Higher-end issues like 2015 Topps Tier One generally draw a lot of interest upon release. What do the cards really look like? How many Hall of Famers and young superstars are there? Is it worth taking a chance on a box? Can I get back what I put in if I decide to sell?
There are plenty of people who open Tier One and similar issues are looking for cards which they feel they can sell to recoup their investment or—if they’re lucky—turn a profit. Meanwhile, many collectors are happy to wait to purchase the not as popular players much cheaper on the secondary market than they would have paid on a per card cost basis out of the packs.
Tier One has been a fairly strong seller in hobby shops. It’s currently selling for $90-95 from leading on-line retailers before shipping.
There aren’t any true “base cards” but I would say the relic cards are sort of along those lines with the player photo on the 
left side of the card and a relic piece on the right side. The player’s name and position is at the bottom
. The back has a career highlight.
One in every four boxes contains an additional relic and the box we received from Topps was one of those. Here’s what we pulled:
Relics: Felix Hernandez (#d to 399); Mark McGwire (#d to 199)
New Guard Autograph (#d to 299) Jonathan Schoop
Acclaimed Autograph (#d to 399): Carlos Baerga
Both autographs were on card, which is what Topps promised.
While the extra card was nice, you can usually bet that if you’re getting an extra relic, your autographs aren’t going to be top notch. If I bought for flipping, I didn’t do well. However, as a collector, I understand why Tier One has a following. Overall, 
the design is simple and clean. It feels like a higher-end product and making it a ‘hits only’ product is OK, even at the sub-$100 level.
We know from looking at the checklist there were a lot of iconic players who signed for the product so your luck may be better. Just don’t go in expecting to turn a profit—something that’s true with any new release.
You can check for Tier one singles on eBay (and see boxes) here.
Next up for release? 2015 Topps Archives Baseball
