Beckett Sports Card Hot / Cold – November 19, 2022

Welcome to the Thanksgiving appetizer edition of Beckett Sports Card Hot/Cold where we take a fun and quick look at what’s hot and what’s not in the worlds of sports cards and sports.

It’s a few months later than normal, but 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball has arrived. With it comes the usual mix of baseball stars, tobacco-inspired designs, pop culture autographs and Rip Cards. Of course, there’s the weirdness as well with insert sets dedicated to ducks, national parks and even bread.

It’s these oddities that have been a cornerstone for Allen & Ginter since Topps brought back the brand in 2006. Many collectors have strong feelings about them, positive and negative, and their place in a baseball card set. There does seem to be an effort to bridge the gap a little by being creative around some of the insert themes and giving them a baseball twist. Take the Baseball Lexicon Minis, for example. You’ve got cards of pickles, sombreros and cans of corns. But all are still tied to the sport.

With the World Cup kicking off, look for soccer cards to generate significant buzz over the next few weeks. 2022 Panini Prizm World Cup arrived recently, offering cards from all 32 nations taking part in the tournament this year. The checklist is built similarly to other Prizm releases with lots of parallels and a broad mix of inserts including multiple case hits.