2022 Topps Brooklyn Collection Brings Pays Tribute To Card Company’s Past
The Topps Brooklyn Collection is a set that is inspired from the card manufacturer’s early days. Indeed, the New York City borough of Brooklyn and Topps have been intertwined for more than 70 years.
An online-exclusive release that is now available, 2022 Brooklyn Collection boxes can be purchased from the Topps website for $150, with customers limited to four boxes.
The original production plant for the Topps Chewing Gum Co. was located at 237 37th Street in Brooklyn, in the Bush Terminal waterfront district area near Gowanus Bay and the Hudson River. It opened for business on June 1, 1946, and remained there until the production plant moved to Duryea, Pennsylvania, in 1965. Topps’ corporate offices would remain in Brooklyn at 254 36th Street until it moved to its current location in lower Manhattan in 1994.
The 2022 Topps Brooklyn Collection will feature a pair of autographs in every box, plus it will debut Bush Terminal die-cut variation cards for each of the 50 base cards in the set.
For its fifth version of the set — the Brooklyn Collection debuted in 2018 — Topps is promising a generous mix of current stars, rookies and legendary players.
Curiously only one base card depicts a Brooklyn Dodger — Jackie Robinson, at No. 35, and there is also a Bush Terminal die-cut card of the Hall of Famer. The rival New York Giants also have one card in the set, with pitcher Christy Mathewson on card No. 3. While the New York Yankees have several cards in the set, none of them date before Derek Jeter.
The base set is scheduled to have 18 current stars, 21 rookie cards and 11 Hall of Famers.
Autograph cards will feature 71 different subjects, including current stars such as Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Jose Altuve, Julio Rodriguez, Juan Soto, Mike Trout, Pete Alonso, Ronald Acuña Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Wander Franco and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
It is unclear how many packs or cards will be included in each box. Last year’s set had one pack, with seven cards in the pack. Information about parallel options have not been released.
Topps has a rich history with Brooklyn. The old Topps factory is now part of the Industry City section of the borough, which is described as a “vibrant venue” that houses “hip eateries,” shops, art galleries and outdoor events.
For people who just like to shop in bulk (we’re not talking about 3,200-count boxes of cards) there is a Costco warehouse nearby.
The area has changed a great deal since Topps opened shop in the area in 1938, spurred by the vision of the Shorin brothers — Joseph, Philip, Ira and Abram. But the company’s long history still lingers, and the Topps Brooklyn Collection looks to capture that time.
Buy online
2022 Brooklyn Collection Checklist
About Bob D’Angelo
Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].
