On Sunday, I was excited for about 2 minutes about the revival of the Topps Total product from the early 2000s. I saw a quick blurb about this on Twitter and decided to follow up to see what was going on.
Although I've never opened a pack of Topps Total in my life, I've always been fond of the idea behind the set. A product like Total gives often over-looked players, like backup catchers, middle relievers, and bench players, a chance to be featured on cardboard in a set that's not Topps Flagship.
In fact, the Topps Total checklists of the past have neared 1,000 cards, meaning that this set provided a platform for players who, otherwise, may not even be featured in Series 1 or 2.
Sure, Topps Total also features cards of well-known veterans and established superstars, but the idea behind the product from 2002-2005 was to give lesser players better representation.
Cubs shortstop Neifi Perez is a prime example of how brilliant Topps Total can be if executed correctly. In 2005, the 2000 Gold Glove award winner had cards in just 2 sets, Bowman Heritage and Topps Total, according to COMC.
The design isn't extraordinarily stimulating, but I am a big fan of the cardstock used for this set. Although it was only around for 4 years, this set had a lasting impact and featured one of the greatest concepts that Topps has ever developed.
For all these reasons and more, the announcement regarding Topps Total's revival was amazing news to receive. Finally, I'll be able to see guys Matt Barnes and Brock Holt in a non-Flagship set.
Unfortunately, my excitement was rather short-lived, for I soon learned how Topps is marketing the Topps Total revival, and I'm not too crazy about it, to say the least.
Basically, Topps intends to market this 900-card set in waves, beginning with wave #1 which is currently available on the Topps website. If I'm understanding everything correctly, each wave features 100 cards from the 900-card set, and you can purchase a pack of cards from each of the waves for $10.
Quite frankly, this might be the most illogical and ridiculous way to sell a product like Topps Total. Not only is Topps charging $1 per card from a set that used to be relatively low-end, but there's no remotely easy way for anyone to complete this set.
Even if you shelled out $100 for 10 packs from the first 100-card wave, Topps awful coalition would likely mean that you wouldn't complete that particular part of the set. Plus, to over-complicate things, even more, I believe that parallels are to be included as well.
It may be virtually impossible to complete the set, but I'm still hoping that the cards will be cheaper on the aftermarket. Regardless, Topps totally overcomplicated this once simple product with these ridiculous online exclusive waves.
I would've loved to see this set return as a hobby and retail product with upwards of 100 cards per blaster box. Online exclusive cards should be reserved for Topps Now/Living and high-end boxes.
Topps Total, in its day, was an inexpensive product if I remember correctly. Even though Topps kept the concept, their means of marketing and selling this product doesn't appeal to anybody, even collectors who are fine with paying $1 per card.
No one's going to take a chance with Topps' notoriously poor coalition and pay $100 and hope for all 100 cards. Topps Total is any set collector's dream, and Topps has turned this set into a full-blown nightmare.
One thing's for sure unless I see individual cards priced much more fairly, I won't be buying a single card from 2019 Topps Total.
Love the concept of the set. Hate how it will be an online set.
ReplyDeleteSame roller coaster that I rode. Hopefully these bottom out really quick on the secondhand market because that's the only way I'll be spending money on the new Total.
ReplyDeleteTopps has enough high end products and online exclusives. Not sure why they had to ruin something as awesome as Topps Total. But people will buy it... so they'll end up making more of it. #annoyed
ReplyDeleteI've never opened a pack of Topps Total either, but that will change...this weekend at a show I bought a bunch of hobby packs from 2003-2004 including a couple of Topps Total.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that Topps is making a lot of money off its online exclusives--Topps Now, the Living Set, and the like. But Total is drastically different from those products, and this is the first one where you don't know what you're getting and don't have the option to buy everything. I think you're right that this is a set that would appeal to set builders, but that this doesn't really work with the price point and method. Are they testing the limits of what the online market will bear? If it doesn't work, will they try a different tactic next year or just not do Total? I'm afraid it's the latter.
Of course, the funny thing is, if it really does poorly, then the cards will end up being scarce and therefore valuable. If it does well, then you're going to have a lot of commons which will be lucky to get back 1/10th of their original price.
I had to read the email twice and sit down with a pencil because I thought for sure I had figured it wrong. $1 a card for a 900 card set is beyond even Topps' normal level of stupid.
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