Two weeks ahead of the event itself, 2020 Topps Opening Day baseball will put the baseball card calendar’s lowest cost product in the market. Born in 1998, Opening Day is designed to appeal to kids with enough content to keep adults interested.
2020 Topps Opening Day Info and Base Set
Topps will again put 36 packs into an Opening Day hobby box at a cost likely to run $30-$35 at retail. Packs will contain six cards plus one insert. It’s scheduled for release March 11.
The base set includes 200 cards with Opening Day Edition parallels numbered to 2,020, and 1 as well as 1/1 Printing Plates.
There will also be Image Variations for some of the cards in the base set.
Insert Cards
Opening Day will have four new insert sets. Spring has Sprung features “imagery spanning decades of the game’s greatest players honing their craft down at Spring Training,” according to Topps. Walk this Way! features “dynamic shots of current players celebrating walk-off victories from the previous season.” The Lighter Side of Baseball focuses on “funny on-field moments and the most colorful personalities playing the game.” 2020 Topps Sticker Collection Preview are inserts that tease the 2020 Sticker Collection product.
Team Traditions and Celebrations return, showcasing iconic ballpark features and unique events. Opening Day inserts will feature photos from 2019 season openers. Dugout Peeks offer candid shots of big stars in their team’s dugout and Mascot inserts feature MLB team mascots at work.
Interestingly, a preview image from Topps appears to show the Brewers old “ball/glove” logo, indicating the team may be returning to it as their primary mark in 2020.
Autographs and Relics
If you’re buying Opening Day in hopes of pulling a bunch of autographs, you’re not doing it right. As a lower cost product, most boxes won’t have them but there are some.
Opening Day Autographs will include rookies and veteran stars. Base Card Variation parallels will be signed cards from the Image Variation insert set. New this year, Ballpark Profile Autographs will feature broadcasters and personalities signing on-card. Mascot Autographs also return.
New relic sets this year include Major League Mementos which offer pieces of memorabilia from MLB ballparks and Mascot Patches (numbered to 99), Interestingly one preview image has the Milwaukee Brewers old “ball/glove” logo in the corner, indicating the team appears to be returning to it for 2020.
Opening Day Relics, Mascot Relics and Auto Relics and Diamond Relics, which will feature a player along with dirt from his home ballpark. There will be autographed versions in the mix.
You can see boxes, sets, team sets and singles on eBay here.
2020 Topps Opening Day checklist
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