What It Takes to Build a 2017 Topps Baseball Parallel Rainbow
By Ryan Cracknell | Hobby Editor
If you’re chasing a full 2017 Topps Baseball parallel rainbow of your favorite player, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Each card has more than a dozen different versions that factor in not only color but card stock as well.
Some are found only in certain packs sold at certain stores, others are available in all pack types. Some have serial numbers, others aren’t.
This is standard for the flagship release and around the same as how it has been for several years. There may be a couple tweaks here and there, but nothing major.
Some of the 2017 Topps parallels are easier to spot than others. For example, the Rainbow Foil and Clear cards come with a totally different surface. The Negatives make images look like molten metal, so they’re easy too. But the color-based cards may require a second look. The places to spot the color are two pennant-shaped triangles on the top half of the card and the space below the name plate. Of course, if they’re serial numbered, that’s another way. But sometimes these can be subtle enough that you may miss them if you blow quickly through packs.
While it may seem like a lot of parallels, most of them could prove to be fairly tough to track down with 50 copies or less in circulation.
To help you keep tabs on all of the 2017 Topps Baseball parallels, here’s a gallery showing what they look like and, when applicable, notes one where they’re exclusive to.
2017 Topps Baseball Parallels Gallery
More parallels may be released in the future. Here’s what’s out there now.
Base Card
65th Anniversary
Serial Number: 1/1
Pack Type: Silver packs at Topps 65th Anniversary party
Notes: Have 65th Anniversary foil stamp on front
Buy on:
• eBay
Clear
Serial Number: /10
Pack Types: Hobby only
Notes: Partial parallel set of 100 cards in Series 1
Buy on:
Negative Black and White
Serial Number: n/a
Pack Types: Hobby, Hobby Jumbo
Buy on:
Comments? Questions? Contact Ryan Cracknell on Twitter @tradercracks.
You really need a line saying where each came from if its exclusive to a retail chain, hobby store promotion, or hobby box.
The ones that are exclusive do.
Couple of examples:
Black
Serial Number: /66
Pack Types: Hobby, Hobby Jumbo
Purple
Serial Number: n/a
Found at: Toys “R” Us
Ryan,
Thank you very much for spelling this out for us.I”m sitting on 5 boxes of Topps hobby,now that i know what to look for,i can crack them. Thanks again,Dave
Hi,
Can someone tell me if the Mother’s Day “hot pink” cards are serial numbered on the back? I am color-blind, so I have to take different avenues to figure out what I have sometimes.
This part of the Series 1 release is driving me nuts. Here is what I know:
Gold is numbered on back to 2017
Black is numbered on back to 66
Clear is numbered on front to 10 (didn’t know that until the pic up top)
Powder Blue ?
Rainbow Foil ?
Hot Pink ?
Platinum?
Purple? (I might be able to see this one due to markings in top of card)
Any help would be appreciated here. Straining to try and figure it out is just taking the fun out of it all.
Thank you all for your time and help!
Blue, Pink and Platinum are all serial numbered on the back. Rainbow Foil are not numbered.
fantastic! Thank you Ryan
I pulled a Jackie Robinson Day Patch Card # JRPCA-MTR. It is a #/10 Mike Trout Autograph. Anyone know anything about that card? I cant find anything about it.
This may be a dumb question but, are there parallels for every base card in the set, or just certain selected ones?
The vast majority of the parallels are for all base cards in 2017 Topps Baseball. The Clear cards /10 are the notable exception.
This list is great, but still not sure how to recognize the Vintage Stock or Clear?
@Mark – Vintage stock are printed on old-style cardboard, similar to Heritage. Also, the Topps logo is different. Clear cards are done on acetate. They also have the serial number on the front.
Thanks Ryan, I get it now. appreciate the reply
Is there a difference between Sepia and Printing Plates? If so what, and are there serial numbers on either?
@Ivan – They are very different. A Sepia card is just going to have a brownish tint. Printing Plates are made of metal and usually labeled with a sticker on the back.