Collector Stories | Mascot Mania

Collecting MLB Mascot Autos

Date: Aug 18, 2025

Author: Greg Bates

Topics: Baseball, Cards and Culture, Collector Stories, Mascots, MLB, Trending

Length: 821 Words

Reading Time: ~5 Minutes

Tom Bucci Jr. hadn’t hand-collated a set of baseball cards in decades. But when he realized there was a mascot insert set in 2025 Topps Series 1 Celebration, he knew he was destined to collect it.

All MLB mascots have base cards in the insert, as well as numbered parallels from /99, /50, /25, /10, /5, and 1/1. There are also on-card autographed swatch cards of seven mascots: the Boston Red Sox’s Wally the Green Monster, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Bernie the Brewer, the Colorado Rockies’ Dinger, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Baxter, the Cincinnati Reds’ Mr. Red and Rosie Red, and the Chicago White Sox mascot. These rare parallels are numbered to /10, /5, and a 1/1 Foilfractor.

“There’s seven of them. I’m like, I think I can get them,” Bucci said. “I’m not going to buy a 1-of-1. I know I’m not going to spend that money. But if I can get any combinations of 5s and 10s, I’m going to do it.”

Collecting Topps Mascots

Bucci decided to go for the auto set not long after Celebration dropped at the end of March. He set up online searches for those numbered mascot cards and was able to snatch up the Dinger numbered 1/5 right away. Not long after, he scored Wally the Green Monster, Bernie the Brewer, and the White Sox mascot cards — all numbered out of 10.

“I had four right out of the gate,” Bucci said. “I got them fairly cheap.”

Needing just Mr. Red, Rosie Red, and Baxter, Bucci and his two sons hit the Brotherly Love Card Show in Philadelphia in mid-April. The search was on.

Before setting up at the show, Bucci cruised the tables with his sons for mascot cards, but he didn’t have any luck. However, a friend approached him and said he found a Rosie Red at the table next to them. Within minutes, the card was in Bucci’s hand.

“At this point, I’d never seen any Baxters whatsoever,” Bucci said. “I’m like, man, this is actually getting really tough.” Apparently, Bucci wasn’t the only collector interested in the unique cards. Online listings went quickly, with others jumping at the opportunities.

Not long after the card show, Bucci found a Mr. Red numbered 1/5 online and bought it. On April 20, a Baxter finally surfaced, numbered 1/5. Bucci quickly pounced on that card as well.

“I thought after the first couple I was going to spend $200 to $300 on each one of them, and I’ll have the set in no time,” Bucci said. “I figured Wally was going to be the really expensive one, because he’s a Red Sox. I think I ended up spending like $450 or something like that.”

A Quick Collecting Journey

Bucci completed his project in just three and a half weeks. “To have a set of those, it’s like, well, only 15 other people can kind of have it, it’s kind of cool,” Bucci said. “I like having those rare things. I think those are neat.”

William, 18, and Matthew, 14, were instrumental in helping their dad finish off the set. It was an enjoyable chase for all three. The boys also had online searches set up, and they would let their dad know if a mascot card had popped up online. Bucci’s sons took photos of each card as they checked them off the list. Bucci wanted to post images on Instagram while collecting the set, but his boys suggested he wait until all seven cards were in hand.

“Do you know what it is? I just feel like it’s one of those things where it’s just what The Hobby’s supposed to be about,” Bucci said. “It’s a higher-end chase, if you want to say. It’s not like it’s something that is cheap, not like putting just a Topps set together of base cards. You’re supposed to do it with your kids. You’re supposed to enjoy it and not really worry about if you’re going to resell this.”

Bucci doesn’t have any plans to sell his special little set; it’s priceless in his eyes. With so much demand and excitement for the seven on-card auto mascot cards, Bucci is wondering if more of the MLB mascots will be included in future Topps products. As a Phillies fan, he sure hopes so. He’d love to get his hands on a 1/1 of the Phillie Phanatic.

“For me, that’s my grail,” Bucci said. “But I’m sure I’m not the only one. I’m sure there’s plenty of people that would think that that would be the coolest thing ever.” If and when the day comes that Phillie Phanatic gets an autographed swatch card, Bucci has one request to Topps.

“They should just send me the 1-of-1,” he joked.