Finding a True Identity

Well, we meet again, Topps Gypsy Queen. My former favorite Baseball card product has been steadily going downhill since 2017 and arguably beforehand. Even with all the changes that have been made to the set within the last few years, I've tried to maintain an open mind regarding this set. 

From 2011-2016, Gypsy Queen was my go-to product for a variety of reasons. The set designs have always been gorgeous, albeit slightly repetitive. The framed parallels, minis, and relic cards were just some of my favorite parts of this set. Hobby boxes, although expensive, delivered 4 hits, 1 mini per pack, and a wide selection of unique base cards.

Then, 2017 came along and so did a wide variety of different changes. Some of my favorite parts of the set (framed parallels, relics, minis, etc) were removed from the product entirely. The brand then entered an "identity crisis" of sorts in which the product was pretty confused. 

New features were introduced, but the former product that I had become familiar with were no longer present. It didn't feel like the Topps Gypsy Queen product that I had known and loved for so many years. In its place was a totally unfamiliar and confused release.

Even though I purchased packs of Gypsy Queen in 2017 and 2018, I had mixed emotions about the revamped product, to put it kindly. I still bought cards that I spotted in the dime bins, but that was about it. 

I've even purchased Gypsy Queen base sets at the card show in the past so that I can add these beautiful cards to my collection. However, my strong feelings in favor of this product changed once 2017 came along, and I was certain that this would carry over into 2019.

As you can see from the card at the top of this post, I clearly changed my mind. This all started when I first saw the mockups for this year's set design. Even if the border color has been used on 3 other occasions, I'm willing to look past this in favor of my favorite Gypsy Queen base design of all-time.

The base set from 2019 is totally night and day from the "meh" designs from the past few years. The borders are a perfect blank canvas for this colorful and interesting set design. In many ways, the style is reminiscent of 1972 Topps; the only information included on the front is the player's name, and the picture takes up roughly the same amount of space.

Upon seeing the fabulous set design for this year, I caved in. When I visited the Baseball card show on Sunday, I'll admit it, I splurged. My Dad and I came to a mutual consensus and bought a hobby box of 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen. I couldn't give up on this brand so quickly, especially since Gypsy Queen was my favorite Topps release for a number of years.

One thing that was evident, from the very first pack that I opened, was the excessive variety of carefully-chosen photos. Throwback uniforms, action shots, and close-ups all make appearances in 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen. 

Given how many base cards there are in just 1 hobby box, it's reassuring, if nothing else, that this year's design is fabulous. Along with a fantastic selection of photos, this year's set is already a step up from the last few releases.

Topps was extremely successful with the card fronts, but the backs were definitely a missed opportunity. Although the card backs have never been Gypsy Queen's strong suit, I expected something a little better to go alongside the gorgeous set design.

Instead, there's a ton of dead space on these cards, especially towards the bottom. Given how much excess and unused space there is, the card number should not be that small. It's difficult to simply see the number without squinting or moving the card closer to your eye.

Based solely on the set design, 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen is already a successful set. Admittedly, the backs leave something to be desired, but the creative fronts certainly steal the show.

However, no excellent (modern) card product is complete without insert sets that are both interesting and reminiscent of the actual set. After sampling and reviewing the base set to myself, I moved onto the insert cards.

Back for the 2nd straight year, the Tarot of the Diamond cards are back and better than before. These cards were one of the few highlights from the 2018 GQ set, so it seemed like a no-brainer that they'd be back once again.

However, I'm thoroughly impressed with how colorful these inserts are. On J.D. Martinez's card alone; pink, gold, blue and 2 shades of green are all visible. 

Even if I had the choice, I don't think I would've chosen 3 players to pull beside Martinez, Mookie Betts, and Ronald Acuna Jr. In addition to Topps' creativity when it comes to colors and patterns, referring to Betts as "The Emperor" and Acuna as "The Joker" captures everything that the Gypsy Queen brand is about. It's an untraditional product, similar to Allen & Ginter, but focuses primarily on Baseball.

Another reoccurring insert set, the Fortune Teller cards have played a huge role in the reimagining of the Gypsy Queen brand. A staple of the set since 2017, these cards are Tallboys, a cross between a standard card and a mini. 

