2022 marked the 70th anniversary of Topps Baseball cards, with Series 1 being the flagship set released in late January/early February. The 2022 Topps Baseball Series 1 set included a total of 386 base cards split across various subsets after years of set sizes hovering closer to 300 cards. With increased interest in the hobby and rise of memorabilia collectors, several rookie cards and special parallels emerged as some of the most valuable cards from the 2022 Topps Series 1 release. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the top standalone cards that have already proven to carry significant worth.
One of the most hyped rookies leading up to Series 1 was Detroit Tigers prospect Riley Greene. As the 5th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Greene had one of the more acclaimed prospect pedigrees entering his first MLB season in 2022. His blue bordered parallel rookie card /385 carried an immediate premium upon release due to his prospect status. PSA 10 examples of this card quickly shot up above the $100 range and have steadily increased, currently hovering around $175-200 raw with a PSA 10 recently selling for $450. Greene’s red border /150 parallel saw similar early gains with a PSA 10 red parallel now reaching $700-800.
While Greene may have been the highest touted rookie, one card that greatly exceeded early expectations was Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene. Despite touted velocity, Greene faced questions about his future role and command entering his rookie campaign. His standard rookie card /386 initially sold for under $20 but growth in on-field performance led demand to skyrocket throughout the 2022 season. Nearing the winter, PSA 10 examples now consistently sell for $300-350 with one recent sale reaching a new record high of $550 raw. Greene’s ultra-short printed gold parallel /70 also gained over 2000% relative to initial sales, with the lone PSA 10 example to surface so far selling for a staggering $5,000 back in August.
Another rookie who saw major gains was Los Angeles Angels phenom catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Selected in the 1st round of the 2020 MLB Draft, O’Hoppe had one of the more intriguing offensive profiles of any catching prospect in baseball. That intrigue transferred directly to his rookie card /386, which maintained a steady $50-75 market all summer long. As O’Hoppe continued mashing in the minors and was added to the Angels’ 40-man roster, prices escalated. Raw PSA 10s now sell around $200-250 with one reaching $350 back in September. Even his blue /385 parallel climbed above the $100 mark raw for a PSA 10.
While the main focus was understandably on rookie cards, one of the biggest surprises from Series 1 was the emergence of several star veteran parallels. For example, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw’s gold parallel /70 jumped up significantly above his standard base rookie pricing purely due to the rarity factor. Early PSA 10 sales came in around $350-400 raw but have since escalated to consistently clear the $500 mark, with one example selling for a record $750 this fall. His parallel gained over 1000% relative to initial PSA 10 prices from January.
Miami Marlins rookie pitcher Edward Cabrera also showed huge gains on the strength of an impressive late season debut. While not a true rookie, his standard /386 climbed from a initial $15-20 to routinely clearing $100 raw for a PSA 10 this winter. Cabrera’s scarcer red /150 parallel gained even more dramatically, rising from a meager $30-40 to a peak of $275 raw for the lone PSA 10 to surface. Both parallel pops sustained over 1500% increases relative to initial prices.
Along with veteran parallels, autograph and memorabilia cards also proved to have staying power as collectibles. For instance, St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado’s autographed card /99 experienced steady appreciation from its initial $200-250 range all the way up to consistently clearing $450 raw now for a PSA/DNA authenticated example. His even lower print auto /10 rose from an early $500 asking to a recent winter high of $1000.
Two other notables were an Albert Pujols autographed card/99, which gained from its early $300 range to a winter peak of $650, and a rare Fernando Tatis Jr triple relic /5 that skyrocketed from under $1000 early on to a record $2500 sale this fall after Tatis’ season-ending injury. These particular hit cards demonstrated lasting value more common in higher-end products despite coming from a mainstream release like Series 1.
While the vast majority gained value steadily throughout the season, a couple saw meteoric short-term rises purely due to singular events. For instance, Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II’s standard rookie spiked from $25-35 to an astounding $250 immediately following his performance in the 2022 NLDS, before settling back down around $150-175 shortly thereafter. His blue /385 also saw a similar, albeit less pronounced, short spike.
Los Angeles Angels pitcher/hitter Shohei Ohtani stood out similarly when he belted his MLB record-setting 33rd home run of the year in late June. His standard card jumped nearly 1000% for a few weeks, climbing from the usual $50-75 to a peak of $500 shortly after the milestone before retreating. While these event-based increases proved temporary, they underscored the potential for real-time reaction in the trading card market to on-field accomplishments.
The 2022 Topps Series 1 release proved a major success for the hobby, breeding several new star prospects, rookie sensations, and even veteran parallels that emerged as highly valuable modern cards. Cards like Riley Greene, Hunter Greene, Logan O’Hoppe, Michael Harris II, and Shohei Ohtani kept creating momentum with their on-field impacts, while overlooked gems like Edward Cabrera ultimately gained the most on a percentage basis relative to early valuations. This flagship set helped demonstrate trading cards can provide an investable collectible tied to the future prosperity of the next generation of MLB stars. Series 1 cemented its place as the preeminent starting point for any baseball card collection spanning both mainstream and high-end markets.
