Topps to Insert 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Buyback Card in 2026 Topps Baseball
Fanatics recently convened a panel of experts to select the 75 best Topps baseball cards of all time as part of the brand’s 75th anniversary as a baseball card manufacturer. In addition to the results of that balloting, Topps also announced buyback cards will be part of the 2026 Topps flagship set, with the top prize being an authentic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card.
The 1952 Topps Mantle was selected as the best Topps card of all-time by a panel that included Topps CEO Mike Mahan, Topps president of trading cards David Leiner, Topps SVP of product Clay Luraschi, MLB deputy commissioner Noah Garden, MLB’s official historian John Thorn, Beckett magazine founder Dr. James Beckett, Collectors CEO Nat Turner, and former major-leaguer Evan Longoria.
Following Mantle in the panel’s rankings were several iconic vintage cards, as well as some popular modern offerings:
- 1. 1952 Topps 311 Mickey Mantle
- 2. 1952 Topps 261 Willie Mays
- 3. 1954 Topps 128 Henry Aaron RC
- 4. 1952 Topps 312 Jackie Robinson
- 5. 2024 Topps Chrome Update Rookie Debut Patch Autographs #RDPA-PS Paul Skenes
- 6. 1968 Topps 177 Nolan Ryan RC/Jerry Koosman RC
- 7. 1986 Topps Traded 11T Barry Bonds XRC
- 8. 1955 Topps 164 Roberto Clemente RC
- 9. 1980 Topps 482 Rickey Henderson RC
- 10. 2018 Topps US285 Shohei Ohtani RC
Several buybacks from the Top 75 list will be packed out across all three flagship products released in 2026 — Topps Series 1, Topps Series 2, and Topps Update. Collectors lucky enough to pull one will receive a redemption card for a PSA-graded version of the original card. Any modern 1/1s or low-numbered cards on the Top 75 list will not be included in the buyback program.
Shohei Ohtani has five cards ranked inside the Top 75, the most among any player. Making three appearances are Ken Griffey Jr., Aaron Judge, Henry Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Clemente, while Derek Jeter, Mike Trout, Bo Jackson, Cal Ripken Jr., Reggie Jackson, Nolan Ryan, and Pete Rose each have two cards on the list.
Other cards voted into Topps’ top 75 are listed below in chronological order. They feature iconic legends of the game, classic error cards, and more.
1952 Topps 1 Andy Pafko
1952 Topps 407 Ed Mathews RC
1953 Topps 1 Jackie Robinson
1953 Topps 220 Satchell Paige
1954 Topps 1 Ted Williams
1954 Topps 94 Ernie Banks RC
1955 Topps 123 Sandy Koufax RC
1956 Topps 30 Jackie Robinson
1956 Topps 135 Mickey Mantle
1957 Topps 20 Henry Aaron
1958 Topps 47 Roger Maris RC
1958 Topps 476 Stan Musial AS
1959 Topps 514 Bob Gibson RC
1960 Topps 148 Carl Yastrzemski RC
1960 Topps 316 Willie McCovey RC
1960 Topps 563 Mickey Mantle AS
1963 Topps 537 Pete Rose RC/Pedro Gonzalez RC/Ken McMullen RC/Al Weis RC
1964 Topps 125 Pete Rose
1965 Topps 160 Bob Clemente
1967 Topps 581 Tom Seaver RC/Bill Denehy RC
1969 Topps 95 Johnny Bench
1969 Topps 260 Reggie Jackson RC
1969 Topps 653 Aurelio Rodriguez RC UER
1971 Topps 5 Thurman Munson
1973 Topps 50 Roberto Clemente
1973 Topps 615 Mike Schmidt RC/Ron Cey/John Hilton RC
1974 Topps 1 Henry Aaron 715
1975 Topps 228 George Brett RC
1977 Topps 10 Reggie Jackson
1978 Topps 36 Eddie Murray RC
1982 Topps 21 Cal Ripken Jr. RC/Bob Bonner RC/Jeff Schneider RC UER
1982 Topps Traded 98T Cal Ripken Jr.
1983 Topps 482 Tony Gwynn RC
1983 Topps 498 Wade Boggs RC
1984 Topps 8 Don Mattingly RC
1985 Topps 181 Roger Clemens RC
1985 Topps 401 Mark McGwire RC
1985 Topps 536 Kirby Puckett RC
1986 Topps Traded 20T Jose Canseco XRC
1986 Topps Traded 50T Bo Jackson XRC
1987 Topps 170 Bo Jackson FS RC
1989 Bowman 220 Ken Griffey Jr. RC
1989 Topps 233 Gregg Jefferies FS
1989 Topps Traded 41T Ken Griffey Jr. RC
1990 Topps 414 Frank Thomas NNOF RC
1991 Stadium Club 200 Nolan Ryan
1991 Topps 333 Chipper Jones RC
1992 Bowman 302 Mariano Rivera RC
1993 Finest 110 Ken Griffey Jr.
1993 Topps 98 Derek Jeter RC
2001 Topps 726 Ichiro Suzuki RC
2001 Topps Traded T247 Albert Pujols RC
2006 Topps 297 Alex Gordon Cut Out
2007 Topps 40 Derek Jeter
2008 Topps Update UH240 Clayton Kershaw RC
2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects BDPP89 Mike Trout AU
2011 Topps Update U175 Mike Trout RC
2012 Topps 661 Bryce Harper RC
2013 Bowman Draft Draft Picks BDPP19 Aaron Judge
2017 Topps 287 Aaron Judge RC
2018 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs BCRASO Shohei Ohtani/Batting
2018 Topps Base Set Photo Variations 698A Ronald Acuna Jr./Bat head down S2
2024 Topps Dynasty Black 50/50 Auto Relic SOD1 Shohei Ohtani
2025 Topps Chrome Dual Gold Logoman Patch GLDA-OJ Shohei Ohtani/Aaron Judge
2025 Topps Chrome Gold Logoman Patch Autographs GOLDA-SO Shohei Ohtani
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