The best holiday in February

 

February is filled with somewhat sketchy holidays.

 

I'll start with Groundhog Day, which is about good for rewatching a movie. Valentine's Day is often derided as a "Hallmark Holiday." The weeklong "Winter Break" mostly recognized by schools, morphed from single days recognizing presidents into a 5-day celebration of ... um ... winter, I guess? Then there's the Super Bowl, which is fine for the food. The teams are usually gross.

 

The best holiday in February, by far, is when Topps Series One is discovered on store shelves, a.k.a. "the first cards of the season." 

 

On that day I see something I don't see the rest of the year: card shelves fully stocked with current baseball product at the local big-box. I'm referring to Target because Walmart is in a current state of baseball card indifference (I did find a 2025 Topps Holiday tin hiding in the back of a shelf at Walmart a couple weeks ago). 

 

So it was yesterday when I was out celebrating another February holiday (Valentine's), made possible by another February holiday (Winter Break), at a restaurant that was in the same shopping complex as the local Target. I know I said I had no real desire to find 2026 Topps but when you're in the neighborhood, what kind of collector would I be to not check it out?

 

And I was rewarded with the above display. That's not even all of it. There were 2026 Winter Olympic boxes, too, which I actually considered but put down because of how light the box felt in my hand.

 

I hadn't seen such a packed display since at least last February. (This same area will be desolate by June). So I picked up a blaster.

 

Now, let's get some the ugliness out of the way because this is a holiday and it's rude to rain on someone's holiday fun.

 

Here is a box of 2026 Topps Series One next to a box of 2025 Topps Update. Scroll your eyes down to the bottom where it mentions how many cards are in each box. The Update box says "7 packs of 12 cards". The Series One box reads "6 packs of 12 cards." So 84 cards down to 72 -- 12 cards less for the same price.

 

I don't normally keep old blaster boxes so I don't have anything from near recent times to illustrate how much Fanatics enjoys ripping off its customers, but I do have one from 11 years ago.

 

 

The card count on this 2015 box is up at the top because Topps wasn't ashamed to reveal the content count then. Ten packs of 10 cards each or 100 cards, plus a medallion card that nobody wanted but still 101 cards for $20 bucks, not $25!

 

So, yes, today's cards are not cost-friendly and I was aware of it immediately when I opened the 2026 box and counted six packs.

 

Still, this is only an issue on any other day of the year except the holiday of The First Cards of the Season. I don't plan to keep buying blasters or any other 2026 Topps packaging configuration throughout the year. If I was, then maybe you could pry into my finances and ask what the hell I'm doing. But one time on the holiday, what's the harm in that? Yeah, I know cards should be about 10 cents per instead of 34 cents per (eep!) but why crab about that on the holiday? I'M OPENING MY GIFTS HERE!!! 

 

 

 

So, let's open them.

 

 

PACK ONE

 

183 - Josh Lowe, Rays

67 - Parker Messick, Guardians (RC)

133 - Ben Rice, Yankees

213 - Colby Thomas, Athletics (RC)

5 - Nico Hoerner, Cubs

108 - Swayer Gipson-Long, Tigers

326 - Jonathan Aranda, Rays

309 - Kyle Manzardo, Guardians

226 - Ben Williamson, Mariners

TOG-19 - Fernando Tatis, Padres, Titans of the Game

T91-55 - Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers, 1991-themed insert

117 - NL Wins Leaders, spring training parallel (blaster exclusive)

 

Let's take a look at the first card of the year:

 

First off, it's someone I've actually heard of, which is not a guarantee as veteran readers will know from my past opening-day pack rips.

 

Second, I've grown to like the design rather than be merely indifferent to it. I'd say it's my second favorite flagship design of the 2020s. The stitching theme has been covered before but I think what tilted me toward appreciating it is that it has a "panel of a comic page" vibe. The player lettering specifically brought that home to me. I wish I could find an exact example (it's one of those things I know I've seen in the past).

 

This 1979 Topps Comic is not the best comparison but the lettering used for Nolan Ryan's name is kind of similar and why I am associating the 2026 design with comic panels.

 

Another plus is that the design allows for aspects of the photo to break through, such as Lowe's bat. I'm glad this is continuing and that it's back in style.  

 

 

The back.

 

Standard effort that resembles mostly the past 25 years. I appreciate that it's fairly readable.

 

A couple other thoughts from the first pack:

 

1. The Titans of the Game inserts look nice but I don't know how that's different from the Stars of the Game insert that keeps reappearing though I'm beyond sick of it.

2. Too many guys I don't know, but you've heard that from me before and I'll bring it up again.

 

Now this: 

 

This 1991-themed card is the only Dodger I pulled out of the whole blaster (yet Rays and Marlins galore). While it's a nice grab (I'm still trying to finish the 1990 Dodgers from last year), the leg traveling out of the frame is weird. I don't remember that happening in 1991 Topps.

 

 

PACK TWO

 

76 - Jacob Lopez, Athletics

82 - Carlos Rodon, Yankees

201 - Kyle Teel, White Sox (RC)

207 - Joey Bart, Pirates

13 - Dylan Smith, Tigers (RC)

281 - Davis Martin, White Sox

172 - Maximo Acosta, Marlins (RC)

128 - Felix Bautista, Orioles

322 - Trea Turner, Phillies

55 - Warming Bernabel, Rockies (RC)

174 - Tyler Stephenson, Reds

SMLB-28 - Kyle Teel, White Sox, Stars of MLB (RC)

 

The nadir of the box. There are five guys I've heard of in this pack. There are four rookie cards and two of the same rookie (who is definitely not a "Star of MLB"). Topps/Fanatics pushing rookies continues to be at an all-time high and I would take this as a sign that I'm not that into baseball but I follow it much more than the average fan. I have an MLB-TV subscription, watch odd match-ups all the time and also have a job that keeps me involved in the current game. SO WHO ARE THESE GUYS THAT YOU MADE UP, TOPPS???

