The 2020 Topps baseball card release marked another iconic year for the top brand in the hobby. As baseball’s official card of record, Topps has been producing high quality cardboard for over 65 years and the 2020 set did not disappoint collectors. With a massive checklist featuring today’s biggest stars and exciting rookies, the 2020 Topps baseball cards offered something for everyone in what was a challenging year for the sports world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some key things to know about the 2020 Topps release include the massive checklist size with over 700 total cards across all of its various sets. The flagship Series 1 release featured current players, prospects, and included a number of popular parallels and insert sets. Topps also produced Series 2 later in the year which added more current stars and rookies to collect. In addition, Topps Tribute honored some of the game’s all-time greats who had been inducted into the Hall of Fame or passed away.
Rookies were a major focus as always for Topps in 2020. Future superstars like Luis Robert, Gavin Lux, and Alec Bohm had their Topps rookie cards which collectors scrambled to track down. Top rookies always gain value over time as players establish themselves in the majors. Topps also produced special Topps Chrome and Bowman Chrome rookie cards of the top prospects which added another layer of excitement to the rookie chase. Veterans like Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, and Cody Bellinger continued to be fan favorites and their base rookies carried high prices.
Parallels were another area Topps really delivered for collectors seeking harder to find versions of cards. The flagship release included various parallels like gold foil, silver foil, rainbow foil, and black border parallel cards. Topps Tribute had rare 1/1 parallel cards as well. Topps Chrome and Bowman Chrome introduced refractors, negatives, and other parallel types to their sets. The abundance of parallel choices satisfied collectors looking to chase down limited edition versions of their PC guys. Autograph and memorabilia cards were also inserted throughout the various releases at different rarity levels.
While the pandemic impacted the sports world, it seemed to drive more interest in collecting as a hobby people could still enjoy from home. The heightened demand was evident in the secondary card market. Prices for rookie cards of stars like Robert, Bohm, and Lux skyrocketed after their initial releases as collectors scrambled to acquire the best copies they could find. Veterans cards also held strong prices due to the increased number of people collecting during this time period. The pandemic collecting boom made 2020 one of the strongest modern sports card markets in recent memory.
Topps digital platforms also thrived in 2020. The Topps BUNT and TOPPS NOW apps saw record user engagement as collectors turned to the digital hobby. Topps BUNT let users collect and trade virtual cards on their mobile devices, including special limited parallels. TOPPS NOW produced timely cards commemorating moments from a unique MLB season happening during the pandemic. These apps helped introduce the Topps brand to a new generation of digital collectors.
As baseball’s longest running and most recognizable card brand, Topps set the standard for quality and collectibility once again in 2020. The massive checklist featuring the game’s biggest stars provided something for every type of collector. From flagship to Chrome to parallels to rookies, Topps delivered top cards for every collector across both physical and digital platforms. The pandemic collecting boom led to record demand which saw the values of 2020 Topps cards rise significantly for the top rookies and veterans. It was another banner year for the iconic Topps brand and set the stage for what’s sure to be continued success in 2021 and beyond as the leader in the baseball card industry.
