2021 Topps Update Baseball Preview
Set to arrive during the MLB postseason, 2021 Topps Update Baseball wraps up the annual flagship trilogy for the year. With roots dating back 40 years, the Update set offers the usual mix of official rookie cards, new cards of players who’ve changed teams for one reason or another, season highlights and other content.
2021 Topps Update Configurations
Update will be offered in two forms: traditional 24-pack hobby boxes with one autograph or relic card and 12 boxes per case and Jumbo boxes with 10 packs of 46 cards with one autograph and two relics guaranteed. Bonus content includes a single Silver Pack in Hobby boxes while Jumbos will have two Silver packs and another pack of two Topps Tek cards commemorating the company’s 70th anniversary.
Base Set
Once again, the base set will be 330 cards with plenty of parallel possibilities including:
• Gold Parallel: #’d to 2020
• Rainbow Foil Parallel: 1:10 packs
• Gold Foil Parallel: 1:2 packs (hobby jumbo boxes only)
• Vintage Stock Parallel: #’d to 99
• Independence Day Parallel: #’d to 76
• Black Parallel: #’d to 70 (Hobby and Hobby Jumbo only)
• Platinum Anniversary Parallel: #’d to 70
• Mother’s Day Hot Pink Parallel: #’d to 50
• Father’s Day Powder Blue Parallel: #’d to 50
• Memorial Day Camo Parallel: #’d to 25
• Clear Parallel (select 100 subjects): #’d to 10 (Hobby only)
• 70th Anniversary Parallel: #’d 1 of 1
• Printing Plates: #’d 1 of 1 (4 per card)
New foilboard parallels for 2021 include:
• Green: #’d to 499
• Orange: #’d to 299
• Red: #’d to 199
Base Card Short Prints, Super Short Prints, and more variations will also be on the checklist when it arrives just ahead of release.
Inserts
Remember Topps Black Gold? The 1993 design gets a reboot with a tribute to the first modern-day insert set from 28 years ago featuring new players on the old design. Look for:
• Blue Parallel
• Black Parallel – #’d to 299
• Platinum Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 70
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10
• Gold Parallel – #’d 1/1
• Autograph Parallel (select subjects) – #’d to 10 or less
Also new are Topps Cards That Never Were with creations of fantasy cards like a 1968 Reggie Jackson.
Vintage card fans should get a kick of out that. Look for:
• Blue Parallel – limited
• Black Parallel – #’d to 299
• Platinum Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 70
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10
• Gold Parallel – #’d 1/1
• Autograph Parallel (select subjects) – #’d to 10 or less
The 1986 Topps-style inserts from Series 1 and 2 continue in Update. Parallels include:
• Blue Parallel
• Black Parallel – #’d to 299
• Platinum Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 70
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10
• Gold Parallel – #’d 1/1
Also continuing are Topps Platinum Players Die-Cuts, with the final 20 cards in a 70-player set arrving in Update. Parallels include:
• Blue Parallel
• Black Parallel – #’d to 299
• Platinum Anniversary Parallel – #’d to 70
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10
• Gold Parallel – #’d 1/1
• Autograph Parallel (select subjects) – #’d to 10 or less
Sketch Cards, with unique hand-drawn art of current stars, will be exclusive to Hobby and Jumbo boxes.
Commemorative Relics
New in Update are 2021 MLB All-Star Game Commemorative Sleeve Logo Patch cards, which will feature participants in this year’s game, alongside the game logo patches that will be created specifically for these cards with parallel versions that include:
• Black Parallel – #’d to 199
• Gold Parallel – #’d to 50
• Red Parallel – #’d to 10
• Platinum Parallel – #’d 1/1
• Autograph Parallel – Select subjects Seq #’d to 10 or less
Autographs
Baseball Stars Autographs are the base autos and will feature current stars, legends, and rookies.
Parallels:
– Black: #’d to 199
– Gold: #’d to 50
– Red: #’d to 25
– Platinum: #’d 1 of 1
Dual versions will be numbered to 5 or less.
1986 Topps Baseball Autograph cards are signed versions of the inserts and will include rookies, veterans, and retired players.
Parallels include:
– Black: #’d to 199
– Gold: #’d to 50
– Red: #’d to 25 Hobby Exclusive
– Platinum: #’d 1 of 1 Hobby and Hobby Jumbo Exclusive
1/1 Cut Signatures will featuring vintage autographs of some all-time MLB greats.
Major League Material cards will include a piece of game-used memorabilia with a few parallel possibilities including:
– Black: #’d to 199
– Gold: #’d to 50
– Red: #’d to 25
– Platinum: #’d 1 of 1
Autographed versions of the Major League Materials cards will be numbered to 50 with Red (# to 25) and Platinum (1/1) parallels.
Own The Name Relics will be 1/1 with each holding a letter from a jersey nameplate.
Reverence Autographed Patch cards will feature player autographs with uniform patch pieces. All will be numbered to 10, 5 (Red) or 1 (Platinum).
About Rich Mueller
Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer than that, he’s usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]
