The holiday season is upon us once again, and for baseball card collectors that means a new batch of holiday themed cards being inserted into retail packs. While holiday cards have been a tradition in the hobby for decades, recent years have seen manufacturers get more creative with their designs and inclusion of popular current players.
Topps continues to be the leader in holiday cards, with several insert sets planned for their 2022 releases. Their main flagship “Holiday Wishes” set will feature over 50 big name stars in festive photo poses wishing fans a happy holiday. Players like Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Juan Soto will surely be hot commodities for collectors. A fun twist Topps is adding this year is dual poses, with some cards showing the same player in both a Christmas and Hanukkah themed image.
Panini also has holiday offerings planned for their Donruss and Prizm basketball products extending into baseball. Their “Tis The Season” parallels will showcase rainbow foil photos of up-and-coming young stars like Bobby Witt Jr. and Julio Rodriguez. An added bonus is some of these parallels come serially numbered to only 25 copies, making them true short prints.
For collectors looking to open retail packs of Donruss or Prizm and find a hit, these inserts provide that excitement of the unknown in every pack during the gift-giving time of year. With baseball’s rising stars, the designs capture both the present and future of the sport in a festive wrapper.
Another innovative holiday set comes from Leaf with their “12 Days of Baseball” cards. Taking inspiration from the classic Christmas carol, each day represents a different player featured within a snow globe design. Ranging from legends like Hank Aaron to current aces like Shane McClanahan, it’s a creative way to showcase over a dozen different athletes.
Leaf also has “Snow Day” parallels in their Metal Universe and VALOR football/basketball products that will crossover into baseball. Featuring a wintry snow-covered photo within a snowflake frame, these 1-of-1 printing plate parallels are true one-of-a-kind collector’s items sure to end up under the tree or in a stocking for someone special.
While the biggest three manufacturers lead the way, smaller independent companies are getting into the holiday spirit as well. Stadium Club from Topps continues their mini card tradition with a “Tiny Trees” set of Lilliputian size stockings and trees featuring today’s stars.
Black Gold from Press Pass has a “Deck the Halls” insert set showcasing players within Christmas lights and ornaments. For vintage collectors, Sportlots is releasing a “Yuletide Yankees” set recreating vintage 1960s Topps designs of Yankee greats in wintry poses.
Whether it’s hunting for stars, chasing short prints, or appreciating creative designs, holiday baseball cards are a fun way for collectors of all interests to find some surprises over the gift-giving season. With new innovations and popular current players, 2022 looks to be a memorable year for the hobby’s wintertime tradition. From stocking stuffers to presents under the tree, baseball cards are sure to spread some holiday cheer amongst collectors young and old.
