Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.
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I don’t think there is much that can top the hype of the new Series 1 release every season. Perhaps because the card release is in lock step with Spring Training and a new season getting underway, there is just an unmatched excitement throughout the hobby. But while we’ve jumped deep into the most valuable cards from 2024 Series 1 (and the many different SPs and Variations), Series 2 is nothing to sneeze at, and depending on the checklist and included rookies, can pack quite the punch.
For those new to baseball cards, each Topps flagship product is released in three installments—Series 1, Series 2, and Update. The first two releases (Series 1 and Series 2) combine to create a complete set of cards. This is why you can’t buy a complete set of 2024 Topps right now—only Series 1 has been released.
So, Series 1 is simply the first half of the checklist, while Series 2 is the second half of the checklist. Update is considered to be a standalone set and has its own checklist.
Thus, each series will have different cards on their checklists. In 2023 Topps, Series 1 was made up of cards #1-330 and Series 2 was made up of #331-660. Update also had 330 cards, but because it is its own set, the card numbers range from #US1-#US330.
In terms of players on each checklist, you typically see all of the game’s superstars in Series 1, and those who weren’t on Series 1 showing up on Series 2. There is not really a black and white guideline here, and it all depends on a player’s current standing.
There are also many questions surrounding which checklist big name rookie cards will appear on, along with random anomalies. For instance, Shohei Ohtani was on both the 2023 Topps Series 1 Checklist – as a pitcher – and the 2023 Topps Series 2 Checklist, as a DH.
If you’re wondering which is the best, it really depends on the year. For instance, if you compare hobby boxes of Series 1, Series 2, and Update from 2023, values are similar:
Here is a breakdown from the last few years (30-day average sales values for hobby boxes 3/23/24):
| Year | Series 1 | Series 2 | Update Series |
| 2023 | $61.38 | $59.87 | $62.69 |
| 2022 | $55.70 | $68.19 | $139 |
| 2021 | $42.88 | $49.03 | $43.50 |
| 2020 | $76 | $56.08 | $46.74 |
| 2019 | $138 | $124 | $106 |
| 2018 | $170 | $519 | $944 |
Not a ton of variation for the most part, right? And where there is, it can be explained. 2018 is a monster year for rookies—Ohtani, Acuna Jr., and Soto. 2019 is elevated because of Tatis and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. rookie cards. And then in 2022, Update is specifically above and beyond the other releases because of Bobby Witt Jr. and Julio Rodriguez.
In the end, Series 1 and Series 2 are the same in terms of the format and overall set they belong to, but are different because of the checklists and the players included in each release (all of whom will be included in the complete set.
