Topps baseball cards are one of the most popular and iconic sports card brands in the world. Each year, Topps releases its flagship baseball card set featuring current players from Major League Baseball. Within these annual sets, Topps includes short print cards that are much harder to find than the base cards. Collectors eagerly hunt for these elusive short prints to add to their collections. The 2023 Topps baseball card release continues this tradition by including several exciting short print parallels and variations.
Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most notable 2023 Topps baseball short prints collectors will be chasing. First up are the prized Gold parallel cards, numbered to only 10 copies each. These hyper-rare gold versions feature the same design as the base cards but with a gold-foil treatment on the front. Gold parallels are always a big hit with collectors due to their extremely limited quantities. Landing a 2023 Topps gold parallel would be a huge addition to any collection.
Another highly sought-after short print category is the Refractors. These parallel cards have a colorful refracting effect that makes the images shimmer and shine in different lighting. The Refractor parallels in 2023 Topps come in Gold (numbered to 50), Rainbow Foil (numbered to 75), and Black (numbered to 150). The Gold Refractors will be the toughest pulls, while the Black Refractors provide a more attainable short print chase for collectors. All three Refractor parallels significantly increase the value of the featured players’ base cards.
Topps also includes various Printing Plate short prints in its baseball releases. These one-of-one cards contain the printing plate image used to create the regular cards, stamped on the front with “1/1”. 2023 Topps features Gold Printing Plates, Rainbow Foil Printing Plates, and Black Printing Plates. Landing any of these ultra-rare 1/1 treasures would be the crowning achievement of any collector’s quest for the set’s short prints. While odds of finding a Printing Plate are incredibly slim, their uniqueness makes them enormously desirable prizes.
Another highly coveted short print chase involves the Autograph cards. Topps limits the print runs of its autographed player cards to make these collections all the more special. The 2023 Topps Autograph parallels include Gold (#/10), Rainbow Foil (#/25), and Black (#/50). Any autographed card is instantly very valuable, but landing a low-numbered example like these would be a true short print holy grail pull. Autograph collectors go to great lengths trying to track down the rarest signed versions for their PC (personal collection).
In addition, 2023 Topps baseball features several special short print variations that add another layer of complexity to the hunt. For example, the Superfractor parallels take the Refractor concept to the extreme with an even more vibrant refractor effect. These are numbered to an ultra-low 5 copies or less for each player, making them statistically impossible to find in packs. Another twist is the Hand-Collated Memorabilia cards, which pair a player autograph or piece of memorabilia with their base card image. These unique hybrid versions are limited runs that collectors search feverishly for.
Finally, Topps often introduces “hit” cards late in the production process that were unintentionally left out of the initial print run, making them that much harder to locate. Examples from past years include the Gold Label Records parallels and 3D Baseball cards that were inserted as bonus short prints after the primary set checklist was completed. Discovering one of these unexpected late-run variants provides an extra rush of excitement for the fortunate collector who finds it.
The 2023 Topps flagship baseball release is guaranteed to include an assortment of exciting short print chase cards for collectors. Between the coveted 1/1 Printing Plates, ultra-low serial numbered Refractors and Autographs, plus surprise late-run variants, Topps ensures its most dedicated fans will have an abundance of rare parallels and variations to seek out in the upcoming product. While the odds of pulling any individual short print are very slim, it is this aspect of scarcity that makes the hunt so enticing for sports card collectors around the world.
