2010 Topps National Chicle Baseball includes surprises (updated)

Three cards that were part of the 2010 Topps National Chicle preview have drawn the ire of a few collectors here and there as being a bit unusual.

Why? Ichiro Suzuki appears in a Seattle Pilots uniform, Tyler Flowers (presumably since Frank Thomas is nowhere to be found on the checklists) on Thomas’ famed 1990 no-name error card and Babe Ruth shown as an Atlanta Brave.

It appears that these cards will be part of subsets in the 330-card base set (Ichiro appears on two cards in the base set and nowhere else) as part of the Vintage Veteran, Rookie Renditions (2010 rookies on throwback cards) and Retired Stars Revisited subsets. The particular cards are noted on the sales materials as seen above.

Here are the three sections of the base set as seen on the preliminary checklist. The Retired Stars may or may not be the “Revisited” checklist, but the other two carry the same names.

Retired Stars
276    Babe Ruth
277    Rogers Hornsby
278    Pee Wee Reese
279    Lou Gehrig
280    Jimmy Foxx
281    Honus Wagner
282    Roy Campanella
283    Mel Ott
284    Tris Speaker
285    Jackie Robinson
286    George Sisler
287    Ty Cobb
288    Thurman Munson
289    Johnny Mize
290    Walter Johnson
291    Cy Young
292    Christy Mathewson
293    Mickey Mantle
294    Stan Musial
295    Eddie Mathews
296    Ernie Banks
297    Ryne Sandberg
298    Joe Morgan
299    Reggie Jackson
300    Duke Snider

Vintage Veterans
301    Albert Pujols
302    Ichiro
303    Alex Rodriguez
304    Ryan Howard
305    Lance Berkman
306    Chipper Jones
307    Manny Ramirez
308    Dustin Pedroia
309    Ryan Zimmerman
310    Joe Mauer

Rookie Renditions
311    Buster Posey
312    Tyler Flowers
313    Madison Bumgarner
314    Adam Moore
315    Henry Rodriguez
316    Drew Stubbs
317    Kevin Richardson
318    Reid Gorecki
319    Eric Young Jr.
320    Josh Thole
321    Neil Walker
322    Carlos Carrasco
323    Tobi Stoner
324    Matt Carson
325    Tommy Manzella
326    Michael Dunn
327    Brent Dlugach
328    Michael Brantley
329    Juan Francisco
330    Ian Desmond

Why the reaction? Likely because they’re unusual — and the cards weren’t explained. (But it is worth noting that Ichiro and Ruth have more than one card in the base set, so … purists will likely get their Mariners and Yankees cards.)

How’d the cards come about? We’re betting that someone at Topps or one of the several artists commissioned to work on Chicle wanted to have some fun.

Is that so bad?

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Graded Card Investor. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.