A look at the 2012 Topps Mets cards – Part I

Part one in a…maybe two part (depending on when eBay packages arrive) series on this year’s crop of New York Mets Topps baseball cards.  This time, let’s take a look at the Base and Update Sets:

Clean white border design for the main Topps set, which been their customary design for the last few years.  The Mets get a nice orange and black border, and an orange…swoosh (not to be confused with Nike’s trademark) finish with name and logo on the bottom left of the card.

Topps 2012 Series 1

24 Ike Davis
Gets a nice landscape design of him on the 2011 opening day baseline introductions.
49 Jon Niese
83 Bobby Parnell
128 Lucas Duda
Also with a landscape card, celebrating a homerun.
163 Justin Turner
177 Josh Thole
191 Angel Pagan
214 Mike Pelfrey
240 David Wright
251 Jason Bay
279 R. A. Dickey
323 Jason Isringhausen
Looks like the photo is celebrating the moment of Izzy’s 300^th save.
325 Chris Schwinden (Rookie Card)
181 NL Batting Leaders, Jose Reyes/Ryan Braun/Matt Kemp

Series 2

335 Josh Satin (Rookie Card)
346 Dillon Gee
380 Daniel Murphy
413 Frank Francisco
479 Johan Santana
489 Andres Torres
Both he and Francisco obviously are Photoshopped based on the black highlights on their uniforms, but this seems more humorous as it shows Torres in a home snow-white uni against what could pass as Citi Field’s old fence.  In other words, a picture that could never be.
521 Ruben Tejada
621 Scott Hairston

Parallels include:

Black Border (61 each)
Orange Border (Factory Set Exclusive, 190 each)
Blue Border (Wal Mart Exclusive)
Red Border (Target Exclusive)
Purple Border (Toys ‘R’ Us Exclusive of Series One)
Gold Border (2012 each)
Gold Rush Stamped Promo  of Series One Cards
Gold Sparkle Border
Platinum (One of One)
Wood Finish (One of One)
Printing Plates Black (One of One)
Printing Plates Cyan (One of One)
Printing Plates Magenta (One of One)
Printing Plates Yellow (One of One)
Mini
Mini Gold Border (61 each)
Mini Silver Border (5 each)
Mini Printing Plates Black (One of One)
Mini Printing Plates Cyan (One of One)
Mini Printing Plates Magenta (One of One)
Mini Printing Plates Yellow (One of One)

The 2012 Mini set also includes a relic card, MR11 Johan Santana.

There is also a mini chase set replicating the look of Topps 1987 design;
TM26 David Wright
TM91 Tom Seaver Series 2
TM117 Gary Garter Series 2

Chase sets include;

Gold Standard
GS43 Tom Seaver, also there is a Gold Standard Relics card #TS Tom Seaver S2 (50 each)

Golden Greats;
GG56 Tom Seaver
Commemorating Seaver’s win in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series, yet strangely showing Seaver in a late 1970s road jersey!
GG57 Tom Seaver
Recapping Seaver’s performance in the 1967 All Star Game.
GG58 Tom Seaver
Recapping the Imperfect Game in 1969
GG58 Tom Seaver
Recapping the 19 strikeout game from April of 1970. Which was at Shea, despite Seaver being pictured on the road!
GG60 Tom Seaver
Commemorating Seaver’s return in 1983, even though the photo on the card is from early in Seaver’s career!
GG82 Gary Carter
Spotlighting Carter’s debut in New York.
GG93 Rickey Henderson
Spotlighting Rickey’s Met debut.

The chase set also has its fair share of autographs, relics, and autograph relic cards;

Autograph Relics;
EK Ed Kranepool Update (5 each)
GC Gary Carter Update (5 each)

Autographs
EK Ed Kranepool Update (10 Each)
GC Gary Carter Update (10 Each)

Relics
GGR56 Tom Seaver (10 Each)
GGR57 Tom Seaver (10 Each)
GGR58 Tom Seaver (10 Each)
GGR59 Tom Seaver (10 Each)
GGR60 Tom Seaver (10 Each)
GC Gary Carter Update (10 each)
RH Rickey Henderson Update (10 Each)

Solid Golden Greats TS Tom Seaver EXCH
Golden Greats Coins TS Tom Seaver (41 each)

Golden Moments
GM1 Tom Seaver (Series 1)
Spotlights his 25^th win in 1969
GM22 David Wright Series 2
Spotlights an extra-inning game winning hit in April of 2008.
GM43 Gary Carter Series 2
Spotlights a game winning hit from April of 1986.

Golden Moments 24K Gold Infused TS Tom Seaver EXCH (One of One)

Golden Moments Autographs
DGO Dwight Gooden Series 2
DS Darryl Strawberry Series 2
GC Gary Carter Series 2
EK Ed Kranepool Update
JT Justin Turner Update

Gold Sparkle Autographs
DS Darryl Strawberry Series 2 (10 each))
GC Gary Carter Series 2 (10 each)
DGO Dwight Gooden Series 2 (10 each)
EK Ed Kranepool Update (10 each
JT Justin Turner Update (10 each)

Golden Moments Relics
DW David Wright
GC Gary Carter
JN Jon Niese
JR Jose Reyes
DG Dillon Gee Series 2
APA Angel Pagan Series 2
DW David Wright Series 2
IDA Ike Davis Series 2

Golden Moments Relics Gold Sparkle
DG Dillon Gee Series 2
DW David Wright Series 2
APA Angel Pagan Series 2
IDA Ike Davis Series 2

Golden Moments GM1 Tom Seaver and GM48 Gary Carter also have a mini variant.

