Topps Player Runs

2008. That’s my favorite Topps design. Everyone, or at least those in the baseball side of the hobby, has a favorite Topps design. Be it the garish, but popular 1990, the classic 1956, the colorful 1975, the striking 1983, or whichever other design grabs your fancy, the designs are one of the critical parts of the card world that are often overlooked.

A collection without curation is adjacent to hoarding. I’m always on the lookout for new kinds of collections or new ways to organize old ones. Topps designs have long been part of the collecting scene, but modern changes mean that there are even more ways for design to influence collecting.

So, let’s look at two different ways, one old and one new, to create curated collections using the Topps designs. As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing.”

The Classic

A player run of Topps cards consists of a base card from each year Topps issued a card of them during a player’s active days. So, if you are collecting Albert Pujols, you’d want his 2001 base Topps rookie, but also his 2002, 2003, etc, all the way to 2024 base Topps cards.

Completing player runs of Topps issues is nothing new. The idea that one can/should collect every base Topps card of a player has been a popular way to collect since long before I’ve been collecting (1989). I had multiple friends growing up whose fathers had partial player runs of Mantle, Mays, and Ryan (always those three).

This style of collecting has gone out of favor in the rookie/insert or bust world, but many still make sure their player runs of favorites are complete. I’m not sure if it’s a dying part of the hobby, or just one folks are quiet about.

Part of the reason for the seeming decline in popularity is that you can complete ungraded player runs of most modern superstars for almost nothing unless the rookie card is expensive.

I’m going to suggest completing player runs anyway if you’ve never done one. They may not get the most buzz on social media. I get it, it’s asking a lot to get excited about 20 $.50 base cards, but it is a blast to replay a player’s career by looking at the great photos and full range of stats when you put the cards in order.

You can spice up player runs by going for graded cards. It’s surprisingly difficult to find high-grade copies of many non-rookie base Topps cards. It’s not that they are tough grades, but who sends in an 11th-year Jeff Bagwell for grading? No one apparently, judging by eBay listings.

I’ve done a graded run for Cal Ripken and was shocked at how hard some of the cards were to find for a reasonable price. Once you move down a tier or two in terms of player popularity, finding graded copies becomes nigh on impossible.

Player runs are a fun way to track the Topps designs. I’m likely going to do a graded Pujols run to go with the Ripken, so I’ll have 1982-2024 covered. I’ll have to choose a couple of older players I like to eventually go all the way back to 1951.

It’s a fun game to try to put together runs that cover the entire span of Topps’ history. One could cover 1952-2014 with Eddie Matthews, Nolan Ryan, and Derek Jeter player runs if one is looking to minimize the number of players used or one could go with all Braves, or all pitchers, or just your favorite players. The options are endless.

The New Player Run

Player runs made more sense when there were fewer sets, and we never saw designs recycled. Now, the 1983 design gets trotted out every other year. Archives, Heritage, and whatever anniversary Topps is celebrating at the moment (30th, 35th, 40th, who knows?) all allow for old designs to be used on modern cards.

That means there is a new kind of player run. Now, one can get active players in pretty much any Topps design one wants. Even 1951 gets used frequently. That means it is possible to go after a card for each design from 1951-2025 for many active players.

Some years are harder to find, and not all players will have cards from every year available. Still, it’s a fun way to celebrate your favorite player and a bit of Topps history.

The extended player run will have collectors cheering for the usage of some of Topps’ less-popular designs. Want an Ohtani with an 1982 design? So far, he’s only had one in Transcendent, and it's pricey. 2006? Only available as a WBC SP variation. Do you go for the pricy cards or hope Archives and Heritage cover the years you need?

I’m curious if any player has a card with every single Topps design. Most are missing at least the years immediately preceding their rookie seasons.

The only person I’m sure has all the designs checked is Santa Claus, who has the ultimate player run available due to the Santa Archives insert set in Topps Holiday.

Wrap Up

It’s worth noting that you can do player runs using any set you like. Topps is the most common due to their long history, but there’s no reason one can’t do an Upper Deck run if one wishes. Also, to get the true old school vibe, I heartily endorse putting player runs in pages and binders.