Field Level Preview: 2012 Topps Series One Baseball

It’s the beginning of a new collecting year, and as usual, Topps’ first product is Series One baseball.  Topps is once again having a yearly celebration for their cards with 2012 being the year of the Golden Giveaway.  However, unlike the previous promotions (other than 2011 Topps Football), you won’t redeem tons of codes for tons of cards that most people really don’t want.  Instead, it’ll be a combination of the replacement for the Diamond Die-Cuts and coins which you can use to bid on items…whatever items they happen to be.

Topps is doing a serious amount of promotion for the base set this year, with a ‘Gold Rush’ wrapper redemption program, 10 Gold Rush tickets redeemable for golden baseballs autographed by Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr, the return of Prime 9 which includes redemptions for special Topps Chrome refractors and a trip to the 2012 Home Run Derby and sixteen Solid Golden Greats — 14K solid gold cards.  Also, taking another page from 2011 Topps Football, you’ve got coin cards, ring cards and World Series pin cards.

What won’t be found this year are the Legends variations (although Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes will have short-printed cards in series 1 #’d 331 and 332, with the regular versions (featuring different pictures) will be in series 2, and there’s also a squirrel variation) as well as the Gold parallels (which would have been numbered to 2012 this year).  The retailer-specific parallels may be gone as well, although there’s definitely a red parallel which may or may not be exclusive to Target.

With retail packs already appearing in stores, it’s time for the 2012 baseball card season to officially begin!

Release Date: February 1, 2012.
Price Point: Approximately $3-4 per pack or $10-12 per hobby pack, $64 per hobby box and $121 per HTA box at Blowout Cards.
Product Loadout: Hobby:  10 cards per pack, 36 packs per box, 12 boxes per case.  HTA:  50 cards per pack, 10 packs per box, 6 boxes per case.
Hit Ratios: Hobby:  1 autograph or relic card.  HTA:  1 autograph and 2 relic cards.

Product Information:

• 330 card base set (1-330)
• 1987 Topps Minis (50 cards, 1:4 packs)
• Golden Greats (75 cards, 1:4 packs)
• Epic Walk-Offs (15 cards, 1:8 packs)
• Gold Standard (25 cards, 1:6 packs)
• Gold Futures (25 cards, 1:6 packs)
• Generations (25 cards, 1:6 packs)
• Topps Golden Giveaway Code Cards (1:6 packs)
• Golden Moments Die-Cut Chrome Cards (100 cards)

Autographs, Relics and Parallels:

• Gold Silk Collection (100 cards, #’d to 50, Hobby/HTA only)
• Black parallel (#’d to 61, Hobby/HTA only)
• Platinum parallel (1/1)
• Wood parallel (1/1)
• Printing Plates (1/1 each, Hobby/HTA only)
• Golden Moments (1:4 packs, 1:1 HTA)
• Golden Greats Coin Cards (15 cards, #’d to jersey number)
• Retired Rings (25 cards)
• Gold World Series Champions Pin Cards (20 cards)
• Solid Golden Greats (15 cards, 1/1)
• Golden Moments 24K Gold Leaf Card (20 cards, #’d to 5)
• Golden Moments Die-Cut Chrome Gold Cards (#’d to 99)
• Golden Moments Die-Cut Chrome Truly Golden Cards (1/1)
• Truly Golden Moments base parallel (1/1)
• Autographed Gold Coin card (10 cards, #’d to 5)
• Golden Moments Cut Signatures (20 cards, 1/1)
• Golden Moments Autographs (40 cards)
• Golden Greats Autographs (25 cards, #’d to 10)
• Epic Walk-Off Autographs (5 cards, #’d to 15)
• Gold Standard Autographs (10 cards, #’d to 15)
• Gold Futures Autographs (15 cards, #’d to 15)
• Generations Dual Autographs (5 cards, #’d to 10)
• World Champion Autographs (5 cards, #’d to 50)
• Golden Moments Relics (60 cards)
• Golden Greats Relics (75 cards, #’d to 10)
• Epic Walk-Offs Relics (10 cards, #’d to 50)
• Gold Standard Relics (10 cards, #’d to 50)
• Gold Futures Relics (15 cards, #’d to 50)
• Generations Dual Relics (15 cards, #’d to 50)
• World Champion Relics (15 cards, #’d to 100)
• In The Name Relics (517 cards, 1/1, Hobby/HTA only)
• 1967 Mickey Mantle Reprint Relic (#’d to 67)
• Golden Moments Autograph Relics (15 cards, #’d to 10)
• Golden Greats Autograph Relics (25 cards, #’d to 5)
• Epic Walk-Offs Autograph Relics (5 cards, #’d to 10)
• Gold Standard Autograph Relics (10 cards, #’d to 10)
• Gold Futures Autograph Relics (15 cards, #’d to 10)
• Generations Dual Autograph Relics (5 cards, #’d to 5)
• World Champion Autograph Relics (5 cards, #’d to 50)
• Sketch Cards (100 cards, 1/1, Hobby/HTA only)

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