Beckett Sports Cards Hot/Cold List for the Week of February 23, 2026
Welcome to the weekly Beckett Sports Card Hot/Cold list, where we take a quick and fun look at what’s hot and what’s not in the worlds of sports and sports cards over the last week.
The Hot List
2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball
Collectors know that when Topps Series 1 baseball cards hit the shelves, baseball season is near. Arguably the most anticipated release every year, the 2026 version has even more flair than usual as Topps celebrates 75 years in the baseball card industry. From parallels to variations to case hits and autographs, collectors have a lot to look for in packs and boxes, which have been big sellers since the Feb. 11 release date.
Pictured: 2026 Topps Series 1 Topps Profiles #TP-1
Aaron Judge
Judge recently said the Yankees have “unfinished business” after losing in last year’s American League Divisional Series, and to show he means business, he cracked two home runs in the Spring Training opener over the weekend. He’ll be playing for real a bit earlier than most of the league, as he will captain Team USA during the World Baseball Classic in March.
Pictured: 2026 Topps Series 1 Pink Diamante #1
- Shop for Judge’s 2026 Topps Series 1 cards on eBay
Cooper Flagg
Consecutive Weeks on Hot List: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Though Flagg continues to sit out due to a sprained ankle, collectors haven’t slowed down their quest for his cards. Flagg remains one of the top sellers on secondary marketplaces as he enjoys a fantastic rookie season that may go down as one of the best ever for a teenager, and he recently delighted collectors with an appearance during a Topps Rip Night event in Indianapolis.
Pictured: 2025-26 Topps Midnight Insomnia Morning #IN-16
Kon Knueppel
Consecutive Weeks on Hot List: 🔥🔥🔥
With 24 3-pointers made in his last five games, Knueppel has pushed himself atop the NBA leaderboard for this season. His 198 triples lead Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell (189) and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey (184). He may need only a game or two to break the NBA’s all-time rookie record for made 3-pointers (206).
Pictured: 2025-26 Topps Chrome Sapphire #254
Jack Hughes
Hughes launched himself to national prominence on Sunday after securing the game-winning goal in overtime of the gold-medal game at Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The golden goal will go down as one of the top moments in Team USA history, especially since Hughes scored it with a shattered smile after getting hit in the face with a high stick earlier in the game and did so against Team Canada, a heated U.S. hockey rival.
Pictured: 2026 Topps Chrome U.S. Olympics Aqua #37
Cade Cunningham
The Detroit Pistons are arguably the NBA’s best team, and Cunningham has a lot to do with their success. Not only is he among the league leaders with 9.8 assists per game to get his teammates into the action, he also takes plenty of scoring opportunities for himself (25.5 points per game). Many advanced metrics also place him among the league’s elite, so it may not be out of the question for Cunningham to have a case for MVP honors.
Pictured: 2021-22 Panini Prizm Silver Prizms #282
Cam Ward
Ward suffered a shoulder injury in the 2025 season finale and fears were that it would hinder his development into his second campaign. Recent reports indicate Ward is on track in his rehab, and he is expected to begin throwing again in a few weeks, putting him in good spot once OTAs begin.
Pictured: 2025 Donruss Optic 2015 Retro Black Pandora #1
Mitch Marner
Marner was a standout for Team Canada throughout the Milano Cortina Olympic Games, helping lead the team to a silver-medal finish. Marner was crucial in the quarterfinals, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to stave off an upset bid by Czechia. He’ll now return to the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, who hope to make a deep NHL postseason run.
Pictured: 2025-26 O-Pee-Chee Rainbow Foil Gold #519
Connor Hellebuyck
Hellebuyck made an incredible save during the gold-medal game at the Milano Cortina Olympics, and images of it will go down in Team USA lore. The incredible stick save left viewers in awe — especially as slow-motion replays and still images began to pour in. “I watched it like 10 times on replay,” said former Team USA goalie Mike Richter, “and the key is he doesn’t give up on the puck. … He wasn’t in great position for that, but then, it is how much do you want it, and he wanted it.”
Pictured: 2015-16 Upper Deck #214
You should do an investigation into why cards that come out of expensive/really expensive boxes have no quality control. Because of the way the system is set up with grading now.. when someone pays thousands of dollars for a box of baseball cards, they should all be f$#@+-ng tens. I understand how the printing business works, I used to work in the industry myself. My best example is is if we messed up a cut on someone’s business cards, we reprinted them. That was over 15 years ago. I’m sure calibration and computer-guided manufacturing has come a long way. It makes me feel like when the cards are in production that they’re miscut on purpose for the general majority of cards.