Topps is getting its Living Set artist some help. Illustrator Jared Kelley is joining Mayumi Seto to contribute original paintings that will be turned into cards.
Seto has been the lone artist working on the program since it debuted in 2018. Topps says Kelley’s “vivid and lifelike portraits have earned him acclaim among the art and card collecting community.”
His first contribution is a card of Gerrit Cole available as part of this week’s Living Set releases.
Topps has now produced 377 cards for the Living Set, with new cards released each week at a cost of $7.99.
Topps has also made some changes to its Throwback Thursday sets.
Instead of simple sets consisting of several cards honoring past Topps designs, they’ll be pushing out bigger sets issued over four week periods. Three cards will be produced each week, all part of a 12-card set.
Topps will also randomly insert photo variations in every 20 packs and have parallel versions numbered to 10, 5 and 1. The packaging for each set will be different as well.
The first set of 2021 is pattered after the 1961 Bazooka baseball set.
The three-card packs are priced at $14.99 or slightly cheaper in quantity. They’re available via this link.
Burke Waldron, the World War II veteran who appeared on a “First Pitch” card in 2016 Topps Update, died last week.
The spry Washington native famously tossed his pitch at a Mariners game and was overjoyed when collectors and fans began sending him the cards to be autographed. He was 96.
Waldron was proud of his military service and often became emotional when talking about it after he gained some fame for his appearances at parades that helped inspire the Seattle Mariners’ invitation to throw out the first pitch.
His life is certainly worth remembering.
You may not know the name Howard Shelton, but he’s an important player in the modern baseball memorabilia side of things. Shelton was among those who got the MLB Authentication program up and running years ago.
A long-time MLB employee, he talked with the Philadelphia Inquirer about the beginning of the program and some of what he witnessed during his tenure.
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