First look: 2011 Topps Marquee baseball cards
By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor
Topps unveiled a new baseball card line on Tuesday, a product that will include an autograph or Relic in every pack, as well as include the previously reported return of “Joltin'” Joe DiMaggio to Topps when it arrives in late August.
Topps Marquee will include four mini boxes per display box with 12 display boxes per case in a product Topps says will feature “something for everyone at a mid-range price point” with on-card and multi-piece Relic autographs, jumbo and patch Relics and more in the mix.
Each box will include one on-card autograph, on autographed multi-piece Relic, one jumbo Relic and one quad Relic.
In every case, there will be a Museum Collection autograph card which is placed into a metal frame and limited to just 10 copies.
The base set will consist of just 100 cards with three cards found in every pack. The are four parallels of each card — a 1/1 Platinum, Golds (/99), Coppers (/199) and Blues (/299).
The Monumental Markings autographs will include 75 rookies and veteran players as well as an autograph of boxer Manny Pacquiao. Among the notable signers here are Albert Pujols, Hank Aaron and Sandy Koufax as well as many retired and Hall of Fame players. There will be Gold parallels limited to just five copies.
The dual Monumental Markings autographs will have two signatures with players grouped by position or team. That’s a deep checklist as well.
Read more and see more images after the jump.
The dual Relic autograph checklist includes 75 players with each having a 1/1 patch parallel and Gold parallels limited to five. The triple Relics will feature 35 players with an autograph with the same parallels.
Jumbo Relics will include a 1/1 Ty Cobb jersey stitching card — his name from the tag inside the jersey — Titanic Jumbo Relics, a 130-player checklist, Titanic jumbo patch Relics and jumbo Relic autographs. The easiest versions will be limited to 99 copies, while parallels will be limited to 10 for the standard cards.
The quad Relics will include autographed booklet cards, while most cards will simply feature four memorabilia pieces.
Among the other notable signers in the product are Johnny Bench, Bob Gibson, Don Mattingly, Cal Ripken Jr., Reggie Jackson, Ryan Howard, Tom Seaver, Roy Halladay, Tony Gwynn, Mike Schmidt, Jason Heyward, Buster Posey, Paul O’Neill, Jeremy Hellickson, Brandon Belt, Michael Pineda and Evan Longoria.
Among the notable Relics to be found are Cobb, DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Aaron, Koufax, Roy Campanella, Mel Ott, Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Jackie Robinson.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
these look nice. But its basically another tribute or sterling. Crooked hobby shops will have their metal detectors out to find that metal framed card. That’s sad.
The base cards look amazing, the auto checklist is killer, the on-card autos are slick, they aren’t using the dreaded “foil” sticker, and the memorabilia cards don’t look so run of the mill. With that being said, it’s billed as a “mid-range product for collectors.” Would love to know what the SRP is and what they consider mid-range. Otherwise this looks like the product that was conceived after everyone was let-down with the overpriced, under-delivered Tribute product. Regardless, a nice step in the right direction from Topps. Hopefully the trend of more on-card autos and atypical memorabilia continues.
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I agree, the metal frame is stupid, so easily searched. Perhaps it is Topps way of giving back to the dealers in the form of detectable hits, just like the coin cards in Heritage. I’ll be honest though I wouldn’t call the dealers crooked for taking advantage of that situation.
These do look very nice, but what do they consider “mid range price point” and it appears that the relic cards will not receive the on card auto treatment. I will probably pick some up though. : )
Ty Cobb name would be cool, but I’d sell it to get his auto if I pulled it.
You have a display box which has 4 mini boxes.
Each box will include one on-card autograph, on autographed multi-piece Relic, one jumbo Relic and one quad Relic. So figure one per mini box spread.
I think they could have cut out one or two of the parallels, or made them scarcer.
The bowman chrome way of 1/1, 1/5, 1/50 seems pretty popular.
You have to figure the 4 packs will be in the $40-$50 range, unless they think tribute is mid
range, in which case $75-$100 which will be too high given the number of people in it.
(75 players, rookies and veterans. And, the top people will be SP’d)
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Wasn’t the point of Topps having the only baseball license to attract kids to the hobby? Who can afford this product?
Chris… Any chance of posting a pic of the Ty Cobb 1/1 jersey stitching card???
I am seeing these presell for about $90 a box. That seems quite low considering other products at this pricepoint. MUCH better bang for your buck.
Well, looking at Blowout cards, I’d say if it’s under $100 grab it.
Blow out has them for just under $180.
Looking at the checklist for the autos, I’m reasonably happy with what I see.
By happy I mean that the players are mostly known, but sadly at $50/per there are only
a few that make you money.
These being Pujols, Hank Aaron, Koufax,Manny Pacquiao(boxer)
That are several that are close and many who, while not money makers, will make some
people happy. (Assuming that the better players are not short printed)
The Jumbo relics, with players such as Ted Williams, Mantle, Aaron should do well.
The patches potentially insanely so, but sadly they only exist for modern era players.
The “legend” quad relics will do very well indeed, with names like Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx,Cobb, and Mantle.
Sadly, I see nothing in the way of rookies or the like.
No Harper or Strasburg.
Conclusion, a product that will be close to the order of 2005 Playoff Absolute, not
quite as good for real old school, but on card autos will help.
$25/pack = bargain, $35 = decent, $50 = not so much.
Gamblers will be happy, at least until the Cobb 1/1 get shown off as being pulled.
On card fans will be happy as they flood ebay for the lower end players at $10-$15
for most.
If there are no redemptions, it might be a box worth putting away.
OMG! Just saw 3 cases broke here at my store and what a dog! Did not see any old timers. Just the guys they stated they were taking out!!!! I felt guilty selling this stuff at $190.00 a box. Boy WORST BANG FOR BUCK, EVER SO FAR!