Over the years, Topps has forced education on a variety of topics onto collectors. One of those, present in almost every set Topps puts out, is the topic of Short Prints (SPs for short). In most sets, these are quite rare (see Heritage!!!!!!!), even in the flagship set - like the infamous Teddy Kremer SP from 2013 Update, which still has a list value of $200. Most of the “good” SPs are ones typical collectors see only in pictures, but rarely feel like they have a good shot at pulling one themselves. Over the last few years, the Update SPs have been easier to pull and have a lower value in exchange - somewhere between $5-15 over the past few years. This year, the Update set goes even further, making SPs pretty easily accessible, and some cards having multiple short prints (the hard-to-pull ones become known as SSPs).
On the one hand, this is frustrating, because when opening packs, collectors have learned to be excited when they pull a card that is clearly a SP - if you’re opening Heritage packs, these discoveries can often be $1000+ finds. So, there’s excitement in each pack, even when you’ve clearly identified there’s not a relic or other “surprise” thick card in the pack. With the Update packs I’ve opened this year, enough to probably build the whole set +, most of these SPs contain past starts, from the 1940s (Jackie Robinson) all the way through the 1990s (Piazza).
The SPs are fun and I do like the old stars making surprise reappearances. The issue is the “other hand” - that this year, they aren’t particularly rare at all. Just today, I found a George Brett SP, US77. Beckett lists its value as $1.00, but it also shows unlisted SPs as somewhere between $1.50 and $2.50. So the Brett SP warrants an actual listing in the set because it’s worth LESS than your “common” SP. Takes a little bit of the joy out of what I’ve been trained to feel like is a pretty good pull!
But they’re still cool. And it certainly is fun to see Hall of Famers show up unexpectedly, so overall, I still like them. Just don’t like the feeling of being “tricked” based on how Topps has raised your expectations about SPs in the past.
Can’t help but wonder about which of today’s current stars will be those fun-to-pull players in 20 years. Or 40 years from now. Certainly Jeter will be a mainstay for the foreseeable future. Who else? Plenty of young stars - Bryant, Harper, Judge - guys who we have every reason to think will assemble Hall of Fame careers, but they could still reasonably be playing 12-15 years from now. Clayton Kershaw and Buster Posey are close to cementing HOF careers, but it’s hard to see them having the same cache as a Gehrig, Brooks Robinson, or even George Brett. Adrian Beltre is a sure-fire HOFer, but I don’t see pulling his SP from the 2039 Topps Update set as being something that really excites me. Kinda crazy to understand how quickly these players’ careers might be over, and how soon after that we might forget about them altogether. Makes me realize how fame is fleeting, and how quick we are to bestow idol status on mere men, baseball players at that. Our culture is so quick to grasp at the next big thing, the newest superstar, and we are automatically enthralled with all that they say, do, eat, or touch.
I take great comfort in knowing that the only person truly worth idolizing has been atop that list for over 2000 years, Jesus Christ. A man that truly was perfect, and whose words and deeds are undoubtedly worth admiring and emulating. But more than that, we have every cause to worship him. It’s Christmas season, and in this time, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ - a miracle indeed. But it’s the second half of the story that is truly life-changing for you and for me. The Easter story - Jesus Christ dying on a cross, paying the price of death for your sin and for my sin. He then defeated death and rose from the grave three days later. Through the process of turning one’s life over to Jesus, trusting him as Lord and Savior, a person can be assured of eternal life in heaven. Want to be impressed with some impressive stats on paper - try the Bible. The ultimate Short Print.
On the one hand, this is frustrating, because when opening packs, collectors have learned to be excited when they pull a card that is clearly a SP - if you’re opening Heritage packs, these discoveries can often be $1000+ finds. So, there’s excitement in each pack, even when you’ve clearly identified there’s not a relic or other “surprise” thick card in the pack. With the Update packs I’ve opened this year, enough to probably build the whole set +, most of these SPs contain past starts, from the 1940s (Jackie Robinson) all the way through the 1990s (Piazza).
But they’re still cool. And it certainly is fun to see Hall of Famers show up unexpectedly, so overall, I still like them. Just don’t like the feeling of being “tricked” based on how Topps has raised your expectations about SPs in the past.
Can’t help but wonder about which of today’s current stars will be those fun-to-pull players in 20 years. Or 40 years from now. Certainly Jeter will be a mainstay for the foreseeable future. Who else? Plenty of young stars - Bryant, Harper, Judge - guys who we have every reason to think will assemble Hall of Fame careers, but they could still reasonably be playing 12-15 years from now. Clayton Kershaw and Buster Posey are close to cementing HOF careers, but it’s hard to see them having the same cache as a Gehrig, Brooks Robinson, or even George Brett. Adrian Beltre is a sure-fire HOFer, but I don’t see pulling his SP from the 2039 Topps Update set as being something that really excites me. Kinda crazy to understand how quickly these players’ careers might be over, and how soon after that we might forget about them altogether. Makes me realize how fame is fleeting, and how quick we are to bestow idol status on mere men, baseball players at that. Our culture is so quick to grasp at the next big thing, the newest superstar, and we are automatically enthralled with all that they say, do, eat, or touch.
I take great comfort in knowing that the only person truly worth idolizing has been atop that list for over 2000 years, Jesus Christ. A man that truly was perfect, and whose words and deeds are undoubtedly worth admiring and emulating. But more than that, we have every cause to worship him. It’s Christmas season, and in this time, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ - a miracle indeed. But it’s the second half of the story that is truly life-changing for you and for me. The Easter story - Jesus Christ dying on a cross, paying the price of death for your sin and for my sin. He then defeated death and rose from the grave three days later. Through the process of turning one’s life over to Jesus, trusting him as Lord and Savior, a person can be assured of eternal life in heaven. Want to be impressed with some impressive stats on paper - try the Bible. The ultimate Short Print.
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