Fast Five: Cards worth a look in 2021 Topps Stadium Club

This one is a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? Five interesting cards from 2021 Topps Stadium Club.

ALTERNATIVE INK & BASE
If you poke around auctions you'll see guys with standard autos and then variations that use the 1991 Stadium Club design in place of the 2021 photo bar. And others use other looks (that are ultimately pretty much the same in the big picture of things) and then you can find variations without autographs, too. This being the 30th anniversary of Stadium Club it all works --  see the checklist here.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

RETAIL BOX-TOPPERS
The Master Photos of the past are actually a bit forgettable as they are oversized with the images on them being actual card size -- they're oddball and harder to store. This time? The entire piece is the width of a blaster box with the actual card image kind of a mini card ... and that's why I like them -- the oddity of a box-topper that's not too big and that's a mini. There are 25 cards in this one with a mix of past and present players with greats like Hank Aaron, Fernando Tatis Jr., Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays alongside Ronald Acuña Jr., Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Juan Soto.

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HOBBY BOX-TOPPERS
On the hobby side, there are 50 jumbo box-toppers -- that's instantly a little harder to collect 'em all unless you know somebody who breaks a lot of cases -- and then they are simple ... just larger cards, no Master Photo framework or odd added space. The larger list means more variety and it's got a number of rookies, too. (See the checklist here.) While Stadium Club is a popular brand so I'm sure it has a meaty print run there are only so many boxes made ... so toppers will be tougher to find as time passes.

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ONE PER CASE ... ON THE CHROME SIDE
These Gold Minted cards are one per case -- so that's one in 90 cases for any one player in this color -- and they are a striking take on Chrome cards here. Some photos might not resonate as well as others in a single color but they are impressive ... they should be pretty rare in the big picture, too.

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NO ADDED VALUE
The Stadium Club Greats set is a reprints release in this one where Topps revisited notables from the past, which is a simple and fun way to revisit the brand's legacy. One card is Derek Jeter's Rookie Card but as they were rebuilding his card his name was misspelled. There's no added value here unless people think it's more interesting and are willing to pay for it. If somehow Topps corrects this mistake (unlikely) then perhaps there would be a premium as a corrected version might be more obscure or in lower volume. (That's how it used to work as stuff would be corrected during longer print runs.) It appears this mistake appears on parallel versions.

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What would you want to see in a future Fast Five? Let Buzz know on Twitter or email.

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