In 2018, Topps brilliantly chose the color purple for their Fortune Teller cards, and I developed a newfound appreciation for this set. Once again, in 2019, these creative inserts are purple, the perfect color for a set like Gypsy Queen.

On the back of each of these insert cards, the "Fortune Teller" makes bold predictions about what each player will accomplish in 2019. Sometimes the backs project overall performances, sometimes specific milestones. I've never taken the time to look and see if past predictions came to fruition, but the sheer concept behind these cards is incredibly compelling. 

In this instance, the Fortune Teller card is predicting that Altuve will remain healthy and reclaim the batting title in 2019. Only time will tell if Altuve accomplishes this feat, but it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for this to happen.

One of the major themes behind Gypsy Queen's recent transformation is variation cards which have become extremely prevalent across the past few years. Although Topps has produced some pretty lame variations over the last few seasons (missing black plate, missing logo), they seem to have finally changed for the better in 2019.

Unlike the tarot insert cards, Eddie Rosario and Alex Gordon aren't necessarily my first choices for variations. Nevertheless, the beautiful set design allows me to appreciate these cards more than I have in the past. 

I still believe Topps is capable of better inserts besides a missing nameplate and a logo swap, but I'm willing to look past all of that in favor of an eye-catching set with masterful pictures. 

Similar to the variations, I wound up with 2 serial numbered parallels in my hobby box break, but neither of them are ideal names. The Josh Reddick is an indigo parallel, numbered out of 250, while the LeClerc is an awesome black and white parallel, numbered to just 50 copies. 

If there's anyone out there who wants to trade for these 2 players, especially for other numbered 2019 Gypsy Queen cards, I'm definitely down to trade. I'm dying to see what these parallels look like when a player like Anthony Rizzo or Chris Sale is featured.

One of the major changes from 2018 to 2019 is the removal of the Glassworks box toppers, my favorite part of the Gypsy Queen set for years. In its place, each hobby box features 3 exclusive chrome cards instead, including the possability of pulling numbered refractors or autographs.

In person and on the computer, these Gypsy Queen chrome cards are absolutely stunning. Both the backs and the fronts feel a lot like Topps Heritage chrome cards. However, with all the different colors on the GQ cards, these are arguably more beautiful than the Heritage chromes.

If these cards were, say, blaster box exclusives instead of hobby box, I might attempt, with great difficulty, to complete the chrome set. However, given that they're hobby box exclusives, not to mention the fact that you get just 3 per box, it would be near impossible to complete this set.

I was incredibly stoked to pull a blue refractor from my 3-card pack, especially of a player that I collect, Miguel Cabrera. The card itself doesn't look very blue or like a chrome card when scanned, but in-hand, the card features a bright blue border. 

Numbered 065/150, this will be an excellent addition to my Miguel Cabrera player collection, a PC that recently reached 100 total cards.

With any hobby box purchase, the main draw for collectors is the guaranteed hits which, for 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen, is 2 on-card autographs. I've had some pretty impressive luck with GQ autos in the past, but this year's checklist makes it fairly difficult to land a good name.

While 2017 and 2018 focused primarily on rookies, 2010 features mainly decent veterans in the autograph checklist, decreasing the possibility of pulling a big-name player.

Behold the 2 autographs from my hobby box. The first is a Phillies outfielder not named Andrew McCutchen, Odubel Herrera, or Bryce Harper. 

The second is Max Muncy, a home run derby participant from 2018 who fell off the map a bit following the All-Star break. This is the risk with buying hobby boxes, and a lot of times, that risk doesn't pay off.

Still, there's no denying that these cards are absolutely stunning to look at, and both Cozens and Muncy's signatures are good-looking on-card autographs. They design somewhat resembles the base set, yet there's still room for the cards to stand out on their own.

If either Dylan Cozens or Max Muncy make it big, I'll be the happiest collector in the world. However, even if these autographs never accumulate a high value, there's more to Gypsy Queen than just the 2 hits.

I understand that the product may not be for everyone; I really do. I'm just happy that, after years of wandering in confusion, Topps Gypsy Queen has finally found a true identity for itself.