The 2017 Topps Baseball card set is one of the most highly anticipated releases each year. Topps has been the leading baseball card manufacturer since 1952 and their flagship set is considered the standard in the hobby by collectors.

The 2017 Topps Baseball card base set contains 570 total cards and focuses on players and key moments from the 2016 MLB season. Some of the top rookies and stars featured include Corey Seager, Gary Sanchez, Trevor Story, Noah Syndergaard and Kris Bryant. The base cards feature vibrant photography of current players in action shots on the field.

In addition to the base set, Topps includes several insert sets highlighting different themes. One of the most popular is the ‘Topps Now’ program where they produce limited run cards featuring iconic performances and milestones from that current season. Players like Jackie Bradley Jr.’s walk-off homer or Kyle Schwarber returning from injury are captured through these quick-printing inserts.

Another insert set collectors seek out is the ‘Hit Parade’ which honors batting champions from throughout baseball history. Players depicted range from historical greats like Honus Wagner, Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby to modern day talents like Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto. These retro-styled cards with player stats summarized at the bottom are highly regarded.

Topps also includes an ‘All-Star’ subset highlighting the top players voted as starters and reserves to the Midsummer Classic. Rookie relievers like Trevor Rosenthal making their All-Star debuts alongside perennial veterans like Clayton Kershaw make for interesting subjects in this insert set.

To commemorate historic milestones, Topps offers a ‘Hall of Fame’ insert highlighting notable inductions into Cooperstown each year. The 2016 class of Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell are among those featured. With career stats and accomplishments listed on the back, these serve as a nice tribute for baseball immortality.

Topps tries to include one rookie card for every player that debuted in the big leagues that season. With the wave of young talent rising to stardom lately, the 2016 rookie class was no exception with names like Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson and Andrew Benintendi gaining their first MLB card in this set. Collectors hope to land these early issues of future Hall of Famers.

The Flagship set also features ‘Traded’ variations highlighting players that switched teams via trade over the winter. With higher player movement in today’s game, Topps produces swapped team logo and uniform shot parallels for notable trade acquisitions like Aroldis Chapman going to the Cubs.

Topps pulls out all the stops for their chase parallel inserts as well. The ‘Gold Label’ parallel features premium foil etching and numbering out of just 50 copies. At the top of the food chain is the elusive 1/1 ‘Gold Label Prizm’ parallel combining rare refractors with the premier parallel designation. Hitting one of these single print gems can defined a collector’s year.

In addition to the standard retail boxes and packs filled with the base issues, Topps rolls out several high-end exclusive products. ‘Topps Chrome’ is the most coveted which features a refractive parallel of the entire base set with slick refractors replacing the standard cardboard. ‘Bowman Sterling’ is a luxury release focused on top prospects and young stars with embossed signatures and autographs galore. These products really allow collectors to chase after the elite parallel versions of the year’s top cards.

As baseball’s largest card company, Topps always strives to innovate and one of their more experimental innovations in recent years has been the ‘3D’ baseball card. By utilizing special lenses inside plastic holders, these attempt to make cards literally pop off the page. While a novelty, they demonstrate Topps’ ambition to continually reimagine the baseball card experience.

Whether collecting for investment, enjoyment or to remember a specific season, the 2017 Topps Baseball release continues the tradition as the foundation that drives the modern baseball card market. With over half a century of experience, Topps captivates collectors yet again with theplayers, parallels and production feats found within the year’s flagship baseball checklist.

The 1970 Topps baseball card set was released during a significant time of change in Major League Baseball and in America. With 762 cards issued, the ’70 Topps set featured cards of players and managers from both the American and National Leagues. Some of the bigger storylines around baseball and the nation at that time provided an important historical context for this collection of cards.

The late 1960s saw activism and social change sweeping across the United States. The civil rights movement was in full swing, opposition to the Vietnam War was growing, and the counter-culture revolution was informing new attitudes especially among the youth. In baseball, the legendary pitching dominance of the 1960s was fading as offense began to surge. Player salaries were rapidly rising, and the reserve clause binding a player to one team was coming under legal scrutiny.

Topps cards in the early 1970s reflected these shifts, with psychedelic designs and styles informed by the era. The 1970 set in particular featured many career-defining players who were leading baseball teams through this transition point. Notable rookies included Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, Dan Fouts, and Tom Seaver. Established superstars like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Roberto Clemente graced the covers in the twilight of their brilliant careers.

Beyond individual players, the 1970 season was one filled with historical importance for baseball as a whole. The Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds, led by manager Sparky Anderson and stars like Pete Rose and Johnny Bench, won the World Series over the Detroit Tigers. It was the Reds’ first championship in over two decades. Over in the National League, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Roberto Clemente achieved his 3,000th career hit.

Then, on New Year’s Eve in 1972, Clemente’s career and life were both tragically cut short when he died in a plane crash while attempting to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Clemente left behind a legendary playing career as well as a powerful example of using celebrity status for philanthropic good. His 1970 Topps card takes on even greater significance in retrospect.

