The 2020 Topps Baseball card Series 1 checklist offers fans their first look at new photos and stats from the upcoming season. Each year, Topps kicks off their MLB card release with Series 1, providing collectors an early glimpse at the upcoming year. The 2020 Series 1 set includes base cards, inserts, parallels and autographs spanning the entire league of active players.
The base card checklist for Series 1 consists of 362 total cards highlighting every team’s 40-man roster as of opening day. There are also 9 All-Time Greats legendary cards highlighting MLB legends of the past. Some key rookies making their Topps debut in the set include Bo Bichette, Victor Robles, Austin Riley and Mike Soroka. Veteran stars like Mike Trout, Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger again grace the checklist after standout 2019 seasons.
In addition to the base cards, Topps includes several insert sets highlighting different player accomplishments and categories. The “Sparkles” parallel insert set highlights 24 stars in a visually appealing sparkling foil pattern. Accompanades feature players in game action or unique poses like Fernando Tatis Jr. leaping over the batter’s box. Fan Favorites inserts honor the most popular players as voted on by collectors and include names like Max Scherzer and Ronald Acuña Jr. Topps also introduces the Rookie Phenoms set showcasing some of the best young talent in the league like Pete Alonso and Juan Soto.
Autograph cards remain some of the most sought after chase cards for collectors. The 2020 Series 1 checklist includes three autograph parallels – Autographed Base, Autographed Team Logo and Autographed Mini Logo. Topps spreads these rare signed cards across superstar veterans and promising rookies. Popular veterans include Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw and Nolan Arenado. Highly touted prospects like Bo Bichette and Jesus Luzardo add intrigue in their debut pro seasons.
In addition to traditional autographed cards, Topps introduces exciting new memorabilia card parallels. New “Patch of the Game” relic cards feature game-worn uniform swatches of players. Stars like Ronald Acuña Jr. and reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger highlight these one-of-a-kind cards. “Road to Opening Day” placards feature game-used ticket stubs from iconic MLB ballparks as another cool relic element. Topps continues to innovate incorporating real pieces of the game into unique collectible baseball cards.
As with every Topps Series 1 release, parallels abound providing multiple chase options at different levels of scarcity and color. Topps Chrome highlights shine through for the high-end collector. Refractors join Blue, Gold and Black parallels spanning varying print runs. The Black parallel tends to be the rarest at /10 copies or less. Topps also includes Green and Red Foil parallels at /199 and /75 respectively. Even the base cards feature a Silver Pack parallels at /70 to add to the set building excitement across the entire checklist.
Beyond the base set, Topps packs several additional insert sets to diversify the collecting experience. The popular Heritage insert set adds a retro baseball aesthetic to current players. Players like Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr shine through in a vintage style theme. Topps Archives inserts reimagine past player cards from the 1930s through 1960s Topps issues in modern form. These nostalgic cards breathe new life into designs of legends like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.
Fan favorites sets the tone early each season for the burgeoning hobby. With new stars, rookies, inserts and parallels, the 2020 Topps Series 1 baseball release shapes up as one of the most exciting checklists from the longtime leader in MLB cards. The early season offering gives collectors their initial 2020 looks at the upcoming league before the first pitch. Now collectors can start building their season-long set or begin the hunt for their favorite current and future Hall of Famers.
