In our newest round of Better Than a Box, we are going to pit the upcoming 2023 Topps Tribute Baseball hobby box against a lineup of four beautiful Bryce Harper cards.
Stepping up to the plate with a presell price in the ballpark of $540, we can definitely find you some sweet Bryce bangers for that price or less.
There’s no debate that Topps Tribute is a beautiful product full of high-end autographs and even high end memorabilia (yes, that still is a thing today) but we can get a uniquely great collection of Harper cards if you choose the single card, hand selected card collecting route.
Unless you have been living under a non sports rock, you know what Bryce Harper is all about.
One of the biggest prospects in baseball history, Harper was a household name by the time he was a teenager. The prodigy left his Las Vegas area high school after his sophomore year to attend the College of Southern Nevada, where he won the prestigious Golden Spikes award in 2010.
The Washington Nationals made him the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Harper wasted no time making an impact at the big league level, as he was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2012.
At just 30 years old, Harper has already put up Hall of Fame worthy numbers. The superstar is a seven time All Star, a two time National League MVP, an NLCS MVP, a two time Silver Slugger award winner and a two time Hank Aaron Award winner. Harper also, for good measure, led the league in home runs in 2015 and won the Home Run Derby in 2018.
As far as straight statistics, Harper should reach 1,500 hits and 300 career home runs this season. Putting him well on his way to some gaudy career numbers.
The bearded, brash superstar is now officially back in the Phils lineup after Tommy John surgery and even belted his first HR of the season last night.
The Rookie Card
Leading off the lot is a rookie card for our Harper haul. Our choice is the 2012 Topps Chrome PSA 10 rookie. The shiny, eye catching and instantly recognizable Topps Chrome brand is a natural choice. This one pictures Harper and his signature swing as he follows through after making contact with the pitch. The all-important PSA 10 slab makes this an absolute winner. Currently selling for around $180, this is a worthy addition to any Bryce Harper or rookie card collection.
The Autographed Card
Next up is our autograph of choice, and our choice comes from the 2018 Topps Highlights insert set. The picture on this card is a crisp, clear, and offers an almost artistic image of Harper, again, with his signature follow through after a big hack at the plate. The sticker auto is placed perfectly on the card, and the clear beautiful font and ribbon design at the bottom of the card sets it off perfectly. As an added bonus, this beauty is encased (forgive the obnoxious Topps sticker) and lands as card number 6 of 10 total copies produced, making it a beautiful and quite limited addition to the collection. With recent sales of just barely $100, this is a hand signed cornerstone of our collection.
The Memorabilia Card
Our memorabilia card of choice comes from the 2014 version of the Topps Allen & Ginter product. Always a fan favorite throwback design, this horizontal card features a piece of game used memorabilia, in this case, a bat from one of Harper’s pieces of lumber. For right around $20, this fits our budget perfectly and is a nice representation of what Bryce in known for-hitting the damn ball.
The Numbered Card
For our final card in the collection, we have to show love to the two-time MVPs current team, the Philadelphia Phillies. We find a newer 2022 Topps Red Ice SP parallel, which also acts as a color match to the beautiful Phillies red pinstriped uniform that Harper is featured in on the card. This one sparkles and shines and is a great clean up card at just over 15 bucks all in.
We are well aware of how beautiful a product Topps Tribute has been and will likely continue to be but we’re also well aware that, like many higher end products on the market, it can be hit and miss. You could take your chances with the big boy box or hit four guaranteed home runs with these Bryce Harper beauties.
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