The 2020 Topps Holiday Baseball card set featured a variety of special inserts and parallels that have become highly sought after by collectors. With the holiday set only being available in limited quantities through direct purchase from Topps or winning boxes in giveaways and contests, the rarity of some of these cards has driven values up significantly in the year since their release.
One of the most popular sets included in the 2020 Topps Holiday release was the 12 Days of Baseball collection. This featured iconic players photographed in a winter setting, with each card relating to a different Christmas theme or tradition. The biggest hits from this set tend to be the parallels and serially numbered versions. The 1/1 Mikolas Snowman parallel from this set recently sold for over $1,000. Other highly valuable cards include the Frank Thomas Gingerbread Man 1/1 ($850), Anthony Rizzo Eggnog 1/1 (nearly $700), and Yasmani Grandal Mistletoe parallel (/25) which has traded hands for around $250.
Another prized insert set was Holiday Cheer, featuring colorful renderings of MLB stars wishing fans a merry Christmas. Justin Verlander’s card from this insert is among the most costly, with a Gold parallel (/50) selling for $425. But perhaps the single most expensive card from the entire 2020 Topps Holiday set is the Alex Bregman Holiday Cheer 1/1, which a lucky collector acquired for a whopping $1,850 back in December 2020. Bregman’s popularity and on-field success have continued to drive interest and demand for this ultra-rare parallel.
When it comes to the base set, the biggest money cards tend to focus around rookie sensations and active superstars. Foremost among these is Fernando Tatis Jr’s base card, with a recent PSA 10 Gem Mint grade fetching $450. Tatis’ success and young age make him one of the most in-demand players in the hobby. Likewise, cards of rookie sensations like Dylan Carlson and Devin Williams in top grades have seen similar lofty prices in the $300-400 range over the past year.
Veteran superstars still hold plenty of collector interest as well. A PSA 10 Mike Trout base from the 2020 Holiday set traded at auction for $380 last spring. Other high-dollar examples include a Bregman PSA 10 at $300 and a Christian Yelich mint copy reaching $275. But some lesser stars can see major jumps in value based on parallel and serial numbering scarcity. A prized example is Mike Clevinger’s Gold Wave parallel (/50), which sold for an astonishing $600 last summer during one of the hobby’s peaks.
For collectors seeking investment-grade potential, the lowest-numbered parallels and serial-numbered inserts from the 2020 Holiday set offer the most upside. The Trout Gold Wave (/50) and Photo Variation (1/1) would command five-figure sums for the right buyer. But ultra-short print parallel versions of talented young talents could emerge as long-term gems. Examples that may appreciate significantly given their players’ talents include Wander Franco Forest Green (/15 – recently traded at $600), Luis Robert Green Wave (/25 – $450 estimated value), and Bo Bichette Photo Variation (1/1, valued around $800 if it surfaced on the market today).
There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic supercharged interest in sports collecting over the past year. That phenomenon, coupled with the holiday set’s small production numbers, helped drive early speculation and investment into the 2020 Topps Holiday Baseball release. While the initial frenzy has cooled, many of these prized cards hold potential to further appreciate – especially those featuring today’s emerging stars or parallels with the lowest print runs. Savvy collectors understand the long-term potential of securing iconic rookies, veterans, and serially numbered inserts in top condition from a critically acclaimed yet Limited modern set release like 2020 Topps Holiday Baseball.
