With some new parallels and inserts, 2022 Topps Finest Baseball returns with chromium challenges for collectors.
The format remains the same for hobby boxes when the product is released on Friday, January 20. The master box is broken into two mini-boxes, with six packs per mini. There are five cards per pack, and Topps is promising one autograph per mini-box. A checklist is available at the bottom of the page.
Base Set
There will be 100 cards in the base set and a 25 Extended Series short prints.
Parallels will see the debuts of Green Lava Refractors, numbered to 99, and Red/Black Vapor Refractors, numbered to 10.
Here are the other parallels for the base set, all of them refractors:
- Base (one in every three packs)
- Sky Blue (300)
- Purple (250)
- Blue/Aqua Vapor (250)
- Aqua (199)
- Aqua Shimmer (175)
- Blue (150)
- Green Speckle (125)
- Green (99)
- Rose Gold (75)
- Rose Gold Mini-Diamond (50)
- Gold (50)
- Orange (25)
- Red (5)
- Purple/Pink Vapor (3)
- SuperFractor – 1/1
The Extended Base set, card Nos. 101 to 125, will have three refractor parallels to chase: Gold, numbered to 50; Red (5) and SuperFractor (1/1).
The base set will also include a Finest Rookies Design variation, which will fall every 24 packs — basically, one in every other hobby box. There are four parallels for these cards: Refractors, numbered to 99; Gold Refractor (50); Red Refractor (5) and SuperFractor (1/1).
Inserts
Three new insert sets will debut in 2022 Topps Finest.
Dipping back into the vault, 1994 Topps Cornerstones borrows heavily from the 1994-1995 Finest basketball insert design. The cards will fall one in every four packs. There will be parallels in Gold Refractor (numbered to 50), Red Refractor (5) and SuperFractor (1/1).
Aura of Excellence, which falls every six packs, uses a wavy vibration design to highlight the game’s top stars, rookies and legends who “emanate vibrations of excellence for all to see,” according to Topps. There also will be Gold Refractor parallels, numbered to 50, along with Red (5), SuperFractor (1/1).
The Finest Career Years Die-Cut insert is not really new, but its concept for 2022 is different. The insert will fall once in every 48 packs. Previously, the insert has honored an individual player; this year, the career theme concentrates more on MLB superstars and their career years. Parallels can be found in Gold Refractors, numbered to 50; Red (5); and SuperFractor (1/1).
Autographs
Signature cards will use the layouts from the base set and the Finest Rookie Design variations.
Finest Autographs and the Finest Rookie Design variations will have refractor parallels in Blue, numbered to 150, along with Green (99), Green Wave (99), Gold (50), Orange (25), Red (5), Red Wave (5) and SuperFractor (1/1).
Returning this year are Finest Moments Autographs, which features a milestone or a major highlight from the subject’s career. Parallels will be available in Gold Refractors (numbered to 50), Orange (25), Red (5) and SuperFractors (1/1).
1994 Finest Cornerstone Autographs follow the same design pattern as the insert, with base card and parallels in Orange Refractor (25), Red (5) and SuperFractor (1/1). The same setup applies to Aura of Excellence Autographs.
Finest Career Years Die-Cut Autograph variation cards will be numbered to 10. There are also Finest Originals Buyback Autographs, which use Finest cards from previous years.
The Finest Mystery Redemption card will be numbered to 99, but collectors will not know who the player is until Topps announces it at a later date.
2022 Topps Finest Hobby boxes are available for around $220 on eBay.
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