Inside the Pack: 2019 Topps MLB Sticker Collection Review

Whether you have a kid, are a kid, or just want to recapture the feeling of collecting like a kid, 2019 Topps Sticker Collection will scratch the itch for the pure-hearted collector in all of us.

Topps sent me a box and album to review and I must admit that I was surprised when I saw the goods. This is not usually a product I would open on my own, but I’m certainly aware of it. However, this year’s version is notably different from previous iterations in multiple ways.

The obvious one is advertised right on the box: the cards are now the size of standard baseball cards. This was always something that irked me, going back to the days of the late 80s and early 90s Topps and Panini stickers: why should stickers get the shaft and end up on smaller real estate than cards? Though I’ve never gone out of my way to collect stickers, I have always ended up with some in my collection, and an untold number of them have gotten bent or folded or otherwise tossed around because of their smaller scale. Not so anymore! Clearly Topps knows this is a big selling point, because the box very proudly states this fact.

But it’s the second change that I think is the best: the backs of the cards are no longer useless backs with nothing but copyrights and a card number. The backs have a different design and a different player from the sticker, meaning that you really get 4 stickers AND 4 cards in each pack. This is a really welcome addition to a product that is otherwise fairly straightforward, with no inserts or parallels to speak of.

At just $1 a pack, it’s tough to pass up on the fun of working on putting together a set. But with the new format change, you can actually work on putting together *two* sets. Topps has really done a great job revamping this product, and I won’t pass it by in the future.