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In cards, there are only so many ways you can differentiate, right? I mean, they are pieces of cardboard with pictures of players on them.
It’s the same thing with any other product, really…how do you truly keep kids cereal interesting? Well, you add marshmallows, or you change the color of the packaging for Halloween. Or what about vacuums? You keep innovating and rolling out an advanced version as “new and improved!”
Anyway, the point is – for me at least – this is what makes cards great, and feeds the fact that each person is a different “collector,” and allows all of those in the hobby to experience something new or different, or to be intrigued enough to chase something they feel fits their collection.
Now, some might prefer to have fewer releases, and that makes sense too, but that’s for another time.
I bring all of this up now because we are on the heels of a release with the “gold label.” Just like a Bowman Platinum or a Topps Sapphire, the Gold Label is an adjective used here simply to differentiate, of course. But beyond that, and unlike many of the other cards released with other shiny descriptors, Gold Label truly does offer something different year in and year out.
And that’s the chunky framed card.
Meaning, you open Topps flagship, and you know you’re in for a traditional baseball card. And sure, Heritage might have its variations, Inception its pop of color, Finest its quality finish, and so on—but they are all traditional modern baseball cards at the end of the day.
But something like Clearly Authentic with see through acetate, or even mini stained glass parallels you find in Allen & Ginter? Those are different. You can see this difference; you can feel this difference.
And that’s what I love about Gold Label—framed autographs, which come one per box are in a “class” of their own. Holding these “bricks” in your hand make you feel like you’ve truly got something special.
Pair that up with it being an auto of your favorite player and you’ve really got something. Throw that brick in a huge one-touch and my, my, my…there isn’t much that beats that.
Anyway, speaking of your favorite player, the Gold Label checklist typically isn’t huge—we are talking 100 players for 2020. And aside from the different “classes” of cards Gold Label is also known for (Class 1 makes up the base set, you’ll find one Class 2 in every pack, and then odds of a Class 3 being 1:2).
Additional details below, but right now I’m seeing the lowest price on eBay (which could be pre-sale) for around $87:
2020 Topps Gold Label Release Date
2020 Topps Gold Label will release October 14, 2020.
What’s in a Gold Label Hobby Box?
In each 2020 Gold Label hobby box, you can expect to find:
- 7 packs per box
- 5 cards per pack
- 1 Gold Framed Autograph
How Much Does Hobby Box Cost?
Prices will certainly fluctuate, but here is what I’m seeing at this very moment (do note that some of these are pre-sales and might not ship immediately):
| WHERE | PRICE | SHIPPING | TOTAL | LINK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DA Card World | $99.95 | Varies | Varies | Buy Here |
| Steel City Collectibles | $99.95 | $15.43 | $115.38 + Tax | Buy Here |
| Diamond Cards | $98.94 | $7.95 | $106.89 + Tax | Buy Here |
| eBay | $87 | $0 | $87 | Buy Here |
What’s the base set look like?
According to the sell sheet:
100-card checklist as mentioned above, with 3 different variations (Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3) of each and then 4 different parallels of each:
| CARD # | PLAYER | TEAM | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | |
| 2 | Albert Pujols | Los Angeles Angels | |
| 3 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels | |
| 4 | Anthony Rendon | Los Angeles Angels | |
| 5 | Ketel Marte | Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| 6 | Freddie Freeman | Atlanta Braves | |
| 7 | Ozzie Albies | Atlanta Braves | |
| 8 | Ronald Acuña Jr. | Atlanta Braves | |
| 9 | Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | |
| 10 | Cal Ripken Jr. | Baltimore Orioles | |
| 11 | Mookie Betts | Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| 12 | Chris Sale | Boston Red Sox | |
| 13 | Rafael Devers | Boston Red Sox | |
| 14 | J.D. Martinez | Boston Red Sox | |
| 15 | Xander Bogaerts | Boston Red Sox | |
| 16 | Jackie Robinson | Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| 17 | Nico Hoerner | Chicago Cubs | RC |
