The 2022 Topps MLB Series 1 baseball card set was released on February 16th, 2022, marking the 70th anniversary of Topps’ legendary baseball card releases. The 850 card base set featured the biggest rookies and stars from the 2021 MLB season as well as star players from years past in special anniversary parallels.
Some of the biggest rookies featured as main stars of the set included 2020 American League Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis from the Seattle Mariners, Giants shortstop Marco Luciano who is considered one of the top prospects in baseball, and 2020 National League Rookie of the Year Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers. Past stars highlighted included recently retired Hall of Famer Derek Jeter on his classic Yankees card design from his rookie year along with Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, and more legends in special anniversary parallels.
In addition to the standard base card set numbered 1-850, Topps Series 1 introduced several exciting new inserts and parallels to commemorate the 70th anniversary. The 1970 parallel featured a retro design based on the classic 1970 Topps set with 70 copies of each card available. The 1956 Bowman design was honored with two parallel sets – a red parallel numbered to 70 copies and a gold parallel numbered to just 10 copies featuring several of the biggest names in baseball.
Legendary careers were also celebrated through the Hall of Fame Candidates insert set highlighting stars on the brink of Cooperstown like Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, and Justin Verlander. Topps also paid homage to retired greats with a special Tribute parallel subset for stars like Jeter, Chipper Jones, and Mariano Rivera featuring their iconic photos one last time. Numerous hit prospects were featured in the coveted Top Prospects insert set as well including Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt Jr., and more future stars.
In addition to the standard base set, Topps Series 1 introduced several exciting new parallels and inserts each with their own limited printing. The Platinum Anniversary parallel featured a slick black and white design with only 10 copies of each card available making them extremely scarce. The Red Foil parallel took the popular red border from previous years but added a striking red foil treatment with numbering capped at just 99 copies per card. Another hot parallel was the Green Shimmer parallel with an eye-catching green border and serial numbering to only 49 copies proving to be one of the hardest parallels to pull in the set.
The market for key rookies, prospects, and hits from the 2022 Topps Series 1 release exploded following the release. Top rookie cards like Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodriguez, and Adley Rutschman soared well above their checklists prices immediately. Prime star cards like Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Ronald Acuña Jr. also climbed in price as collectors chased the rare insert and parallel versions. Within just a few months, full entire base sets were selling for over $1000 due to the immense popularity and rookie class featured in the release.
Upper Deck also released soccer and hockey sets but Topps Series 1 is always the biggest and most high profile release to kick off the new baseball season. With over two months now since the release, the prices have remained quite high across the board for the key rookies and stars highlighted. The popularity of the set shows no signs of slowing down, especially with parallel and hit versions continuing to break records on the resale market. The 2022 Topps Series 1 release has certainly cemented its status as one of the top modern sets due to its star power and exciting new anniversary parallels available.
