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If you’ve ever dug through Grandma’s attic and found a shoebox of cards that veered from Mickey Mantle to a random ’80s common, congratulations—you’ve caught the exact vibe of 2025 Topps Shoebox Treasures. This is the fourth Topps release in five years to feature artist Andy Friedman’s watercolor wizardry (this time he even busted out gouache, which sounds fancy because it is). Box odds and parallel colors are still under wraps, so think of them as Schrödinger’s parallels for now.
Friedman re-imagined 100 classic cards, stretching from Duke Snider’s 1952 rookie to Paul Skenes’ 2024 “yep, he’s a big deal” update. Flagship Topps designs dominate, but oddballs like Topps Kids, Allen & Ginter, and Pristine crash the party, too. True to the “shoebox” name, not every pick is a hobby blue-chip: there’s as much love for Tim Wallach as there is for Ken Griffey Jr.
As the artist himself once said, he’s always dug “the regular player, not the stars.” (Sorry, hobby hypebeasts.)
Forty-one signers join the checklist, skewing heavily toward Hall of Famers and retired favorites. Only five current big-leaguers put pen to card—Mike Trout, Vlad Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., José Ramírez, and Gunnar Henderson—so modern ink chasers can take a quick breather.
Topps loves round numbers, so multiple insert sets wave the 35-year flag. A dozen rookies get their big moment in “First Light,” done up in 1990 Redux style. Hall of Famers travel back to 1990 Bowman. There’s even a short-printed 1951 Bowman homage because someone at Topps clearly can’t resist vintage vibes.
Non-baseball mischief appears, too: Friedman painted himself (shameless but fun), plus Garbage Pail Kids’ Adam Bomb and Mars Attacks aliens invade as super-short prints. Cardboard chaos achieved.
All 138 of Friedman’s paintings land in the product as 1/1s, including a bonus miscut mashup that splices pieces of 1952 Mantle and Jackie Robinson into one wonderfully weird art Frankenstein.
Set size: 100 cards
Packs per box, boxes per case: To Be Announced (Topps is still measuring the shoebox)
Release date: August 28, 2025 (fingers crossed)
Below is the full 100-card base lineup—think of it as your treasure map. The parenthesis show which original cards inspired Friedman’s paintbrush. Feel free to break out the highlighters, spreadsheets, or your trusty mental Rolodex.
Stan Musial, St. Louis Cardinals (1961 Topps #290)
Ed Mathews, Milwaukee Braves (1962 Topps #30)
Phil Niekro, Atlanta Braves (1975 Topps #130)
George Bell, Toronto Blue Jays (1986 Topps #338)
Tom Seaver, New York Mets (1976 Topps #600)
Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers (1977 Topps #635)
Dave Stewart, Los Angeles Dodgers (1982 Topps #213)
Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves (1982 Topps #668)
Wade Boggs, Boston Red Sox (1983 Topps #498)
Kirby Puckett, Minnesota Twins (1985 Topps #536)
Fernando Valenzuela, Los Angeles Dodgers (1986 Topps Mini #47)
John Kruk, San Diego Padres (1986 Topps Traded #56T)
Jose Canseco, Oakland Athletics (1987 Topps #620)
Don Mattingly, New York Yankees (1988 Topps #2)
Tim Wallach, Montréal Expos (1988 Topps #399)
Randy Johnson, Montréal Expos (1989 Topps #647)
Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners (1990 Topps #336)
Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox (1993 Topps #150)
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (1996 Topps #219)
Mark Teixeira, Texas Rangers (2002 Topps Traded #T169)
Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds (2008 Topps #319)
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (2011 Topps Update #US175)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays (2019 Topps Chrome #201)
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies (2019 Topps Series 2 #400)
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (2021 Topps #263)
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (2022 Topps Chrome #100 – Refractor)
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (2022 Topps Now #1012)
David Wright, New York Mets (2023 Topps Pristine #135)
Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals (2023 Topps Allen & Ginter #264 – Rainbow Foil)
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers (2023 Topps #315)
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (2023 Topps Allen & Ginter #356)
Francisco Lindor, New York Mets (2023 Topps Allen & Ginter #362)
José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians (2023 Topps Allen & Ginter #366)
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (2023 Topps Chrome #FS-2)
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds (2024 Topps Chrome #CERR-1)
Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles (2024 Topps Allen & Ginter #IA-33)
Juan Soto, New York Mets (2024 Topps Now #OS-8)
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates (2024 Topps Update #US100 – Vintage Stock)
Thurman Munson, New York Yankees (1973 Topps #142)
Keith Hernandez, St. Louis Cardinals (1978 Topps #143)
…
(And so on through card #100, where Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays share the same rectangle in true hobby-fever-dream fashion.)
Autographs: 41 total, majority retired legends
Inserts: First Light Rookies, 1990 Bowman, 1951 Bowman SPs, Garbage Pail Kids and Mars Attacks SSPs, plus Friedman’s self-portrait
Original Paintings: 138 one-of-ones, including a Mantle/Robinson print-sheet mashup
Checklist spreadsheets, parallel odds, and pack/box details will appear once Topps decides to spill the beans. Until then, maybe start clearing space in that shoebox—you’re going to need it.
