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Update is the last chapter of Topps’ flagship story each year, and I like thinking of it as the season’s scrapbook. Series 1 and Series 2 set the scene, then Update ties up the threads with call-ups, midseason moves, All-Star moments, and the odd headline that deserves a cardboard shoutout. For 2025 we are getting a 350 card checklist to round out the flagship run, with hobby, jumbo, and retail paths that each do something a little different.

What Topps has on the board right now
Hobby boxes promise one hit per box, which can be either an autograph or a memorabilia card. Jumbo boxes step that up to three total hits with at least one autograph, which is usually the easiest way to make sure ink shows up in a rip. Retail is part of the plan as well and will carry its own exclusive parallels, so set builders and color collectors have a reason to grab blasters or value boxes at the big box store. A Topps.com presale is scheduled for September 29 at noon Eastern, which should set the tone for early demand.

How the 350 card checklist is shaped
Update has always been the catch-all for players who debuted during the season, and that theme continues. Expect rookies who got the call in 2025, All-Star cards, milestone snapshots, and the usual run of roster freeze frames from late summer. Topps is teasing a sprawling parallel rainbow that keeps the flagship look while giving color chasers plenty to map out. Traditional Gold returns. Foilfractors are part of the mix. Value Box holiday variations sneak in for retail hunters. If you enjoy building a rainbow or chasing quirky foils, this is where the product gets sticky.

All-Star flavor everywhere
In addition to All-Star base cards, there is a full lane of All-Star Stitches relics and All-Star Stitch Autographs. There are All-Star inserts too, which usually pair well with photos you remember from the week. If you like cards that instantly read summer when you flip a binder page, these are the ones that do it.

Autographs with a nod to the past
Topps is continuing the 35th Anniversary 1990 Topps program in Update. That design has aged into a sweet spot where it reads retro without feeling dated, and signed copies tend to look sharp in a slab. If your team or favorite player shows up on that template, it is an easy card to display.

Insert menu, old favorites and new ideas
Black Gold is back. First Pitch is back. Those two are comfort food for flagship collectors, and they always find homes in binders. New concepts for 2025 include Night Terrors, Most Valuable, and Bleacher Reachers. Bleacher Reachers calls back to a subset from the 1997 Season’s Best inserts, which is a fun wink if you collected in the late 90s. All of these inserts will carry full foil rainbows, including a Pink Foil that is tougher to find and 1 of 1 Foilfractors at the top. That structure makes insert rainbows feel like a real chase instead of a side quest.

A year-long chase that wraps here
Home Field Advantage finishes its 2025 run in Update. If you have been piecing that set together across Series 1 and Series 2, this is your last stop. For team collectors, it is a tidy way to add an extra showpiece to the page next to your base run.

Configuration at a glance
Cards per pack, hobby: 12
Packs per box, hobby: 20
Boxes per case: to be announced
Set size: 350 cards
Release date: to be announced
Presale: Topps.com on September 29 at 12 p.m. Eastern

What lands in a box
Hobby box: one autograph or memorabilia card
HTA jumbo box: one autograph and two memorabilia cards
Retail boxes: exclusive parallels and a shot at the same inserts and color, tuned for the format

How I am planning to collect it
Update is usually where I finish team sets, grab true rookie cards for late-season call-ups, and pick a couple of insert rainbows that fit my budget. For hits, jumbo has been the better bet in recent years thanks to guaranteed autos, but hobby gets you more packs to enjoy if you are chasing base and color. Retail is where I hunt the store-only parallels and any holiday variations that catch my eye. If you care most about autograph odds, go jumbo. If you care most about set building, hobby or retail blasters stretch your dollars.

Smart ways to approach the rainbow
Make a short list of three or four players you care about, then pick two colors you want to chase across them. Gold is the comfort color. Foilfractors are the top end. If you like a pop of color that still looks clean in a nine pocket, Pink Foil from the insert rainbows is a nice target. Keep notes on serial levels and pack odds once Topps publishes the sell sheet so you are not guessing in the first week of listings.

Breaker notes and sorting tips
Team randoms work well for Update because the checklist spreads stars, rookies, and inserts across the league. If you are sorting at home, sleeve the rookies from teams that were thin in Series 1 and Series 2. Those are the players casual buyers will be looking for once stats settle and post-season talk starts. For All-Star content, I keep a small side pile and binder page that captures the event top to bottom rather than scattering the cards through team pages. It makes a nice time capsule when you look back next year.

Quality checks when the cards are in hand
Flagship chrome and foil layers can pick up tiny lines that only show at an angle. Give each stack a quick tilt under bright light before you top load highlights. For relics, check stitching windows and corners. For autographs, look for clean ink with no obvious skipping. If you grade, centering on borders and nameplates is still the quiet make-or-break on a lot of base and parallels.

Who gets the most out of Update this year
Set builders who want the complete 2025 story on paper. Rookie chasers who like getting true flagship RCs for late call-ups. Insert fans who want familiar brands like Black Gold alongside new sets with full foil rainbows. Team collectors who have been waiting on Home Field Advantage to round out a display page. If one of those lanes is yours, this installment fits right in.

Checklist timing
Topps has not posted the full list yet. Once the manufacturer drops it, it will be easier to map team needs, spotlight the strongest rookie run, and set a plan for the All-Star and insert builds. If you want a sortable sheet by player, team, insert, and serial once it goes live, I can lay that out so you are not flipping between tabs while you buy.