The 2007 Topps baseball card set was the 76th annual set produced by Topps and featured cards of Major League Baseball players and managers. It was the first Topps set since 1988 to feature more than 600 total cards. Some key things to know about the 2007 Topps baseball card set include:
Release Date and Card Numbers: The 2007 Topps set was released for retail sale on March 21, 2007. It consisted of a massive 660 total cards, with card numbers ranging from 1 to 660. This was the largest Topps set since 1988 and included a significantly larger player selection compared to recent years.
Design and Photography: The base card design featured a primarily blue and white color scheme with player photography taking up the majority of the front of the card.Player names and team logos appeared below the photo. The backs featured personal career stats and bios. The photography and card stock quality was considered an improvement over the prior few seasons.
Short Prints and Parallels: There were several short print cards between numbers 501-660 that were more difficult to find in packs than the base cards. There were also two parallel sets including the ‘Silver Pack’ parallel cards which had silver borders and were numbered to 75 copies or less. The much rarer ‘Gold Pack’ cards had gold foil numbering and were limited to only 5 copies each.
Rookies and New Players: Notable rookie cards included Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, Dustin Pedroia, and Felix Hernandez. Other new players getting their first Topps cards included Zack Greinke, Brett Myers, and Bobby Abreu who switched teams in 2006. Star players traded before the 2007 season like Johan Santana also received new team logo cards.
Insert Sets: There were several popular specialty insert sets included through the base set including ‘Topps Heroes’ featuring past MVP winners, a ‘Stars of the Game’ set honoring great individual performances, and ‘All-Stars’ inserts for 2006 All-Star players. ‘Total Pantheon’ cards highlighted Topps career stats leaders.
Checklists and High Numbers: Traditional checklist cards were present at the #660 slot and also recapped the different inserts sets. An ‘High Numbers’ expansion was released later containing an additional 100 cards numbered 661-760 featuring more players, prospects, and updates for trades throughout the season.
Autographs and Patches: For the first time, Topps included autographed and memorabilia cards randomly inserted in retail wax packs. These included simple autographs or more elaborate dual-signed or relic cards with swatches of game-used jerseys or bats. These coveted inserts added significant collector value.
Retail Distribution and Popularity: Like other modern Topps Flagship sets, the majority of 2007 cards were mass produced for normal retail distribution through hobby shops and major retailers. The large size, quality improvement, and hot rookies made it one of the more popular and desirable Topps issues in years among both new and experienced collectors.
Secondary Market: Many of the short prints, autographed/memorabilia inserts, and especially the extremely rare ‘Gold Pack’ parallel cards now command big money on the secondary collector market when high grade versions become available. Base rookie cards of stars like Braun and Tulowitzki have also stayed very popular and valuable with collectors years later.
The 2007 Topps baseball card set has been remembered very fondly by many collectors as a “golden era” Topps release. The massive base set provided great player selection at a retail price point, while the inserts and new memorabilia additions made for fun and chase to collect. Featuring some future all-time great players as rookies along with historical stats and image quality improvements, it established itself as one of the most complete and collectible Topps Flagship offerings of the modern era. Its popularity has ensured that high-value vintage cards from this set will remain desirable for collector investment portfolios for many years to come.
