The 2020 Topps Baseball card set was released in late 2019 and featured some of the biggest names in baseball such as Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger and more. As the flagship baseball card set from Topps each year, 2020 Topps held considerable collector interest leading up to and after its release. While the physical cards could be found in retail packs, hobby boxes and blasters at local card shops and mass retailers, eBay quickly became one of the topmarketplaces for collectors to find the cards they wanted through individual card and lot listings.
With over 700 cards in the base set plus additional parallels, inserts and autograph/relic rookie cards, completing the 2020 Topps set presented a challenge. Many collectors turned to eBay to fill in gaps in their collections with reasonably priced base cards. Savvy sellers would periodically list common parallels and base short prints they pulled in breaks at prices much lower than Beckett magazine’s guide value. This allowed collectors to avoid overpaying to complete sets and stay within their budgets. Sellers also helped collectors track down particular rookie cards, parallels or memorable moments/hits they wanted for PC builds focused around individual players.
High-end cards from 2020 Topps that generated significant eBay buzz and buyer interest included rare 1/1 autographs and relics of top MLB stars from the base set and special inserts like photo variations, Printing Plates and Autograph Parallels. Mike Trout cards consistently ranked among the strongest sellers, as one might expect for arguably the best player of his generation. Trout rookies, relics, Printing Plates and 1/1 autographed parallels routinely fetched prices in the thousands on eBay auctions. Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuña Jr. also had popular high-end rookie cards that saw collector competition on auctions.
Special insert sets within 2020 Topps like photo variations, Stars of the Majors and Gallery generated a lot of collector attention on eBay as well. These colorful, well-designed inserts featured some of the biggest names in the game posing or in unique imagery pulled from team photoshoots. Numbered parallels and 1/1 autographed variations within these inserts became hot eBay commodities. “Hit” cards that featured game-used memorabilia like bats, jerseys or signed balls numbered to relatively low print runs also garnered bidding wars as collectors chased specific players. Top prospect autographs from the Sapphire set sold briskly too as collectors looked to get in early.
While the basic 2020 Topps base cards could be had relatively cheaply on eBay to complete sets due to their larger print runs, certain short prints, parallels and specialty cards became quite expensive. The Juan Soto pink refractor short print (#338) reached over $100 in PSA 10 condition based on high demand. Cody Bellinger’s star rookie “defractor” parallel (#171) hit $400 raw. Low-numbered parallels of stars like the Christian Yelich Purple Wave parallel /50 routinely sold for $80-100 each. Acuna Jr.’s Blue & Gold parallel /2019 saw similar pricing activity. Autograph cards, relics and 1/1 hits achieved prices ranging from $200-2000 depending on player, with Trout predictably at the top.
Despite the economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, interest and collector participation in the flagship Topps Baseball set and its many inserts translated to brisk buying and bidding activity for the cards on eBay. Whether collecting the entire base set, chasing specific stars, or aiming to get in early on top prospects through affordable autographed rookie cards, eBay was a very accessible marketplace to satisfy collectors’ hobby interests across all levels from beginners to advanced players. With the combination of reasonably priced and high-end cards available, 2020 Topps found strong reception on the popular online selling platform throughout the year after its release. As one of the most iconic and traditions sports card properties, Topps generates reliable collector demand that keeps its 2020 offering prominently listed and moving on eBay to this day.