 

One other design mention. Some have pointed out the three-letter team abbreviations at the top as redundant given the team logo at the bottom. I don't mind that. I do mind it on Athletics cards, though. Squeezing in "Athletics" into that space is dumb. Just make it ATH. Is there some sort of ridiculous copyright rule that prevents that from happening?

 

 

PACK THREE

 

118 - "Hopping To It", Braves

271 - Reid Detmers, Angels

28 - Elias Diaz, Padres

38 - Andry Lara, Nationals (RC)

171 - Will Benson, Reds

48 - Grant Taylor, White Sox (RC)

348 - Michael Busch, Cubs

119 - Nick Gonzlez, Pirates

7 - Patrick Bailey, Giants

21 - Kyle Backhus, Diamondbacks (RC)

TP-17 Vladimir Guerrero, Blue Jays, Profiles insert

SMLB-14 - Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks, Stars of MLB insert

 

The Guerrero Profiles insert pays tribute to the '90s Profiles insert (I'm fuzzy on the year, 1996? I wasn't collecting). It even has a quote on the back from Ken Griffey Jr., just like back then. That's neat. (At least I assume that's a real Griffey quote).

 

Now this: 

  

This is a great shot ... and a night card. I haven't checked to see if fits in my night card binder, but I want to force it in any way I can.

 

These used to be checklist cards but I think those have vanished in 2026. There's just a write-up about the guys on the front.

 

 

PACK FOUR

 

121 - Will Vest, Tigers

330 - Tristan Peters, Rays (RC)

59 - Daniel Schneemann, Guardians

57 - Casey Schmitt, Giants

225 - Max Schuemann, Athletics

145 - Kenedy Corona, Astros (RC)

218 - Andrew Abbott, Reds

153 - J.T. Ginn, Athletics

248 - Ryan McMahon, Yankees

TOG-18 - Bryce Harper, Phillies, Titans of the Game insert

169 - Josh Smith, Rangers, rainbow foil parallel

275 - Luisangel Acuna, Mets, spring training parallel

 

Schneemann, Schmitt and Schuemann. That is a record for the longest run of SCH last names in one pack.

 

Now this:

 

I despise these. There is nothing more low-effort and meaningless in the world of baseball card parallels than stamping the front and calling it a new card. I hate all versions (yes, I'm trying to complete a '75 version but that was born out of my horror that a '75 card was stamped and trying to turn it into a positive). When I get a Dodgers version of these (think Montgomery Club), they never even make my Dodgers binders. They go straight in a box.

 

 

PACK FIVE

 

140 - Cal Raleigh, Mariners

212 - Troy Melton, Tigers (RC)

224 - Cody Freeman, Rangers (RC)

244 - Angel Martinez, Guardians

217 - Chad Patrick, Brewers

29 - Landen Roupp, Giants

32 - Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Nationals (RC)

195 - Mickey Mantle, Yankees, 1991-themed insert

10 - Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers

122 - New-Age Athletics, Athletics

SMLB-18 - Jose Ramirez, Guardians, Stars of MLB insert

 

I finally got some stars in this pack!

 

The A's card is another night card that I'll have to see if there's a spot for it.

 

Now this:

 

Mickey Mantle returned to Topps products last year. It was a fairly reserved roll-out as I wasn't buried in Mantle cards as I was 15-20 years ago. The word mark on this 1991 cards is giving me the eye twitch, why is this two lines? What is the world is wrong with just "Yankees"?

 

PACK SIX

 

51 - Matthew Boyd, Cubs

77 - Spencer Horwitz, Pirates

167 - Wikelman Gonzalez, White Sox (RC)

37 - Jakob Marsee, Marlins (RC)

80 - Trevor Rogers, Orioles

325 - Christopher Sanchez, Phillies

160 - Victor Robles, Mariners

317 - Troy Johnston, Marlins (RC)

177 - Brayan Bello, Red Sox

246 - Oneil Cruz, Pirates

TOG-13 - Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs, Titans of the Game insert

315 - Ryan Jeffers, Twins, spring training parallel

 

Two Marlins rookie cards in one pack. Gee whiz. I had to look up Jakob Marsee since he had a rookie cup and I had never heard of him. He played in 55 games. The list of outfield rookie cup candidates must've been thin.

 

Now this:

 

This is the best-looking card out of the box. If every card looked like this I would definitely be trying to complete the whole set.

 

But I won't. There are too many pitchers pitching, hitters hitting, just like there's been for years and years. There are too many rookie cards. Kenedy Corona had two at-bats last year! Maybe give him another year before he hits cards, or here's a thing: find that 4-player rookie card template and use it!

 

And I won't buy another blaster, I'm sure. One Dodger next to four White Sox, three Marlins and three Rays is no way to live. 

 

Now, none of my complaints here mean I didn't enjoy the experience. Much of my commentary is done out of love for the hobby and love for the first cards of the season. Seeing a display of card cornucopia at this time of year is one of my favorite sights. And I continue to look for the first cards of the season because it was what I did as a young boy. It's exciting, even if the cards aren't cardboard and the designs are hit-and-miss.

 

And, yeah, they're too damn expensive. But not expensive enough to not open a few packs every year. I'm more than 50 years into doing this. I still look forward to it and it's still fun.