2025 Topps Series 1: What You Need to Know

Topps Series One is the quintessential kick off for every baseball card collecting season with an extremely high print run and plenty of cost-friendly options. The checklist is loaded with current stars, legends of the past and the next generation of young talent.

There are two majors skus of this release which are Hobby and Jumbo, which guarantee you different hits plus each version gives you additional Silver Packs (1 in Hobby and 2 in Jumbo) that showcase mojo parallel chromium versions of the 1990 Topps design as an added bonus.

There are incredible parallel additions including “jersey number” variations where Gunnar Henderson will only have two copies, while Elly de la Cruz will have 44 of them.

Cards made of actual wood are included with one being a base parallel limited to 25 and Team Color versions of base cards will make for a fun visual.

New Year, New Rookies

The hobby has changed a lot from the 80’s and 90’s. The bedrock of any card release these days is the rookie class. We were spoiled in 2024 and the price of those products reflect that. I was almost sure Topps would hold Paul Skenes until 2025, much like they did with Elly de la Cruz in 2024 after debuting the season prior, but his mania was too big for them to pass on.

That leaves us with a 2025 class that is lacking a major star. Now there’s still time for someone to set the league of fire after the year begins, much like Wyatt Langford did. Plus Roki Sasaki will likely be in Series 2 now that he’s officially signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That leaves the Washington Nationals outfield duo of Dylan Crews and James Wood as the lead chases of this product.

They’re amazing players in their own right, but they are not on the Elly or Skenes level just yet. There’s a few other names like Baltimore’s Colby Mayo, Minnesota’s Brooks Lee and Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas’ Jacob Wilson to satisfy collectors until more rookies pop off once the season begins.

The Chase Is On

As with every product release, the “hits” are what a majority of buyers are looking to chase. Outside of the rookie and veteran autographs/relics, there’s a plethora of short prints to look forward too. As you can see I was lucky enough to pull a CJ Stroud First Pitch card which isn’t quite a short print but you’re not guaranteed one in every box.

Heavy Lumber and Home Field Advantage are back with the latter getting a much needed face lift in design with there also being five Legendary Home Field Advantage chases including Lou Gehrig and Tony Gwynn. New this year is the “Plakata” insert, which is 1:4500 packs meaning it’ll be very tough to find so congrats in advance for those lucky enough to pull one.

You are still looking for those guaranteed pulls when buying the non-retail versions of the product with the Jumbo version giving you one autographed and two relic/patch cards while the Hobby box gives you one auto or relic so it’s more of a coin flip there. The auto checklist is stacked outside of rookies too as Barry Bonds, Derek Jeter and new Hall of Famer Ichiro all have ink to chase.

It Is What It Is

While Series One is the kickoff for each new season, it’s not going to make who buy to flip, rich overnight. And that’s okay because this isn’t that type of product. It is supposed to be one that is over printed, meaning more base cards and less chances for low-numbered hits or prime autographs.

This is an entry point into the hobby for everyone. It should be enjoyed to see the new base design that will be used in Series Two, Chrome, Update and Update Chrome. Flipping through the cards, some of the images are amazing with Jhonkensey “Big Christmas” Noel likely being the runaway favorite for a base design.

This product is for the set collectors. The parents and kids who just want to enjoy ripping packs and getting ready for the upcoming 2025 campaign.

I spent $200 on my Jumbo Hobby box and probably got about 35% back in terms of value for the cards I pulled, but I did it because I open a box of Series One every year without fail.