Topps kicked off its 2022 baseball card season in late January with the release of its annual Opening Day set. The highly anticipated flagship product provides baseball card collectors their first look at new photo options and designs for the upcoming season. With 596 total cards featuring every Major League Baseball player as well as all 30 teams, the Topps 2022 Opening Day set serves as a prelude to the full Topps Series 1 release coming in early March.
Design and Organization:
The base cards in the 2022 Opening Day set feature a clean and classic look with players pictured against a solid color background in their team’s primary uniform. Player names, positions, and teams are listed clearly above each photo. The card borders are designed with thin gray and white parallel lines running vertically along the edges. At the bottom of each card is the Topps logo along with the series year and card number. The cards are organized first by league, then by team alphabetical order with American League teams listed before National League counterparts. Numbers are assigned based on each player’s position on their team’s official active roster. Rookies and prospects are interspersed throughout starting around the mid 400s card number range.
Short Prints and SP Variations:
In addition to the base cards, Topps includes several short print parallels and special insert variants to add collecting challenges. There are 50 gold foil stamped short prints scattered randomly through Series 1 factory sets and blaster boxes at roughly one per 20 packs. Topps also includes 10 silver foil stamped short prints at around double the rarity of the golds. Special photo variation short prints featuring portrait shots or action photos make up another 10 cards. Topps Authentic autographed memorabilia cards featuring relics game-worn jersey swatches or autographs of Topps Authenticated players round out the short print checklist at one per 80-100 packs.
Rookies and Prospects:
Topps devotes over 50 cards in the set to rookies and top prospects. Some of the most notable rookie cards include 2021 first overall draft pick Henry Davis, 2020 first overall pick Spencer Torkelson, and 2021 National League Rookie of the Year Jonathan India to name a few. Also included are players like Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodriguez, CJ Abrams and other highly touted prospects on the cusp of the majors. Topps usually includes inserts highlighting top rookie classes and individual prospect performers that can gain value if a player has a breakout season.
Non-Player Content:
In addition to players, the Opening Day set also includes managers, coaches, and about a dozen team and stadium cards. The team cards highlight each franchise’s primary logo and colors on a aerial shot of their home ballpark. Topps rounds out the checklist with a handful of blank “Your Choice” cards and Allen & Ginter style traded cards giving collectors options to add their own flair. Card backs provide each player’s career statistics, brief bios, and can also include awards recognition or rookie debut años. The backs of team/stadium cards give fun facts and histories about each franchise and home venue.
Parallels and Inserts:
Where Topps Opening Day base cards are mainly focused on core content of all players, Topps follows up the set release by rolling out more specialized inserts and parallel variations over coming months. These include highly anticipated Rainbow Foil parallels, Topps Chrome refractors, special photo variations, autograph and relic memorabilia cards of star players, and throwback “Turn Back The Clock” inserts highlighting retro-style designs. Topps traditionally includes a few chase cards like 1/1 printing plate autographs or jersey relic parallels that can be worth thousands of dollars for dedicated collectors. Lower print runs provide scarcity value.
Collectibility and Resale Value:
While the Opening Day set provides a first affordable look at the new MLB season’s cards, the real excitement comes from chasing after short prints, prospects, parallels and insert variants as the year progresses. Topps is the official MLB licensee, so their flagship products retain strong collectible value long term. Base rookies and stars from past Opening Day sets often appreciate over years as players careers progress or end. Even commons can gain value if a player breaks out with an award season. Once out of print, rare inserts like 1/1s become true investment pieces. While packs and boxes can be found readily in March, single cards command premiums in the secondary marketplace depending on player, parallel and condition. Topps Opening Day serves as a fun preview and holds historical significance as the debut set for any given MLB campaign.
In summary, Topps 2022 Opening Day baseball cards kick off another year of baseball card collecting with its classic design, reliable player coverage and sampling of inserts to come. With over 596 total cards in the base set alone focusing on all 30 teams and every MLB player, Topps provides value for fans and collectors seeking their first hits of the new season. Prospect chasing, parallel collecting, and the nostalgia of Opening Day also add lasting appeal to this annual Topps tradition that helps bridge the gap between the end of one baseball year and beginning of the next.
