When Topps Now first started, I dont think many of us expected it to usher in a new type of producing cards that would be anything close to impactful. Its crazy to think how much has changed since that time, with Topps almost rewriting the hobby perspective from scratch. Not only have Topps Now cards become a highly collectible brand, but they have ushered in more on demand printed “products” that have been impressively successful.

The most recent one is the Topps Living set, and the results speak for themselves:

2018 Topps Living Set – First 12 Cards

2018 Topps Living Set Ian Happ Base Card

2018 Topps Living Set Nick Markakis Base Card

2018 Topps Living Set Joe Panik Base Card

Here is how it works. Topps releases a set of players periodically, and print as many cards as are ordered. This means some cards have huge runs, like the Ohtani, while others do not. The recent release of Braves rookie Acuna hit a peak of 45k plus, which is more than I would have ever thought possible in a format like this. This has been going on since the start of the season, and should continue indefinitely. Being that baseball is still one of the only sports where set collecting is a huge attraction, you can see where the idea would have taken off from.

More impressive than the print count on some of the cards, is the money some are paying for cards that have lower runs. Right now, as more people join into the hunt due to rising popularity, the low run cards will be tougher and tougher to get your hands on. Demand will far exceed supply, and prices wont go down. Im curious why it has taken people so long to catch on, but we are now at a point where the value is no longer a secret.

I love this idea, and hope Topps decides its worth expanding in a similar way to how they have done Topps Now. Autographs and relic versions, with expansion to other sports would be great. Im actually shocked that it hasnt gone that direction already, considering how much extra money could be made. Collectors have already latched on dramatically to the Topps now autographed versions, and adding new lines to the living set without compromising the original idea could be a great possibility.

Considering that no one else has really figured out on demand printing in the same way Topps has, Im waiting for Panini to start going down this direction with their knockoff Instant brand cards. I have already said that direct to collector sales strategies need to be amped up across the board, and from what I can tell, this is a tremendous benefit to that strategy type. We need more of this and soon, as it gives access to cards for collectors who dont live near card shops and dont trust retail outlets to have any integrity around the card aisle.

Hopefully this continues to be a worthwhile strategy, and it doesnt stop with the Living Set.