The first regular season games will still be a little over three weeks away when the first boxes hit store shelves, but 2021 Topps Opening Day will whet the appetite of both younger and older fans when the annual release arrives on March 10.
Designed in large part to appeal to kids and adults who prefer less expensive products, Opening Day is a collector-oriented product.
2021 Topps Opening Day Configuration and Base Set
Both the price and content will remain steady with Opening Day once again slated to be among the most inexpensive traditional baseball card sets Topps pushes out each year. Look for hobby boxes to contain 36 packs with seven cards per pack including one insert for around $30-$35 per box.
The base set will consist of 220 cards–that’s 20 more than the 2020 edition had. The design will again be somewhat similar to what we’ll see across Series 1, 2 and Update.
There will be Opening Day Parallels for all 220 cards, including a 1/1 edition.
Inserts
Look out for Insert cards from the following sets:
o Outstanding Opening Day
o Legends of Baseball (focused on past greats)
o Mascots (always a part of the checklist)
o Opening Day (photos from 2020 Opening Day games)
o Sticker Collection Preview (a preview of the upcoming Topps Sticker set).
Some of the inserts will be harder to find than others, including:
o Walk this Way!
o Opening Day Origins
o Dugout Peeks
o Base Card Variations
Autographs, Auto Relics and Relics
Probably the most sought after cards in Opening Day will be the new Turf War Dual Diamond Relic cards. They’ll pair players from rival clubs and include dirt from big league parks, embedded in the card.
Other Relic cards include:
o Opening Day Relics
o Mascot Relics
o Diamond Relics
o Major League Mementos Relics
o Mascot Patch Relics
Look for around 30 players on the primary Opening Day Autographs checklist. Ballpark Profile and Mascot Autographs will also be in the mix.
Autographed Diamond Relic dirt cards will be similar to the unsigned Turf War relics but with a signature included. Up to 15 players will be possible.
Mascot Autograph Relic cards are also planned.
Boxes and sets are available on eBay.