2018 Topps Series 2 Baseball Variation Short Prints: The Ultimate Guide
The 2018 Topps Series 2 Baseball variations are taking a similar path to Series 1. First off, there’s lots of them. Secondly, they come in multiple tiers. That means SP and SSP variations.
But the 2018 Topps Series 2 variation short prints are doing something different as well — they have retired legends. And a couple of high-profile rookies get their first flagship cards, as well.
Warm-up gear is another theme for the Series 2 SP variations. Many of the cards in Series 1 went in the same direction. The more rare 2018 Topps Series 2 SSP Variations use more expressive photos for the most part.
The 2018 Topps Series 2 Baseball variations checklist has 102 total cards including SP and SSP. This is pretty much the same as Series 1. SP cards total 75 cards to go along with 25 scarce SSP cards.
On top of these are two late additions to the 2018 Topps Series 2 checklist, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Gleyber Torres. While they do have flagship cards, they’re variations, sharing a checklist spot with another player. This is similar to the situation with Shohei Ohtani in 2018 Topps Heritage Baseball where he is one of the Action Variations. Because the cards are variations, they’re essentially inserts. Many will treat them as Rookie Cards, however because of their insert standing, the 2018 Topps Series 2 Torres and Acuña variations will not have the RC tag in the Beckett database.
Exact odds on the two Rookie Variations isn’t known but it appears they’re about one per case.
For a handful of cards, the number of the variation doesn’t match the base card. For example, Corey Seager is #550 in the main set. His variations are #556, overlapping with Andrew Benintendi. The impacted cards are noted in the gallery.
These Cards Are Not Variation Short Prints
The 2018 Topps Series 2 base set has a couple mix ups with its numbering. Cards 364 and 565 do not exist. Instead, both Mallex Smith and a Dodgers Combo Card share #365. Joey Rickard and the New York Mets Team Card are both #564.
It may seem like these point to variation short prints. They’re not.
How Hard Are 2018 Topps Series 2 Variations to Find?
Some of the variations won’t be too difficult to find, at least in the first while after the product releases. Regular SP cards are 1:30 2018 Topps Series 2 hobby packs and 1:6 hobby jumbo packs (retail odds are not yet known). That makes them about one or two per box. Even with the large checklist, these shouldn’t be too terribly hard to find, particularly if you’re just looking for one or two of a favorite player.
2018 Topps Series 2 SSP cards are much tougher, falling 1:886 hobby packs and 1:177 hobby jumbo packs. At the case level, that’s almost 1:3 cases for one of the SSP cards.
On the retail side, SP variations are 1:25 packs, 1:5 hanger boxes and 1:9 fat packs. SSP are 1:737 regular retail, 1:123 hanger boxes and 1:246 fat packs.
It’s not yet known where the Torres and Acuña cards fall, although they’re believed to be more in line with the SP cards than the SSP.
In addition to the variations, select cards also have autographed versions of their SP and SSP cards.
Using Card Backs to Spot 2018 Topps Series 2 Variation Short Prints
If you’re still not 100 percent sure you have a variation or not, you can use the back of the card to confirm it.
As is the case with most Topps sets, there’s a block of fine print. At the end of that is a code. The codes change depending on the type of card.
When it comes to variation hunting, here’s what you need to know when it comes to these code endings:
Base Cards – 359
SP Variations – 412
SSP Variations – 414
Rookie Variations (Torres and Acuña) – 249
2018 Topps Series 2 Baseball Variations Checklist
The following is a quick checklist of all the 2018 Topps Series 2 Baseball variation short prints. Known tougher cards are noted with SSP.
* notes retired legends.
Looking for a specific card? Click on the link to see what’s currently available on eBay.
