Much of the modern collecting experience is about the thrill of the possible. Some call it joy of the break. Some call it gambling.
But the chase is a big part of the experience. Sometimes you hit it big. Often you don’t. But when buying boxes and packs, you’re paying for that chance at the big hit.
Factory sets offer something completely different. For a reasonable price, you get every base card in the set in one go.
No autographs. No chances of a big hit. Just one of every base card. OK, so maybe there’s a bit of a bonus in there (would it really be modern collecting without it?), but the key is the whole set all together.
2024 Topps Baseball Factory Sets offer much of the same we’ve come to expect with these releases, but with the highly regarded 2024 Topps design. But what will collectors find inside 2024 Topps Baseball Factory Sets? And are they worth a look?
Traditionally, cards have been released in packs, and collectors purchased packs to try to hand-collate their own complete sets. Prior to 1973, Topps even spread their cards across multiple series to keep fans chasing packs all season long.
A factory set offers collectors a chance to skip the packs, sorting, and collation (what some would call “the fun parts”) and purchase a complete set all in one box, sealed at the factory in (hopefully) mint condition.
The first Topps factory set was released in 1974, as an exclusive at J.C. Penney stores. After that one-year experiment, factory sets did not return until 1982.
It is noteworthy to mention that typically (and in the case of 2024 Topps) a complete Factory set does NOT include the update/traded series of that product, or the inserts, variations, or other hits.
Back in the day, a complete set was a way to purchase an entire set worth of cards without sorting, checklists, and chasing those last few elusive cards.
Nowadays, it’s more of a cost play for people interested in the complete set of base cards. Think about it….these days, hand-collating a set from packs would be cost-prohibitive in almost all cases.
You’re paying more for packs to support the “lottery ticket” chase for parallels, inserts, autographs, relics, etc. A complete set allows you to add all the base cards at a highly discounted price.
While they won’t include any of these “chase” cards, a factory set will consist of all the base set stars and rookies. A 2023 Topps factory set will contain all the top rookie cards, including players like Elly De La Cruz, Evan Carter, Jasson Dominguez, Junior Caminero, Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio, Wyatt Langford, and more.
It is worth noting that factory sets will include the three SP rookie cards from 2024 Topps Series 2 (Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio and Wyatt Langford).
The release date for 2024 Topps Baseball Factory Sets is scheduled for July 26, 2024 (subject to change).
After that initial release, we can expect a variety of additional factory sets, from the retail exclusives to 582 Montgomery stamped sets.
As mentioned above, there are likely to be several versions of the 2024 Topps Baseball Factory Sets released as 2024 goes on. Check back for more info as they become available, but today we’ll focus on the two versions of the set releasing soon.
2024 Topps Baseball Factory Set Hobby Version contains all 700 cards from the complete series 1 & series 2, plus a bonus 5-card pack of exclusive sequentially numbed foilboard parallel cards.
2024 Topps Baseball Factory Set Retail Version contains all 700 cards from the complete series 1 & series 2, plus a bonus five-card pack of exclusive rookie card variations featuring image variations of Elly De La Cruz, Jasson Dominguez, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jackson Holliday, and Jackson Chourio.
2024 Topps Baseball Factory Set Hobby Version is pre-selling for around $50, while 2024 Topps Baseball Factory Set Hobby Version is pre-selling for around $60.
The appeal of the Image Variations of top rookie cards is reflected in the price difference between the two sets. While either feels like a solid value proposition, personally I’d lean towards the retail set.
Regardless of whether you go retail or hobby, a Topps Factory set is a nice way to get all the base cards from Series 1 & 2 of the year’s Topps Flagship product. But how do these sets hold their value over time?
Let’s take a look at sets from the last few years, and recent comp prices.
| Year/Type | Recent Comp |
|---|---|
| 2023 Hobby | $35-45 |
| 2023 Retail | $35-50 |
| 2022 Hobby | $40-60 |
| 2022 Retail | $35-60 |
| 2021 Hobby | $30-60 |
| 2021 Retail | $20-60 |
| 2020 Hobby | $30-50 |
| 2020 Retail | $40-70 |
The prices suggest that perhaps the sets hold some of their value, but aren’t likely to significantly increase in value, at least in the short term of a few years. If you’re buying and holding, make it a long-term thing.
With prices somewhat below the release price for a few years, it may make sense to wait a year or two to pick up a factory set. Factory sets from previous years may even represent a good value, especially with the bonus packs.
Typically, a factory set is best kept sealed, although the bonus packs will make cracking them open a bit more tempting.
If you do submit to temptation, check out the key base cards to see if they’re gradable. Sure, grading base cards is “so 2021”, but there may still be a few worth that treatment.
Every product has pros and cons when deciding whether to purchase them. What are some of the pros and cons with 2024 Topps Baseball Factory Sets?
Pros
Cons
The annual tradition of Topps releasing the entirety of Series 1 and Series 2 in one factory set continues with 2024 Topps Baseball Factory Sets.
If you’re someone who enjoys base cards and wants a complete set with far less effort and cost than breaking packs and boxes, these are for you.
By removing the price of lottery tickets to chase parallels, autographs, and memorabilia, you get the opportunity to collect all the base cards for a fraction of the price.
What is your take on 2024 Topps Baseball Factory Sets? Are you a fan of factory sets? Which bonus do you prefer? Or are you a box and pack breaker, not a completionist? Tell us what’s on your mind at card_lines on Twitter.
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