Topps has been producing baseball cards for decades and remains the leader in the baseball card industry. Every year, they release new sets featuring the latest MLB stars from the previous season. 2022 was no different, as Topps debuted several new baseball card products available at Walmart stores and online.
Topps 2021 Series 2 Baseball Cards
One of the first 2022 baseball card releases available at Walmart was Topps 2021 Series 2. As the name implies, this was the second series of cards from Topps’ 2021 season long flagship set. Series 2 carries on the traditional design of the base cards but features a new crop of players and rookies that were omitted from Series 1 in the spring. Walmart received shipments of Series 2 blaster and hanger packs beginning in late May/early June 2022.
The release gave collectors a second chance at rookie cards of breakout players like Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jonathan India, and Randy Arozarena. It also offered base cards of established stars signing new contracts like Freddie Freeman with the Dodgers and Carlos Correa with the Twins. The odds of pulling an autograph or memorabilia card from a Series 2 pack were on par with Series 1, making these affordable packs a fun rip for fans. With a $20 MSRP per blaster, Series 2 was accessible for casual collectors stopping by their local Walmart.
Topps 2022 Series 1 Baseball Cards
Of course, the highly anticipated flagship release from Topps in 2022 was Series 1. Featuring the traditional design and focusing on capturing the previous season’s top rookies and performances, Series 1 is considered the foundational set in any collector’s collection each year. Walmart received exclusives on certain Series 1 products in the early months of 2022.
From January through March, hobby boxes, jumbo packs, and blaster/hanger multi-packs of 2022 Series 1 were stocked almost immediately upon the set’s official release date and remained on shelves as one of Walmart’s top basketball card SKUs. Key rookie cards of 2021 standouts like Jonathan India, Randy Arozarena, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. as well as base cards of big stars like Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr. drew customers seeking to rip packs. Walmart’s MSRP of around $19.98 for blasters made 2022 Series 1 accessible for many new collectors.
Topps Big League Baseball Cards
In mid-2022, Topps and Walmart partnered to launch an exclusive Big League baseball card set only available at retail. Big League took Topps’ standard base card design and photo quality but tweaked the borders and colorscheme with a patriotic red, white, and blue theme celebrating America’s pastime. Like some past “Walmart exclusive” releases, the Big League set featured variations like green and purple parallels in addition to the red bordered base design.
Cases containing 24 packs with 12 cards apiece landed on Walmart pegs from June through August. Priced just under $10 a pack, Big League offered budget collectors and kids a low financial commitment to rip packs. While the set lacked big rookie stars, pulling autographed and memorabilia cards of MLB veterans was still enticing. Overall, Big League helped Walmart sustain in-store baseball card sales over the summer months between larger Topps flagship releases.
Topps Allen & Ginter’s Baseball Cards
A unique non-sport release available at Walmart in summer 2022 was Topps Allen & Ginter’s Baseball variant. Taking beloved elements of the standard Allen & Ginter’s checklist like baseball legends, serial numbered parallels and vintage trade cards, this spin-off incorporated baseball photography and relic and autograph chase cards. Cases hit Walmart shelves from July through September featuring 24 packs with 15-20 cards per box at a $9.98 MSRP.
Collectors enjoyed the throwback visuals mixed with modern baseball stars. Relic cards featuring swatches and autographs of historic figures like Babe Ruth paired nicely with patches and signatures from active MLB all-stars. Allen & Ginter’s showed Topps’ creativity keeping the hobby fresh between traditional releases. While it may not suit purist baseball collectors, the Allen & Ginter’s variation satisfied fans’ itch for a fun rip at affordable prices readily available at their local Walmart.
Topps Archives Snapshots Baseball Cards
Releasing in late summer/early fall 2022, Topps Archives Snapshots provided Walmart shoppers another unique nostalgia-themed product exclusive to retail. Taking visual cues from 1970s-era Topps design aesthetics, Snapshots cards shrunk modern baseball photography down to postage stamp-sized snapshots embedded within a flip frame mockup. The retro-inspired design increased demand for Snapshots among collectors with a fondness for vintage styling.
Snapshots arrived at Walmart in 24-pack boxes at $9.98 per box from August through October. Additional bonuses like extra snapshot cards celebrating MLB hall of famers and autographs added intrigue to each pack. With a focus on established veterans and stars versus rookies, Snapshots appealed more to hobbyists seeking specific players versus being a true “rippable” release. Still, the vintage packaging drew customers to the candy aisle at Walmart seeing Topps’ tribute to the early days of the hobby.
Overall, 2022 saw Topps maintain their strong partnership bringing new and exclusive baseball card releases to Walmart. From flagship products to various specialty sets with one-of-a-kind designs, Topps kept shelves stocked with intriguing options at affordable price points. With Walmart’s massive retailer presence nationwide, these releases helped introduce new collectors to the baseball card hobby and gave veterans multiple opportunities to add to their collections each quarter of the year. Topps and Walmart’s synergy continues fueling popularity and interest in the traditional sports card market. Fans can expect this successful partnership to deliver more new releases landing exclusively at Walmart stores in baseball card season 2023 and beyond.
