The 2018 Topps baseball card release marks the 65th year that Topps has produced baseball cards. Some of the key features of the 2018 Topps baseball cards include updated player photos, retro design parallels, special subsets highlighting milestones and achievements, as well as popular young stars. The flagship 2018 Topps base set contains 352 cards including all 30 MLB teams.
After several years of producing unpopular designs, Topps base cards seem to have returned to a more traditional and classic look similar to the late 1980s and early 1990s Topps designs. The 2018 flagship base cards feature a clean white border around each photo with team logos along the bottom and set notation along the top border in a simple white font. Player names are positioned above each photo. The front of each card is very clean and focused entirely on the player photography.
One of the most notable design elements in 2018 Topps is the return of team-colored parallels. For the first time since 2013, Topps is producing parallels whereby the entire card has a solid team color border and font consistent with the player’s affiliated MLB club. These team-colored parallels are inserted randomly in packs and boxes at approximately 1 per pack on average. While not short prints, the team colors help tie each player more directly to their respective franchises.
In addition to the standard base set, Topps is releasing numerous inserts, parallels and short prints to appeal to varying collector interests. One popular insert set paying homage to the early 1970s is the “Turn Back The Clock” Parallels. These feature black-and-white photography from each player’s rookie seasons in a retro wood-grain panel design drawing inspiration directly from the classic 1971 Topps cards. Another insert set of note is “Stars of the MLB” which highlights some of baseball’s most prominent young talents such as Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Francisco Lindor on cards featuring artistic renderings rather than typical photos on each card front.
Topps also has several subsets recognizing major career milestones and accomplishments. Examples include “300 Win Club” honoring pitchers who have achieved 300 career victories, “600 Home Run Club” for sluggers with 600 career round trippers, and “3000 Hit Club” for those elite players with 3,000 career base hits. Rookie cards, autographed cards, and 1/1 printing plate parallels can also be found as short print chase cards. Additional inserted parallel sets include “Heritage High Number”, “Rainbow Foil”, and “Graphic Standouts” among others to appeal to collectors interests in rarer insert cards.
The 2018 Topps boxes contain either 21 or 24 packs with 11 cards per pack. On average, collectors can expect to pull around 3-5 short print or insert cards per box. With the large base set size of over 350 cards, it usually takes 2-3 sealed boxes to complete the standard base set for active players. The checklist also includes retired “Legends” from the 1990s and 2000s eras which are much harder to obtain outside of buying direct singles. While photography and visuals are important aspects of the 2018 flagship design, Topps has made the inserts and parallels diverse enough that even players not pulled from packs can still be collected and assembled through trading.
For collectors wishing to chase complete sets of parallels and inserts, Topps is releasing many additional multi-pack products beyond the standard hanger, blaster, and retail boxes. Examples include “Heritage High Number” packs containing only players numbered to the standard set, “Rainbow Foil” packs guaranteeing at least 1 per pack, “Graphic Standouts” boxes with multiple enhanced insert cards, and deluxe “Hit Parade” boxes loaded with autographed rookie cards. For the first time, Topps is also producing “Extended Series” cards numbered up to 600+ to further the challenge of obtaining complete rainbow parallel sets of certain key players.
While the photography and visual presentation of the 2018 Topps base set was considered an improvement over recent years by most collectors and analysts, the sheer number of insert sets and parallels released has been met with some criticism for being overwhelming. With more and more collecting focused on chase cards above standard base sets, some feel Topps has moved away from affordable new collector products. Most agree the variety caters well to both advanced collectors chasing rare parallels and longtime fans simply completing full base sets of their favorite teams. For its mainstream reach, historic brand prestige, and ability to move the $350 million baseball card industry, Topps remains a staple in the world of sports memorabilia. The 2018 Topps release once again showed the company’s willingness to evolve with the times while retaining ties to its classic designs of baseball card history. Whether chasing parallels or value players, the 2018 Topps baseball cards provided entertainment and collecting enjoyment for fans of all interests.
