The 2017 Topps baseball card set was the 66th year of Topps producing baseball cards and contained many interesting designs and player cards. As with previous years, Topps produced their flagship set which contained several series throughout the year with different designs and subsets.
The flagship set kicked off in March with Series 1. This first series included updates rookie cards for star players like Corey Seager and Kris Bryant who had made their MLB debuts the previous season. The design featured a basic white border with player photos on one side and stats and career highlights on the reverse. The backs also incorporated a new simplified layout for stats and information to make them cleaner and easier to read compared to prior years. Series 1 and the rest of the flagship set cards measured 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches, the standard size for modern baseball cards.
Later in the spring, Topps released Series 2 which maintained the same simple design aesthetic as Series 1 but incorporated a new photo and information for each player to update their 2017 seasons thus far. Series 2 also included the first installment of the “Then and Now” subset which put current player photos side-by-side with older classic photos from their earlier careers. This was meant to show how players had changed or progressed over the years both physically and statistically.
Topps kept the production moving through the summer with Series 3 in June. The design went back to the basic white borders but included colorful team logo backgrounds behind each player photo. This helped differentiate the cards from the previous series while still keeping to the clean minimalist style. Series 3 was also the inaugural inclusion of the “Stars of the Game” subset highlighting some of the top young talents beginning to emerge like Corey Kluber, Jake Arrieta and Anthony Rizzo.
As August arrived, Topps commemorated the 2017 All-Star festivities with their Series 4 release. The cards used a foil embossed design with shimmering silver colors and patterns around each player portrait inspired by the Midsummer Classic. Subsets in this series focused on the All-Star Game itself including cards spotlighting the Home Run Derby and highlights from the game itself. With roster and stats updates along with the eye-catching design, Series 4 captured the excitement of the break for baseball’s best gathering in Miami that year.
Wrapping up the flagship set in September was Topps Series 5. Maintaining the color team logo backgrounds from Series 3, this final installment allowed for final stat and roster updates for the conclusion of the 2017 regular season and beginning of the postseason. Notable rookies like Aaron Judge who had breakout rookie seasons were also included. Series 5 contained the concluding installments for subsets started earlier like “Then and Now” and “Stars of the Game”. The designs and information in each series neatly bookended the 2017 baseball year before the start of the fall Classic.
In addition to the five series of flagship cards, Topps also produced several inserts, parallels and specialty subsets throughout 2017. Some examples included the “Flashback Friday” cards recreating design styles from previous decades, “Archive In Action” highlighting great playoff moments, and “Pinstripes” focusing specifically on the New York Yankees. Numerous parallels were also available in numbered versions, autographed relic cards, and special prismatic and refractor finishes that provided appeal for collectors at all levels.
Topps traditionally donates a portion of its baseball card proceeds to support various baseball-related charities each year. In 2017, Topps directed funds to the Baseball Assistance Team which provides financial help and social services for those in the baseball community in need. Topps has actively supported BAT and other causes for decades through their annual MLBPA license, demonstrating part of their ongoing commitment to the game beyond just producing cards for collectors and fans.
Overall, Topps’ 2017 flagship baseball set was another quality production maintaining the company’s standard of regular stat and roster updates befitting the nature of the sport. Incorporating new visual designs each series and compelling subsets, Topps succeeded in creating an engaging and lively annual documentation of MLB’s 66th season alongside digital and social media platforms which have grown baseball card collecting into a global hobby. As America’s Pastime marches on to new frontiers, Topps appears poised to remain a leader in the baseball card industry for the foreseeable future.
