The 2017 Topps Baseball card releases saw Topps deliver another solid year of designs and rookie cards for collectors. The flagship Topps base set featured designs centered around celebrating the history of the MLB while also highlighting notable rookies from the 2016 season. As with any release year, certain parallels, short prints, autographed cards, and rookies hold premium value in the current market. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key 2017 Topps Baseball releases and where card values are trading today.
The 2017 Topps Baseball base set featured 525 total cards spanning all 30 MLB teams. While base cards from common veteran players can often be acquired for under $1 in near mint condition, there are always standouts that command higher prices. Short printed cards like #366 Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins have traded hands for $5-10 due to the player’s status as a highly touted rookie at the time of release. Top rookie cards for players like Cody Bellinger (#97), Andrew Benintendi (#81), and Aaron Judge (#332) consistently pull $10-15 despite the base designation. Popular veteran stars can pull $3-5 as well, with cards of Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, and Kris Bryant being the most in-demand for collector’s PC’s.
Parallels were again a big part of the 2017 Topps offerings. The rainbow foil parallel featured one card for each team, with popular rookie rainbow foils of Judge, Benintendi, and Bellinger trading between $15-25. The gold parallel (/50) added premium value, with the Judge gold parallel being one of the most sought-after cards from the set. Having last sold for over $100, it’s an attainable big-name rookie card for keen collectors. Other gold parallels featuring rookies like Rhys Hoskins and Cody Bellinger have steadily traded between $30-50 over the last year. For the true high-end collectors, Topps also released a 5-card gold label parallel featuring printing plates and signed editions. A Judge gold label printing plate recently topped $450 in an online auction.
In addition to the base set, Topps also released retail exclusive parallels through Target, Walmart, and Hobby Boxes. Some of the more valuable from this slate include the Walmart Blue Sparkle parallels, with rookie cards once again in highest demand. An andrew Benintendi Blue Sparkle sold for over $70. Target’s Red Sparkle parallels followed a similar trend, with popular rookie cards trading between $30-50.
The 2017 Topps Tribute set paid homage to baseball cards of the past with retro designs. While base Tribute cards hold lighter value, short prints featuring today’s young stars command premiums. Trea Turner’s spectacular catch grace the cover and while already short printed, has changed hands for $40-$50. The Frank Thomas tribute parallel (/50) with an on-card auto fetched north of $225 last year. For collectors seeking a reasonable cost way to add a signed Frank Thomas card to their collection, this parallel provided such an opportunity.
Topps Chrome increased the flash factor in 2017 with their Refractors, Prisms, and Negative Refractors joining the traditional Chrome base cards. While no Aaron Judge rookies were present in the Chrome release, cards like Cody Bellinger and Rhys Hoskins still pulled high prices. A Bellinger Negative Refractor auto sold for over $1,300 late in 2018. Chrome rookies of established young talents like Corey Seager and Carlos Correa traded in the $15-30 range as rising talents. Popular veteran Chrome cards of stars like Mike Trout, Kris Bryant, and Clayton Kershaw held $5-10 values. Collectors who cracked Hobby Jumbo boxes of Chrome were also treated to Printing Plates, 1/1 Parallels, and Autographs of the game’s brightest young talents and veterans. While risky, these high-end hits provided the chance at cards now valued well into the thousands.
For the true memorabilia collectors, Topps released multiple product lines featuring patches and autographs. Topps Archives Signature Series pushed the on-card Auto trend of the past few years. RCs featuring thesigs of Judge, Benintendi and more regularly moved in the $75-150 range. Higher-ends RCs stamped with triple patches and multi-sigs traded for upwards of $300. Topps Heritage introduced autograph and patch cards of retired Hall of Famers as a special attraction in the set. A 3-color Frank Thomas patch card hit $400. When Topps was able to pair top young stars with impact veteran Hall of Famers, it made for some truly collectible memorabilia cards.
In summing up the state of the 2017 Topps Baseball card landscape two years on, it’s the rookie classes of Judge, Bellinger and company that continue to drive the top prices across most products. Their early superstar production validated huge investments made in their cards at release. Veterans like Trout and young regulars such as Seager and Correa provide stable options outside rookies as player collections expand. With another exciting crop of rookies joining the ranks in 2019 and beyond, 2017 Topps releases represent an affordable entry point for collectors to add star rookies of the recent past to their collections, whether seeking PC guys or trade bait.
