Following heavy promotion from Topps and card retailers, collectors have swarmed to the 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball release hunting for autographs of Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki and a variety of other Hall of Famers.
Unfortunately for collectors, those cards are only included in one product configuration, and it’s probably not one the majority of hobbyists are purchasing.
???????????????????? ????????????????: Sandy Koufax will have on-card autographs in 2024 Topps Chrome.
— Topps (@Topps) July 12, 2024
There are a total of just 91 Koufax autos in the product, ranging from 1/1 to /50. pic.twitter.com/MZ5MCXIOBi
In a July 12 preview, collectors got their first look at Topps’ new Chrome Legend Autographs set with a photo of the Sandy Koufax Superfractor 1/1.
Topps followed that preview with another card from the set July 15, this time showing a Griffey Jr. autograph.
Leading up to 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball’s release Wednesday, the flagship Topps X account posted about the Chrome Legend Autographs set four separate times with images of Koufax, Ichiro and Griffey Jr.
None of those posts explained that the set, featuring some of the product’s top chases, is exclusive to the Breaker’s Delight format.
A product configuration introduced by Topps in 2023, Breaker’s Delight Boxes are tailored toward breakers by featuring a single pack that skips base cards and includes more parallels and autographs.
Breaker’s Delight Boxes can be purchased by anyone, though the price might be tough to manage for the majority of collectors. Comparing prices at online retailer Steel City Collectibles, popular formats like Hobby Boxes ($224.95) and Jumbo Hobby Boxes ($474.95) are much cheaper than Breaker’s Delight ($499.95) when comparing the price per card.
Though Breaker’s Delight Boxes might offer better chances at the product’s best cards, the one pack, 12-card box might not be a good fit for collectors hoping for an experience that involves opening multiple packs. Jumbo Hobby Boxes for 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball include 156 total cards (three chrome autographs per box, on average) while Hobby Boxes include 96 cards (one chrome autograph, on average).
It’s not uncommon for a product’s top cards to be included in specific formats. In fact, many collectors expect the top chases to be exclusive to hobby formats — these configurations are more expensive because they offer access to better cards, after all.
Collectors could have spotted Chrome Legend Autographs were Breaker’s Delight exclusives by reading the odds breakdown, which is available on the Topps website, or by skimming the sell sheet, which is provided by some online retailers.
But the majority of collectors don’t read those resources ahead of time. Topps didn’t attempt to hide the detail, but it also didn’t do collectors any favors by leaving out specifics during the promotional tour.
For a company trying to draw in new collectors, Fanatics missed the mark.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.