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NEW RELEASES: Topps Series 2 generating buzz; new Mosaic Basketball, Optic Football sets hit market
With the biggest card show of the year coming up, card collectors will be looking for new sets at the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention.
Here’s a look at three of the hottest new releases collectors will be looking for in Cleveland.
TOPPS SERIES 2 BASEBALL
Topps Series 2 Baseball hit the field on June 12 and made an immediate impact in the hobby.
Hobby boxes offer 12 cards per pack, 20 packs per box, and 12 boxes per case. Pack openers can expect to find one autograph, memorabilia or manufactured relic per box as well as one shiny silver pack sitting atop the sealed box.
Aside from the regular buzz for a Topps flagship release, this particular series caught the hobby's attention for many reasons, but in large part due to the Jackson Holliday tribute to the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken F-face card.
The Series 2 base set consists of 350 cards. Collectors can find many stars not found in Series 1, players in brand spanking new uniforms, and a deep run of fresh rookies.
There are a plethora of parallels from rainbow foil, found one in every 10 packs, down to 1-of-1 platinum and printing plates.
Non-hobby versions offer unique parallels as well, including Aqua (exclusive to Fanatics boxes), Gold foil (exclusive to jumbo packs), and Yellow (found two per hanger box). Blasters offer even more fun with Hot Dog and Statue of Liberty parallels.
Collectors can be on the hunt for golden mirror image variations, which put each base card in a highly collectible SSP category, also offering different photos on the card fronts.
Four rookies have short-print variations as their first official flagship Topps card.
1989 Topps Baseball themed cards can be found throughout, paying tribute to the fun set from the junk wax era 35 years ago.
Insert sets are endless and range from the standard 1989 Topps All-Star design to the tougher and more unique Heavy Lumber, which are done on wood-like material and limited to 500 copies.
Celebrity cards return to Topps with First Pitch and Play Ball cards. These are similar to the inserts that appeared in the 2016 and 2017 Topps sets.
There are a number of autograph options from Baseball Stars Autographs to multi-player offerings, such as Dynamic Dual Autographs and Signature Tune Dual Autographs.
Memorabilia cards include even more 1989 Topps stylings in addition to Major League Materials, City Connect, Swatch Collection and In the Name relics.
There's always buzz for flagship Topps sets, and this release is no exception. The cards can be found almost everywhere for a reasonable price.
2023-24 PANINI MOSAIC BASKETBALL
Shortly after July 4, 2023-24 Mosaic Basketball checked into the game.
Hobby boxes offer 15 cards per pack, 10 packs per box and 12 boxes per case.
The basketball brand offers the expected chromium finish and cornerstone parallel pattern. The checklist is deep in terms of numbers and depth and offer subsets in a series of rainbow parallels and a deep bench of inserts.
Collectors will find parallels ranging from Red Mosaic and Glitter to numbered Blue Mosaic (out of 199) down to Gold Glitter (out of 5) and 1-of-1 Black Mosaics.
The checklist deepens with not only rookie cards but NBA Debuts, which is the second rookie year card of the players within the set. NBA Greats and City Edition subsets are also available.
There are a number of autographs, including Autographs Mosaic, Rookie Autographs, Mosaic, Pictographs Mosaic, and Collage Signatures Mosaic. Collectors can find a new autograph series called Showtime Signatures featuring some of the biggest and best players in the game, including Luka Doncic.
Many of the regular inserts return this season, including Introductions, Montage, Notoriety, Overdrive, Razzle-Dazzle, Staremasters, and Stormchasers. A new insert called Bankshot makes its debut this season.
Mosaic also offers short-printed cards in the form of Heat Check and In Season Tournament.
Collectors can also find SSP chase sets with the eye-catching Stained Glass and Micro Mosaic, which is appearing in an NBA product for the first time after a nice run on the gridiron.
Mosaic fills a gap somewhere between Prizm, Select and Topps Chrome basketball of the past. It's a very popular product with collectors, and this year should be no exception.
2023 DONRUSS OPTIC FOOTBALL
Unfortunately, the hobby has become accustomed to products being released well after season's end. With the July release of 2023 Optic Football, this trend seems to continue.
Optic is one of the most eagerly anticipated mid-level releases every football season.
This year, hobby boxes offer four cards per pack, 20 packs per box, and 12 boxes per case.
We can expect one autograph, 20 Rated Rookies, 12 parallels, and four other inserts per box on average.
This product offers a souped-up, chromium version of flagship Donruss. The clean design and familiar style is a hit with collectors.
Expect to find familiar Optic hits such as My House, the wildly popular Downtown inserts, and more.
The product boasts a wide array of autographs, including on-card autographs from the current crop of rookies in Rated Rookies RPS Autographs.
The parallels run deep with this one and collectors can find such offerings as Flex, Electricity, Jazz, a beautiful Black Pandora, and many more.
The wildly popular Downtown insert features both Super Bowl and International versions, which are sure to be a hit with collectors.
Tony Reid has written about sports collectibles for publications such as Beckett and Sports Collectors Daily. He collects RCs of star players in baseball, basketball, and football. You can reach him at @tonyreidwrites on all social media platforms.
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Tony Reid spent more than a decade covering combat sports and has written about sports collectibles for such publications as Beckett and Sports Collectors Daily. He works full time at a sports card shop in Central Pennsylvania and collects RCs of star players in baseball, basketball and football. If you want to talk about the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey Jr., you can reach him at @reidrattlecage on all social media platforms.
