Ok, let me get this out of the way.

I don’t like Gypsy Queen.

I like retro vintage products, but I just don’t like Gypsy Queen...or Allen & Ginter either for that matter.  The concept is cool, but now after over 10 years of these products they are getting stale.  The designs look the same from year to year, and they just don’t do it for me.

That being said, some of you may love it!  Great, that’s what makes this hobby awesome.  There is a product for everyone!  

So here for your reading pleasure is my review of 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen.  While I’m not a fan of the concept, I think those that love it will be very happy with it!

The Review

Once again, Gypsy Queen is available in both hobby and retail packaging.  Retail Blaster Boxes and Value Packs are most common and feature exclusive retail parallels.  Hobby boxes have their own mix of parallels and guarantee two on-card autos per box.  In addition, a variety of relic cards can be found in both hobby and retail packaging.

The base set contains 300 cards with a checklist full of current MLB players.  Cards 301-320 are short prints and provide another opportunity to collect modern cards of your favorite players of the past.

Quite a few parallels exist with varying levels of scarcity.  Some parallels have different colored borders, while the missing nameplate, GQ Logo Swap, and Bazooka Back provide a more unique visual difference.  In addition to the parallels, there are also several photo variations.    The 4th of July Variations show photos with a variety of patriotic elements for 15 different players.  The Jackie Robinson Day variations feature players in their #42 uniforms, however the number is not always clearly shown in all 28 Robinson Day cards.  Finally, there are 20 different players with photo variations that came from the Players Weekend.  These photos show many of the “alternate” jerseys that the teams used.

If you can’t determine if you have a variation or not from the photo, the code on the back of the card is a sure fire way to know.

Base Cards 1-300 end in 293

Base SP 301-320 end in 323

Jackie Robinson end in 328

Players Weekend end in 331

4th of July end in 334

Terot of the Diamond and Fortune Teller Minis return as insert sets this year, and are actually my favorite part of this set.  

The last thing I want to mention is another improvement (at least in my opinion).  Topps ditched the oversized box topper in hobby boxes this year, and is instead including an individually wrapped pack of three chrome cards.  Early feedback on these seems to be positive, despite not fitting with the retro theme of the rest of the product.

Pack Break

As I said, this isn’t one of my favorite products, but I wanted to open a few packs to have something in hand to review.  I picked up a Value Pack from Target, and you can check out my break below!

I definitely beat the odds by hitting a nice on card auto! I didn’t get any inserts, but overall, I can’t complain. Several rookies, a handful of stars, and the three card parallel pack made this a very worthwhile retail break!

Wrap it Up

When it comes to retro themed products, Heritage and The Living Set are my go-to products, and I don’t really care for GQ.  But if you liked it in the past, I think you’ll be pleased with the 2019 version.  There are enough of the traditional components that you’ve come to love to give it a familiar feel, while they also introduce a few new elements to keep things fresh.  If you decide to open some let me know what you think, or show me what you hit by tagging me in your Twitter or Instagram posts!

Gypsy Queen was the 5th product I opened and reviewed so far this year.  If you want to see what else I’ve been breaking, you can check out my review of 2019 Topps Series 1, Heritage, Donruss, and Topps Opening Day as well!