Topps baseball cards have been the flagship brand for over 70 years and are one of the most iconic brands in American sports collectibles. The 2023 Topps baseball card set is highly anticipated and cards from the upcoming release already hold value for collectors and investors.
The Topps brand owns the exclusive license from Major League Baseball to produce trading cards featuring current players. With Topps holding the monopoly, their modern issues between 2010-present are some of the most sought after and hold the highest values on the secondary market.
Let’s take a look at some of the key rookies, parallels, and inserts in the 2023 Topps baseball set that are primed to gain value over the coming years. Rookie cards, popular young stars, and rare parallels tend to appreciate the most for modern issues.
Julio Rodriguez – The 2021 American League Rookie of the Year had a breakout season for the Seattle Mariners in 2022. His Topps Chrome rookie refractor from 2021 already sells for over $100 raw. Expect his main 2023 Topps rookie card to appreciate similar to past winners.
Bobby Witt Jr. – The Kansas City Royals star shortstop had a terrific debut season and finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting. His outstanding tools and hype will drive the value of his Topps rookie upwards. Comparable to Wander Franco’s skyrocketing prices.
Adley Rutschman – Many scouts believed Rutschman had the highest ceiling of any 2018 MLB Draft prospect. After dominating in the minors, he broke into the Baltimore Orioles lineup in 2022 to much fanfare. With his pedigree and catcher position, his Topps rookie is a rock solid long term hold.
Gavin Lux – The Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman flashed superstar potential in 2021 before injuries hampered his 2022 season. His Topps Chrome rookie refractor from 2019 already sells for $70-100 raw, showing how much unrealized potential adds to price. A bounce back year could see his rookie card take off.
Rookie Parallels – Topps parallels like Gold, Silver, Refractor and Rainbow Foil have become huge drivers of value in recent years. Pulling the rare 1/1 parallel of a top rookie holds keys to an early retirement. Expect outrageous prices if someone hits the elusive 1/1 Gold or Rainbow Witt Jr. or Rodriguez parallels.
Top Dodgers and Yankees – Stars on the sports’ most iconic franchises command huge followings and their cards tend to retain value exceptionally well. Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and future HOFers continue reprints of past Topps issues decade after decade as collectibles, not just trading cards.
Superfractor Inserts – Topps Chrome inserts featuring the rarest 1/1 Superfractor parallel of the set’s cover athlete insert sell for tens of thousands. Past parallels of Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Rafael Devers have changed hands for record sums. Pulling a 2023 Superfractor of a star like Ohtani or Judge could net a fortune.
Autograph Cards – Signatures add tremendous value and Topps baseball usually includes 2-4 autographed cards per traditional hobby box. Signatures of top prospects like Witt Jr. or established talents like Juan Soto are long term blue chip investments, especially numbered parallels. Expect Soto or Acuna autographs to sell strong initially.
Longtime collectors seek out vintage content within modern issues like reprint sets and callback inserts featuring legendary players of the past. In an effort to drive collector enthusiasm, Topps plays into nostalgia by including old school designs, team logos, and stars from the sport’s storied history. Reprints of iconic Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth cards as inserts maintain their place in the collectibles world decades after their original release.
While there is no guarantee individual cards will increase, sets from Topps tend to hold their value better than competitors over the long run due to the brand recognition. Factors like condition, autographs, serial numbers and the ever growing population of collectors fuel rising prices across the board. Investors bullish on the sport and Topps as a collectors’ institution would be wise to tuck away sealed boxes, valuable rookie cards and rare parallels from the 2023 release for several years and let the natural market forces work in their favor.
