Topps baseball cards are some of the most popular and collected sports cards in the world. Every year for decades, Topps has released new sets covering the latest Major League Baseball season. Part of the excitement for collectors is finding the new releases each year. One day many collectors look forward to is Black Friday, which typically falls at the end of November. On Black Friday each year, Topps does special releases and offers that make it a fun day for baseball card collectors.
While Black Friday is known as a big shopping day generally with stores putting various items on sale, in recent years Topps has really ramped up their Black Friday offerings specifically for the baseball card collecting community. Some of the biggest highlights of Topps’ Black Friday releases over the past decade have included special parallel card sets, autographed memorabilia cards of star players at affordable prices, and “brick” packs of older vintage cards. All of these exclusive products help make Black Friday a memorable day for many collectors each year.
In terms of parallel card sets, Topps will often do short print runs of inserted parallel versions of their current flagshop sets with special colors, textures, or numbering. For example, in 2019 Topps released “Black Gold” parallels of cards from their standard Topps Chrome and Heritage sets in very limited numbered editions. These parallel cards featuring different refractor finishes like gold or black are highly sought after by collectors looking to add prestigious numbered versions to their collections. Parallel cards have become a staple of Topps’ Black Friday offerings in recent years.
Another popular category of Black Friday exclusive releases from Topps are autographed memorabilia cards featuring current star players but priced at discount rates compared to normal hobby boxes/packs. These autograph cards allow collectors a chance to add autographed pieces of their favorite active players to their collections without having to pay huge costs on the secondary market. In 2021, Topps released memorabilia autograph card “brick packs” containing autographed pieces of stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, and others priced reasonably at under $100 per pack. Being able to get modern star autographs for affordable prices is a big draw of Topps’ Black Friday releases.
In addition to new product releases on Black Friday, Topps also does “brick breaks” where they open older wax boxes/cases of vintage cardboard on their social media channels. Fans can then try to grab individual cards from the breaks. These brick breaks expose collectors to the excitement of trying to pull key vintage cards from decades past. In 2019, Topps cracked packs from 1984 Donruss, 1990 Studio, and 1988 Score football wax on Facebook Live. It’s always exciting to see what legendary relics or rare hits emerge from the brick breaks Topps conducts every Black Friday.
While the official Black Friday date falls on a specific day, Topps also commonly stretches out their Black Friday offerings with multiple exclusive product releases in the days and weeks leading up to and following the actual date. This allows more collectors opportunities to participate in the fun. In 2021, Topps’ Black Friday celebration extended across two weeks with daily flash sales and new releases right up until Cyber Monday. Stretching things out gives more flexibility for collectors and helps build even more anticipation leading into the “official” shopping day.
Topps has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into curating special Black Friday drops each year that cater directly to the baseball card collecting community. Whether it’s exclusive parallel refractors of the current year’s flagship sets, affordable autographed modern star cards, brick breaks of older waxes, or flash sales throughout the weeks surrounding Black Friday – Topps succeeds at making the day a fun tradition for MLB memorabilia hunters. With creative new releases and engaging social media strategies, Topps ensures their collectors look forward to the end of November each year. As baseball card collecting continues to boom in popularity, Topps’ Black Friday festivities will likely remain a highly anticipated annual event.
In conclusion, Topps has established Black Friday as a major day on the calendar for baseball card collectors with their innovative product releases, brick breaks, deals, and stretching of offerings across multiple weeks. Collectors enjoy the thrill of chasing rare parallel inserts, chance to add star autos, and excitement of watching vintage waxes cracked. Topps’ focus on their collector base has made Black Friday a staple for the hobby. As baseball card popularity grows, Topps’ Black Friday celebrations will continue delivering fun for years to come.
