My Ideal Gypsy Queen Set

Since I started this blog a little over a year ago, I've probably talked more about Topps Gypsy Queen than any other set. I've dedicated multiple posts to the set, included countless cards on my top 5 cards posts, and continuously shared my thoughts on the set, specifically how it's changed over the years.

If you know my true feelings about Gypsy Queen, you know that it used to be my favorite set, key word there being used. From the debut of the set back in 2011 through 2014, I found that I was a huge fan of the set. I loved the set designs, the uniqueness of the product, and other features like framed parallels and the relic card designs.

However, 2017 ensured a ton of changes to the set, not all of them were well-received be me. Certain decisions made sense, but others caused Topps to change the idea of what the Gypsy Queen set is supposed to be. Don't worry, I'll be going over those changes in this post.

As the title suggests, I'm going to "build" my own idea Topps Gypsy Queen set. Basically, I'll be compiling all my favorite things that Gypsy Queen has done throughout the set's history while also stating what I will not be including in the set.

I suppose I should start with a pretty big part of the set; players included. Specifically, how many retired players I'm looking to include. A semi-recent post on Night Owl Cards stated the exact number of retired players included in some of the Allen & Ginter sets.  Now, until they made retired players short-prints (which I wholeheartedly disagree with), retired players were a big part of Gypsy Queen. Now, I don't think they need as many retired players as there were in 2013, but I think anywhere from 50-75 legends would be ideal in a GQ set.

One of the few decisions I agreed with when Topps made big-time changes to Gypsy Queen in 2017 was the elimination of minis. The minis came and left at the same time that Allen & Ginter continued to make them work. Simply put, the minis did not work out in the Gypsy Queen set. They did not have the same effect that A&G minis have, and they didn't even try to do much with them. There weren't any mini inserts or interesting variations. So when Topps nixed them in 2017, I can't say I was too disappointed. 

One of my least favorite parts of the "new" Gypsy Queen set is the variation cards. Specifically, it's the missing black plate and missing nameplate cards. To me, these variations are lazy and do little to nothing for me. In fact, I'll take any chance I get to sell or trade these variations. The missing black plates are lame excuses for parallels, and they missing nameplates seem like errors, not variations. Of all things, variations are supposed to be interesting and fun to pull. The missing name and black plates are neither, which means that in an ideal Gypsy Queen set, these would be left out.

Instead, why don't we bring back the previously mentioned framed parallel cards? Not only do these look like they belong in a GQ set, but they could take the place of parallels and even variations. I'm sure Topps could be creative and choose some interesting colors to have numbered and non-numbered frames. I'm not saying make them super common, but being able to pull one of these in a blaster box or a couple in a hobby box would make me way happier than pulling missing black or nameplate variations.

As for the inserts, it is necessary that they resemble and embody the set and everything that comes with it. Something like Glove Stories can be found in nearly any other set. Series 1 & 2, Chrome, Allen & Ginter, and Stadium Club could all have an insert set like this. The GQ inserts need to be as interesting as the set, and I know exactly what inserts can do that.

This year, Topps really hit it out of the park in terms of Gypsy Queen inserts. The 2nd year of the Fortune Teller cards proved to be even more successful than the first, and the creative design proved this insert set is here to stay. Furthermore, the Tarot of the Diamond cards remains some of my favorite inserts over the last few years. With a creative and colorful design and an awesome card back the Tarot of the Diamond cards along with Fortune Teller cards should definitely be here to stay.

Finally, the most obvious part of a great set is the set design itself, and I have ideas as to what Gypsy Queen sets going forward should look like. If we're talking about building an ideal set, my favorite Gypsy Queen set designs are 2012, 2013, and 2014 sets. Taking the best parts from any of these sets and creating something totally new with a color that has not been seen before will be the highlight of the perfect Gypsy Queen set.

Obviously, I'm not expecting Topps to take all this advice and create a perfect Gypsy Queen set, but they do need to remember what made the set great in the first place. 2018 has been the 2nd year in a row that I have not liked the Gypsy Queen set as a whole, and this is coming from a former GQ fanatic. I just hope they can go back to what made the set great, and then they'll regain one of Gypsy Queens biggest supporters.