| 18 | Kris Bryant | Chicago Cubs | |
| 19 | Anthony Rizzo | Chicago Cubs | |
| 20 | Javier Baez | Chicago Cubs | |
| 21 | Robel Garcia | Chicago Cubs | RC |
| 22 | Willson Contreras | Chicago Cubs | |
| 23 | Frank Thomas | Chicago White Sox | |
| 24 | Eloy Jimenez | Chicago White Sox | |
| 25 | Tim Anderson | Chicago White Sox | |
| 26 | Yoan Moncada | Chicago White Sox | |
| 27 | Joey Votto | Cincinnati Reds | |
| 28 | Nick Castellanos | Cincinnati Reds | |
| 29 | Max Kepler | Minnesota Twins | |
| 30 | Sonny Gray | Cincinnati Reds | |
| 31 | Aristides Aquino | Cincinnati Reds | RC |
| 32 | Francisco Lindor | Cleveland Indians | |
| 33 | Shane Bieber | Cleveland Indians | |
| 34 | Mike Clevinger | Cleveland Indians | |
| 35 | Carlos Santana | Cleveland Indians | |
| 36 | Nolan Arenado | Colorado Rockies | |
| 37 | Charlie Blackmon | Colorado Rockies | |
| 38 | Trevor Story | Colorado Rockies | |
| 39 | Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | |
| 40 | Justin Verlander | Houston Astros | |
| 41 | Carlos Correa | Houston Astros | |
| 42 | Jose Altuve | Houston Astros | |
| 43 | George Springer | Houston Astros | |
| 44 | Alex Bregman | Houston Astros | |
| 45 | Yordan Alvarez | Houston Astros | RC |
| 46 | Whit Merrifield | Kansas City Royals | |
| 47 | Jorge Soler | Kansas City Royals | |
| 48 | Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| 49 | Cody Bellinger | Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| 50 | Walker Buehler | Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| 51 | Gavin Lux | Los Angeles Dodgers | RC |
| 52 | Christian Yelich | Milwaukee Brewers | |
| 53 | Keston Hiura | Milwaukee Brewers | |
| 54 | Robin Yount | Milwaukee Brewers | |
| 55 | Noah Syndergaard | New York Mets | |
| 56 | Jacob deGrom | New York Mets | |
| 57 | Robinson Cano | New York Mets | |
| 58 | Pete Alonso | New York Mets | |
| 59 | Darryl Strawberry | New York Mets | |
| 60 | Giancarlo Stanton | New York Yankees | |
| 61 | Masahiro Tanaka | New York Yankees | |
| 62 | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | |
| 63 | Gleyber Torres | New York Yankees | |
| 64 | Don Mattingly | New York Yankees | |
| 65 | Mariano Rivera | New York Yankees | |
| 66 | Gerrit Cole | New York Yankees | |
| 67 | A.J. Puk | Oakland Athletics | RC |
| 68 | Jesus Luzardo | Oakland Athletics | RC |
| 69 | Matt Chapman | Oakland Athletics | |
| 70 | Rickey Henderson | Oakland Athletics | |
| 71 | Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics | |
| 72 | Rhys Hoskins | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 73 | Andrew McCutchen | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 74 | J.T. Realmuto | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 75 | Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 76 | Mike Schmidt | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 77 | Zac Gallen | Arizona Diamondbacks | RC |
| 78 | Josh Bell | Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| 79 | Luis Robert | Chicago White Sox | RC |
| 80 | Manny Machado | San Diego Padres | |
| 81 | Tony Gwynn | San Diego Padres | |
| 82 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | San Diego Padres | |
| 83 | Buster Posey | San Francisco Giants | |
| 84 | Willie Mays | San Francisco Giants | |
| 85 | Ichiro | Seatlle Mariners | |
| 86 | Ken Griffey Jr. | Seattle Mariners | |
| 87 | Kyle Lewis | Seattle Mariners | RC |
| 88 | Paul Goldschmidt | St. Louis Cardinals | |
| 89 | Yadier Molina | St. Louis Cardinals | |
| 90 | Yoshi Tsutsugo | Tampa Bay Rays | |
| 91 | Brendan McKay | Tampa Bay Rays | RC |
| 92 | Blake Snell | Tampa Bay Rays | |
| 93 | Nolan Ryan | Texas Rangers | |
| 94 | Joey Gallo | Texas Rangers | |
| 95 | Bo Bichette | Toronto Blue Jays | RC |
| 96 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Toronto Blue Jays | |
| 97 | Max Scherzer | Washington Nationals | |
| 98 | Trea Turner | Washington Nationals | |
| 99 | Stephen Strasburg | Washington Nationals | |
| 100 | Juan Soto | Washington Nationals |
Base Version
- Class 1
- Class 2 – 1 per pack
- Class 3 – 1:2 packs
Black Parallel
- Class 1 – 1:2 packs
- Class 2 – 1:6 packs
- Class 3 – 1:20 packs
Blue Parallel
- Class 1 – #’d to 150
- Class 2 – #’d to 99
- Class 3 – #’d to 50
Red Parallel
- Class 1 – #’d to 75
- Class 2 – #’d to 50
- Class 3 – #’d to 25
Gold Parallel
- Class 1 – #’d 1 of 1
- Class 2 – #’d 1 of 1
- Class 3 – #’d 1 of 1
Potential hits?
