Topps Baseball Cards remain one of the most iconic and collectible trading cards in America. In 2022, Walmart once again partnered with Topps to be the exclusive major retailer for flagship Topps baseball card products, including Series 1, Series 2, Stadium Club, Chrome, and Allen & Ginter. Let’s take a more in-depth look at what Topps baseball cards collectors could find at Walmart in 2022.
Topps Series 1 debuted in late January/early February 2022 at Walmart stores nationwide. The flagship set featured 330 total cards with inserts like Base Set Parallels, Photo Variations, Team Ballots, and Topps Traditions highlighting players from across MLB. Rookie cards of promising young talents like Bobby Witt Jr., Spencer Torkelson, and Julio Rodriguez were hot commodities for collectors to find. Walmart received good initial inventory of Series 1 blasters, hangers, fat packs and value packs to meet demand. Resell value on hobby boxes of Series 1 surged after release.
Arriving in March/April, Topps Series 2 for 2022 built off the excitement of Series 1 with another 330 card base set spotlighting the next wave of MLB stars. New rookie cards for catcher Adley Rutschman of the Orioles and outfielders Esteury Ruiz of the Padres and George Kirby of the Mariners were in high demand. Walmart stocked Series 2 in similar packaging options as Series 1 to distribute the product nationwide. Value packs of Series 2 remained on shelves the longest at Walmart compared to other Series 2 product releases.
May brought the flagship Chrome retail release from Topps, which Walmart received plentiful supplies of to satisfy collectors. Chrome included superstar parallels and refractors along with prized rookie refractors for Oneil Cruz, C.J. Abrams and Bryson Stott that drove sales. Chrome blasters sold out quickly but hangers and fat packs saw healthy restocks throughout the summer baseball season at Walmart. Chrome remained a top-selling Topps baseball card line at Walmart all year.
June/July was all about the return of Allen & Ginter. Walmart received pallets upon pallets of A&G which remained in stock longer than premium products like Chrome or Stadium Club. A&G drew in collectors to find hit cards of giant pandas, cupcakes, musical instruments and more unique in-box parallels of MLB players. A&G was a budget-friendly top seller for new collectors just getting into the hobby at Walmart.
August brought Topps Stadium Club, which Walmart stocked in blasters, fat packs and hobby boxes. Known for its crisp photography, SC rookie cards of catcher Catholic Abrams, outfielder Corbin Carroll and pitcher Spencer Strider debuted in the set to critical acclaim. SC flew off shelves despite its higher price point versus base flagship sets. Hobby boxes of SC were among the first to sell through initially at Walmart.
In September, Walmart restocked top products like Chrome, Series 1, and Series 2 from earlier in the year to satisfy late season collector demand. Value packs were always kept in stock since they offered the best way for budget-conscious collectors to continue adding to their collections each month throughout the MLB season. By October, Walmart focused inventory on fall/winter releases like Archives Snapshots and Heritage High Numbers to transition the hobby into the offseason.
Much like in year’s past, Walmart proved itself the most consistent and reliable major retailer for collectors to find new flagship Topps baseball card releases throughout 2022. In addition to carrying the full breadth of Topps baseball card product lines, Walmart stores offered fair pricing and received good initial allocations that often kept products in stock longer than at other mass merchants. Walmart’s widespread national retail footprint also ensured both casual and hardcore collectors from coast-to-coast could locate Topps releases close to home. Heading into 2023, all signs point to Walmart again being the go-to destination for Topps baseball cards for millions of collectors and fans nationwide. From value packs to high-end hobby boxes, Walmart and Topps will continue leading the baseball card category each new season.
