How Hobby Shops Are Celebrating 2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball

How Local Shops are Celebrating Series 1

Date: Feb 9, 2026

Topics: 2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball, Baseball, MLB, Topps Baseball Series 1, Trending

Length: 1289 Words

Reading Time: ~7 Minutes

On Wednesday, February 11, the new year of Topps Baseball begins, with the highly-anticipated release of 2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball. Around the country, card shops will be running events, deals, giveaways, and of course, breaks, both in-store and streaming live.

Big releases like Flagship are great ways for The Hobby to come together and continue to build the community that makes local card shops so special, fostering connections between collectors in their towns, cities, regions, and around the world.

Let’s take a look at what a few shops have brewing for the big day.

Ahead of the release of 2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball, card shops across North America are turning Flagship day into a community event. This piece spotlights how stores like S&B Collectibles, Mintink, and Doubles plan to celebrate with in-store promos, raffles, giveaways, grading specials, and breaks — ranging from dollar breaks on livestream to creative experiences like a ticketed “Bingo Break” with cards, trades, and social fun.

S&B Collectibles (Philadelphia, PA) – IG: @sbsportscollectibles

How It All Began (S&B’s Stefan Leon): “We first got started in 1988. My dad started doing card shows on the east coast. In 2001, S&B Berkshire opened. S&B Montgomery opened in 2017. Our new store in the Montgomery mall is going on two years and is around 10,000 square feet.

“My dad got me into The Hobby. I grew up in this, it’s in our blood. It’s been a dream to live and build the family business to what it is today. During holiday time, it’s all hands on deck. You’ll see my mom in here who recognizes the regulars!”

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A post shared by S&B Sports Collectibles (@sbsportscollectibles)

What Does S&B Do: “We are a one stop shop for any sports fan and pride ourselves on having something for everyone. You can find something for any fan in your life, from a key chain for a couple bucks to autographed cards in the thousands.

“Right before the big boom in 2020, I started a Facebook group and grew it to 13,000 members with the help of two others. It helped put S&B on another level. You can see us live almost every night.”

What’s Happening at S&B: “Series 1 Baseball is always very special to us because it’s always around Valentine’s Day. We do Cards and Candy, so for every Hobby or Jumbo Box you buy, you get a box of chocolates.

“This year, we are rolling out two other promos around the Series 1 release. A dollar dog night (where you keep your dollar) — Hot dogs for everyone that comes in on Release Day and the Saturday of Release Week (Montgomery mall location only). And, at both stores, from Wednesday to Sunday, anyone who buys a Hobby or Jumbo Box will get a raffle ticket. We’re giving away a Jumbo Box to the winner.”

Mintink Trading Cards and Live Experience (Vaughan and Ajax, ON) – IG: @mintink10

How It All Began (Mintink’s John Amendola): “The Hobby has always been a passion of mine. We opened up in spring 2020 with our first location in Vaughan, and last year we added our new shop in Ajax. We’ve always aimed toward being the premier Hobby experience in Canada. We’re expanding in 2026. It’s exciting to build on this foundation.”

What Does Mintink Do: “It all circles right back down to the experience. We offer three distinct ways to engage with us — we have a thriving brick and mortar business, a thriving live shopping outlet (we’re on seven days a week, two channels), and we have our e-commerce side.

“We run trade nights every other Friday. We run Kid Collector days every time there’s a day off of school — the events are free. We offer a fun, safe, friendly environment for the collectors.”

In addition, Mintink travels to expos and card shows all over Canada and will also be putting on events for Topps Rip Night later this month.

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A post shared by Mintink Trading Cards & Live Experience (@mintink10)

What’s Happening at Mintink: “With Series 1 Baseball, we really want to get the product into as many collectors’ hands as possible. We will have some available for live streams. With a product like Series 1 Flagship, we’re going to run dollar breaks all day. We’re gonna use a product that’s designed for collectors, like any Flagship product, to really get it in the hands of everyone who wants it. And of course, we’ll run giveaways, raffles, a grading special.

Doubles (New Hope, PA) – IG: @doublesnh

How It All Began (Doubles’ Keith Shore): “Topps invited me to The National in Atlantic City in 2022. Jake (Doubles’ co-owner) and I went together and bought some boxes to rip at our friends’ brewery. We had a blast and figured other people might enjoy pairing pints & cards. We opened in July of 2025 in the heart of New Hope, PA.

“Jake and I both collected as kids. The 1986 Topps set was our introduction. Our interest in The Hobby was reignited during my time designing cards for Topps Project 2020.”

What Does Doubles Do: “Our specialty is that we are the very first card shop with a brewery tasting room built in. We have a nice stock of modern packs and a fun assortment of vintage wax from the late ’80s to early ’90s. People pop in for a couple pints and then find themselves ripping packs for the first since they were kids.”

What’s Happening at Doubles: “We’ll be doing an in-person break at the bar for Series 1. These are super fun and very different than most live breaks. It’s a ticketed event and includes a free beer. You get a spin of our bingo cage, and each ball has a team name on it. We pass around packs for everyone to open, beers are flowing, we yell out all the hits. People are trading and making friends. You leave with all the cards we pulled from your bingo team.”

Check out the Bingo Break at Doubles here!

2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball Release Week FAQs

What are the most common release-day promotions for Topps Series 1 Baseball?
- Doorbuster pricing and purchase-based perks like raffle tickets or bonus packs are common at hobby shops.
How do card shops use breaks to support the Series 1 launch?
- many shops run in-store and livestream breaks to spread product across more collectors, create “shared rip” energy, and keep engagement high all day.
Why do raffles and giveaways work so well during release week?
- They reward participation, keep people in the shop longer, and encourage multiple visits — especially when entries are tied to purchases or trade nights.
How do shops promote Topps Series 1 Baseball beyond the store walls?
- Social posts, live shopping streams, email/text alerts, event ticket pages, and partnerships with local venues or community groups.

Key Facts:

Release-week events drive foot traffic and build community (trade nights, rip parties, family/kid-friendly hours)
In-store promos are common (bundles, freebies, themed giveaways, “buy a box, get X”)
Breaks help move product and include more collectors (in-store breaks, livestream breaks, “dollar” breaks)
Raffles + prize drawings create excitement and repeat visits (box giveaways, hit-based prizes, entry with purchase)
Giveaways boost reach on socials (Instagram posts, story giveaways, tag-a-friend promos)