Topps Chrome® Baseball Gets the NYC Skyline
Topps is memorializing the Fanatics Fest in New York City with an exclusive Big Apple Refractor set. Six of these NYCFF exclusive cards will be included with each 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball hobby box sold only at the event, which spans August 16-18 at the Javits Center.
All 300 players in the 2024 Topps Chrome Baseball base set will have a “Big Apple Refractor” with a New York City-centric design.
Ripped talked to the design team about the project.
What are the design challenges in incorporating a location into a card design?
It can be very difficult to pick out the most iconic aspects of a city, especially one like New York which is filled to the gills with recognizable landmarks. Everyone has their favorite thing about a city, so you want to try to represent as much as possible.
Manhattan’s skyline is obviously iconic and instantly recognizable. How did you capture that identity in the design? How did you choose the buildings?
We wanted to ensure that the player was still the card’s star, even with that iconic skyline in the background. We tried to choose buildings that would frame the player nicely and not hide all the good stuff behind their body. We also wanted to make sure it didn’t look like something that should only be seen with a New York ball player. Every team is represented on that skyline, so we wanted them to feel at home.
Times Square is probably the world’s first neon palace. Was that also something you were trying to convey?
The neon theme of Topps Baseball this year was a happy accident that fits right in with these New York cards.
A Scale Befitting the Stars
Each of the Big Apple Refractors features images of players that are proportional to the scale of the buildings.
Elly De La Cruz is shown lifting his leg at the start of his swing as if he’s part of the famous skyline, with his full-color image seeming three-dimensional compared to the more monochromatic buildings.
Adley Rutschman seems like he just launched a pitch across the Hudson River all the way to Jersey City.
One of the New York featured players in the set, Pete Alonso, is captured in mid-celebration on scale next to the Empire State Building akin to King Kong after reuniting with Fay Wray.
Fanatics Fest is a first-of-its-kind event that will bring together fans of all sports under one roof. There will be panels where the biggest stars in sports will have candid conversations with one another, a Collector’s Zone, immersive exhibits, a memorabilia museum, and photo and autograph zones for fans to interact with their heroes.
Go here for full Fanatics Fest NYC information.
