It's one of the most highly anticipated days of the year for card collectors: The day when Topps drops their brand new Series 1 baseball card set. The 2022 cards were released on Wednesday, letting collectors and fans tear through packages of cellophane to gaze at the newest pieces of beloved cardboard.
The 330-card set features a crisp and clean design, letting the colorful, action-filled cards do most of the talking.
There is the always enjoyable team-logo-in-a-baseball on the left corner, similar in style to the iconic 1952 set.
"This year we focused on cleanliness," Topps senior art director John Doldan said in an Instagram post. "Topps was famous for a white border. In the past four or five years, we tried to stray away from that and give big action photos that bled off the edge of the card and were full-size action. ... With that in mind, we pretty much went back to a white, pristine border."
In addition to the base set, there are a number of fun inserts and new designs. To honor the 35th anniversary of the beloved wood grain borders, the company has 1987-style cards featuring the game's best players today and from the past on offer:
There are finally cards for the sneakerheads, too:
There are plenty more eye-catching inserts like Turnin' Two, featuring notable double-play combinations; Welcome to the Show, which looks back at the rookie seasons of some of the game's greatest players; and Diamond Greats, showing off, well, diamond greats.
Card collecting has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years, so if you've been hoping to get back out there and trade cards with friends, today just may be the time to start.