EXCLUSIVE: Topps adds Darvish, Cespedes autos to Golden Giveaway
By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
The Topps Golden Giveaway just got a little more lustrous.
The company announced on Thursday that the code cards found in packs of 2012 Topps can now unlock cards of two of the most talked-about rookies in MLB so far this season — Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish and Oakland A’s outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
And not only that, they are autographed.

Darvish, a star in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and ace of Team Japan in the most recent World Baseball Classic, is 1-0 with a 7.94 ERA after this first start. Meanwhile, Cespedes, who was a star for Cuba in the WBC, is batting .273 with three home runs and seven RBI after his first seven games. (Need a Darvish checklist or OPG? Click here. Want Cespedes? Click here.)
Both players will be added as standard cards in the program effective immediately and there will be 25 signed copies of each player’s card to be found as well as collectors await both players’ official Rookie Card debuts in Topps products that are forthcoming. (Darvish presently has autograph redemption cards that are strong sellers and will appear on the next Beckett Baseball Hot List.)
The Golden Giveaway code cards are found one per HTA jumbo pack of Series 1 Topps, six per hobby box as well as in retail packs. They can unlock unsigned diecut cards like these two, 24-karat gold cards or virtual coins that can be amassed for other prizes.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

