Series 2 Insert Cards
Many of the insert sets carry over from Series 1. New ones in Series 2 include Topps Stars, which are similar to Own the Game but with a star motif, and Historical Campaign Match-Ups. The latter set consists of 55 cards featuring presidential candidates who went head-to-head. It also has a rare 1-of-1 cut signature parallel.
The inserts that are likely to be the most sought after are the Red Hot Rookie Redemptions. Modeled after a similar (and popular) program from Finest Baseball, these one-per-box exchange cards can be traded in for a numbered Red Chrome Refractor of a player who makes his MLB debut in 2008. The cards each have a number from 1 to 20, and Topps will announce the subjects gradually throughout the 2008 season.
The About.com sample Series 2 box yielded 35 total insert cards: seven Historical Campaign Match-Ups, seven All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary, six Topps Stars, six Year in Review, six Baseball Card History, 2 Mickey Mantle Story and the No. 11 Red Hot Rookie Redemption.
Series 2 Relic Cards and Autographs
For the first time ever in a Topps base brand product, Series 2 hobby boxes guarantee a relic card or autograph. Many of the hits are continuations of the programs in Series 1, like 2007 Highlight Relics and Autographs, All-Rookie Team Relics and Autographs and the Presidential Stamp Collection.
New to the party are Commemorative Patch Relics, 30 cards numbered to 100 that use embroidered patches to celebrate the final seasons for Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium.
My relic was a 2007 Highlight Relics Roy Oswalt with a square swatch that also included a pinstripe.
The Last Word
Opinions about last season's design for the Topps base set definitely ran the gamut, and it's safe to say that like or dislike of the 2008 cards will hinge on one element: the circle and letter motif. In the eye of this reviewer, it's a hit, calling to mind cards of the past without copying any specific set.
The content in Series 1 is pretty typical of Topps sets of recent years, though the insert cards seem a little more interesting for 2008. Series 2 is a worthy continuation that should garner a little more interest for the guaranteed hit and even more for the Red Hot Rookie Redemptions.
Topps Baseball is an inexpensive staple brand that caters toward set-builders over other types of collectors, and there's nothing to suggest it won't be popular again in 2008.