Topps will continue its 70th-anniversary celebration with the Series 2 release of its flagship product. Set for release the week of June 9, 2021 Topps Series 2 Baseball will offer a large base set, some parallels continuing from Series 1, and some new wrinkles too.
A hobby box will include 24 packs, with 14 cards to a pack. Topps says there will be one autograph or memorabilia card in each box. Each HTA jumbo box will have 10 packs per box, with 46 cards to a pack including one autograph and two memorabilia cards.
Like Series 1, there will be 25 special tickets inserted into random packs. Each winner and a guest will be invited to a unique event that will feature players and exclusive items. The event is scheduled to be held sometime in the fall of 2021.
2021 Topps Series 2 Configuration and Base Set
The base set for Series 2 will mirror Series 1 again with 330 cards. Topps will stick to the same pattern as the first series, featuring major league veterans, rookies, future stars and team cards.
There will be plenty of parallels:
- Gold Foil — 1:2 packs (Jumbo)
- Rainbow Foil — 1:10 packs
- Gold — #’d/2,021
- Vintage Stock — #’d/99
- Independence Day— #’d/76
- Black— #’d/70 (Hobby/Jumbo)
- Platinum Anniversary— #’d/70
- Mother’s Day Pink — #’d/50
- Father’s Day Blue— #’d/50
- Memorial Day— #’d/25
- Clear Variation– #’d/10 (Hobby exclusive)
- Platinum— #’d 1/1
- 70th Anniversary Printing Plates— #’d 1/1
Insert sets
A fresh group of 70 players will be featured in the 70 Years of Topps Baseball inserts. The players will be showcased on Topps base card designs from the previous 70 years of sets. Select subjects will be included in an autograph parallel that will be numbered to 10 or less.
Exclusive to jumbo boxes are chrome versions of 70 Years of Topps Baseball. These cards will be included as box toppers in the jumbo boxes, with two cards to a pack. There will also be a 1/1 Superfractor.
Home Run Challenge will feature 30 different players and will fall one per hobby and jumbo box. Collectors who predict the correct game a subject hits a home run will win an exclusive card.
A new insert will be DH Debuts, which looks at the MLB’s first season of universal designated hitters. Before 2020, the only time the DH was used by both leagues was during interleague games at American League parks, or during World Series games at AL stadiums. This insert set will feature those players who became National League designated hitters during the 2020 season.
Parallels will include:
- Blue – limited
- Black — #’d to 299
- Platinum Anniversary — #’d to 70
- Red — #’d to 10
- Gold — #’ 1 of 1
- Autograph (select subjects) — #’d to 10 or less
The Zero to Sixty insert set is also new. Playing off the abbreviated 60-game schedule MLB adopted because of the coronavirus pandemic, the subset compares 2020 statistic leaders with other past 60-game stretches.
Parallels will include:
- Blue — limited
- Black — #’d to 299
- Platinum Anniversary — #’d to 70
- Red — #’d to 10
- Gold — #’ 1 of 1
- Autograph (select subjects) – #’d to 10 or less
Significant Statistics will focus on the advanced stat leaders from 2020.
Parallels will include:
- Blue — limited
- Black — #’d to 299
- Platinum Anniversary — #’d to 70
- Red– #’d to 10
- Gold Parallel — #’d 1 of 1
The Topps Platinum Players Die Cuts insert subset continues from Series 1, adding 25 cards in a 70-card set. These inserts highlight the 70 greatest players to be featured on a Topps trading card.
Parallels will include:
- Blue — limited
- Black — #’d to 299
- Platinum Anniversary — #’d to 70
- Red — #’d to 10
- Gold — #’d 1/1
- Autograph (select subjects) — #’d to 10 or less
It is hard to believe so much time has passed, but Topps will be celebrating the 35th anniversary of the 1986 Topps baseball set. 
The Topps 1986 Baseball insert will include current stars, rookies and retired greats on a 1986 design.
