In what has seemingly become a Topps Flagship tradition, Topps has paid tribute to past iconic sets by creating insert sets released continuously in Series 1, Series 2, and Update. They began by creating the insert set for the 1987 set, an iconic yet somewhat unpopular set that features the wood borders used in another famous set, 1962. Their set of choice for 2018 was 1983 Topps, a set that is widely liked and features a very clean design whether you look at the original 1983 cards, or the reprints from this year.
Each insert set has its good and bad parts as well as its similarities and differences from the other set. Since both of these sets are on my want list, and I'd like to complete both of them someday, I've decided to do a quick comparison post between the 2 insert sets.
One thing that I like way better in the 1987 insert set than in 1983 is the cardstock. This year Topps went for a very thin and boring cardstock that didn't replicate the 1983 cards all that well. However, the 1987 insert set had amazingly-executed cardstock that was shiny on the front (like the '87 cards felt like at the time) and a vintage cardboard back that emulated the 1987 card backs in an unparalleled way.
From what I've seen so far, Topps has matched the color scheme of the original 1983 cards in the insert set from this years' Series 1. For example, the 1983 set had a blue and yellow color scheme just like the Astros cards from the insert set. The only difference is, these cards look a bit more modern. The original yellow was a bit more of a gold color which was changed ever so slightly into a bright yellow. Similarly, the original blue was a bit darker than the one used in the insert set. These changes were pretty small and were able to help the set improve in a few ways from the 1983 set. I haven't heard any complaints about Topps messing up the set, so I can only assume they did a good job.
The card backs were another thing that was recreated well in both sets. The iconic dark blue and yellow backs with a grey border were recreated very well in the insert set from last year, and there weren't any major problems with them to my knowledge. Rickey Henderson's career was too long to fit all on one card back, but for most other players they were able to include a full career stat line.
Speaking of retired players like Henderson, I'm very pleased that retired players were included in both sets. Yes, I know Jeff Bagwell didn't actually play in 1983, but for the most part, Topps actually did a good job in choosing players for each set that actually played during the time the set was made. They go for way more 80's greats than legends from other decades, which is a great decision as it allows the era from when the set came out to be represented more.
Overall, I must say that even though the cardstock of the 1987 set is far superior, I like the 1983 reprints better simply because of how I like the 1983 set better than the 1987 set. 1987 Topps is slightly overhyped by Topps while the 1983 set is a bit quieter and has a lot of standout features like 2 pictures of the player on each card and the different colors on each card. No matter what, both insert sets were surprisingly well remade, and I can't wait to continue to acquire cards from both.
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