Topps kicked off its 2023 baseball card season with Series 1 in early March. Now in late June, the brand has released Series 2, continuing its effort to capture the moments and players of the current MLB season. Series 2 features many young stars, veterans, and top rookies from the league in poses and uniforms updated to reflect where they are at mid-season.
Like Series 1, Topps 2023 Series 2 baseball cards come in traditional wax packs, blaster boxes, and hobby boxes. Wax packs contain 9 cards including 1 insert or parallel per pack and retail for around $1. Blasters hold 20 packs and sell for $20-25, while hobby boxes have 12 packs and carry an MSRP of $95. Hobby boxes tend to have higher odds of hitting coveted autograph and memorabilia cards in addition to the base rookies and stars that might be pulled from retail.
When reviewing the checklist, it’s clear that Topps continues focusing on releasing cards for the biggest names and breakout players. Cover athletes Shohei Ohtani of the Angels and Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves naturally have base cards as leaders of the AL and NL. Rookies like Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals, Adley Rutschman of the Orioles, and Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners have multiple cards reflecting their stellar debut campaigns. Veterans like Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto are also well represented as perennial All-Stars and award winners.
Some of the more unique base cards in Series 2 pay homage to past and present milestones. There is a card showing Giancarlo Stanton after hitting his 300th home run and another of Albert Pujols facing towards 3,000 career hits. A card picturing Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt represents their new partnership on the Cardinals after recent trades. Rookie standouts like Witt Jr. and Rutschman have “post-hype” base cards displaying their continued production at the MLB level.
Parallels are back in Series 2 and provide cardboard collectors alternate versions of the base cards. The most common are the Gold Foil parallels numbered to 2021 copies, giving fans a shinier take on their favorite players. Other parallels like Retro Black, Rainbow Foil, and Green Border provide lower print runs and alternate art designs that amp up the scarcity and appeal for enthusiasts. Topps even brought back the fan-favorite Walmart “Blaster/Hobby” parallels exclusive to select retail boxes adding more chase variations.
When it comes to inserts, Topps integrates numerous hit-predicting and retro-styled fan favorites. “This Is My Year” highlights players primed for a breakout season statistically. “Archive” pulls from Topps’ decades of designs for a vintage baseball card aesthetic. “Topps Now” honors up-to-the-moment performances right from the field into collectors’ hands. “Photo variation” inserts use live-action shots straight from Topps’ archive of imagery. Returning inserts like “Legends”, “Rainy Day”, and “Black Border” add layer upon layer of cardboard nostalgia.
Autograph and memorabilia cards remain the real chase hits for hobby enthusiasts. Topps continues employing on-card autographed swatches of fabric, leather, or material from game-worn jerseys and caps. Serial-numbered parallels like Foundations, Spectrum, and Rainbow Foil Amp’d provide lower print runs and signatures of stars on premium materials. Topps even includes a small number of 1/1 printing plates and patch autograph monsters as true gems for super-collectors. With teams fully operational again in 2023, Topps has ample fresh game-used gear to fashion creative memorabilia cards from current season action.
While not deviating too far from the established 2023 Series 1 template, Topps Series 2 evolves the checklist and inserts at all levels to engage collectors. Whether seeking affordable packed goods at retail or chasing rare autographed treasures from hobby boxes, the newest series caters to baseball card fans across all levels of interest. Featuring top young stars and veterans amid another exciting MLB season, Topps 2023 Series 2 looks to continue building on the brand’s legacy of documenting America’s pastime through collectible cardboard. Whether completing sets or hunting hits, Series 2 gives hobbyists all the excuse they need to crack more packs this summer in hopes of landing their next prized addition to their baseball card collection.