Parallels will include:
- Blue — limited
- Black Parallel — #’d to 299
- Platinum Anniversary — #’d to 70
- Red — #’d to 10
- Gold — #’d 1/1
Also playing off the 1986 nostalgia is a 1986 Topps All-Star Baseball insert. The subjects will be All-Stars from the past and present.
Parallels will include:
- Blue — limited
- Black — #’d to 299
- Platinum Anniversary — #’d to 70
- Red — #’d to 10
- Gold Parallel — #’d 1/1
Exclusive to hobby and jumbo boxes, Sketch Cards will feature hand-drawn art of some of the game’s top stars. Shaped Sketch Cards, also exclusive to hobby and jumbo boxes, will be limited to 70 total cards.
Relics
Relics will be plentiful in Series 2, with Major League Materials, 1986 Topps Baseball Relics and 1986 Topps All-Stars Baseball Relics.
Parallels for all three subsets are:
- Black – #’d to 199
- Gold- #’d to 50
- Red – #’d to 25
- Platinum – #’d 1/1
Significant Statistics Relic Cards will be sequentially numbered to 99 or less, with parallels in Red, numbered to 25, and 1/1 Platinum.
In the Name Relics are 1/1 cards that feature individual letters from game-worn, major league jersey nameplates.
Commemorative Relics
Topps will include some special commemorative relics, including World Series Rings. This hobby/jumbo exclusive has a base version that is limited to 199.
Parallels will include:
- Platinum Anniversary — #’d to 70
- Red — #’d to 10
- Gold — #’d 1 of 1
There also will be an Autograph Parallel numbered to 10 or fewer.
Another hobby/jumbo exclusive is the Rookie Card Patches subset. As the name implies, the insert will showcase the top rookies in 2021, featuring commemorative patches of the RC logo.
Parallels will include:
- Platinum Anniversary — #’d to 70
- Red — #’d to 10
- Gold — #’d 1 of 1
An Autograph Parallel will be numbered to 10 or less.
Autograph Cards
Autograph cards will be well-represented in Series 2. The 70 Years of Baseball Autographs will feature players from all eras of the game.
Parallels will include:
- Black — #’d to 199
- Gold — #’d to 50
- Red — #’d to 25
- Platinum — #’d 1/1
There also will be dual autograph cards in this subset, which will be numbered to 5.
1986 Topps Baseball Autographs will feature on-card signatures, featuring current and legendary major league stars.
Parallels will include:
- Black — #’d to 199
- Gold — #’d to 50
- Red — #’d to 25
- Platinum — #’d 1/1
There also will be autograph cards for the Midsummer Classic stars, with 1986 Topps All-Star Baseball Autograph Cards. Like the inserts, these cards will feature major league All-Stars from the past and present.
Parallels will include:
- Black — #’d to 50
- Gold — #’d to 25
- Red — #’d to 10
- Platinum — #’d 1/1
Significant Statistics Autographs will be numbered to 50 or less, with parallels in Red (numbered to 25) and Platinum. Rounding out the signed cards are 1/1 Cut Signatures.
Autograph Relics
Three subsets combine memorabilia and autographs: Topps Reverence Autograph Patch cards feature on-card signatures and premium game-used relics and will be numbered to 10. Parallels will be in Red, numbered to 5, and Platinum 1/1 cards.
Major League Material Autograph Relics and Significant Statistics Autograph Relic Cards will be numbered to 50 or less, with parallels in Red (25) and Platinum (1/1).
Silver Packs
The Series 2 set is part of the Silver Pack program. Hobby boxes will include one of these packs, while jumbo will contain two.
You can check box prices on eBay here.
2021 Topps Series 2 Baseball Checklist
Related Stories:
Topps Releases 2022 Baseball Card Design
Sports Card Release Calendar 6/11/21 – 6/29/21
2021 Topps Update Baseball Preview and Checklist
Sports Card Release Calendar: 3/3/21 Through 3/23/21
Topps Series 1 Rip Party Brings in Former Stars, Vintage Packs…and Budweiser
2021 Topps Series 1 Baseball Checklist
First Look at 2021 Topps Baseball Design
McCutchen’s Swaggerific Series 2 Card Generates Buzz
