The 2020 Topps Update Series baseball card set is the latest edition in Topps’ popular annual update series release that provides baseball card collectors with cards featuring rookie debuts, players changing teams, new achievements and more from the current MLB season. As with past years, the 2020 Update set builds upon the flagship Topps Series 1 and Series 2 releases by inserting new and relevant player cards into the current season’s card collection.
Some key things to know about the 2020 Topps Update Series include:
The set contains 300 base cards split across 10 teams per package. There are also additional insert cards covering special parallels, photo variations, autographs and more.
Players featured will reflect roster moves, call-ups and performances from the 2020 regular season up until the set went to print in late summer/early fall. This allows the set to capture players who had breakout seasons or changed teams via trade after the flagship Series 1 and 2 releases.
Top rookies like Fernando Tatis Jr., Pete Alonso and others who had established themselves as stars in 2020 will have updated base cards reflecting their success and new statistical achievements from the season.
Players traded during the season like Mookie Betts (Dodgers) and Mike Clevinger (Padres) receive cards in their new uniforms for the first time.
Players called up from the minors later in the season like Sean Murphy (A’s), Gavin Lux (Dodgers) and others have rookie cards added to the set.
Parallels include Silver Pack parallels /150, Gold Parallels /2020, Rainbow Foil parallels /25 and more rare parallel and autograph insert variations scattered throughout packs and boxes.
Insert sets include Manager collection, Alumni collection, Team Affiliations set showing players past/current clubs and more.
Autographs, memorabilia and 1/1 printing plates provide the biggest chase hits along with rare parallels of top stars.
Retired players with accomplishments during 2020 like Albert Pujols hitting 700 career home runs also receive tribute cards.
Marking 30 years of Topps Stadium Club design, the set includes a 10-card mini insert set with this retro parallel artwork style.
Released in late November 2020 after the conclusion of the abbreviated MLB regular season, the Topps Update set was a highly anticipated product among both collectors and investors. With rookies like Fernando Tatis Jr. establishing themselves as superstars during the Covid-shortened campaign and other flashy debuts, the 2020 Update cards provided collectors a chance to add these emerging talents and other in-season player movement updates to their collections.
While Topps flagship Series 1 and 2 sets are widely available in retail, the Update set saw higher print runs to meet collector demand but had a shorter shelf life in stores. Many sought after the cards immediately through online vendors as finding boxes and packs on shelves grew more difficult by Black Friday. The lower print runs of parallel and autograph inserts also led to brisk secondary marketplace sales as collectors hunted specific parallels and big name autographs of stars.
On the collector and investing scene, the top rookies from 2020 like Tatis Jr., Lynch, Robert and others carried substantial buzz and value. Tatis Jr. in particular saw his Update rookie fetch prices upwards of $100-$200 across most parallels when new. Lower printed parallels and 1/1 hits of top stars consistently sold for hundreds or thousands online. But many other base rookies, prospects and key player updates also held value for collectors looking to add these current season performers and storylines to their sets.
In the months since its release, the 2020 Topps Update set has proven very popular among the collecting community. With the excitement of the 2020 season still fresh in collectors’ minds and a need to encapsulate all the player movement during that shortened campaign, the set delivered. It captivated collectors looking to complete their 2020 MLB card collections while also bringing noteworthy investment potential given the breakouts of rookies like Tatis Jr. and others during one of the most unique seasons in modern MLB history. As one of Topps’ most popular annual offerings, the 2020 Update did not disappoint in giving collectors an enticing way to chronicle an unforgettable year in baseball.
