Topps released their first series of baseball cards for the 2023 season in late January/early February, continuing their tradition as the longest-running issuer of standard baseball cards. The Series 1 set featured a variety of rookies, stars, and baseball legends in the traditional card design Topps fans have come to expect.
Some key things to note about Topps 2023 Series 1 include the base set containing 330 cards with each team being represented by 33 cards (except for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees each receiving 34 cards due to their recent postseason success and larger player rosters). As with previous years, Topps spread out star players and rookie cards throughout the entire base set to keep collectors opening packs in search of their favorite teams and players. Several parallels and inserts were also inserted throughout packs at various rarities to provide hits beyond the base cards.
Rookies featured prominently in Series 1 as always, with debut cards including Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals, Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers, and Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners among the most sought-after. Future stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays and Wander Franco of the Rays also received insert cards highlighting their young careers thus far. Veterans and legends honored included Albert Pujols on the verge of 700 home runs with the Cardinals, Bryce Harper in his prime with the Phillies, and Ichiro Suzuki commemorating his Hall of Fame career.
In addition to the base 330-card set, Topps included several parallels and inserts at various rarities. The most common parallel was “Photo Variation” cards showing an alternate image of the same player with the word “Variation” below. More scarce parallels included Refractors (1 in 10 packs), Rainbow Foil (1 in 36 packs), and Gray Border Prizms (1 in 288 packs). Insert sets included “Drawing Diamonds” artist sketches (1 in 24 packs), “Moments and Milestones” career highlights (1 in 36 packs), and “Topps Now” event cards (1 in 288 packs). Autograph and memorabilia cards in the form of on-card autos, relics, and dual relic/autos were inserted as short prints throughout packs as well.
Overseas distribution rights were sold to Panini for Series 1 alongside the exclusive North American license held by Topps. This marked the first time Topps MLB cards were sold internationally since losing rights after the 2021 season, with Panini producing parallels labeled for European and Asian markets. However, North American collectors could still find Panini parallels mixed in with domestic Topps packs. Overall production numbers of Series 1 were higher than prior years given the expanded demand from overseas collectors now being served.
Early returns from box breaks and pack sales of 2023 Topps Series 1 reflected strong interest from the collector base. Rookies like Witt, Torkelson, and Rodriguez sawearly presales of PSA 10 gems going for hundreds of dollars merely days after release. Popular veterans like Harper and Guerrero also routinely pulled a premium. While the 330-card base set is readily attainable for most collectors, chasing parallels and short prints proved challenging. Ebay shortly saw price gouging of unopened hobby boxes as supply ran tight during the initial release window.
In conclusion, Topps Series 1 for the 2023 season continued the brand’s six-decade run as the standard MLB issues while also expanding reach internationally through a partnership with Panini. Rookie stars and veterans filled the base 330-card checklist alongside sought-after inserts at various odds. Strong early secondary market action reflected robust hobby demand which may see Series 1 go down as one of the strongest selling first issues in recent memory for longtime Topps collectors and investors alike once the full release cycle concludes later in 2023.
