2018 Topps Stadium Club MLS Review, Box Break, and Checklist
Topps debuted the Stadium Club MLS product in 2017, and they followed it up with another solid product in 2018.
This was another product I purchased at closeout prices in my quest to expand my sports card knowledge. In fact, shortly after my purchase of three hobby boxes from DA Card World, the product became unavailable. I paid approximately $26 per box, which is well under the MSRP.
The Breakdown
The 2018 set contains a checklist of 100 Major League Soccer players, including the rookie card of Alphonso Davies. Five different base card parallels exist including Black (blaster only) Black & White, Members Only /50, First Day Issue /10, and the elusive Sepia 1/1.
There are also 10 cards with image variations,. These can easily be identified by looking at the code on the back. The variation codes end in #103.
Two different insert sets are also part of the master set. The Profiles set contains 25 cards, and the Special Forces set contains 20 cards. Member’s Only /50 and Sepia 1/1 parallels are available for both insert sets.
In addition to the base cards and inserts, autographs are another key selling point for the product. The autograph checklist contains 40 cards spread between four different autograph sets. The base auto set contains 24 cards. The dual-auto Co Signers set and the Profiles set each contain 3 cards, and finally, the Never Compromise set contains six. The base auto set has Black & White, Member’s Only, and Sepia parallels as well.
Box Break
Here’s a video of one of my boxes.
In my three hobby boxes I did get all 6 promised autos, including one Kei Kamara Member’s Only auto /25. I averaged 2-3 serial numbered parallels per box, and several other unnumbered parallels.
I also ended up with at least 2 full base sets and actually I probably have a third, but I didn’t pull it out since I wanted to have a nice inventory to load into Sportlots. I am still learning the Soccer card market, but you don’t have to know the market to enjoy these cards. Stadium Club is known for photography and the same holds true with this soccer release. I really enjoyed going through the set and looking at all the great shots.
Wrapping It Up
From a financial perspective, I did ok, but not great. However, this was a ton of fun for $26 a box, and I’m happy with the return I received at that price point. I would not have been as excited if I had to pay full MSRP.
I’ll be keeping two sets for myself and then selling all the autos, parallels, and extra base/inserts on Sportlots!
Have any of you started getting into any of the secondary sports like NASCAR or Soccer? Let me know!
Also, if you haven’t heard, I started a new Podcast called the WaxPackHero Sports Card Minute! It’s available here directly on the site at the Podcast link at the top of the page, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and TuneIn! Check it out, let me know what you think, and tell your friends!
Checklist
Here’s the checklist on Trading Card DB.