It's that time of year! Spring training is right around the corner, and 2017 Topps Series 1 will be releasing on February 1st. The flagship release of Topps is one of the most anticipated products every year, as it has strong history behind it and it signifies the start of the baseball card collecting season.
This year's base design breaks from the standard borders we've seen over the past few years and, dare I say, looks a bit innovative compared to what we've seen from base Topps in the past. If you look at the Kris Bryant card below, you'll see that they've moved away from a traditional border that has been a trademark in many of their releases. The design allows more of the picture to be visible and limits the excess coverage, outside of the name, team and logo.
This year's base design breaks from the standard borders we've seen over the past few years and, dare I say, looks a bit innovative compared to what we've seen from base Topps in the past. If you look at the Kris Bryant card below, you'll see that they've moved away from a traditional border that has been a trademark in many of their releases. The design allows more of the picture to be visible and limits the excess coverage, outside of the name, team and logo.
The initial checklist provided by Topps highlights the strength of the rookie class that will be included in Series 1. Andrew Benintendi, Dansby Swanson, Alex Reyes, Yoan Moncada (in his Red Sox uniform, but now with the White Sox), Alex Bregman and David Dahl are just a few of the rookie cards that will be included in the first series. Typically the Topps Update series contains some of the top rookie cards each year, but it is nice to see that the first release of the baseball card collecting season will be filled with some promising young talent.
Personally, one of my least favorite aspects of Topps flagship product is the overwhelming number of inserts (11 sets) and parallels (10 versions this year, not including printing plates). Again, just my personal collecting preferences, but I feel that the large number of insert sets and parallels in this product typically deter me from purchasing it in greater quantity. Those are precious spots in a pack that could be replaced by base cards that I need to complete a set. The First Pitch inserts are back, and seem to be the one insert set that collectors seem to enjoy (I enjoy them too, at the right price).
Although typically not the driving force of sales for the product, but the release will also contain relics and autographs, although this is likely not the release for you if you are primarily looking for relics and autographs. Topps has plenty of other releases that have more of that content, and personally, the sticker autographs in this product are a huge turn-off.
Well, those are my initial thoughts on the release. I'm sure I'll be buying some at some point, either a box or blaster or singles (especially Benintendi RCs!). Again, I think that this release of flagship typically gets purchased by the most collectors, as it's the first release of the year and we're probably all hungry to rip something from 2017 at this point.
What card(s) are you most excited about from the 2017 Topps Series 1 release? Let me know in the comment section below - and perhaps there is a collector out there who will pull the card and trade it to you!
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