If you’re a sports card collector, you’re aware that 2024 Topps Update Baseball has officially been released – and it’s awesome! You’ve probably heard about some of the great hits people have already gotten from these boxes.
I’ve opened two hobby boxes so far, and both were better than either of the 2024 Topps Series 1 or Series 2 hobby boxes I’ve opened!
We already listed what we consider the 11 Best 2024 Topps Update Rookie Cards, but we don’t stop there!
These 2024 Topps Update boxes are so hot, it forced me to create this post, detailing some things you might not know or realize about this fantastic series. Let’s get the message out there — Update is up-great!… Wha?
2024 Topps Update Baseball Product Links on eBay
If you haven’t gotten any 2024 Topps Update boxes yet, here are my eBay affiliate links where you can find pricing and availability:
- Jumbo Boxes: (1 auto and 2 relics guaranteed, 2 silver packs)
- Hobby Boxes: (1 auto or 1 relic guaranteed, 1 silver pack)
- Blaster / Value Boxes
- Hangers
Many of the things shared in this article came from a few different sources, specifically, the Huxbux and NomahLovesYah YouTube channels.
9 Things You Didn’t Know About 2024 Topps Update Baseball
Maybe you already knew a few of these items, but my guess is there are a few that might surprise you!
1. More True Rookie Cards Than All 2024 Flagship Sets
In the 2024 Topps Series 1 checklist, there were just 65 true rookie cards, led by Elly De La Cruz. Then Series 2 had 69 true rookie cards (not including the four SP rookie cards of Jackson Chourio, Jackson Holliday, Jackson Merrill and Wyatt Langford).
The 2024 Topps Update Baseball checklist is exploding with rookies, with 94 true rookie cards! Really, though, there are 81 true rookie cards for singular rookies, with an additional 14 combo rookie cards, with first-year duos on the card. That means – there are 109 rookies getting their first Topps flagship rookie card in this set, which is phenomenal!
True Rookie Cards in Each 2024 Topps Series:
- 2024 Topps Series 1: 65
- 2024 Topps Series 2: 69
- 2024 Topps Update: 94
(Toss in the 46 Rookie Debut cards, which do have the RC logo on them, and a case can be made that there are actually 140 rookie cards on this checklist!)
Knowing that, thisbh is the only set to with rookie cards of Junior Caminero, Colton Cowser, Evan Carter, Jackson Chourio, Elly De La Cruz, Jasson Dominguez, Jackson Holliday, Shota Imanaga, Jackson Merrill and Yoshinobu Yamamoto!
Lowest ERA in a season as a rookie, min. 20 starts (since ER official in AL+NL in 1913):
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 28, 2024
1913 Reb Russell: 1.90
2024 Paul Skenes: 1.96
1914 Jeff Pfeffer: 1.97
1918 Scott Perry: 1.98
Those are the only ones below 2.00… 3 DEAD-BALL ERA PITCHERS AND HIM https://t.co/icMDHwSqYM
2. Hangers are the Best Value for Parallels and Inserts
The Huxbux YT channel did all the math on the costs of the boxes, numbered parallels, odds, cards per box, etc. They discovered that when you look at the cost per card, the Hanger boxes are the best value when trying to acquire numbered parallel cards and inserts.
Also, since Yellow parallels come in hanger boxes, they are now sweet team color match parallels with Chourio, Merrill and Skenes rookie cards and rookie debut cards!
3. Most Rookies Among MLB’s Top 100 Right Now
Earlier this year, MLB Network released their Top 100 MLB Players Right Now list, and I tracked down the Topps true rookie cards of each of those top 100 players. In other words, I looked back through the past 20 years of the different Topps series (Justin Verlander was the oldest on this list, with his rookie card coming in 2005 Topps Series 2), and here’s the breakdown of the number of Top 100 Players whose rookie cards came from Topps Series 1, Series 2 or Topps Update since 2005:
- Topps Series 1: 35
- Topps Series 2: 20 (including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose RC came out in 2024 Topps Series 2)
- Topps Update Series: 45
The point? Topps Update churns out rookie cards for more top players than any other series, on average, over the past 20 years.
4. The Likely 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Has His Rookie Card in 2024 Topps Update Baseball!
The First Pitch inserts (which come 1/160 packs on average according to Topps’ odds) have some pretty awesome personalities who threw out the ceremonial first pitches this season. The five-card checklist includes:
- Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (Odds-on favorite to win NFL Off. ROY!)
- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
- Two-Time NCAA Player of the Year Zach Edey (Grizzlies Rookie)
- Soccer Legend Neymar
- Rapper Metro Boomin
It’s possible to even get autographs and Topps Gold parallels of those cards, too!
(Topps Series 2 had the First Pitch card of Victor Wembanyama, the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year!)
5. Topps Gold Odds are Better in 2024 Than 2023!
There are 350 cards in this 2024 Topps Update Baseball set, but there are only 20 packs in a hobby box. In 2023, the hobby pack odds to pull a Topps Gold parallel card was 1/15, compared to 1/14 in 2024! You are more likely to get Topps Gold cards in 2024!
6. 2024 Topps Update Ranks Among the Best in 20 Years!
With true rookie cards of players like Chourio, Holliday, Langford, Merrill, and Paul Skenes, this Topps Update set has a chance to be one of the best Update sets in the 21st century. The only ones I consider better right now are the Topps Update sets from 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2018 (and maybe 2022?).
7. Topps Targets the Kiddies with TWO Aaron Judge/Paw Patrol SSPs
Earlier this summer, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge guest starred on “Rubble & Crew,” a Paw Patrol spinoff series, and Topps celebrated it with an SP card in 2024 Topps Update Baseball! Both cards have been hot purchases on eBay, and our hope is that MLB/Topps/Fanatics will continue things like this to attract younger collectors. More collectors means more buyers for our cards, and more trading!
8. Josh Gibson Finally Gets His First Topps Flagship Card
Negro League baseball legend Josh Gibson, who many considered a better slugger than Babe Ruth, got a base card in this 2024 Topps Update Baseball set! A star with the Homestead Grays, Gibson recently had his statistics officially recognized as MLB stats, making him the all-time batting average leader, appropriately taking over for noted racist Ty Cobb!
9. Half the Card Production Means Increased Scarcity!
NomahLovesYah figured out that there have been about 72K to 73K hobby boxes produced, which is about half the amount of product produced for either Series 1 or Series 2! (He did all the math, breaking down the number of Clear parallels, which are numbered to 10, for each base card. That guy’s smart!)
Again, here are my eBay affiliate links where you can find pricing and availability:
- Jumbo Boxes: (1 auto and 2 relics guaranteed, 2 silver packs)
- Hobby Boxes: (1 auto or 1 relic guaranteed, 1 silver pack)
- Blaster / Value Boxes
- Hangers
This 2024 Topps Update Baseball set is lining up to be a great one, with tons of hits in each box, and great collectability possibilities going forward. We hope these nine items help you appreciate these cards a little more!
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