Sooz's favorite cards from 2015 Topps Series 1 Baseball

No matter the design, photography can make or break a card. That’s why some cards over the years with minimal design elements and full-bleed photography have been favorites.

In 2015 Topps Series 1 Baseball, there are a number of cards that stood out because of the picture. The design is cool this year because of the color-changing borders depending on the team, but I was immediately drawn to the image of a few cards – borders were an afterthought.

Admittedly, I had a hand in selecting some of these images, but certainly not all. Once the cards were released, I found myself gravitating to some of the cards because of the image used.

Here are my favorite images from Series 1 base (in number order):

#1 Derek Jeter

This is an obvious choice, but what’s great about the card is that it captured a moment that no matter when you look at this card, you know exactly what happened. The picture is from Derek Jeter’s last at-bat at Yankee Stadium where he had one magical moment left.

 # 12 James McCann

I’ve always had a thing for catchers. Maybe it was because I was a catcher when I played softball, but usually they are my favorite players on the field. This picture just embodies what I love about the fluid movement of a catcher.

#52 Fernando Rodney

Similar images have been used of Rodney on cards in the past, but I still love his move.

#67 Hunter Pence

That’s just Hunter Pence. There is nothing else to say.

#71 Adrian Beltre

Even though this is a checklist card, I still like it because the image came from that moment. There was Beltre’s reaction after getting his 2,500^th hit.

#78 Yordano Ventura

I like his body lines, but what gets me most is this is the moment just he has let the pitch go waiting to see what is going to happen.

#80 Adam Wainwright

Love the intensity.

#102 Gordon Beckham

Two hands!

#141 Cory Spangenberg

The action. The focus. I love everything about this card.

#168 Colorado Rockies

All the team cards have their team celebrating in some way. The Rockies looked so happy here.

 #177 Paul Konerko

The moment that says goodbye to Konerko. Even if you didn’t know anything about his career, this picture speaks to the love the fans had for him and he had for them in return. Also, how cool is it if you are the people in the background of this photo.

#247 Aaron Hill

There is a theme here and it’s called ACTION!

#271 Pittsburgh Pirates

Easiest the coolest card in the set.

#300 Mike Trout

So this is my favorite card in the set. To me, nothing beats this close-up action shot of Trout sliding. The dirt spraying, the intensity on his face is majestic. The fact that the photo coincided with the design of the card was purely coincidental despite some speculating otherwise.

Baseball History insert cards join to create larger cards

The checklist from 2015 Topps Series 1 Baseball shows a Baseball History insert set. The 30-card set features just 15 numbers with an A or a B next to it. The reason for this is that the two cards make up one bigger card in a way.

Side A has a moment in history such as the start of the Geneva Conference or the Polio Vaccine being found safe or MLK’s March on Washington.

Side B has a baseball moment within a few days – or even on the same day – as the historical moment putting baseball into a historical context.

Consider the first cards in the set. Here is 1A – Geneva Conference Begins

You will notice no border on the right side of the card.

Here is 1B – Hank Aaron hitting his first MLB home run

This card has no border on the left side. When you put the two cards together, the design matches to create a bigger card putting these two moments in history together.

Merry Christmas to me - Topps Series 1 is almost here!

My family celebrates on Christmas Eve. And every year, my nieces and nephew tear into their presents with an exuberance I can’t even pretend to have. I love watching them. It’s a joy that I know I will have one day, just not on Christmas.

That day will be here soon. … So, so soon. In fact, that day is today.

Today, I’m headed to A Fantastic Store to help them open a case of cards. Really, who needs help opening a case of cards? But I am going as a Topps representative to ensure thing run smoothly and the live stream gets on the air so that people can watch it.

But here is the thing that Topps doesn’t realize - this is not work for me. I am going to rip open packs of cards (or at the very least watch an entire case being opened). I will be rolling around in Series 1 cards.

This is my Christmas.

There are a few reasons I am excited for Series 1 this year:

1.       It’s the first set of baseball cards of the season.

2.       I actually find the base set appealing. I can’t say that for every year, including many of the most recent ones.

3.       I had a hand in creating this set. I didn’t pick most of the images, but I did find a few of them. So besides being Series 1, there is a little bit of me in it – just not the Suzy card. That’s not me.

I kept refreshing eBay last night to watch the latest cards trickle in. Then, I got to see some retail opened as Jeff over at 2x3Heroes found some at his local Target (that’s where the Jeter card came from). I felt like a mother who just watched her kids grow up – on Christmas.