You can also find Gold World Series Champion Pin infused memorabilia cards;

TS Tom Seaver (1969)
DS Darryl Strawberry Series 2 (1986)

Historical Stiches
TS Tom Seaver
GC Gary Carter Series 2
NR Nolan Ryan Series 2

In The Name Letter Relics
CB Carlos Beltran B (One of One)
CB Carlos Beltran E (One of One)
CB Carlos Beltran L (One of One
CB Carlos Beltran T (One of One)
CB Carlos Beltran R (One of One)
CB Carlos Beltran A (One of One)
CB Carlos Beltran N (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes R (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes E (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes Y (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes E (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes S (One of One)

Own The Name Letter Relics;
DW David Wright W (One of One)
DW David Wright R (One of One)
DW David Wright I (One of One)
DW David Wright G (One of One)
DW David Wright H (One of One)
DW David Wright T (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes R (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes E (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes Y (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes E (One of One)
JR Jose Reyes S (One of One)

Also among the chase sets is the Gold Rush Wrapper Redemption cards;

59 Jon Niese
65 Ike Davis
100 Gary Carter
The Niese and Davis cards also feature autographs serialized out of 100 each.

Mound Dominance
MD15 Dwight Gooden
Spotlighted his 1984 one-hitter against the Cubs.

There is also a Gooden Autograph (DG 15 each), Relic (DG 50 each) and an Autograph Relic (DG 10 each) from the Mound Dominance chase set.

Update

And here we start to see images from the 2012 season, as the Mets ditched the black from the uniforms and changed the Citi Field fence color to blue.

US14 Jeremy Hefner (Rookie Card)
US23 Matt Harvey (Rookie Card
US58 Manny Acosta
In the Los Mets jersey.  This is a preview of the alternative jersey the Mets are due to be wearing next season, well sans the “Los” part.
US77 Miguel Batista
Who spent the final two months in Atlanta
US79 Mike Baxter
US134 Ramon Ramirez
US151 Jordany Valdespin (Rookie Card)
US175 Tim Byrdak
Interestingly shown in a 2011 photo.
US264 Josh Edgin (Rookie Card)
Rocking the black uni from Edgardo Alfonzo Bobble-Head giveaway afternoon. (You can tell by the Carter memorial patch)
US276 Major League Debut: Matt Harvey (Rookie Card)
Noting Harvey’s July 26^th debut.
US280 National League All Star David Wright
It’s been a tradition in recent years for the Update Set to feature players whom played in that year’s All Star Game in a photo from the game, or sometime during the festivities.  So here we get another Wright All Star card.
US280B National League All Star David Wright (with R.A. Dickey)
A special Short Print Variant of the Mets All Stars chilling in the dugout during the game in Kansas City.
US284 National League All Star R.A. Dickey
US141 R.A. Dickey
Highlights are noted on the checklist cards, and R.A.’s setting a record for most consecutive games with 8+ Ks and giving up no earned runs is noted on the checklist card for US69-US136.

Parallels include;

Black Border (61 each)
Gold Border (2012 each)
Gold Sparkle Border
Red Border (Target Exclusive)
Blue Border (Wal Mart Exclusive)
Platinum Border (One of One)
Wood Border (One of One)
Black Printing Plates (One of One)
Cyan Printing Plates (One of One)
Magenta Printing Plates (One of One)
Yellow Printing Plates (One of One)

Golden Moments are continued from the Base Set with;

GMU5 Johan Santana
Spotlighting the June 1^st No-Hitter
GMU29 David Wright
Spotlighting Wright’s performance against the Reds on May 17^th.

Also wrapping up in Update was the 1987 mini set with;

TM143 R.A. Dickey
TM147 Johan Santana

Update’s chase sets also included Blockbusters which dealt with big trades and signings, Mets featured are;

BB4 Gary Carter
BB28 Johan Santana

Carter is in the chase set’s Autographs (GC 25 each), Autograph Relics (GC 5 each), Relics (GC 50 each), Commemorative Hat Logo Pach (BP4)

And Santana is in the Blockbusters Commemorative Hat Logo Patch chase BP26

The Update set features the memorabilia patch chase set All-Star Stitches which include David Wright (DW) and R.A. Dickey (RD) and of course these feature a variety are parallel variations and serial variations;

Gold Sparkle (50 each),
Jumbo Patch (Dickey only and 6 each),
Jumbo with an autograph (Wright only and 6 each)
Platinum (One of One)

Dickey can be found on a Stitches Triple with Stephen Strasburg and Matt Cain (25 each)
Wright can be found on a Stiches Triple with Joey Votto and Starlin Castro (25 each)

Because you just can’t get enough infused cards, there is the Award Winners Gold Rings card, #TS for Tom Seaver as an NL Cy Young Award Winner.  No year specified but it’s a ring front infused in the card.  as well featuring The Terrific One, Topps Update Gold Hall of Fame Plaque #HOFTS, where a gold metallic representation of the player’s plaque is featured on the card.  As well there is a Team Ring card of Seaver TS.  And finally a nice 41 retired number patch card TS.

And rounding out the Update set is a Sandy Alderson General Manager Autograph card, #SA.

We shall continue this series of Topps 2012 products at some point with Boman, Heritage, Allen & Ginter, Gypsy Queen, Museum Collection, Tribute, Archives, Finest, Triple Threads, Tier One, Chrome, Silk and other goodies Topps produced with Mets on it this year.