2022 Topps Archives Baseball Variations Guide
The 2022 Topps Archives Baseball Variations fall under two umbrellas. However, within one of those, there’s a little more to it. The first group are Image Variations, which are straightforward and not to hard to decipher. Then there are the Design Variations. These are more subtle in their approach and change depending on the original design the card is based on.
Image Variations
Ten rookies get Image Variation treatment in 2022 Topps Archives Baseball. The idea here is simple — photos are different. For players using the 1963 Topps design (#1-100), the main photo and the inset image inside the circle are flipped around. This means variations on these have more action shots for the larger image instead of portraits.
Image Variations for the 1978 and 1987 designs (#101-300) simply change things up, usually with more dynamic shots or special moments.
These cards land 1:429 hobby and 1:414 blaster packs. In short, they’re not easy pulls.
Design Variations
Design Variations are the second type 2022 Topps Archives Baseball SSPs. But it’s a little more complicated as there are three different kinds of Design Variations, depending on which part of the checklist they come from.
1963 Background Variations
Cards #1-100, which are based on the 1963 Topps Baseball layout, are fairly obvious to spot. Regular base cards have a photo in the background of the main image. For these Design Variations, the backgrounds are switched to a solid color.
This is the biggest group of variations with 50 of the 100 cards getting the background color treatment.
1978 Design Variations
The most subtle and hardest to spot of the 2022 Topps Archives Baseball variations are the 1978 Design Variations. Covering select cards between #101 and #200, these swap the colors used for the inner border and the team name on the front.
Colors aren’t consistent, just like 1978 Topps, so it’s not as easy as noticing that the team names are supposed to be red and borders blue. There are several color combinations.
In all honesty, the codes on the back (noted below) might be the easiest way to tell one of these.
1987 Future Stars/Rookie Cup
Twenty young stars and rookies have Design Variations in the final portion of the main base set. Cards #201-300 use the woodgrain layout of 1987 Topps Baseball. These SSPs evoke the spirit of the 1987 Bo Jackson and add the colorful Future Stars banner. A few players for these have Rookie Cups on their variations as well that aren’t on the base card.
In all, there are 100 Design Variations on the 2022 Topps Archives Baseball checklist. Odds on these are 1:72 hobby and 1:69 blaster packs.
These cards also have three levels of parallels: Silver Foil, Red Hot Foil (/50) and FoilFractors (1/1).
Spotting 2022 Topps Archives Baseball Variations with the Codes on the Back
Another way to look for 2022 Topps Archives Baseball variations is by using the fine print on the back of the card. Go directly to the end of the block of text and look at the CMP code that’s in bold. The text is small, but the last three digits are helpful as they confirm whether a card is standard base, an Image Variation or a Design Variation. These are the code endings to look for:
- Base – 253, 271
- Image Variation – 280
- Background Replacement – 281
It’s worth noting that base set short prints (#301-380) have different codes on the back. Don’t worry about them. These cards aren’t part of the variations lineup so there’s no need to use them. The regular card number is all you need to identify them.
The fine print can be hard to read but it’s not really meant for collectors to use. The codes are intended for the production side of things.
2022 Topps Archives Baseball Variations Checklist
Here’s a quick checklist with all of the 2022 Topps Archives Baseball variations noting whether they have a Design or an Image Variation (or, in a handful of instances, both). If you’re looking for a particular card, click on the links to see what’s currently available on eBay.
1963
1 Shohei Ohtani – Design
3 Babe Ruth – Design
5 Tyler Gilbert – Design
7 Mike Piazza – Design
9 Dave Winfield – Design
10 Reid Detmers – Design
12 Ozzie Albies – Design
13 Kyle Muller – Design
14 Mike Schmidt – Design
15 Chas McCormick – Design
17 Alex Bregman – Design
19 Matt Olson – Design
20 Ryan Vilade – Design
22 Tony Gwynn – Design
23 Joe Mauer – Design
29 Manny Machado – Design
32 Cedric Mullins – Design
33 Eloy Jimenez – Design
34 Reggie Jackson – Design
37 Max Scherzer – Design
38 Andrew McCutchen – Design
40 Austin Riley – Design
41 Shane Baz – Design
42 Jackie Robinson – Design
44 Giancarlo Stanton – Design
47 Matt Manning – Design
50 Rafael Devers – Design
55 Carlos Correa – Design
56 Aaron Ashby – Design
62 Clayton Kershaw – Design
63 Rickey Henderson – Design
64 Christian Yelich – Design
66 Jose Siri – Design
67 CJ Abrams – Design | Image
69 Cal Ripken Jr. – Design
70 Corey Seager – Design
73 Nolan Ryan – Design
78 David Ortiz – Design
82 Roansy Contreras – Design
85 Joey Votto – Design
86 Greg Maddux – Design
88 Jarren Duran – Image
89 Bobby Witt Jr. – Design | Image
90 Kevin Smith – Design
91 Kris Bryant – Design
92 Seiya Suzuki – Design | Image
95 Yadier Molina – Design
97 George Springer – Design
98 DJ LeMahieu – Design
99 Trea Turner – Design
100 Juan Soto – Design
1978
101 Gavin Sheets – Design
105 Trevor Rogers – Design
107 Freddie Freeman – Design
115 Julio Rodriguez – Design | Image
116 Royce Lewis – Design | Image
118 Vidal Brujan – Design
120 Fernando Tatis Jr. – Design
126 Derek Jeter – Design
131 Spencer Torkelson – Design | Image
136 Yogi Berra – Design
137 MacKenzie Gore – Design
140 Gerrit Cole – Design
142 Jose Miranda – Design
146 Francisco Lindor – Design
150 Mike Trout – Design
151 Jacob deGrom – Design
153 Hunter Greene – Design
163 Stan Musial – Design
165 Jose Altuve – Design
166 Mookie Betts – Design
167 Ronald Acuña Jr. – Design
173 Hank Aaron – Design
176 Tyler Stephenson – Design
178 Alex Rodriguez – Design
183 Gabriel Arias – Design
191 Emmanuel Clase – Design
192 Roberto Clemente – Design
195 Jonathan India – Design
196 Ken Griffey Jr. – Design
200 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Design
1987
205 Adolis Garcia – Design
211 Oneil Cruz – Image
214 Dylan Carlson – Design
222 Jazz Chisholm Jr. – Design
229 Alec Bohm – Design
243 Luis Garcia – Design
244 Luis Robert – Design
246 Patrick Wisdom – Design
247 Jarred Kelenic – Design
257 Luis Garcia – Design
258 Randy Arozarena – Design
259 Jake Cronenworth – Design
262 Gavin Lux – Design
270 Bo Bichette – Design
274 Ke’Bryan Hayes – Design
284 Keibert Ruiz – Design
285 Ryan Mountcastle – Design
287 Akil Baddoo – Design
295 Casey Mize – Design
297 MJ Melendez – Image
298 Yordan Alvarez – Design
300 Wander Franco – Design | Image
2022 Topps Archives Baseball Variations Gallery – Image Variations
This gallery includes only the Image Variations. They’re all below alongside their base counterparts.
67 CJ Abrams, San Diego Padres
88 Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
89 Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
92 Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs
115 Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners
116 Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins
131 Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers
211 Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates
297 MJ Melendez, Kansas City Royals
300 Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays
The 1987-looking base cards have a code ending in 271, not 253.