The 2015 baseball card season was another exciting year for collectors seeking the thrill of ripping packs in search of their favorite players. With rookie cards of top prospects like Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, and Noah Syndergaard up for grabs, 2015 hobby boxes offered collectors a fun and relatively inexpensive way to build their collections through the joy of the hobby box experience.
Some of the top hobby box options for collectors in 2015 included releases from Topps, Panini, Upper Deck, and Bowman. Topps Series 1 and 2 boxes were always popular among collectors, containing the standard 524 card base sets along with short print parallels, autographed cards, and more. The designs were clean and traditional but lacked some of the flashier graphic designs of releases from competitors. Still, Topps had the MLB license and that alone made their sets worthwhile for most collectors.
Panini had two major baseball releases in 2015 with their Donruss and Score brands. Donruss Optic offered exciting die-cut parallels and refractors among their 312 card sets. Score offered more limited print runs and higher end parallels. Both Panini brands offered generous autograph and memorabilia odds compared to other releases. Their designs tended to be a bit bolder and more graphic heavy compared to the cleaner look of Topps.
Upper Deck continued their Solid Gold line in 2015. Solid Gold featured only 175 base cards per box but offered some of the best chances at finding autographed rookie hits. Upper Deck’s photography and cardstock quality was top notch. The designs skewed a bit conservative compared to Panini but the brand’s legacy and on-card autographs made the product popular.
One of the biggest and most anticipated baseball card releases each year was Bowman, produced by Topps. In 2015, Bowman offered something truly special for collectors – the first cards of future superstars Kris Bryant and Carlos Correa. Both players were highly touted prospects who would go on to stardom. Their rookie cards from BowmanDraft became highly desired chase cards. Bowman hobby boxes offered incredible rookie card odds along with high-end autograph and memorabilia parallels of top prospects.
The 2015 baseball card season saw solid offerings from the major brands. The class of that years’ rookie crop, led by Bryant, Correa and others ensured strong future demand for 2015 releases. For a collector on a budget seeking a fun gamble at perhaps finding a valuable hit, boxes from Topps Series 1/2 or Upper Deck Solid Gold offered respectable odds and card counts relative to the cost. Those wanting bolder designs and more autograph/memorabilia chances turned to Panini Donruss/Score. And no collector’s season was complete without hoping to land a big Bryant or Correa rookie from a Bowman box.
In all, 2015 provided collectors many affordable and excitement pack ripping options across a wide range of price points. Strong rookie crops ensure continued interest and rising values for the years’ releases as today’s prospects become tomorrow’s superstars. The 2015 season further entrenched the baseball card hobby as a niche with wide appeal and the chance to score unforgettable hits through the luck of the packs.
