First look: 2014 Topps Tier One baseball cards
By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
Tier One recently arrived — and now it’s time for next year’s version.
Topps released the basic information and images for 2014 Topps Tier One on Tuesday, and the high-end brand is returning with a bit more in store from this season.
Every pack next year will include two autographs, one Relic and every fourth pack will include a bonus Relic when it arrives on May 21.
Each 12-box case will include a Tier One auto limited to no more than 99 copies. Among the signers for the Tier One cards in the product next year will be Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Greg Maddux, Ken Griffey Jr., Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken Jr. to name a few of the 19 names announced. Something new for 2014? The Tier One cards will be signed on acetate. These autos will have Red (/25), Silver (/10) and 1/1 Gold ink versions.
All single- and dual-signed cards in this one will be signed on-card, and among them are New Guard autos. They will showcase younger stars and be signed in blue ink with no more than 399 copies per card. These, too, will have Red, Silver and Gold parallels. Acclaimed Autographs will be limited to 299 with the same parallels — these will feature past stars.
Also among the offerings will be oversized versions of clear reprint autographs, each limited to just 10 copies, while dual autographs in the product will be limited to 25, triples will be limited to 10 and there will also be 25 1/1 cut autos as well.
Autographed Relics will be limited to just 99 copies with a dual-patch version limited to 25 and a 1/1 triple to be found as well. Autographed Prodigious Patches — jumbos — will be found for 25 players with each card limited to 10. Also among the auto Relics will be dual booklets limited to 10 and 1/1 autographed bat knobs, which will be made for 25 players.
For Relics, there will be standard Relics limited to 399 with duals limited to 99 and triples limited to 25. For Legends Relics, they will be limited to 99, 25 and five copies respectively. Prodigious Patches will be jumbos and will be limited to just 10 copies, while a selection of 1/1 unsigned bat knob cards also will be made. Topps promises a lineup of 150 cards in that one.
The MLB All-Star Game also gets showcased here with All-Star Relics — 1/1 jumbo patches from the workout jerseys of 50 players who made the rosters.
A preliminary checklist was not released.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
Greg Maddux AND John Smoltz signing MLB licensed cards again? Nice get by Topps. They haven’t signed much of anything in the past number of years. As a Cubs fan, I’d love to see a dual of Maddux and Fergies Jenkins.
As I’ve said for the past 3 years of Tier One, looks awesome, but still way too expensive
I’m curious what the COA says for some of these cards.
Do they state that the player wore/used them material in a MLB game, or do they use weasel words
that mean nothing. I stopped buying material cards once they went in that direction. Yes, its a bat handle,
but is from a Clemente bat or not? etc.
When did Topps acquire another Babe Ruth jersey/pants? (or is this the same pants used a few years back??)
Id love some of these but my pocket is to small. :(