2024 Topps Series 1 kicks off baseball season with bright, new electric design

The release of Topps Series 1 Baseball each season signifies so much in the hobby and the sport itself.

Topps leads off the baseball card collecting season with its iconic flagship set, which debuted in 1951. It hits hobby shops and retail on Feb. 14.

The 2024 design is electric with a neon sign feel, a black smokey upper border, and the team name in matching neon lights with a thin, multi-layered border wrapping around the card.

The border fades from black at the top to a lighter, whiter color at the bottom base of the card. The famous Topps logo is featured prominently. At the bottom of the card, you will find the team logo wrapped in more neon and the player's name and position scrolled across the bottom within the neon border.

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Within the sport and hobby, Topps’ first installment of baseball cards signifies the beginning of a new season. It signals sunshine, warm weather, green grass, and baseball stadiums filled with peanuts, Cracker Jacks, and screaming fans watching stars like Ronald Acuna Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Julio Rodriguez, and other greats compete in a brand-new season.

The bright base set consists of 350 cards, with veteran stars being joined by a deep crop of prospects and rookies, including Cincinnati Reds young superstar Elly De La Cruz, who will receive the honor of the RC designation on his card. Acuna is on the box and pack cover, and on the No. 1 card in the base set.

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Topps has long been known for its subsets. Collectors can look for Future Stars, League Leaders, team cards, and various other sets within the set.

If the base cards aren’t eye-catching enough, there are an endless line of parallels, from the more common Rainbow foil and Royal Blue to Father's Day Powder Blue, Mother's Day Hot Pink, Memorial Day Camo and 1-of-1s, including Platinum and printing plates. Aside from hobby boxes, additional products will offer a variety of other parallels and inserts.

For instance, the Series 1 blaster box will have a seasonal holiday theme. Parallels will honor springtime and the Easter holiday, featuring eggs, rabbits, flowers, umbrellas, watering hymns, and 1-of-1 rose parallels. The De La Cruz 1/1 Reds color match would be a really fun card to see.

The wildly popular and significant Golden Mirror variations will be back again. Every base card will have a gold foiled SSP. These will be in high demand, much like seasons past.

Topps also will continue to pay homage to the 35th Anniversary of a past product with the fun 1989 Topps Baseball product. Expect to see that bright white border and bold, looping text in various forms. There will be many inserts paying tribute to the 1989 set that will include a wide variety of players, both current and retired. Expect to find fun inserts such as the 2023 All Topps Team, 2023 Greatest Hits, Grand Gamers, Superstar Blueprint, Home Sweet Home Stadium Medallions, and other offerings. All of these will also have various colored parallels.

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Autographs and memorabilia cards will be prominently featured in the 1989 Topps design, too. Expect to find some great on-card autographs of rookies, prospects, veterans and retired greats in Baseball Stars Autographs, Baseball Stars Dual Autographs, Postseason Performance, and World Champion inserts sets.

Collectors can also find Major League Materials relics in various versions. The most notable autographs will be cuts of icons such as Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Roger Maris, Ted Williams and many more.

Collectors can expect to find one auto or relic per 20-pack hobby box, and one auto, one relic and one manufactured relic per 10-pack jumbo box. Pre-sales of hobby boxes start at $89.99 on the Topps website with jumbos opening at $159.99.

With 1989 being the rookie year of one of the greatest players of all time (and my favorite player), Seattle Mariners superstar Ken Griffey Jr., Topps will include a Celebration of the Kid insert set in what should be one of the more fun and unique inclusions in the 1989 tribute.

The eye appeal of this dark bordered yet bright design is one of the better and more unique base designs in recent memory. It was designed by Topps Senior Designer Robert Grabe, who patterned the set after the 1990 Topps design and calls it “rebellion against monochrome.”

With the Feb. 14 release date, the new series would make a perfect Valentine's Day present for any collector. Save your money by passing on flowers, chocolates and candy and rip into a classic box of iconic Topps Baseball cards with your sweetheart.

— Tony Reid has written about sports collectibles for such publications as Beckett and Sports Collectors Daily. He collects RCs of star players in baseball, basketball and football. You can reach him at @reidrattlecage on all social media platforms.

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