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Topps 2023 Baseball Card Design Revealed

By John Bassey
on September 8th, 2022
in Releases

The 2023 Topps Series 1 Baseball provides collectors with another year of premium MLB cards.

Every year, Topps releases a preliminary new design for this set featured across multiple Topps Baseball 2023 flagship sets and the 2023 Topps Chrome series.

Usually, Topps releases this design in the first few months of the new year, and Series 1 officially kicks off the MLB collecting season.

However, it’s been incredibly backed up because of printing delays. The wait is at an end as Topps released the design for the 2023 Baseball season over the last few days. Let’s take a look at it.

2023 Topps Baseball Card Design

Like the 2021 and 2022 Topps Series designs, the 2023 Topps design look maintains the white borders after briefly trying out the borderless design. There’s also the border of the teams’ color around the card. While the upper part of the card isn’t much different from last year’s design, the lower part gets a complete overhaul. There’s a lot packed into it.

The first and most apparent is the secondary portrait-style image on the nameplate. Topps continues its trend of paying homage to the 1963 card design. This every-20-years trend features the player’s portrait on the nameplate along with the main photo. As per tradition, Topps last used it for the 2003 series.

A look at the last 3 times the image of the nameplate design was used. Topps 1963, 1983 and 2003.

The 2023 Topps design also includes a large team logo in the background of the nameplate. There’s also the team’s name, player’s name, and position notation. The player’s position is listed in the lower right corner, and the RC logo is just above the nameplate (lower right).

The official sample of the Topps 2023 card design

The headshot-in-the-corner design may remind long-time collectors of the 1983 and 1984 looks. The design for the back of the cards has not been released at this time. With the 2022 season still underway, this is understandable.

We should receive details of the complete product in February, a few weeks before Series 1 is expected to be released.

Here's your exclusive first look at the 2023 Series One design! ✨

Who's card are you looking forward to collecting next year?@RutschmanAdley | @Orioles | #ToppsSeriesOne | #Topps pic.twitter.com/NOwarAO9T0
— Topps (@Topps) September 5, 2022

Collectors’ verdict on the Topps 2023 Baseball design

The general reaction to this reveal has been positive. There are several positives, with the greatest being the clearly visible player names. Collectors know this hasn’t always been the case. The team logo is a nice touch, and the 1983 headshot design is amazingly popular with collectors.

It’s undoubtedly the favorite design of a surprisingly large number of collectors. There’s this lovely feeling of collecting your current favorite players in a design you fell in love with as a child.

While I love this design, I feel Topps could have done better, especially where essential items are placed on the card. Firstly, Topps could have placed the team’s name in a better location. Its current position ensures that the player’s headshot covers a considerable portion of the name.

The positioning of the RC logo is also odd. I get the interlocking elements Topps was going for by placing the RC logo in its current position. However, an RC logo not in the upper right-hand corner, not highlighted and blended in with other graphics, diminishes the the visual impact that it’s a RC.

Look out for the full review of the 2023 Topps Series 1 Baseball once details are released.

Check below to see what others are saying about the release.

2023 Topps Baseball Design Revealed https://t.co/2OA9kuYIOI

Kudos to the designs for keeping with the second photo every 20 years pattern. pic.twitter.com/SiRlF8VtXf
— Ryan Cracknell🐣☀️ (@tradercracks) September 5, 2022

I see most people commenting positively on the Topps design for 2023, but there are also some negative comments about it. It got me to thinking. When I was a kid, I could have cared less about the design. I was just excited to get new cards of my favorite players.
— KBO Collections ⚾ (@kbocollections) September 6, 2022

Had a chance to do some "remixing" and here's what I came up with to address some of the flaws I find in the 2023 Topps design. Not a major overhaul, just a touch-up for (imo) the better. https://t.co/OhjnMsTvPC pic.twitter.com/nmRqq2oCL5
— R⚾️SS (@Design_On_Deck) September 5, 2022

This is driving my ADHD absolutely bonkers.

I liked the design of 2023 Topps flagship & then I saw it. Now I can't un-see it! The RC logo is NOT centered with the graphics below it. Ugh…! pic.twitter.com/bTYaIOaRNq
— TVguy Cards (@t_vguy) September 5, 2022

While you wait for Topps 2023 Baseball

While you wait for 2023 Topps, there are plenty of other releases to look forward before, including new releases this month, most recently Topps Museum Collection 2022. Topps pays also homage to vintage designs from the mid-90s, with the 2022 Topps Finest Flashbacks released a few weeks ago.

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John Bassey

John is a freelance writer and founder of WordCraft Consult, a consultancy that provides expert writing services and enhances youth engagement in reading. With six years of writing experience and over 300 clients, He has made significant contributions as a content writer for several brands, such as Tech Triangle, KBO Bikes, Dolls Magazine, and, more recently, Cardlines.

John has a Bachelor's degree in Statistics and an enduring passion for creating content. He is currently dedicated to nurturing WordCraft while advancing appreciation for collectibles and literature through highly informative articles.