351 Bryce Harper
351 Bryce Harper – SSP
351 Ty Cobb*
351 Reggie Jackson*
369 Chris Taylor
384 Addison Russell
384 Addison Russell – SSP
384 Ernie Banks*
392 Marcus Stroman
393 Corey Kluber
393 Corey Kluber – SSP
397 Dallas Keuchel
400 Jose Altuve
400 Jose Altuve – SSP
400 Honus Wagner*
413 Trevor Bauer
416 Matt Olson
418 Jose Ramirez
418 Jose Ramirez – SSP
430 Manny Margot
431 Charlie Blackmon
431 Charlie Blackmon – SSP
431 Rickey Henderson*
436 Yu Darvish
436 Yu Darvish – SSP
436 Greg Maddux*
439 Dustin Pedroia
439 Dustin Pedroia – SSP
450 Joey Votto
450 Joey Votto – SSP
450 Johnny Bench*
454 Kyle Seager
462 Paul DeJong
462 Ozzie Smith*
469 Sonny Gray
469 Sonny Gray – SSP
471 Josh Harrison
484 Kenta Maeda
499 Justin Bour
500 Kris Bryant
500 Kris Bryant – SSP
500 Ryne Sandberg*
502 Xander Bogaerts
503 Josh Donaldson
503 Josh Donaldson – SSP
503 George Brett*
506 Jose Berrios
507 Zack Greinke
510 Freddie Freeman
510 Freddie Freeman – SSP
510 Chipper Jones*
515 Greg Bird
515 Don Mattingly*
544 Yadier Molina
544 Yadier Molina – SSP
544 Roberto Clemente*
545 Nicholas Castellanos
550 Cal Ripken Jr.*
550 Jackie Robinson*
555 Jacob deGrom
555 Jacob deGrom – SSP
556 Andrew Benintendi
556 Andrew Benintendi – SSP
556 Corey Seager
556 Corey Seager – SSP
556 Ted Williams*
567 Felix Hernandez
567 Felix Hernandez – SSP
576 Didi Gregorius
576 Didi Gregorius – SSP
576 Derek Jeter*
582 Albert Pujols
582 Albert Pujols – SSP
582 Hank Aaron*
585 Brandon Crawford
585 Willie McCovey*
589 Adam Duvall
593 Luke Weaver
599 Justin Turner
600 Noah Syndergaard
600 Noah Syndergaard – SSP
600 Tom Seaver*
605 Lucas Giolito
605 Frank Thomas*
611 Max Scherzer
611 Max Scherzer – SSP
615 Eric Thames
618 Paul Goldschmidt
618 Paul Goldschmidt – SSP
618 Lou Gehrig*
629 Sandy Koufax*
632 Edwin Encarnacion
650 Justin Verlander
650 Justin Verlander – SSP
650 Bob Gibson*
652 Matt Carpenter
665 Tommy Pham
698 Ronald Acuña Jr.
699 Gleyber Torres
700 Shohei Ohtani
700 Shohei Ohtani – SSP
700 Babe Ruth*
2018 Topps Series 2 Baseball Variations Gallery
351 Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
351 Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers
351 Reggie Jackson, New York Yankees
369 Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers
384 Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
384 Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs
392 Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays
393 Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians
397 Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros
400 Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
400 Honus Wagner, Pittsburgh Pirates
413 Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians
416 Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics
418 Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians
430 Manny Margot, San Diego Padres
431 Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies
431 Rickey Henderson, Oakland Athletics
436 Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs
436 Greg Maddux, Atlanta Braves
439 Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
450 Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
450 Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds
454 Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners
462 Paul DeJong, St. Louis Cardinals
462 Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals
469 Sonny Gray, New York Yankees
471 Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates
484 Kenta Maeda, Los Angeles Dodgers
499 Justin Bour, Miami Marlins
500 Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
500 Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs
502 Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
503 Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays
503 George Brett, Kansas City Royals
506 Jose Berrios, Minnesota Twins
507 Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks
510 Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
510 Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves
515 Greg Bird, New York Yankees
515 Don Mattingly, New York Yankees
544 Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
544 Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates
545 Nicholas Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
550 Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles
550 Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers
555 Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
556 Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox
556 Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
556 Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox
567 Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
576 Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees
576 Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
582 Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels
582 Hank Aaron, Atlanta Braves
585 Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
585 Willie McCovey, San Francisco Giants
589 Adam Duvall, Cincinnati Reds
593 Luke Weaver, St. Louis Cardinals
599 Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
600 Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
600 Tom Seaver, New York Mets
605 Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox
605 Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox
611 Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
615 Eric Thames, Milwaukee Brewers
618 Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
618 Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees
629 Sandy Koufax, Dodgers
632 Edwin Encarnacion, Cleveland Indians
650 Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
650 Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals
652 Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
665 Tommy Pham, St. Louis Cardinals
698 Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
699 Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees
700 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
700 Babe Ruth, New York Yankees
Jeez Topps… always screwing up the numbering. Somebody needs to make a note somewhere that the last thing you do before a set goes into production is make sure the cards are numbered correctly!
