The 2019 baseball season marked the start of a new year and renewal of America’s pastime. As players reported to spring training in February to prepare for the long season ahead, card companies were hard at work finalizing designs and production of their 2019 opening day cards.
Topps, the industry giant who has produced cards since 1938, kicked things off by revealing their primary base card design in late January. Maintaining their classic look from recent years, the front featured a clean image of the player in full or partial batting stance with their name and team across the top. New for 2019 was the inclusion of each player’s jersey number below their image. On the back, stats from the previous season were provided along with career highlights.
Parallel and insert sets would continue Topps traditions such as Chrome, Heritage, Stadium Club and Allen & Ginter. One of the most anticipated was Topps Gallery of Heroes, which honored iconic players and memorable moments from baseball’s past. The first three cards revealed legends Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in full color portraits painted by top artists. Collector anticipation was high that the set might include cards depicting Ruth’s called shot or Aaron breaking the home run record.
Bowman, owned by Topps, focused heavily on prospects and future stars with their releases. The flaghip Bowman set led with prospect superstars Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Eloy Jimenez and Kyle Tucker on the base cards. Veteran players were restricted to inserts in Bowman to allow more space for highlighting minor leaguers. Internationally, Bowman produced sets tailored for foreign markets like Japan and China.
Panini, the largest sports cards company worldwide besides baseball, launched Donruss racing to be the first to market. Their patented “shiny” stock produced slick cards that stood out. Rated Rookies paralleled Topps Rookies and Chrome paralleled themselves. Veteran base cards showed classic action shots along with a hit probability in place of stats on the back. Inserts like Precious Metal Gems offered parallel refractors of franchise cornerstones.
Heritage Minors from Leaf provided an alternative minor league focused set alongside Topps & Bowman. Using retro-styled design from the 70s/80s era, the base cards highlighted rising talents alongside classic uniforms and team logos from their MiLB affiliates. Short prints and autographed memorabilia cards added to the nostalgic collectibility of future starting lineups.
In the non-license hobby sector, Titan Cards produced an affordable full team set for each MLB club with on-field photography. With no player names or stats due to licensing restrictions, the minimalist front focused on vibrant action shots while the backs described the year and game represented. Parallels injected color and parallel prefixes introduced scarcity for collectors on a budget.
After release schedules were finalized, previews began in early March showing off each flagship base design. Within a week of opening day on March 28th, full set checklists were published online with player photo variations and insert categories enumerated. At local card shops and mass retailers nationwide, boxes and packs flew off the shelves as fans young and old eagerly sought their PC hits and rookie cards of the new season.
Another sign that spring had arrived were the box breaks and case openings livestreamed on social media. Influencers displayed their finds, sometimes striking gold with rare autographs or 1/1 parallel versions that generated excitement in comment sections. Within the first month, 2019 rookies like Vlad Jr. and Pete Alonso appeared on eBay selling for hundreds as speculation mounted about their potential.
While Topps, Panini and Bowman led in licensed MLB sales, other niche publishers found dedicated followings as well. Paper cards saw a resurgence thanks to companies like Stadium Club, Ginter and Treasures producing high-end illustrated and memorabilia designs priced out of reach for most collectors during the 1980s-90s boom. Online retailers like Blowout Cards facilitated a bustling secondary marketplace to buy and sell across brands.
Whether collecting for investment, enjoyment of the artistic designs, or to cheer for your favorite players and teams – the 2019 baseball card season provided something for every fan. As opening day signaled renewed hope among clubs and their supporters, so too did it mark the start of a new year of chasing cards, dreaming of hits and building collections to commemorate America’s pastime. And with the 2020 season now upon us, the cycle continues anew.