According to the sell sheet:
Gold Framed Autographs
| CARD # | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| GLA-AA | Aristides Aquino | Cincinnati Reds |
| GLA-AAL | Adbert Alzolay | Chicago Cubs |
| GLA-AH | Aaron Hicks | New York Yankees |
| GLA-AJ | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees |
| GLA-AK | Anthony Kay | Toronto Blue Jays |
| GLA-AT | Abraham Toro | Houston Astros |
| GLA-BA | Bryan Abreu | Houston Astros |
| GLA-BB | Bo Bichette | Toronto Blue Jays |
| GLA-BBR | Bobby Bradley | Cleveland Indians |
| GLA-BH | Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies |
| GLA-BM | Brendan McKay | Tampa Bay Rays |
| GLA-CR | Cal Ripken Jr. | Baltimore Orioles |
| GLA-CY | Christian Yelich | Milwaukee Brewers |
| GLA-DC | Dylan Cease | Chicago White Sox |
| GLA-DJ | Derek Jeter | New York Yankees |
| GLA-DM | Dale Murphy | Atlanta Braves |
| GLA-DMA | Dustin May | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| GLA-DMT | Don Mattingly | New York Yankees |
| GLA-DS | Darryl Strawberry | New York Mets |
| GLA-DW | David Wright | New York Mets |
| GLA-EJ | Eloy Jimenez | Chicago White Sox |
| GLA-EM | Edgar Martinez | Seattle Mariners |
| GLA-ES | Eugenio Suarez | Cincinnati Reds |
| GLA-GL | Gavin Lux | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| GLA-HH | Hunter Harvey | Baltimore Orioles |
| GLA-JC | Jose Canseco | Oakland Athletics |
| GLA-JDA | Jaylin Davis | San Francisco Giants |
| GLA-JDU | Justin Dunn | Seattle Mariners |
| GLA-JFE | Junior Fernandez | St. Louis Cardinals |
| GLA-JR | Jake Rogers | Detroit Tigers |
| GLA-JRE | J.T. Realmuto | Philadelphia Phillies |
| GLA-JS | Juan Soto | Washington Nationals |
| GLA-JU | Jose Urquidy | Houston Astros |
| GLA-JY | Miami | Marlins |
| GLA-KH | Keston Hiura | Milwaukee Brewers |
| GLA-KK | Kwang-Hyun Kim | St. Louis Cardinals |
| GLA-KM | Ketel Marte | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| GLA-LR | Luis Robert | Chicago White Sox |
| GLA-LW | Logan Webb | San Francisco Giants |
| GLA-MB | Michael Brosseau | Tampa Bay Rays |
| GLA-MD | Mauricio Dubon | San Francisco Giants |
| GLA-MK | Max Kepler | Minnesota Twins |
| GLA-MKI | Mike King | New York Yankees |
| GLA-MM | Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics |
| GLA-MT | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels |
| GLA-MTH | Matt Thaiss | Los Angeles Angels |
| GLA-NH | Nico Hoerner | Chicago Cubs |
| GLA-NS | Nick Solak | Texas Rangers |
| GLA-PA | Pete Alonso | New York Mets |
| GLA-PC | Patrick Corbin | Washington Nationals |
| GLA-PG | Paul Goldschmidt | St. Louis Cardinals |
| GLA-RA | Ronald Acuña Jr. | Atlanta Braves |
| GLA-RAR | Randy Arozarena | Tampa Bay Rays |
| GLA-RD | Rafael Devers | Boston Red Sox |
| GLA-RG | Robel Garcia | Chicago Cubs |
| GLA-RH | Rhys Hoskins | Philadelphia Phillies |
| GLA-RHO | Ryan Howard | Philadelphia Phillies |
| GLA-RRA | Rangel Ravelo | St. Louis Cardinals |
| GLA-SA | Shogo Akiyama | Cincinnati Reds |
| GLA-SM | Sean Murphy | Oakland Athletics |
| GLA-SO | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels |
| GLA-TL | Tim Lincecum | San Francisco Giants |
| GLA-VG | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Toronto Blue Jays |
| GLA-WCA | Willi Castro | Detroit Tigers |
| GLA-WCL | Will Clark | San Francisco Giants |
Golden Greats Framed Autograph Jumbo Relics
Marked as “NEW!” these will feature jumbo pieces of game-used memorabilia with on-card autos, and of course, framed.
