First look: 2014 Topps Gypsy Queen baseball cards
By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
The Queen is back once again next year.
Topps unveiled the first glimpses at 2014 Topps Gypsy Queen on Friday as the retro-styled throwback set will return for its fourth year on April 9. Each 24-pack hobby box will include two autographs and two Relics along with a box-topper of mini parallel cards as well.
What will be new in this one? Button cards with as many as three game-used buttons embedded into the card — what might be a hobby first — along with inked buttons and mini cards with pennies embedded into them as well. Also new will be Clear minis — 1/1 acetate cards that are among a few new parallel inclusions.
The base set on this one consists of 350 cards that included 50 short-prints. There also will be a limited number of base card variations to chase. Each card will have several parallels — and a few new inclusions here — with Framed and Silver-Framed cards for only 100 cards in the set. Printing plates will be made for all cards, while there will be minis, Black minis (/199), Sepia (/50), mini-box variations, mini printing plates, mini pennies cards (1/1s only found in the box-toppers), Wood (/5) and 1/1 Leather, Clear and Graphite minis, too.
Two new inserts are among the more standard offerings this year with N174s joining the mix along with Debut All-Stars cards, a set that notes players’ big-league debuts. Also returning will be Dealing Aces, Collisions at the Plate and Glove Stories. All of these can also be found as printing plates. There will be Hometown Flags manufactured Relics to be found — noting the state or country where he was born — with those cards limited to just five.
On the Relic side, there will be standard Relics one per hobby box and mini Relics also one per box. The standards will have Black, Gold and Silver jumbo versions — each limited to 25, 10 and one copy respectively. The Minis will have Black (/10) and Silver (/5) versions only.
The mini button cards that were introduced this year are back for 2014 but only found in the mini box-toppers. These will be limited to just three copies apiece — the same as the duals, which will showcase buttons from two players. Also back and 1/1s are Art Patch cards (sketch cards with a piece of game-used memorabilia embedded into them) and Bat Barrels. Triple-button cards will be 1/1s showcasing three players.
Among the autograph offerings will be standard autos that have four parallels — all new inclusions this year. They will be Red (/49), Gold (/25), Green (/10) and 1/1 Purple cards. Also new will be Around the Horn Pop-Up Book cards, which will be signed and limited to 25. There also will be signed minis only found in the box-toppers.
For autographed Relics, tehre will be five sets to chase and none will be more than 25 copies per card. Button autos will be limited to three, auto Relics will be limited to 25, dual auto Relics to 10, triples limited to five and mini auto Relic books will also be to five — but only found in the box-toppers.
A preliminary checklist was not released.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
Dear Topps,
ENOUGH WITH THE MANUFACTURED PATCH JUNK.
Sincerely,
Everyone.
OK, seriously now, MLB needs to issue a cease and desist order to Topps telling them to stop previewing all their sets seven or more months in advance. I know they’re trying to get dealers to commit buying cases now probably, but it’s really hard as a collector to get excited right now about anything that won’t be out before the 2014 regular season starts.
I think it is time to retire Gypsy Queen. There is nothing unique here. In fact, everything Topps has previewed for 2014 is formulaic and derivative. Wake me up when they actually do something innovative in baseball. This is where a second MLB licensee would be good to push Topps to do something that actually surprises.
I want to buy this now, I can’t wait.
Where’s the pics of all the redemptions which will flood this issue?
Paul: That window is needed for sales to add up via dealer channels just like most every other product in the industry today.
Mark: If the formula that is Gypsy Queen worked (as in plenty of product sold this year) why would Topps absolutely tear it up and start anew?
Chris: Why don’t all manufacturers have such a huge window like Topps does for their baseball products? Panini just released info for the most expensive pack of basketball cards ever (not including UD Master boxed sets) and it comes out in just over a month. UD doesn’t release info for their hockey products 7 months in advance. ITG gives about a 1-3 month notice for their stuff. Why does Topps feel the need to pimp their baseball offerings when they have the exclusive deal with MLB? Actual insight into this instead of just quasi-witty comebacks would be appreciated.
I fell in love with 2011 GQ because it was different. It was almost minimalistic. It was a pure distillation of old-timey baseball in modern cards. There weren’t any manu-relics, buttons, coins, or hundreds of photo variations and short prints. It had full sized cards, minis and on-card autos. That’s all it needed. Most of the other commentators are right, now it’s just formulaic. It “looks” better than 2012/2013, the cream colored border is nice, but we just saw nearly this same design in Ginter. It’s “Ginter Lite”, without all the oddball cards Ginter is known for. So, design wise it’s just passable, but they need to re-evaluate what made the original fly off the shelves. As it is, it will sell, but it only has a couple years left until it gets stale. I’m nearly done with it as is.
Ditto all the neg. comments. Excuse me for yawning, again.
I’m getting into the manufactured relics/patches so this sounds good to me.. I cannot stand the GU relics myself….if I want a shirt of a player, I’ll buy the whole shirt. Anyway…product looks nice and I enjoyed rippin this year so put me down for 3 boxes to start with.
Also, I like that Topps puts out previews well in advance. Lets me plan for what if any sets I want to focus my time and money on for the coming year. Plans ususally go haywire, but at least there’s a plan!
GQ A+.
I think MLB should stop them from putting out anything new, until they settle and ship all redemption’s from the year prior. I have 11 dating back to 5-star and 2012 Museum.
@ MJ – that might be the worst idea I’ve ever heard.