Topps has been the leading producer of baseball cards since the 1950s and they show no signs of slowing down. In 2023, Topps will be releasing multiple series of cards across the baseball season that follow the traditional card production calendar. They will kick things off in late February/early March with the release of their flagship Series 1 product. This release will feature current players from the 2022 MLB season along with prospects and any big-name free agent signings from the offseason. Like in past years, Series 1 will include various parallels, inserts, and autograph and relic cards to chase after.
In late April/early May, Topps will release their Series 2 product which focuses on any players that did not make the original Series 1 checklist, along with any players who had standout starts to the 2023 season. Similar to Series 1, this release includes all the various inserts, parallels, and hit cards collectors love to try pulling. Midseason around July, Topps releases their annual Stadium Club product which features elegant photography and designs with a retro flair. Stadium Club tends to be one of the more popular and artistic releases each year.
Later in the summer in August, Topps unveils their Series 2 product with a second wave of players, followed by their final series release in September/October before the playoffs begin. This late season series, either called Playoff Preview or just simply Series 3, highlights those players who had breakout seasons worthy of postseason consideration. Throughout the summer between regular series releases, Topps also puts out special themed sets like All-Star Cards, Independence Day cards, and League Leader cards focusing on statistical titles.
In addition to their main baseball card series throughout the year, Topps traditionally releases various insert sets spanning multiple series that highlight special player accomplishments, team success stories, prime years of legendary players, and more. Examples include Topps NOW cards for real-time moments, Topps Heritage recalling vintage design styles, Topps Archives recreating rare older designs, Topps Holiday packs, and numerous parallels variations for collectors to chase rarer versions of the same card. Topps also has multi-year committed licenses to include MLB trademarks and logos on both front and back of their cards.
Looking ahead to 2023, Topps is well poised to continue innovating and building on their established releases. They just extended their MLBPA license agreement ensuring they will have player rights through at least 2028. Topps is also the current holder of MLB’s exclusive trading card license through at least 2025, keeping them firmly in the driver’s seat of the baseball card industry. With continued access to official logos, names, and photography, Topps is expected to release at least 8-10 distinct baseball card series and sets again in 2023 across both the regular season and the expanded baseball calendar overall featuring new stars and historical heroes of America’s Pastime. Based on their innovative track record and dedicated collector following, Topps will undoubtedly look to introduce more hit cards, parallels, and new insert ideas to enhance the hunt for any avid baseball card fan. All signs point to another strong year of baseball card production and collecting through Topps in 2023.