| CARD # | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| GLR-AP | Andy Pettitte | New York Yankees |
| GLR-CF | Carlton Fisk | Boston Red Sox |
| GLR-CJ | Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves |
| GLR-DE | Dennis Eckersley | Oakland Athletics |
| GLR-EM | Edgar Martinez | Seattle Mariners |
| GLR-FT | Frank Thomas | Chicago White Sox |
| GLR-HA | Hank Aaron | Atlanta Braves |
| GLR-I | Ichiro | Seattle Mariners |
| GLR-JB | Johnny Bench | Cincinnati Reds |
| GLR-JBA | Jeff Bagwell | Houston Astros |
| GLR-KGJ | Ken Griffey Jr. | Seattle Mariners |
| GLR-MR | Mariano Rivera | New York Yankees |
| GLR-MS | Mike Schmidt | Philadelphia Phillies |
| GLR-OS | Ozzie Smith | St. Louis Cardinals |
| GLR-RC | Rod Carew | California Angels |
| GLR-RJ | Reggie Jackson | Oakland Athletics |
| GLR-RS | Ryne Sandberg | Chicago Cubs |
| GLR-RY | Robin Yount | Milwaukee Brewers |
| GLR-SC | Steve Carlton | Philadelphia Phillies |
| GLR-VG | Vladimir Guerrero | Montréal Expos |
| GLR-WB | Wade Boggs | Boston Red Sox |
| GLR-WC | Will Clark | San Francisco Giants |
MLB® Legends Relic Cards
| CARD # | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| GPR-BB | Bo Bichette | Toronto Blue Jays |
| GPR-BM | Brendan McKay | Tampa Bay Rays |
| GPR-DM | Dustin May | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| GPR-FT | Fernando Tatis Jr. | San Diego Padres |
| GPR-GL | Gavin Lux | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| GPR-JL | Jesus Luzardo | Oakland Athletics |
| GPR-JS | Juan Soto | Washington Nationals |
| GPR-LR | Luis Robert | Chicago White Sox |
| GPR-NH | Nico Hoerner | Chicago Cubs |
| GPR-PA | Pete Alonso | New York Mets |
| GPR-RA | Ronald Acuña Jr. | Atlanta Braves |
| GPR-SA | Shogo Akiyama | Cincinnati Reds |
| GPR-SO | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels |
| GPR-VG | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Toronto Blue Jays |
| GPR-YA | Yordan Alvarez | Houston Astros |
| GPR-YT | Yoshi Tsutsugo | Tampa Bay Rays |
| SPR-AA | Aristides Aquino | Cincinnati Reds |
Gold Prospect Relic Cards
| CARD # | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| MLR-AK | Al Kaline | Detroit Tigers |
| MLR-BF | Bob Feller | Cleveland Indians |
| MLR-BL | Barry Larkin | Cincinnati Reds |
| MLR-BR | Brooks Robinson | Baltimore Orioles |
| MLR-CJ | Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves |
| MLR-CR | Cal Ripken Jr. | Baltimore Orioles |
| MLR-CY | Carl Yastrzemski | Boston Red Sox |
| MLR-DM | Don Mattingly | New York Yankees |
| MLR-EM | Eddie Mathews | Milwaukee Braves |
| MLR-EMU | Eddie Murray | Baltimore Orioles |
| MLR-FR | Frank Robinson | Baltimore Orioles |
| MLR-FT | Frank Thomas | Chicago White Sox |
| MLR-GB | George Brett | Kansas City Royals |
| MLR-HA | Hank Aaron | Atlanta Braves |
| MLR-I | Ichiro | Seattle Mariners |
| MLR-JB | Johnny Bench | Cincinnati Reds |
| MLR-JM | Joe Morgan | Cincinnati Reds |
| MLR-JS | John Smoltz | Atlanta Braves |
| MLR-KG | Ken Griffey Jr. | Seattle Mariners |
| MLR-MM | Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics |
| MLR-MR | Mariano Rivera | New York Yankees |
| MLR-MS | Mike Schmidt | Philadelphia Phillies |
| MLR-NG | Nomar Garciaparra | Boston Red Sox |
| MLR-NR | Nolan Ryan | Houston Astros |
| MLR-OS | Ozzie Smith | St. Louis Cardinals |
| MLR-PM | Pedro Martinez | Boston Red Sox |
| MLR-RC | Roberto Clemente | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| MLR-RCA | Rod Carew | California Angels |
| MLR-RCL | Roger Clemens | Boston Red Sox |
| MLR-RH | Rickey Henderson | Oakland Athletics |
| MLR-RJ | Reggie Jackson | Oakland Athletics |
| MLR-RJO | Randy Johnson | Seattle Mariners |
| MLR-RS | Ryne Sandberg | Chicago Cubs |
| MLR-RY | Robin Yount | Milwaukee Brewers |
| MLR-TG | Tony Gwynn | San Diego Padres |
| MLR-TGL | Tom Glavine | Atlanta Braves |
| MLR-TW | Ted Williams | Boston Red Sox |
| MLR-WB | Wade Boggs | Boston Red Sox |
| MLR-WM | Willie McCovey | San Francisco Giants |
| MLR-WMA | Willie Mays | San Francisco Giants |