Latest Topps Clayton Kershaw 1/1 Has Surprise Error for Collectors
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Clayton Kershaw is having a heck of a year. In early July, he became only the 20th pitcher in MLB history to notch 3000 strikeouts, accomplishing the feat at home against the Chicago White Sox. While the outing itself was anything but vintage Clayton, the Los Angeles Dodger legend has been all aces since, sporting a record of 9-2 and an ERA only a sliver above 3.
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Kershaw's sudden resurgence has naturally sparked enthusiasm among collectors of the southpaw, and Topps seems to have noticed, dropping a 1/1 booklet card complete with a jumbo team logo patch taken straight from Clayton's All-Star Game warmup jersey.
1/1 Clayton Kershaw book card featuring a GIGANTIC Dodgers logo patch 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UQRrxBD6Oh
— Topps (@Topps) August 29, 2025
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However, the card has at least one detail that has collectors responding to the Topps fire emoji with a shrug emoji. Is it the county map meets brick wall tile pattern behind the All-Star ace? Nope. Okay, so is it that the patch itself was chopped into three pieces? No, not that either. While collectors might not love either of those design decisions, the real stumper is the "American League" caption under the Dodgers logo.
True, Rob Manfred made headlines last week with talk of realignment, but the Dodgers to the American League? As much as Padre fans might wish for such a thing, the Dodgers changing leagues is about as likely as three four-homer games in a season or a catcher notching 50 dongs. Okay, bad examples, but you get the idea.
In truth, the card is simply one of the many error cards bound to happen when a company produces more than a million different cards each year. As for whether that error makes the card any more valuable, the answer here is almost certainly no. After all, the card is already a 1/1, so the error doesn't add anything to its scarcity. If anything, a collector looking to pay top dollar for a 1/1 Clayton Kershaw card might even avoid the card or look to lowball it based on the error.
Either way, this is not a card likely to end up in any dime or dollar boxes any time soon. A 1/1 is a 1/1, and it certainly doesn't hurt that Kershaw is a sure fire Hall of Famer who just happens to be 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA in his last five starts. Now if he could only hit 90 with that fastball of his!
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.