Topps’ 1970 offering also coincided with Major League Baseball’s ongoing adjustment to integration. Though Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier way back in 1947, most MLB clubs were still primarily white by the late 1960s. Top African American players of the early 70s like Reggie Jackson, Willie McCovey, and Maury Wills gained increased recognition through their prominence on 1970s Topps cards.

The design elements of the 1970 Topps set featured bright solid colors similar to the prior year’s cards. Most cards showed action player portraits with team logos above, though a few included posed images or facsimiles of autographed balls or bats. The reverse sides contained individual stats as well as career highlights. Throughout the ’70s, Topps experimented with novel designs that pushed photographic and stylistic boundaries for the time.

The rapidly growing collector’s market for vintage cards meant strong continued demand for 1970 Topps offerings in the ensuing decades. The debut rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Jackson, Tom Seaver, and Joe Morgan gained iconic status. Other notable rookies like Fogel, Lyle, and Brock achieved success early enough that their ’70 cards hold significant collector value as well.

For teams, the 1970 Reds, Orioles, and Dodgers dominated baseball that season and their stars’ cards represent the peak of those dynasties. Condition sensitivity and print runs still lower than modern issues mean 1970 Topps gems graded high on the POP (Professional Outdoorsman Popsicle) or Beckett scales command top dollar at auction. The 1970 set endures as one of the most historically captivating within the hallowed halls of Topps’ card production legacy.

Whether following their favorite players through a season or gaining context into the cultural shifts of 1960s-70s America, collectors enjoy diving into the stories contained within the cardboard of the 1970 Topps baseball set. Over 50 years later, the cards still excite fans both young and old. With titans of the game and rookies now legends all represented, 1970 Topps delivers a memorable time capsule from a pivotal moment in baseball and social history.

The 2022 Topps baseball card release features current MLB stars and top prospects across various sets. As one of the premier brands in the sports card industry, Topps delivers nostalgic designs and premium parallels in every year’s flagship Series 1, Series 2, and Update issues. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top rookies, short prints, and autograph cards collectors searched for in 2022 Topps baseball.

Perhaps the most sought-after rookie cards in 2022 Topps were Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez. As the No. 1 overall picks from the 2019 and 2018 MLB Draft classes, respectively, Rutschman and Rodriguez had tremendous hype heading into their rookie campaigns. Their base rookies from Series 1 sold for over $100 each by the end of the season. Top prospect autographs and parallels climbed much higher, with colorized parallel versions reaching several hundred dollars. Los Angeles Angels pitcher Reid Detmers, Toronto Blue Jays infielder Gabriel Moreno, and Detroit Tigers slugger Spencer Torkelson rounded out the top five rookie sensations of 2022 Topps baseball.

In addition to standout rookies, several parallels saw tremendous demand from collectors. The highly sought-after Topps Chrome refractors featured iridescent refractor, black, orange, and gold parallels ranging from 1/1 to 1/10 in distribution. Topps Fire parallels included red, green, blue, purple, orange “lava,” and gold inserts with serial numbers from /199 to /50 copies. Topps Finest had “wave” refractors, plus emerald, sapphire, and ruby foil parallels. Topps Inception featured inverse negatives, sepia, and colorized parallels with printing plates available. Autographs and memorabilia cards inserted throughout the serial-numbered parallels added tremendous value.

For short print chase cards, Topps released several exciting hits across its flagship series. Series 1 featured Jason Giambi SP and Jameson Taillon SP parallels at 1/300 copies apiece. Series 2 included short prints of Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Jonathan India at rarities like 1/150 or 1/75 variants. Update also joined the fun with rare parallels of Gerrit Cole, Mike Trout, and Pete Alonso numbering under 100 copies each. Vintage stock variations like 1969 and 1987 Throwbacks captivated nostalgic collectors. International/high number short prints brought global flair with low print runs.

While the core 3 series and Update sets garnered significant interest, specialty editions added premium chase appeal. Topps Tribute included photo variations and pristine relic parallels paying homage to baseball icons. Topps Project 70 visualized what cards from the 1970 set would look like today, featuring parallels numbered to just 70 copies. Topps Chrome and Bowman Chrome extended the refractor craze to include color blasts, negative refractors, and prisms. Topps Inception highlighted its sepia and inverse designs in autograph and memorabilia form. Limited-edition Museum Collections offered one-of-one treasures encased in acrylic stands.

Even the affordable value priced products found immense popularity in 2022. Topps Heritage embraced classic designs from the 1950s-1980s with sharp photography and key rookies. Topps Big League delivered fan favorites at an accessible price point. Topps Fire delivered vivid color ways and parallels under $10 a pack. Topps Clearly Authentic and Topps Holiday allowed collectors to showcase hits in protective windows. Topps Mini attracted young collectors with miniature cards sized like baseballs.

As long as fans continue passing down the baseball card collecting tradition, iconic brands like Topps will keep churning out nostalgic products that develop lifelong memories. Whether chasing superstar rookies, shiny parallels, or legendary relics, Topps provides inclusion for all levels of hobbyists. Its 2022 releases captivated the marketplace and nourished growing collector bases around the world. With each new season comes an opportunity for the next generation of talents to make their cardboard debuts and inspire future card collectors.