Topps Sticker Box Break Takes You Back

Sometimes, opening a box helps one to return to their roots as a collector. When I was in the midst of opening the 2015 Topps Sticker box my wife commented “well if there are no autographs or memorabilia cards I really don’t want to open this.” She is an example of someone who has only opened packs in the last few years and never did understand the joys of “got him, need him, oh no not another one of him, need him…”

Way back in the day, long before we had all these parallels, inserts and other “hits”, all we had was what we got out of our gum-soaked packs.

That is how I felt when I opened the 2015 Topps Sticker box. One big difference is there are 400 stickers in the box with 50 packs each containing 8 stickers. That is a total of 400 stickers and yet, a complete sticker set is only 300 stickers. This not only guarantees you duplicates in a box but if you and friend each purchase a box, the odds are good you will each complete a set and have stickers left . And if you don’t, a quick trade or two—like in the old days– should get you there.

It’s a kid-centric product but adult collectors who aren’t fixated on pricey inserts will appreciate the nice mix of current players, mascots, team logos and retired superstars. The photos are surrounded by white borders and the team logo, player’s name and position are noted at the card bottom. While perhaps some “pose variations” might induce a little more interest, there is always something nice about having a pure basic set just like in the old days.

Sticker boxes probably offer the best bang for the buck among any Topps product. My local card store (Triple Cards in Plano, TX) did not even stock these sticker packs as they are not something his collector base usually purchases but you can usually find them at $40-45 per unopened box.

I enjoyed seeing some of the retired player poses and the player mix in the box we received from Topps. It was interesting to note there were only a couple of the highest level prospects with the “rookie card” tag even unlike the regular set. Just as in the flagship 2015 Topps Baseball set, Topps did produce a Derek Jeter sticker.

You can find the sticker albums online or at stores which carry baseball cards or you can put them in your own plastic sheets.

Looking at some online comments and social media posts, it’s obvious this annual set has plenty of adult fans who like to escape to something simple once in awhile. If you want an inexpensive fun way to return to one’s collecting roots, opening a couple boxes at a cost of about 10-11 cents each is a nice way to enjoy the hobby. I also hope Topps continues to produce a product that is directed at a youthful audience because we can certainly use as many new, young collectors as we can get.

You can see them on eBay here.