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2022 TOPPS CHROME BASEBALL MISSING CARDS

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The 2022 Topps Chrome Baseball set release was highly anticipated by collectors. It was quickly discovered that some key rookie cards and parallels were missing from factory sets and retail blasters/hangers. This created a frenzy in the hobby as collectors scrambled to find the missing cards on the secondary market at inflated prices.

Some background – Topps Chrome is an annual insert set released alongside the main Topps flagship set. What makes it unique is that the cards feature a shiny “chrome” design on the front. Topps Chrome sets are prized by collectors for their photo negative designs and the fact they contain some of the most sought after rookie cards and parallels from the current season.

This year’s Topps Chrome release centered around one of the most hyped rookie classes in recent memory, headlined by Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez and Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. Both were considered favorites for Rookie of the Year and their rookie cards were being heavily anticipated. Upon the release of Series 1 in late August, it became apparent some key cards were missing.

Specifically, the prized green bordered parallels of Julio Rodriguez and Adley Rutschman were absent from factory sets. These parallel cards, numbered to just 99 copies, are the most scarce versions and command the highest prices. Their absence was a major blow to collectors hoping to pull these rare cards themselves. The base rookie cards of several other top prospects like Spencer Strider and Bobby Witt Jr. were also missing from factory sets sold by retailers.

This created a mad rush on the secondary market as collectors rushed to eBay, Twitter and Instagram to find the missing cards. Prices skyrocketed within hours as savvy flippers acquired boxes/packs and listed the cards for sale at huge markups. For example, green parallels of Rodriguez and Rutschman that normally sell for $100-200 raw instead fetched $500-1000 due to the low population. It became clear Topps had severely underprinted some of the set’s most coveted cards.

Theories quickly emerged online as to why Topps left these cards out of factory sets. Some speculated it was intentional to artificially increase demand and prices. Others thought it was an unfortunate production error. Over the following weeks, Topps remained silent on the missing cards fiasco. More missing parallels were discovered in Series 2 as well.

In late September, Topps finally acknowledged the issue in a statement. They confirmed “select short prints and parallels” were inadvertently left out of initial factory set and retail product configurations. Topps apologized for any frustrations caused and stated they were working to get the missing cards directly to collectors.

In October, Topps began direct shipping make-up packs containing the missing parallels to people who contacted their customer service department. The number of packs sent fell far short of the estimated number of missing cards. Secondary market prices remained high well into the off-season. The 2022 Topps Chrome release will long be remembered as one of the most volatile and controversial in the modern era due to the missing cards fiasco. It highlighted issues with Topps’ quality control and production planning that left many collectors disappointed. Going forward, Topps will need to restore confidence that future releases won’t have similar problems. But for now, the missing 2022 Topps Chrome cards remain a hot topic of debate in the baseball card community.

While 2022 Topps Chrome contained some of the most hyped rookie cards in years, the set was overshadowed by Topps failing to include several key short prints and parallels in factory sets sold to consumers. This created a frenzy on the secondary market and damaged Topps’ reputation among collectors. It’s a cautionary tale of how even major companies like Topps are not immune from production mistakes that can upset the hobby. The long term effects of the missing cards are still playing out today in the collectibles marketplace.

NOT REALLY MISSING TOPPS BASEBALL CARDS

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The release of baseball cards each year is an important tradition for many collectors and fans. For some, the lack of Topps baseball cards in recent years is not something they miss terribly. There are a few key factors contributing to this sentiment worth exploring.

First, collector interests and the baseball card industry itself has evolved significantly over the past few decades. Topps no longer has an exclusive license to produce baseball cards as they once did. While they remained the biggest name in the industry for many years, companies like Upper Deck, Leaf, and Panini now compete for collector dollars as well. This has led to more innovative card designs and unique insertion hits in packs beyond the standard base cards Topps produced.

For collectors seeking autographs, memorabilia cards, or extraordinary rookie cards of stars, the competition from other manufacturers created more exciting collectible options. Topps maintained a rather basic, traditional approach for many years even as collectors craved something new. Their retirement from the baseball card market opened the door for bolder, flashier card products others were happy to provide. This shift in the industry has significantly changed collector preferences.

Nostalgia also plays a big role in the collector space. Many lamenting the absence of Topps baseball remember them through the lens of their childhood when the excitement of opening a pack was at its peak. Reality is that the current generation of collectors likely has very different nostalgic attachments since they came of age in an era with many manufacturers vying for their hobby dollars. Topps doesn’t carry the same nostalgia weight for younger collectors that it did for older generations.

Sentimentality only goes so far, however, especially when it comes to how people choose to spend their disposable income. From a purely collecting standpoint, the quality and selection of alternative baseball card products in today’s market is very strong. While Topps maintained their brand recognition, their release schedule grew rather stale. Sticking to the same basic checklist card designs and release timing year after year without much innovation didn’t maintain collector excitement over the long haul. Their competitors offered fresh take that many felt provided better bang for their buck.

Nostalgia is better experienced through memory than by forcing ongoing participation in something that no longer truly interests you. Whereas previous generations just had Topps as their main baseball card option, collectors today can be more discerning in how they invest in a changing hobby. If other companies are meeting their collecting needs and interests better than what Topps was providing, reasonable collectors will simply spend their money on what genuinely appeals most to them in the present, rather than out of some misplaced sense of obligation or nostalgia for brands of the past.

The secondary market has also boomed, allowing collectors another avenue to acquire the specific cards from brands like Topps that hold personal nostalgic value to them. Whereas before you needed to find cards from pack pulls, virtually any run from the past few decades can now be obtained with enough dinero. This alleviates any collector FOMO over missing out on Topps releases directly since their back catalog remains widely available to those still attached to the brand emotionally.

While Topps held major historical importance in establishing the baseball card industry and sparking the collector enthusiasm of generations past, reasonable collectors today are capable of assessing the current market objectively rather than purely emotionally. Their absence opened space for welcome innovation and competition that engaged collectors in new, exciting ways. Whereas nostalgia has its place, it alone does not dictate how collectors rationally choose to spend funds or build collections nowadays. For many, missing Topps cards specifically is not as big a loss as some nostalgic voices claim, especially considering the many engaging alternative options that fill the consumer needs Topps fell short of meeting in their later years before retirement. The hobby has evolved, as have collector priorities, and that’s ultimately a good thing for keeping the industry fresh and collector dollars invested in a space they actively enjoy rather than one mired in retirement.