The 2021 Topps Chrome Baseball Card set was released in mid-October 2021 and generated a lot of excitement among collectors. As one of the premier modern baseball card products each year, Topps Chrome offers card lovers the chance to obtain shiny refractors and parallels of their favorite players. Let’s take an in-depth look at the key details of the 2021 Topps Chrome set and provide a price guide analysis for the top rookies, stars, and inserts based on the current secondary market.
The 2021 Topps Chrome base set contains 330 cards and has the same visual design language as the standard 2021 Topps issue from earlier in the year. All of the cards feature a traditional chrome border and each player’s photo is encased within a shiny rectangle for added flair. The design is clean and elegant while still allowing the hypnotic chromes to shine through. This is a popular look that Topps Chrome has honed year after year.
In addition to the base 330 card checklist, Topps also released several coveted parallels and short prints in 2021 Chrome. The primary color parallels include Gold (#/2021), Orange (#/2021), Green (#/250), Blue (#/150), Black (1/1), Pink (1/1), and Laser (1/1). Retail hobby boxes contain one or two color parallels on average in addition to several refractors. Higher end hobby box products guarantee more parallels and inserts.
Some of the key special parallels in the 2021 Topps Chrome set include:
Rainbow Foil – Print run of /25, these have a super flashy multi-colored foil look
-Negative – Print run of /86, with a cool reverse image aesthetic
Atomic – /86 print run, a nebula-like parallel featuring wispy color bursts
Refractors – The standard Topps Chrome refractor variants in multiple colors
Stadium Club – A high-end partner set crossover parallel /150 or less
Flux – Advanced technology parallels with trippy color-bending designs
On top of the above, Topps also planted a handful of coveted short prints throughout the retail release like Printing Plates (1/1), Printing Plates Autographs, and Negative Autographs. These are almost impossible to pull from a hobby box and command huge premiums on the secondary market.
Now that we’ve covered the checklist and key parallels, let’s dive into some of the top performers and popular players within the 2021 Topps Chrome price guide based on current eBay sales data:
Spencer Torkelson Rainbow Foil /25 – $2,000+
Bobby Witt Jr. Negative Refractor /86 – $800-1,000
Cade Cunningham Orange /2021 – $500-600
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Atomic Refractor /86 – $400-500
Fernando Tatis Jr. Pink Refractor 1/1 – $3,000+
Wander Franco Gold Refractor /2021 – $300-400
Ohtani, Acuna, Soto Base RCs – $50-75
Soto, Acuna Color Parallels – $100-150
Bo Bichette Flux Parallel – $250-300
Judge, Trout, Betts Autographs – $150-250
DeGrom, Cole RCs – $30-50
Gerrit Cole Negative – $150-200
Ohtani Rainbow Refractor – $1,000+
Juan Soto Stadium Club Parallel – $300-500
Big name vets like Jeter /499- $75-150
As you can see, the 2021 Topps Chrome rookies and stars continue to generate strong collector interest and robust prices across the board. Key RCs from Spencer Torkelson, Bobby Witt Jr., and Cade Cunningham are among the most in-demand. Refractors, parallels, and short prints of major names like Tatis, Guerrero Jr., Soto, and Acuna also hold significant secondary market value already.
On the investment and grading fronts, raw hits from Topps Chrome are starting to be submitted for authentication and encapsulation at a healthy clip. PSA 10 examples of the above noted rookies and parallels can easily double or triple their already premium prices. Even base cards of stars are gaining grading traction as collectors try to lock in mint condition editions for the long term hold.
The 2021 Topps Chrome baseball card release delivered another outstanding modern product that collectors are finding joy in opening and layering into portfolios. As always, the set provides an exciting glimpse at emerging talent as well as prestige parallels and refractors of established superstars. With interest continuing to build, it’s clear 2021 Topps Chrome will be one of the banner releases from this fast evolving hobby year.
