2018 Topps Stadium Club Baseball loves the photo. The world of sports is filled with dramatic and dynamic photography. Some of that is captured on sports cards, but a lot of the times they’re vying for attention with other design elements. Not 2018 Topps Stadium Club Baseball.
The set’s focus is clear. Great photos. Other elements are in packs as well, like the promise of two autographs per hobby box. But, overall, the product sticks with what made it such a hit when it first arrived in 1991.
2018 TOPPS STADIUM CLUB BASEBALL BASE SET
The base set keeps the design to a minimum. Full-bleed fronts allow the picture to cover the front. The nameplate is done entirely with text and even that is largely see-through.
With 300 cards in the base set and approximately 112 base cards per box, set-building will require some trading among friends (at Sports Cards Plus, trade night is 24/7). It may not be the biggest checklist of the year, but it is large enough to make it something of a challenge. And with many collectors looking to the photos, that’s a chase in its own right.
Parallels come in several levels. Black Foil are the most common, landing two per hobby box. Others include hobby-only Black and White (1:48 packs), Red Foil, Rainbow Foilboard (/25), First Day Issue (ten copies each), Members Only (one per case), Photographer’s Proof (1:2 cases) and Gold Rainbow Foilboard (1/1). Like Black and White, Gold Rainbow cards are only in hobby packs.
Stadium Club Chrome returns for a second year as a partial parallel set. A total of 90 cards are given the chromium treatment with one base version landing every hobby box.
Chrome parallels include Refractors (1:64 packs), Gold Minted (1 per case) and one-of-one Superfractors (1/1). Select Chrome cards also have autographs that have ten copies or less and Superfractor Autographs (1/1).
AUTOGRAPHS
Of the two autographs per 2018 Topps Stadium Club Baseball hobby box, most fall under the Base Autograph banner. These take the same general design of the main set and have on-card signatures. Parallels come in Red Foil (/50), Black Foil (/25), Rainbow Foil (/10) and Gold Rainbow (1/1). Rainbow and Gold Rainbow are only in hobby packs.
A couple of scarce autograph inserts return for another year. Co-Signers (/10 or less) have signatures from a pair of stars. Lone Star Signatures are also back. Both have one-of-one Rainbow Foil parallels. Lone Star Signatures also have Orange versions (/5).INSERTS
2018 Topps Stadium Club Baseball regular inserts use names and themes from the brand’s early days. Beam Team, perhaps the most famous Stadium Club insert ever, is back for another season. Landing one per box, the checklist has 25 top MLB players.
Power Zone (1:8 packs) and Instavision also return. Instavision is a case hit that has Red (/50), Black (/25), Orange (/10) and Gold Rainbow (1/1) parallels.
Never Compromise (1:8) and Special Forces (1:8) both debuted in the 1990s but haven’t been seen since Topps brought back Stadium Club in 2014.
These, along with Beam Team and Power Zone, have Red, Black (/99), Orange (/50) and Gold Rainbow (1/1) parallels.
Select Beam Team, Never Compromise and Power Zone cards also have signed versions.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN A HOBBY BOX:
• Autographs – 2
• Beam Team – 1
• Never Compromise – 2
• Power Zone – 2
• Special Forces – 2
• Black Foil Parallels – 2
• Chrome Parallels – 1
• Beam Team – 1
• Never Compromise – 2
• Power Zone – 2
• Special Forces – 2
• Black Foil Parallels – 2
• Chrome Parallels – 1
BASE AUTOGRAPHS CHECKLIST
BEAM TEAM AUTOGRAPHS CHECKLIST
BTA-AJ Aaron Judge
BTA-ARO Anthony Rizzo
BTA-ARO Amed Rosario
BTA-BH Bryce Harper
BTA-DJ Derek Jeter
BTA-FL Francisco Lindor
BTA-JA Jose Altuve
BTA-JV Joey Votto
BTA-KB Kris Bryant
BTA-MM Manny Machado
BTA-MT Mike Trout
BTA-NS Noah Syndergaard
BTA-PG Paul Goldschmidt
BTA-RD Rafael Devers
BTA-SO Shohei Ohtani
BTA-ARO Anthony Rizzo
BTA-ARO Amed Rosario
BTA-BH Bryce Harper
BTA-DJ Derek Jeter
BTA-FL Francisco Lindor
BTA-JA Jose Altuve
BTA-JV Joey Votto
BTA-KB Kris Bryant
BTA-MM Manny Machado
BTA-MT Mike Trout
BTA-NS Noah Syndergaard
BTA-PG Paul Goldschmidt
BTA-RD Rafael Devers
BTA-SO Shohei Ohtani
CHROME AUTOGRAPHS CHECKLIST
CO-SIGNERS AUTOGRAPHS CHECKLIST
CO-AT Hank Aaron/Mike Trout
CO-BR Kris Bryant/Anthony Rizzo
CO-JJ Aaron Judge/Derek Jeter
CO-JM Randy Johnson/Greg Maddux
CO-JR Derek Jeter/Cal Ripken Jr.
