Topps isn’t dialing it down for 2024 — in fact, Inception Baseball looks like it came straight out of a high-end gallery. This year’s release continues its tradition of merging premium design with top-tier rookie talent, offering collectors a colorful, bold, and sometimes downright chaotic hobby experience.
Every hobby box includes just one pack of seven cards, but don’t let the low count fool you. Each box guarantees either an autograph or an autographed relic, and there’s a good chance you’ll pull some serious rookie fire.
The Base Set: Now with Extra Drama
The base checklist holds strong at 125 cards, with a heavy lean toward rookies — 71 of them, to be exact. But Topps couldn’t resist adding a twist: the final 25 cards are short prints, and nine of those are rookie SPs. You'll typically find two parallels in each box, pulled from the main 100-card chunk of the set.
Parallel colors range from the common Green to rarer hits like Magenta (/99), Gold Electricity (/50), and the coveted Inception 1/1. Collectors will land an SP every other box on average, with the elusive “Alpha” super short print offering a real thrill for the lucky few.
On-Card Ink Galore
Autograph fans, buckle up — Inception is loaded with signatures. The Rookie & Emerging Stars autograph checklist comes in hot with 83 players signing directly on the card. There’s a rainbow of parallels, starting with Purple (/199) and running all the way to 1/1 Blue and Inception versions.
And if that’s not enough ink for you, there are other options:
- Silver Signings return with metallic flair (/99), plus Gold Ink (/25) and Gold Ink Inscription (1/1) variations
- Dual and Triple Autos give you multi-player combos on a single card
- Dawn of Greatness features Hall of Fame legends in a slick, understated style
Three brand-new autograph sets debut this year:
- Transformation, which shows a player as a rookie and now (cue nostalgia)
- Charged Particles, channeling particle physics meets neon explosion
- Immersion, which opts for a more abstract, paint-drip visual approach
Each of these new autograph styles comes with Red, Blue, and 1/1 Inception parallels.
Relics That Mean Something
This isn’t your average napkin patch release. Inception steps up with meaningful memorabilia, like:
- First Milestone relics featuring bases used in a player’s debut or first major stat
- Domínguez and Elly De La Cruz First HR relics, including game-used base slices
- Patch autos, Quad Relics, Sock and Hat cards, and logo booklets — all loaded with low-numbered parallels and 1/1s
The truly over-the-top stuff? Booklet cards with oversized logo patches and game-used gear, including Dual Autograph Booklets that’ll make top loaders cry.
Release Rundown
- Set Size: 125 cards
- Hobby Box: 1 pack, 7 cards
- Case: 8 boxes
- Release Date: June 18, 2025
What you’re getting per box:
- 1 guaranteed auto or auto relic
- 2 parallels
- And a good shot at pulling something that’ll send you straight to eBay comps