Connecting 75 Years of Topps Baseball: The Inside Story of the 2026 Baseball Card Design
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With the Super Bowl and football itself firmly in the rearview mirror, the sports calendar has now turned squarely to baseball season. On the field, this means pitchers, catchers, and soon everyone else reporting to camp. Just as importantly is the the start of baseball season on store shelves an in online shopping carts, marked by the release of 2026 Topps Baseball Series 1.
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When Topps unveiled its 2026 flagship design, collectors were hyped. Yes, there was the 75th anniversary logo, but the die-hards knew that was coming since Topps had already released images of its packaging, which featured a veritable Mt. Rushmore of Hobby heroes: Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey, Jr., Aaron Judge, and Shohei Ohtani. The standout feature of the new card design was a textured border in the style of City Connect uniforms. Already the 2026 cards look to deliver the most popular textured borders since the faux wood grain of the iconic 1987 set.
The attractive design for 2026 Topps Baseball was the brainchild of Topps designer Adam Schwartz (no relation), who has been with the company for ten years and submitted previous designs that were unsuccessful. His 2026 design beat out nearly 25 other designs submitted by a dozen other artists and designers. For the Topps panel of judges, evidently the design was love at first sight.
Oftentimes with the final design, there's an ask for additional revisions. Schwartz's design nailed it from the start, with all six judges agreeing unanimously that his was the pick. Most years there's a split vote.Clay Luraschi, SVP Product, Topps
A study in perseverance, Schwartz had similarly incorporated City Connect elements in his bid to design the 2025 set. Despite not winning, he believe in the concept enough to try it again, this time refining and simplifying the design to make it more of a fit for flagship.
What's funny is that I got this idea back in 2024 to submit for 2025 Series 1, but the design wasn't there yet. It felt more like an insert design. It was a little too busy with too much going on. But I knew there was something there, so I went back to it in 2025 for 2026 Series 1.Adam Schwartz, Art Director
Describing himself as having a "gamer" mentality and someone who believes in the grind, Adam acknowledged his winning design as something that had been on his bucket list since day one at Topps. Apparently, Adam's drive was not lost on Clay Luraschi, SVP Product: "I know in years past, with him telling me exactly, that he wanted to be the one. I could see it in his eyes, the competitive fire." Fortunately for collectors, Adam's win is their win as well. The cards manage to balance perfectly two things that rarely fit together on a 2.5" by 3.5" canvas: genuine personality and a super clean look.
As it turns out, thanks to a promotion the company is calling "Iconic Topps Buybacks," there will be more wins for collectors than just some sharp looking cards. How does a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle sound, for example? As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, Topps convened an expert panel of league executives, historians, and players in December to vote on the top 75 baseball cards of all time. Redemptions for PSA-graded copies of each of these cards, apart from the serial numbered 1/1s, will make it into Topps packs throughout 2026, starting with Series 1.
RELATED: 2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball reveals SP 1952 inspired cards
Collectors can head here to see all 75 cards. Reflecting the volume and variety of cards Topps has produced over the last 75 years, the selections offer something for everyone: Junk Wax heroes like Bo, Griffey, and the Bash Brothers; Golden Age icons like Mantle, Aaron, and Mays; a couple legendary error cards; and even a "Hobby bust" to round out the group.
While the typical collector may not pull an Iconic Topps Buyback, at least not in their first few packs, the good news is that they are pretty much guaranteed to land a stack of great looking cards, courtesy of Adam Schwartz and a Topps contest that the past several years has absolutely brought out the best of the best.
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.