Topps Series 2 is one of the most anticipated baseball card releases each year from trading card giant Topps. The 2022 Series 2 set was released on June 1st and contains a variety of inserts, parallels, and rookie cards for fans to collect. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the key aspects of this year’s Series 2 release.
The base set for 2022 Topps Series 2 contains 324 total cards. This includes photos and player info for all current MLB players from the 2022 season. Some of the top rookies featured in the base set include Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers rookie Spencer Torkelson, and Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. Series 2 is known for highlighting top prospects and rookies as they make their debuts in the big leagues.
In addition to the base cards, Topps also included several insert sets in Series 2 packs and boxes. One of the most popular is the “Stars of the Topps Project” set, which features retro-styled photos and designs for 25 top MLB players like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Juan Soto. The “Topps Now” insert set also returned, with 50 cards highlighting top performances and milestones from the current season. Collectors enjoy chasing these inserts to commemorate some of the best individual moments of 2022.
Topps also paid tribute to some baseball legends with the “Topps Legends” insert set. Featuring retired Hall of Famers like Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Rod Carew, these inserts combine vintage-style artwork with career stats and accomplishments. The “Topps Archives” set also brought back retro designs from past Topps sets of the 1960s-80s era for players like Mike Piazza, Ozzie Smith, and Reggie Jackson. Both of these inserts are popular with collectors seeking connections to baseball history.
In addition to the standard parallels found in most Topps releases, Series 2 introduced some new parallel variations for collectors to chase. The “Topps Chrome” parallel featured a reflective foil treatment on 100 cards from the base set and inserts. More elusive were the “Topps Rainbow Foil” parallels, with serial-numbered versions of stars like Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. Limited to only 10 copies each, these parallel inserts were a big hit on the secondary market.
For autograph and memorabilia cards, Topps included several high-end insert sets. The “Topps Autographs” set featured on-card autos from over 50 MLB players like Juan Soto, Mookie Betts, and Albert Pujols. The “Topps Memorabilia” set paired swatches of game-worn jerseys and caps with snapshots of the players. Rarest of all were the “Topps 1/1” autos and patches, with unique serial-numbered parallels of stars like Mike Trout and Aaron Judge. These 1-of-1 cards consistently fetch huge prices in the collector marketplace.
As with previous years, Topps Series 2 blaster and hanger packs provided an affordable entry point for collectors at retail. The biggest hits were usually found in the higher-end hobby box releases. The Series 2 jumbo box contained 36 packs and guaranteed several parallels and inserts per box. For the ultra-rare autos and patches, collectors turned to the Hobby Elite Box, which carried a $500+ price tag but offered several high-end hits on average.
Overall, Topps Series 2 delivered another exciting release for baseball card collectors in 2022. With its mix of base cards, inserts, parallels, and autographs covering the current MLB season, the set served as a perfect mid-season supplement to the original Series 1 release from earlier in the year. Whether collecting for investment, team sets, or the thrill of the chase, Topps Series 2 continues to be one of the most popular issues in the annual Topps baseball card calendar. Its combination of affordability, nostalgia, and big hits keeps the hobby exciting for fans old and new.
