As we enter 2019, we wanted to take the month of December to highlight some of our favorite blog posts of 2018. In this blog post, our two resident Topps Living Set experts weigh in on their favorite 10 cards from the first 100 in the set. This blog was originally published on 11/05/2018 and is presented in it’s entirety in this blog as well
This year Topps released a very unique and welcomed product named ‘The Living Set‘. Each week, three new cards are released into the set, which should theoretically never end. Each particular week’s cards are only available for that week and then never reprinted again. Current players can only have one card in the set unless they change teams. All cards are stylized after 1953 Topps, can feature current or retired players, and are created around the artwork of legendary sports card artist Mayumi Seto. Card #100-102 (week 34) were released last week, with #100 reserved for Babe Ruth.
From the moment this set was unveiled, two of COMC’s employees were hooked on the concept, design, and the execution. Our Communications Manager James Good and Senior Business Analyst Grant Wescott each own a complete set up to this point in time and plan to continue to collecting the set as new cards are released each week. We asked them to choose their favorite 10 of the first 100 cards released in the set and give a reason why those cards resonated with them.
Grant Wescott:
“I’d wished for years Topps would produce an on-demand baseball set with the same, consistent design year after year, featuring only one player to a card, no parallels, and a checklist to eternity. The day Topps Living Set was announced was probably the best of my collecting life. Not only did they check all the boxes – that consistent design? None other than the most beautiful Topps set of all time: 1953. All meticulously hand painted by the talented Mayumi Seto. “
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- “If Living Set wasn’t wild enough, the market for it is. With the lowest print run in the set of 2,678 copies – because nobody wanted it, PSA 10 examples routinely sell for more than $1,000 – because everyone wants it.”
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- “Contrasting the Markakis in just about every way, the hot rookie sold more than 17x as many copies. No surprise, baseball fans everywhere were blown away by his debut season and undeniable passion for the game.”
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- “Ichiro’s 2018 season was inevitably cut short, but not before Topps could immortalize the ageless hitter’s active career. The Mariners cap is also a nice touch with the trident design and AZ Spring Training patch.”
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- “Try to look at this card and not smile. This goofball looks to be having the time of his life.”
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- “The beard, the eye black, the Swoosh on the shades, and Blackmon gazing across the thin air at Coors Field. This card has style.”
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- “#42… 42. Topps didn’t miss a detail with the number slot fit only for baseball’s most important figure.”
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- “This teenager has reason to grin as he entered The Show as the youngest player in the league. His .292/.406/.517 slash line gave fans in DC more than a few grins last season, as well.”
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- “Topps fit more of Big Sexy’s body on this card than any other player in the set. The irony is not lost.”
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- “Who? At least that was my first reaction. Then I saw his stat line. Then I saw his Hall of Fame bloodline. Then I saw this was his first rookie card.”
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- “Is anyone more suitable for card #100 than the Sultan of Swat? No argument here. Babe is probably the most unique and iconic sports hero of all time.”
James Good
“In an industry that tries to consistently innovate by making cards flashier and more complex, the basic card stock and classic design of Living Set, as well as the focus on artwork, is a welcomed breath of fresh air. While I would prefer that Topps would let me pay for Living Set as yearly subscription service, as opposed to buying each week individually, there is a certain charm to the current format that plays well to my nostalgia for simpler times in the hobby. Just like opening a pack as a kid, there is that rush of excitement that comes with heading to Topps website each Wednesday to see who this week’s subjects are. I thought that sense of satisfaction was long gone in our day and age. Bravo Topps.”
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- “Ruth was and still is larger than life in many ways. This portrait does an incredible job encapsulating the human element of someone so revered for his accomplishments.”
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- “Hanny is my favorite current player in all of baseball, so it was a surreal moment seeing my guy make his Living Set debut at card #54. That being said, I hope he’s never featured in the set again.”
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- “While I will concede the hat does look a little bit like a fireman’s helmet, I love the All-Star Game Patch. Will we see a second Harper card in 2019? He sure would look good in a Seattle or San Francisco uniform…”
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- “An appropriate player for the card that got it all started 34 weeks ago. Judge was the correct pick for card #1.”
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- Lindor was featured in Week 21- which coincided with the 2018 National Convention in Cleveland. A well-timed card with an infectious smile.
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- “How can you not love Big Sexy? A fitting player for Living Set’s first full body shot. “
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- “The photo-realistic level of detail in Seto’s portrait of Joe Mauer epitomizes what I love about Living Set. “
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- “It was saddening to watch David Wright’s career end under the terms that it did. I’m happy Topps celebrated the career of a great ballplayer with this card.”
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- “Fun fact: Grant owns over 1% of the print run of this card, and I have a baker’s dozen of my own. As far as I’m concerned, this is Rodriguez’s true rookie card, and his flashes of brilliance in 2018 suggest this card was a wise investment.”
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- “Neshek is a fellow collector and a through the mail autograph legend – so I knew this card would have a high print run. Neshek’s card did almost 5k more than fellow week #20 subject Giancarlo Stanton. I would like to think Pat is solely responsible for that feat.”
What are some of your favorite cards in Topps Living Set so far? Who would you like to see featured in the next 100 cards? Do you have a set of your own? Let us know what you think about The Living Set in the comments below!
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