What does the "Call-Up" logo mean on Topps Now cards?
And what it means for Rookie Cards
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Last weekend was exciting. There were two big baseball call ups, including No. 1 overall prospect Adley Rutschman. “Call up” is something a player or a fan loves to hear. It’s filled with hope and joy.
But “Call Up” feels like a dirty word for card collectors.
One of the highlights of the Topps Now program is that a player gets their first MLB card. Often, it’s of their debut. And these cards are very popular with collectors. Print runs of debuts and first cards have been known to get into the five-digit realm.
But the Topps Now program hit a snag in the first year. What happens when a player makes his debut after the cut-off for rookie cards to be included in that season has passed?
That’s where the “Call-Up” logo was born.
Topps and MLB couldn’t just ignore an important moment because they didn’t plan to have a player’s Rookie Card that season. The “Call-Up” logo only appears on Topps Now cards of rookies that are not intended to have Rookie Cards that season. It means their RCs will be next season.
That’s why when Nolan Gorman and Adley Rutschman made their much-anticipated debuts recently their Topps Now cards had the “Call-Up” logo.
There was a collective groan heard throughout the hobby when these cards popped up.
This is the earliest rookie card cut off in recent memory. As my friend Don on Twitter pointed out, Mike Trout made his debut in July in 2011 and was still in Update that year.
Slowly, the date has been moving up over the years for a mixture of reasons: too many rookies, long lead times, supply chain issues, etc.
Topps Now is great. I love the program. I have bought a handful of cards over the years because they’ve featured great moments and my favorite players.
But Topps has painted itself into a corner when it comes to Rookie Cards. With the dates moving closer and closer to the start of the season, it creates a log jam of players who will have their Rookie Cards in 2023 products.
What happens if a slew of top prospects make their debut on Opening Day next year just like it happened this season? When does it become too much?
Similarly, to the “Call-Up” logo, it looks like Topps will deal with that issue once they get to it – and not a moment sooner.
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