2021 marked a major transition year for Topps and their iconic baseball card releases. After decades as the sole license holder for Major League Baseball, Topps lost their exclusive rights opening the door for new competition. They were not going down without a fight and produced some of their most creative and collectible baseball card products in years for their presumed final season with MLB rights.
The news became public in 2020 that MLB had chosen to end their exclusive agreement with Topps after the 2021 season. This meant that starting in 2022, other trading card companies like Fanatics would be able to produce official MLB-licensed baseball cards for the first time. Topps had been the sole provider of officially licensed MLB cards since 1958, building a multibillion-dollar brand over 63 years. With the loss of exclusivity looming, 2021 became a year of transition and Topps wanted to go out with a bang.
They delivered one of the largest standard baseball releases perhaps of all-time with their 2021 Topps Series 1 baseball cards. The base set expanded to an enormous 350 cards, easily eclipsing previous years that tended to fall in the 250-300 range. This allowed for more depth of inclusion across all 30 MLB teams and gave collectors a massive roster of current stars and prospects to chase after. Short-prints and parallels were also included at elevated ratios across all retail and hobby products.
Beyond the standard release, Topps rolled out a variety of innovative baseball card designs in unique form-factors that collectors had never seen before. The retro-inspired 1981 Design Parallels paid tribute to a classic Topps aesthetic from four decades prior. An SP (Short-Print) variant included cracked ice-style refractors. Even rarer 1/1 printing plate parallels were available for the absolutely dedicated hobbyists. The 1956 Design Parallel recreated the look and feel of cards from baseball’s early television era. SuperFractor parallels pushed the boundaries of visual appeal and value.
Topps also created two brand new long-form baseball card sets exclusive to their 2021 releases. The In Action insert set took snapshots directly from iconic MLB moments of the past season. And the brand new Road to the Show Prospects set focused intensely on minor leaguers and prospects, foreshadowing the next generation’s future stars. These longer parallel sets, something Topps had never truly done before to this scale, brought new angles and artistic concepts to capture collectors.
Additional innovative concepts included the massive 1000-card Gallery Collection putting archived Topps photography in modern frame designs. Exclusive 1/1 artist drawings from Topps Tribute created truly one-of-a-kind memorabilia cards. And high-end luxury releases like Sterling chased the top of the hobby market with precious metal parallels and quality enhancements. Plus, iconic vintage reprints like 1954 Bowman Color and 1972 Topps maintained connections to Topps’ significant earlier decades in the hobby.
Topps also formed key strategic partnerships for 2021 that brought new levels of crossover between baseball cards and other popular verticals. A special Marvel collaboration merged America’s pastime with the House of Ideas superhero universe. Gamers found special chase cards built for Topps BUNT and other digital platforms. And Cryptobaseball pioneered the integration of physical baseball cards with blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). These multi-industry tie-ins showcased Topps’ continued willingness to innovate.
While the future of Topps and MLB after 2021 remains uncertain as deals transition to new rights holders, Topps used their self-proclaimed final season with maximum exclusivity as an opportunity to push boundaries and lavish collectors like never before. 2021 saw new record-breakers on the secondary market. And Topps sets are widely considered some of the most creative and collectible in the modern era as the brand prepared to pass the torch. Such a massive effort leaves Topps with a strong legacy to carry forward as changes emerge in the trading card industry. 2021 marked a fitting high point to close out over six decades at the helm of MLB’s official cardboard.
In summary, 2021 served as a celebratory finale and moment of evolution for Topps and their long-reign over MLB-licensed baseball cards. Major expansions, innovative new designs, crossover partnerships, and never-before-seen parallels gave the brand a chance to make a final statement while reigniting the excitement of the hobby for collectors. It stood as one of Topps’ most impressive years creatively and helped maintain passion for the cardboard collectibles amid uncertain times of transition looming on the horizon for rights ownership. The legacy of 2021 Topps baseball cards will stand the test of time, ensuring the memory of their MLB partnership end on a high note of creativity, achievement, and fanfare as a new era emerged for the collecting world.
