Topps relives a classic of the past with a twist on last year’s Lineage, with a product out in a couple of weeks, Archives.
Archives, produced in the early 90’s and for the last time in 2002, will put new and old heroes of the diamond on classic card designs, alongside reprints, buybacks and two Fan Favorites autographs per box, and redemptions for pieces of memorabilia from the “Topps Vault”, a treasure chest with goodies like uncut sheets and a contract signed by Mickey Mantle.
The 200 card base set will feature current stars and rookies along with greats from the past on four classic designs — 1954, 1971, 1980 and 1984, but the real deal, of course, will be “Fan favorites’ autographs”.
You can’t go wrong with such cards, can you?
The Fan Favorites autograph checklist includes 75 players on cards with designs from their days, and there will also be framed autograph minis, on reproductions of 1983 cards.
Topps autographed originals will feature retired stars signing their original Topps cards..
While relics will get a complete new twist, with redemptions from the Topps Vault: among the goodies to be redeemed, a 1968 uncut sheet of cards with Nolan Ryan’s rookie card, a 1971 uncut sheet, 50 uncut sheets of this very product, plus a card contract signed by Mickey Mantle.
Archives meets Lineage with 4 inserts paying tribute to 4 odd insert sets of the past: 1967 Topps Stickers, 1968 Topps 3D, 1969 Deckle Edge and 1977 Cloth.
And with an unprecedented twitter campaign, Topps has just announced that Archives will get more exciting goodies: alongside cut autographs from personalities of the 80’s, including actors from “Karate kid”, they have thrown in awesome cards like this:
Yes, a sick booklet with autographs from 6 of the greatest players of the 80’s.
Then, do you know which japanese player was born in 1986?
Or what else can you get on a card, beside an autograph?
With Archives, Topps seems to have taken the best from Lineage, an undervalued product in my opinion, and blended it brilliantly in cards that will surely relive the joy and excitement of their collectors when they were kids, almost 30 years ago.
An unexpected hit, a sure candidate for best new product of the year.
Update
A final firework from Topps’ twitter afternoon, Bryce Harper’s redemption auto:
D’uh!!