Just finished opening a hobby box and going by the variations gallery I got a Derek Jeter SP and a Corey Kluber SSP. You show the code endings for such cards as 112 and 114 respectively but the card backs read 412 and 414. Also, according to the Topps promo for these cards, you are supposed to receive 1 silver pack with a hobby box and 2 silver packs with a hobby jumbo box. I did not receive a silver pack nor did I receive any with a hobby jumbo series 1 I ordered previously (but I eventually got them after writing to Amazon). My question is does the dealer have to honor the Topps promo if they are selling their products? Thanks for any advice.
@Pete – You’ll need to check with the person you bought them off of for the promo packs. Just like all promotions, cards or not, it’s always good to check first if they’re participating in advance to avoid confusion.
Could Pete’s question, about the silver packs, be exampled better. I too bought two Hobby boxes and did not receive silver packs. I bought them directly from Topps after reading there advertisement and anticipating their release.
I wrote Topps for an explanation, but that’s going to be a while. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
@Leon — The Silver Pack promotion was designed for dealers and hobby shops as an incentive for people to buy from business owners.
Not only did Topps rush to add Acuna and Torres in an attempt to sell more, they “photo shopped” Torres onto a card that has a teammate in the background with a different uniform on. I am sure they will make another card of each with a RC logo in the update set. I also wouldn’t put it past Topps to add a different variation of each in the complete set.
i pulled a 6/10 instant impact carlton fisk ,,,,is there only 10 of these cards in existance
@gary – It sounds like you may have the Red parallel, which has ten copies.
Ryan, what does that mean in the grand scheme of all these different parallels making a player have up to possibly 10-15 rookie cards per set!!!!!!!!!What card is the players true rookie card from each individual release?I collect for the joy and the thrill of the chase but these days i really don’t know what i am chasing #’d cards,freaking
atomic holographic superfragalistic prizmatical hair from player embeded 1/1 redemption card 5th year ROOKIE CARD; extreme, yes but possibly in the near future !!!! Sorry for leaving the errors in my reply but in our hobbie thats close to the norm now . So what you’re saying is therecould only be 10 sets of the red base instant impact set correct ? The card is still a card that i like but i often get real contentment from reading the card backs ,but topps seems to be the only ones doing it ,like which player has the most colored ink in their stats etc. . Thank you Ryan
@Gary – Personally, I don’t look at parallels as Rookie Cards. I see them as inserts. It can be fun to pull a good one but I don’t ultimately stress about it. I prefer to focus that attention on the things I like. It makes it easier to block the rest out as I focus on my collection.
Your stated odds of 1:3 cases for an SSP Acuna cannot be correct or else I was exceedingly fortunate. I pulled three from four jumbo boxes bought at the same time about six months ago. Although I knew it was an SSP, I remarked that it certainly did not appear to be any more difficult to get than the base RC (of which I got two in three hobby boxes). I sold them for $174.99 each (graded BGS 9.5 RCR) on May 4-5. Check that popular auction site “e— for proof. Two sold to the same buyer.