2010 Topps Baseball

Topps. The word itself is synonymous with baseball cards and as much a part of the sport as Spring Training and the World Series. Despite recent attempts by its competitor to let collectors think otherwise, Topps is the exclusive trading card manufacturer of Major League Baseball for 2010. Returning to their glory days for the first time in almost 30-years as the name in baseball trading cards.

To coronate this fact, Topps is providing collectors an opportunity to recapture lost moments of history, time and cardboard treasure with one of the biggest promotions The Hobby has ever seen. Randomly inserted at a rate of approximately 1:6 packs, casual fans and collectors will find Topps Million Card Giveaway code cards. These codes can be redeemed online to reveal an original Topps card from year’s gone by. This includes, what has been reported by Topps PR spokesperson, Clay Luraschi, as including (3) 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie cards, the granddaddy of the all.

Topps Series 1 just released last week but that didn't stop their PR department from getting the word out and creating an early buzz about Series 2. The attached sell sheet has more information than you could possibly want (sans checklist) so we included that as well. Your down and dirty preview looks like this:

Scheduled Release Date: Week of May 24th, 2010

BASE CARDS- 330 subjects
•255 Veterans, 40 Rookies, 15 Team, 15 Franchise, and 5 Classic Combo Cards

PARALLEL CARDS
•Topps Silk Collection–Hobby & Jumbo Boxes Only! #'ed to 50
•Platinum #1/1
•Black – Hobby & Jumbo Boxes Only! #'ed to 59
•Gold #'ed to 2010
•Printing Plates – Hobby & Jumbo Boxes Only! #1/1

INSERT CARDS
•NEW! Topps Vintage Legends Collection (1:4 Packs)
•NEW! History of the World Series (1:6 Packs)
•The Cards Your Mother Threw Out (1:3 Packs)
•Original Back Parallel (1 per Hobby)
•Hall of Fame Buybacks
•Legendary Lineage (1:4 Packs)

COMBINED INSERTION RATE FOR AUTOGRAPHED/RELIC CARDS
Inserted 1 Per Hobby Box (See sell sheet for complete details)

From Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson to Ryan Howard and Ichiro, 2010 Topps Baseball Series 1 covers the history of Major League Baseball.

And not only does the product celebrate our National Past Time, but it signals a new era in Trading Cards as Topps becomes the EXCLUSIVE PRODUCER of MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL CARDS in 2010.

2010 Topps Baseball Series 1, which ships January 18th, has it all…baseball’s heroes and moments from the past, present and future depicted on array of subsets, inserts, autographs and relic cards.

This is unprecedented value and content from a product that has gone hand in hand with the game since 1951.

Here’s what you can expect (with some unannounced surprises)…

BASE CARDS (330)

PARALLEL CARDS
Gold Parallel (330) #’d to 2010.
Black Parallel (330) #’d to 59. HOBBY & HTA ONLY
Platinum Parallel (330) #’d 1 of 1.
Base Card Printing Plates (330) #’d 1 of 1. HOBBY & HTA ONLY
Silk Collection (100) #’d to 50. HOBBY & HTA ONLY

INSERT CARDS – PAST (TOPPS AND BASEBALL HISTORY)

Release Date: Week of January 18th, 2010

BASE CARDS: 330 Total cards
249 Veterans, 30 Rookies, 15 Team, 15 Franchise, 10 League Leaders, the 2 Cy Young, 2 MVPs, and 2 ROY Winners, along with #7 Mickey Mantle, Plus 5 Classic Combo Cards

ALL-NEW! INSERT CARDS
The Cards Your Mother Threw Out Original Back Parallel
The History of the Game
Tales of the Game
Hall of Fame Buybacks– Hobby & Jumbo Boxes Only!
Past & Present
When They Were Young

See the expanded image gallery, complete checklist, and official sell sheet.

Topps released the basic product information and preview images for its 2010 baseball card set on Tuesday, which might be a more highly anticipated release than in past years as it enters its exclusive agreement with Major League Baseball as its lone fully licensed baseball card manufacturer.

Scheduled to arrive in the last week of January, Series 1 includes a 330-card base set and will include one autograph or Relic card in every 36-pack hobby box or one autograph and two Relics per 10-pack HTA jumbo box.

As with past standard Topps sets, there are Silk, Platinum, Black and Gold parallels. New inserts for 2010 include The Cards Your Mother Threw out — a 58-card set — The History of the Game (landmark moment such as Babe Ruth’s sale to the Yankees or Jackie Robinson’s debut, etc.), Tales of the Game (the 1969 Mets, the creation of the DH, etc.), Hall of Fame Buybacks, Past and Present and When They Were Young.

The Peak Performance set consists of inserts, autographs, autographed Relics, Jumbo relics and standard Relics, while the product also includes a pair of continuity inserts — MLB Exclusive Patch cards and Turkey Red.