2024 Topps Stadium Club: Hobby Grail or Hobby Fail?
Ever since its debut in 1991, Stadium Club has been one of the most eagerly anticipated products in the Topps product line. The cards have a well deserved reputation for some of the best photography on cardboard, and the checklist offers a healthy mix of today's stars, yesterday's legends, and tomorrow's hopefuls. Having just ripped a "compact box" (8 packs, 8 cards each, one guaranteed auto), I'll share the highlights ("hobby grails") and lowlights ("hobby fails") of the release, along with some tips for collectors considering the product.
Hobby Grails
Grail 1 - Exceptional Images
As advertised, these are beautiful cards. My SI colleague Suzy, recently shared her own experiences selecting photos for Stadium Club while working at Topps, and it's very clear that the same care she put into her selections is alive and well today. Here are just a handful of the beauties I pulled from my packs. As Suzy notes, all images come from Getty Images, which means that the enterprising collector, so motivated, can often track down the date and even the play depicted on the card!
Grail 2 - All-Time Greats
Admittedly, not all collectors loved retired legends as much as I do, but wow, what a gold mine! Here are just a handful of the greats of yesteryear that came in my box.
Grail 3 - Current Photos
Though there are numerous exceptions such as the Marlins Jazz Chisholm I pulled, I'll give Stadium Club high marks for giving us some of our first non-photoshopped looks (apart from Topps NOW) of several players with their current teams. And while Joey Votto never did make it to the Big Leagues with Toronto, what a freaking awesome card to remind us that he tried!
Hobby Fails
Now that I've focused on the positive, here are a few of the things I didn't love about the product.
Fail 1 - Um, Isn't Baseball Season Over?!
As fun as it is to rip a box of Stadium Club, it's slightly less fun to do so the week after the season ended. I know putting a set like this together isn't exactly quick, and I also appreciate the use of photos that would not have been available in the preseason, but shoot...why not move a few things around and shoot for October 1 next time?
Fail 2 - Collation
Though you wouldn't hear me complaining had my duplicates been of Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, I feel like collation technology should be at the point where a box this size yields entirely unique cards. Now don't get me wrong, the collation here is MUCH better than in some of the other products out there, but this is definitely an area where I think perfection is possible.
Fail 3 - Inserts
With most products I like (and expect!) inserts to be even cooler than the base cards. With Stadium Club, this just isn't the case. Perhaps it's because the bar set by the base cards is impossibly high to top, but my instant reaction was disappointment whenever I pulled any of the special inserts. I'm not saying kill inserts entirely, but I am saying Topps needs to step up its game mightily if inserts are to provide value-adds to the checklist.
Despite these flaws, we are still talking about an absolutely awesome product from Topps, one that deserves the accolades it receives year after year. Though I called the lateness of the release a fail, let's look on the bright side. If you miss baseball, is there really any better way to get through the offseason than with another awesome set to build?
My main advice, as with all things in this Hobby, is to make the experience even better by sharing it with friends. Post your favorite cards on social media, open packs with your best buds, make trades, and have a blast! Enjoy.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.