’d to 25
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1.
• Printing Plates – #’d 1-of-1.
• Clear Variation – #’d to 10 Hobby Only
Insert Cards
Some new insert sets focused on the decade theme will be found in 2020 Topps.
Decades Best will be on unique designs celebrating seven decades between the 1950 and 2010s. Each decade will feature top 10 lists of the Best Teams, Best Hitters, Best Pitchers, and Award Winners.
• Blue Parallel – Limited.
• Black Parallel – #’d to 299.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1.
• Autograph Parallel – #d to 25 or less.
Topps asked collectors to vote on their favorite designs through the years and the results will play out in Topps Choice, an insert set that will include current and former players in those throwback designs picked by fans.
• Blue Parallel – Limited.
• Black Parallel – #’d to 299.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1.
• Autograph Parallel – #d to 25 or less.
Decade’s Next will focus on a top young star or rookie from each MLB team.
• Blue Parallel – Limited.
• Black Parallel – #’d to 299.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1.
• Autograph Parallel – #d to 25 or less.
Decade of Dominance Die Cuts will feature players who dominated a particular era.
• Blue Parallel – Limited.
• Black Parallel – #’d to 299.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1.
• Autograph Parallel – #d to 25 or less.
Topps will also have an insert set celebrating the 35th anniversary of the 1985 Topps set with a mix of past and present players on the checklist. 1/1 Blue parallels will be in the mix.
2020 Topps Series 1 Autograph Cards
Baseball Stars Autographs and Dual Autographs will feature current and former players with these parallels:
• Black Parallel – #’d to 199.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1.
The Dual versions will be numbered to 5.
World Series Champion Autograph cards will showcase players on the 2019 World Series
champion team. All will be numbered to 50 or less. Each will have Red (# to 25) and 1/1 Platinum parallels.
Postseason Performance Autographs will include signatures from players who performed well in the 2019 post-season.
Sequentially #’d to 50 or less.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25 or less.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1.
1985 Topps Baseball Autographs will be signed versions of the inserts mentioned above with rookies, veterans and former players signing ’85-style cards.
• Black Parallel – #’d to 199.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25. (Hobby Exclusive)
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1. (Hobby and Jumbo only)
Series 1 will also include a checklist of Cut Signature cards.
Relic Cards
Among the relic subsets are Major League Materials.
• Black Parallel – #’d to 199.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1. (Hobby and Jumbo only)
1985 Topps Baseball Relics will put a piece of memorabilia on the 1985 design.
• Black Parallel – #’d to 199.
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50.
• Red Parallel – #’d to 25.
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1-of-1. (Hobby and Jumbo only)
World Series Champion and Postseason Performance relics will be numbered to 99 with Red (# to 25) and 1/1 Platinum versions.
In The Name relics will be nameplate letters taken from the 2019 All-Star Game workout jerseys. Each, of course, will be 1/1.
Autographed Relics
Auto relics start with Topps Reverence which have on-card autos and premium relic pieces. Each will be numbered to 10 with Red (# to 5) and 1/1 Platinum versions. They’ll be exclusive to Hobby and Jumbo boxes.
Major League Materials will include autographs and relics from a checklist of top players across MLB. They’ll be numbered to 50, 25 (Red) or 1 (Platinum).
Commemorative Relics
Look for non-game-used patch cards called Jumbo Jersey Sleeves as well as Global Game Medallion cards in Hobby and Jumbo boxes. Each will have Black (# to 149); Gold (# to 50); Red (# to 10) and Platinum (1/1) parallels as well as autograph parallels that are numbered to 10 or less.
2020 Topps Silver Packs
Silver packs will return with each Hobby box containing one pack and Jumbos having two. They’ll be on the 1985 Topps design and printed on Chrome stock. Numbered autographs and parallels will be sprinkled in. Veterans, rookies and retired greats will be on the checklist.
Celebration of the Decades Sweepstakes
Topps is touting a “Celebration of the Decades” party later this year in Las Vegas with a ticket giveaway that will take place with “golden tickets” found in Series 1 and Series 2.
Fifty tickets will be randomly inserted into packs–split across both series–each offering the chance to meet players “across various MLB generations,” according to Topps.
2020 Topps Home Run Challenge
The Home Run Challenge is back again in Series 1. Collectors who pull any HR Challenge card and predict a game in which that player hits a homer will be entered to win a trip to the 2021 Home Run Derby.
Topps was scheduled to kick off Series 1 with the “Million Card Rip Party” at AT&T Stadium in Dallas a day ahead of the product’s official release.
2020 Topps Baseball Series 1 Checklist
You can find boxes and sets of 2020 Topps Series 1 for sale on eBay here.
Related Stories:
2020 Topps Series 2 Baseball Preview
2020 Topps Update Baseball Will Include Prospects
2020 Topps Chrome Baseball Preview
Topps Seeks Votes to Decide Card No. 1 in 2020 Series 1 Set
Topps Names 2019 All-Rookie Team
Sports Card Release Calendar: 1/23/20 – 2/13/20
Topps to Kick Off 2020 Series 1 with “Million Card Rip Party”
Topps Unveils 2020 Flagship Set Design
Notes: “Pop Up” Auction; Kobe Call; NY Times on Series 1 as Golden Tickets Emerge
Notes: Vote on Favorite Topps Designs; Hobbyist Profiles; NSCC Signing Update
