2019 Topps Stadium Club Baseball Parallels Guide and Gallery

It’s easy to miss most of the 2019 Topps Stadium Club Baseball parallels. While there are a couple of exceptions, most are subtle in their approach. And only a couple come with serial numbers. But just because there isn’t a lot of serial numbering, it doesn’t mean that a lot of these parallels are rare. A quick glance at the odds show that most are, in fact, scarce pulls.

Parallel Types

The most common parallel styles today change up border colors. But Stadium Club has a full-bleed design. Borders changes aren’t an option. Other sets mix up the background pattern. For Stadium Club, photographs are a focal point so, for the most part, that rules backgrounds out as well.

The big thing that’s left to work with are the small bits of foil in the nameplate and logo. And that’s where a couple of the 2019 Stadium Club parallels go. Red and Black Foil, which ranked among the easiest to pull, refer to color changes in the little foil there is on the card fronts. If you’re flipping through your packs quickly, these could easily be passed over.

Black and White and the retail-only Sepia parallels play off the set’s photography concept. These change up the coloring of the photo to somewhat common printing styles from back in the days of film.

Some of the toughest 2019 Topps Stadium Club parallels have small additions to the front in the form of foil stamps. These include Members Only and First Day Issue, both of which have a long history with the Stadium Club brand.

Of the main parallels, the only two that have serial numbers come on different card stock. Rainbow Foilboard cards, which have 25 copies each, come with a shiny backdrop thanks to what they’re printed on. But with the dark backgrounds a lot of the photos have, even these might not jump out right away unless you’re in a brightly lit room. One-of-one Gold Rainbow Foilboard cards combine the different stock with a color change in the nameplate.

2019 Stadium Club Chrome Cards

Some may consider the product’s Chrome cards to be parallels. Because they have different card numbers and a smaller checklist, some may not and think of them more like traditional inserts. Either way, they’re worth mentioning here.

For the 100 cards that do have Chrome versions, these might be easier to see. Not only are they done with chromium stock that gives off a metallic glint, but there’s a dot pattern in the background to help further differentiate them. There’s also the fact that “Chrome” is added to the Stadium Club logo on the front.

Like virtually every other set to carry the “Chrome” name, there are additional Refractor parallels that add a rainbow shine to the background. If you’re having trouble seeing them, try shining them under a bright light.

Why You Don’t Want to Overlook 2019 Stadium Club Baseball Parallels

Once you get past the Black and Red Foil versions, these parallels are tough. For starters look at the odds. At 1:48 hobby packs, getting a Black and White card may not seem tough. But with just 16 packs per box, all of a sudden we’re looking at a card that’s 1:3 boxes to hit. Then you need to look at the fact that there are 300 cards in the set. Some quick finger counting later and you’ll see that getting any one Black and White parallel is 1:900 boxes.

And that’s for one of the easier parallels when you list them out.

Getting a Members Only card is 1:256 hobby packs. First Day Issue are 1:367. Photographer’s Proof are 1:513. None of these have serial numbers but it’s fair to say they’re rare. Rainbow Foilboard, which are numbered to 25, has significantly easier hobby odds than all of these.

Brent Williams (brentandbecca on eBay) has opened a lot of Stadium Club over the years, including 2019. He tweeted out some potential numbers based on some number crunching:

Don’t forget regarding the unnumbered Stadium Club parallels…First Day Issue is limited to 10 copies made and thus Members Only should be /14 again this year and the Photographer’s Proof should still be /7. @tradercracks @sportscards

— Brent Williams (@brentandbecca) June 27, 2019

Again, Topps hasn’t confirmed parallel numbers that don’t have serial numbers but these should be in the ballpark.

The 2019 Topps Stadium Club parallels don’t really scream for attention. But most of them are rare, even if there isn’t a serial number that puts it in black and white (or foil). You might not want to overlook them or toss them aside, either, because it might be a while before you cross paths with another one.

2019 Stadium Club Baseball Parallels Gallery

Here’s a gallery of all the 2019 Stadium Club Baseball parallels so you can get an idea of what they look like. We’ve also included known odds for additional reference.