CO-JS John Smoltz/Chipper Jones
CO-LV Joey Votto/Barry Larkin
CO-OD Rafael Devers/David Ortiz
CO-SB Kris Bryant/Ryne Sandberg
CO-TJ Bo Jackson/Frank Thomas
CO-TO Shohei Ohtani/Mike Trout
CO-BR Kris Bryant/Anthony Rizzo
CO-JJ Aaron Judge/Derek Jeter
CO-JM Randy Johnson/Greg Maddux
CO-JR Derek Jeter/Cal Ripken Jr.
CO-JS John Smoltz/Chipper Jones
CO-LV Joey Votto/Barry Larkin
CO-OD Rafael Devers/David Ortiz
CO-SB Kris Bryant/Ryne Sandberg
CO-TJ Bo Jackson/Frank Thomas
CO-TO Shohei Ohtani/Mike Trout
LONE STAR SIGNATURES CHECKLIST
LSS-AJ Aaron Judge
LSS-AR Amed Rosario
LSS-BH Bryce Harper
LSS-BJ Bo Jackson
LSS-DJ Derek Jeter
LSS-FL Francisco Lindor
LSS-FT Frank Thomas
LSS-JV Joey Votto
LSS-KB Kris Bryant
LSS-MT Mike Trout
LSS-NR Nolan Ryan
LSS-NS Noah Syndergaard
LSS-RD Rafael Devers
LSS-AR Amed Rosario
LSS-BH Bryce Harper
LSS-BJ Bo Jackson
LSS-DJ Derek Jeter
LSS-FL Francisco Lindor
LSS-FT Frank Thomas
LSS-JV Joey Votto
LSS-KB Kris Bryant
LSS-MT Mike Trout
LSS-NR Nolan Ryan
LSS-NS Noah Syndergaard
LSS-RD Rafael Devers
NEVER COMPROMISE AUTOGRAPHS CHECKLIST
NCA-AJ Aaron Judge
NCA-AR Anthony Rizzo
NCA-ARO Amed Rosario
NCA-BH Bryce Harper
NCA-CJ Chipper Jones
NCA-CR Cal Ripken Jr.
NCA-FT Frank Thomas
NCA-JA Jose Altuve
NCA-JV Joey Votto
NCA-KB Kris Bryant
NCA-MMC Mark McGwire
NCA-RD Rafael Devers
NCA-AR Anthony Rizzo
NCA-ARO Amed Rosario
NCA-BH Bryce Harper
NCA-CJ Chipper Jones
NCA-CR Cal Ripken Jr.
NCA-FT Frank Thomas
NCA-JA Jose Altuve
NCA-JV Joey Votto
NCA-KB Kris Bryant
NCA-MMC Mark McGwire
NCA-RD Rafael Devers
POWER ZONE AUTOGRAPHS CHECKLIST
PZA-AJ Aaron Judge
PZA-AR Anthony Rizzo
PZA-BH Bryce Harper
PZA-DO David Ortiz
PZA-DS Darryl Strawberry
PZA-FT Frank Thomas
PZA-GS Gary Sanchez
PZA-JB Jeff Bagwell
PZA-JC Jose Canseco
PZA-JD Josh Donaldson
PZA-JV Joey Votto
PZA-KB Kris Bryant
PZA-KD Khris Davis
PZA-MM Manny Machado
PZA-MMC Mark McGwire
PZA-MT Mike Trout
PZA-PG Paul Goldschmidt
PZA-PK Paul Konerko
PZA-RD Rafael Devers
PZA-RH Rhys Hoskins
PZA-SO Shohei Ohtani
PZA-AR Anthony Rizzo
PZA-BH Bryce Harper
PZA-DO David Ortiz
PZA-DS Darryl Strawberry
PZA-FT Frank Thomas
PZA-GS Gary Sanchez
PZA-JB Jeff Bagwell
PZA-JC Jose Canseco
PZA-JD Josh Donaldson
PZA-JV Joey Votto
PZA-KB Kris Bryant
PZA-KD Khris Davis
PZA-MM Manny Machado
PZA-MMC Mark McGwire
PZA-MT Mike Trout
PZA-PG Paul Goldschmidt
PZA-PK Paul Konerko
PZA-RD Rafael Devers
PZA-RH Rhys Hoskins
PZA-SO Shohei Ohtani
