2025 Topps Shoebox Treasures Baseball: Art Class Meets Cardboard Chaos

• Posted: August 1, 2025, 1:40 pm
• in Sports Card News
• by bionic

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Remember those mystery shoeboxes stuffed under the bed—the ones full of ’80s commons, a dusty Mickey Mantle, and something that looks suspiciously like a melted piece of gum? Topps has bottled that exact energy with 2025 Shoebox Treasures, the fourth straight Andy Friedman collaboration and arguably the most delightfully unpredictable yet.

What’s in the Paint Bucket?​

Friedman took 100 classic Topps (and Topps-adjacent) designs, grabbed his watercolors—and, for the first time, opaque gouache—then re-imagined everything from Duke Snider’s iconic 1952 rookie to Paul Skenes’ fresh-off-the-press 2024 update. Flagship cards dominate, but funky favorites like Topps Kids, Allen & Ginter, and Pristine sneak onto the canvas. True to the “shoebox” name, you’ll spot Hall of Famers next to cult-favorite role players (long live Tim Wallach).
Box configuration and parallel details? Still sealed tighter than a pack of 1989 Topps, so stay tuned.

Autographs: Mostly Legends, Sprinkle of Current Studs​

Forty-one signers headline the checklist. Retired greats shoulder most of the ink, while just five active stars—Mike Trout, Vlad Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., José Ramírez, and Gunnar Henderson—join the party. It’s basically an old-timer’s game with a few ringers in the lineup.

Inserts: Anniversary Overdrive​

Topps loves a good birthday, and 35th-anniversary tributes abound.

• First Light Rookies turns 12 newcomers into 1990 Redux throwbacks.
• 1990 Bowman revisits a dozen Hall of Famer originals.
• A short-printed 1951 Bowman revival digs even deeper into cardboard history.

Friedman couldn’t resist a cameo: he slips in a self-portrait (base and autograph versions). Meanwhile, two Garbage Pail Kids and two Mars Attacks invaders pop up as super-short prints—because why not?

One-of-One Originals​

Every one of Friedman’s 138 paintings lands in packs as a unique 1/1, including a gloriously miscut mashup that fuses pieces of Mickey Mantle and Jackie Robinson from the 1952 print sheet. It’s hobby Frankenstein in the best possible way.

Key Facts​

• Set size: 100 cards
• Packs per box / boxes per case: TBA (Topps is still counting)
• Release date: August 28, 2025 (subject to the hobby gods)

Base Checklist (Teaser Edition)​

Here’s a quick taste—cards are listed with the vintage inspiration that sparked Friedman’s brushstrokes.
1 Stan Musial (1961 Topps #290)
2 Eddie Mathews (1962 Topps #30)
3 Phil Niekro (1975 Topps #130)
4 George Bell (1986 Topps #338)
5 Tom Seaver (1976 Topps #600)
6 Robin Yount (1977 Topps #635)
7 Dave Stewart (1982 Topps #213)
8 Dale Murphy (1982 Topps #668)
9 Wade Boggs (1983 Topps #498)
10 Kirby Puckett (1985 Topps #536)
…all the way through…
100 Mantle & Mays combo (1962 Topps #18)
(Complete checklist and team sets will be downloadable once Topps opens the vault.)

Final Pitch​

Whether you chase one-of-one artwork, oddball inserts, or that lone Elly De La Cruz card your Reds PC demands, Shoebox Treasures is equal parts nostalgia trip and art exhibit. Clear some space—your old shoebox is about to get crowded all over again.


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