The 2019 Topps Chrome baseball card set was released on October 2nd, 2019 as the flagship Chrome product from Topps. As with previous years, Topps Chrome featured shiny refractors and parallels of the base Topps cards from that same season. Given the popularity of the Topps Chrome brand and the excitement around rookies and stars from the 2019 MLB season, the latest edition carried significant value for collectors.
Some of the top rookies and players featured in the 2019 Topps Chrome set that added value included names like Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis Jr., Eloy Jimenez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Yordan Alvarez. Their base rookie cards could often be found selling anywhere from $10-25 immediately after release. Parallels and shortprints of these players skyrocketed in value throughout the following months as their play in MLB lived up to the hype.
Perhaps the most valuable card from the 2019 Topps Chrome release was the Pete Alonso rainbow foil rookie refractor parallel. Numbered to only /100 copies, these Alonso rookies sold for over $1000 each at release due to his record-setting 53 home run season that won him NL Rookie of the Year. As Alonso continued mashing home runs in 2020 and established himself as a true slugging star, recent sales of his Topps Chrome rainbow foil have exceeded $3,000.
Another highly sought after card was the prizm refractor variation of Fernando Tatis Jr. Although his base rookie sold for around $25 like many others initially, the prizm parallel was quite limited and fetched over $500 upon release. Many predicted big things for Tatis and his combination of power and speed did not disappoint. Now one of the faces of MLB, a PSA 10 graded Tatis Jr. prizm from Topps Chrome can sell for well over $1,000.
Finding short printed parallels and prospects like Bo Bichette, Yordan Alvarez, or Keibert Ruiz also added value. While their base rookies may have only been $10 cards, short prints like the Topps Chrome SP variants jumped in price up to $100-200 each due to rarity. Hits like an Alvarez SP parallel with a PSA 10 grade recently sold for nearly $500 because of his success reaching the big leagues.
Outside of top rookie talent, highly popular veterans featured in Topps Chrome also brought value. Cards like a Mike Trout gold refractor /50 parallel or Christian Yelich black refractor /10 were scooped up for $200-300 immediately upon release due to their immense star power and limited quantities. As Trout and Yelich kept putting up MVP caliber seasons, sales of these rare refractors continued climbing even higher over time.
For collectors chasing complete master sets of the Topps Chrome release, finding some of the tougher inserts and parallels presented a challenge as well. Rainbow foil variations of stars like Cody Bellinger, cards from the Stars of MLB insert set, or refractors of rising talents all added to set value if obtained. Chasing down the full master set with all these harder-to-find accessories could easily fetch $1000-1500 total by year’s end.
The 2019 Topps Chrome baseball card release really captivated collectors with its combination of top rookie talent and popular veterans in a shiny refracted format. While monetary value has grown exponentially for the biggest hits over time, there were still plenty of cards in the regular set at affordable prices at release as well. Whether chasing stars of today or prospects of tomorrow, Topps Chrome 2019 offered value and excitement for all levels of collectors in the hobby. Two years later, the continued growth of players like Alonso, Tatis Jr., and others has assured this release from Topps Chrome maintains much of its significance and remains highly collectible today.
