The Best From 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen

As I explained during my hobby box recap post earlier this week, I was pleasantly surprised with how fabulous the 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen set has been. After disappointing me, big time, last year, Topps took major steps to improve virtually every aspect of this brand.

Along with the 2012 and 2013 set designs, this year's base cards rank as the greatest in brand history. The fronts feature a ton of minor details, but the focal point is definitely the photography included in this product.

In some instances, the pictures become somewhat repetitive, but even in those instances, the cards themselves still look fabulous. Additionally, there's a reasonable collection of fabulous cards that truly blow me away, featuring carefully-chosen pictures to go with the base set.

These standout cards were extremely common throughout the box that I opened, so it proved incredibly difficult to narrow all these choices down to a top 10 list. There were certain cards that I showed on Wednesday's post (Bogaerts) that just narrowly missed out on the top 10.

I can't ignore the creative insert sets nor the gorgeous chrome cards from 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen either. However, the base cards make up roughly 90% of what a hobby box yields. Therefore, it's essential to have a deep appreciation for the beautiful base cards in this much-improved set.

As I mentioned earlier, narrowing this list down to just 10 cards was an extremely difficult task. I was forced to leave out a couple of my favorites, but I'm very pleased with the list that I ended up with.

#10 Blake Treinen

This celebration is likely from 1 of the 38 saves that he recorded for the Oakland Athletics throughout a sensational 2018 season. His 0.78 ERA across 80 innings pitched for the A's last season helped cement Treinen as one of the greatest closers in the game.

Out of all the little details on this card, my favorite is how well the Athletics' logo blends in with the rest of this stellar card. I've always been a huge fan of the A's, and I've become very fond of Treinen as a player. With 2019 being his last season under contract, it'd be nice to see him re-up with Oakland.

#9 Tim Anderson

There was no shortage of infielder in-action cards to choose from for this list. However, Tim Anderson's card is simply classic, from the White Sox's home uniform to the bright green grass in the background. The traditional photo just seems perfect for the old-school set design, more so than a lot of the cards in the 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen set.

#8 Billy Hamilton

Unless I missed something while opening packs of 2019 Topps Heritage, this is our first look of speedster Billy Hamilton in a Kansas City Royals jersey, and it's everything that I had hoped it would be. The bright blue uniform and the high socks are impeccably photoshopped, and the timing of this photo is absolutely sensational. 

I'm not somebody who pays much attention to the Royals whatsoever, but I'm ecstatic to see what Hamilton can do alongside Whit Merrifield throughout this season.

#7 Johan Camargo

I stared at this card for a solid minute immediately after I pulled it from one of my packs, for I don't think I've ever seen a Baseball card quite like this one in my life. The angle gives this image a very unique perspective and the background features an encapsulating blue sky as well as one of Camargo's own teammates.

For those of you who remember Jose De Leon's 2017 Gypsy Queen card, I'm drawing a lot of parallels from that rookie card to Camargo's 2019 card. Same set, same style, and 2 beautiful cards.

#6 Jeremy Jeffress

I appreciate sets like Gypsy Queen and Stadium Club for not thinking solely of variations when creating the base set. It's always exciting to see throwback uniforms make it onto Baseball cards, especially when they're not unreasonably rare like they are in a set like Topps Heritage.

Topps has the ability and the potential to use old-school uniforms far more than they actually do. I don't know about any of you guys, but I'm dying to see more cards like this across all Topps products.

#5 Manny Machado

Let me be very clear; I still have reservations about including Manny Machado's card on this top 10 list. Even though he's no longer in the American League, his "no hussle" comments still get under my skin.

With that being said, this card is a true beauty in many different ways, from the dirt stains to the pose. Seeing him in a Dodgers uniform also reminds me of the 2018 World Series. I guess that explains why I placed this card at #5.

#4 Odubel Herrera

Like Camargo's card, Odubel Herrera's 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen near-masterpiece features an untraditional angle as far as pictures on Baseball cards are concerned. Like the rest of the cards on this list, however, all the details are meticulously-executed.

I've had the pleasure of watching the Phillies play for a little bit this year, and I've become a pretty big fan of their team. While I wouldn't list them as one of my favorite teams in Baseball, they have a stacked roster featuring some of my favorite players in the game, like Andrew McCutchen and Rhys Hoskins.

#3 Maikel Franco

Both Herrera and Maikel Franco have weathered through some pretty mediocre seasons in Philadelphia in which the team was in a complete rebuild mode. Now, in 2019, both of these young players are entering their prime, and the Phillies are becoming a legitimate threat.

The Franco throwback uniform card is even better than the Jeffress, though both of them make me long for more old-school jerseys on Baseball cards. There's something about powder blue uniforms that I'll simply never get tired of.

#2 Jackie Bradley Jr

As soon as I saw this card pulled in a box break on YouTube, I knew that I wanted to pull this card for myself in my 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen box break. I don't think a base card has ever made me as happy as when I pulled this JBJ card from one of the final packs of my GQ hobby box.

Topps doesn't feature Bradley in the outfield even close to as much as they should, especially since he captured his first ever Gold Glove award in 2018. He's one of the best defensive players I've ever seen, and this card perfectly captures his willingness to make these sensational plays.

#1 Nicholas Castellanos

Everything about this Nicholas Castellanos card is next to, if not completely perfect. At first glance, I thought it was some kind of SP variation due to how different it is from all the other cards in this set. 

The background features an incredible ballpark show of a field that I'm embarrassed not to be able to recognize. Nevertheless, the pose is perfect for a card like this, and the set design complements the picture even more.

It's cards like Castellanos, along with all the others on this list and more, that have attracted me to this incredibly Gypsy Queen set. Needless to say, Topps 100% redeemed themselves.