2024 Topps Tier One Baseball is still very much focused on autographs and memorabilia cards. However, there is one notable change this year — the addition of a traditional base set.
Hobby boxes come with just four cards, two of which are autographs.
When Tier One debuted in 2011, it joined a growing number of high-end lines. That said, it still included base cards to compliment the deep autographs and memorabilia checklists. When the follow-up arrived a year later, Tier One became solely focused on hits and it remained that way for more than a decade.
Base is back for 2024 with a 100-card set. It’s split into three different sections. Tier 1 leads things off with 20 retired greats. The next 50 cards, Tier 2, are veterans. Thirty rookies wrap things up in Tier 3.
Each level has a variety of foil parallels. Some cards also get the autograph treatment.
When it comes to signatures, Tier One can be counted on for a couple of things. The first is a major focus on hard ink. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t stickers, but on-card dominates. The product also has a deep checklist of signers. Current players, rookies and retired stars are all included at various points. With such a big checklist, expectations should be kept in check as not everyone is a superstar.
Some of the main themes include youth-focused Break Out Autographs, Tier One Talent Autographs and Prime Performers Autographs.
Getting tougher to pull and with more potent checklists are acetate Clear One Autographs and Tier One Autographs.
