With the baseball season officially over and the major baseball card releases not too far behind, I'm forced to turn my attention towards 2019. As it pertains to baseball cards, that happens to be what the sets might look like once next year comes along.
Though Topps Heritage is never a surprise release, I always enjoy reading Cardboard Connection and Beckett info articles about other sets like Gypsy Queen, Stadium Club, and Allen & Ginter as soon as they're released in order to see what the new year will bring for some of my favorite Topps products.
Similarly, I do the same for Topps Archives, but it's far less about the set design and more about what sets will be chosen. For many years now, Topps has chosen 3 sets to take up the 300 base card checklist. However, when you think about it, Archives is all about timing, more so than any other product.
You can't choose a product that's been done in Heritage recently or is going to be the focus of Topps Heritage in upcoming years. From what I've noticed, the wait time between Archives and Heritage seems to be around 8-10 years given the inclusion of the 1960 Topps set in 2017 Topps Archives.
Additionally, there has to be a balance between decades. As much as I love 60's cards, the whole set can't just be from that decade. There's usually 1 set from the 50's/60's, 1 from the 70's/80's, and finally, one from the 80's/90's as well. All of this while choosing the right players to be included in the product.
With all of this in mind, I've decided to create my own Topps Archives set using Topps sets from the past that haven't made their way into Archives yet or were represented in Heritage, but many years ago. What I've come up with is, I believe, the ideal Topps Archives set for next year.
As for the oldest product in my ideal Archives set, I went for a set that's become a collectors favorite that hasn't been seen since Topps Heritage way back in 2005. That set is the classic 1956 Topps made all the way back in the day when the dimensions of the average baseball card were larger than they were today. If you're looking to start something like Archives off with a bang, look no further than 1956 Topps.
As we saw with Topps Heritage in 2003-2005, there's no need to copy the exact size of the cards, making them the same size as they were in the 50's. Actually, it's easier to make these cards the same size as we're used to seeing nowadays so they can fit on a typical sheet or in a standard penny sleeve like the rest of the cards. Considering that minor setback was already handled back in '05, there should be nothing stopping Topps from putting 1956 Topps in an Archives set very soon.
For the set following 1956 Topps in my ideal Archives product, I chose an underrated Topps Flagship design that was last seen in 2010 Topps Heritage, nearly a decade ago. With the use of creative color combinations at the bottom of the card and the superb photo quality of today, '61 Topps has the potential to work out extremely well in a future Topps Archives set just like it did back in 2010, maybe even better.
To make things better, Archives sets typically include 1 design per year that isn't necessarily considered super exciting, at least compared to other eye-catching sets like 1977 Topps, for example. I presume Topps does this in order to have a way to show off even more of their top-tier photography while also giving that particular year of Archives a chance to stand on its own with a strong balance of sets.
It's hard to believe the most recent of the Archives sets is from 40 years ago, but trust me when I say I considered many options before making this decision. Keep in mind, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1989 have all been included in Topps Archives sets beginning in 2012 along with 1990, 1991, and 1992.
By the time 2019 begins, we will have been just 2 years removed from the over-used 1987 insert set throughout 2017 Topps, and 1988 Topps just isn't that exciting. Combined with the lack of 70's sets available, 1978 is the best option.
Granted, this Archives set will rely on vintage more so than any Archives product before it, but since when is that a bad thing? We have 9 years before 1978 Topps will be the subject of Heritage, and it's been a while since either 1956 or 1961 Topps were included in Heritage as well. Each set has something different to offer up for Topps Archives. and though I doubt this lineup will actually be chosen, it would have to be my 1st choice for an ideal 2019 Topps Archives set.
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