In February, the 2020 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set #2 shipped to members.
It seems that Topps listened to some of the feedback we shared last year, because this time we actually knew it was coming! In late January, members received an email from Topps letting us know the backstory of Set 2, and that it would be coming in just a few weeks. That was a nice change of pace compared to the non-existent communication in 2019.
The Breakdown
Set 2 is a 20 sticker set which takes its design from a 1968 Baseball Action Stickers test issue.
All 20 stickers have a “cutout” action player image and a facsimile autograph overlaid on same beige background, but there is an additional design element which provides a touch of variety to the set. A purple star, a blue ticket, or a yellow nameplate house the players name and team. There does not appear to be any rhyme or reason to which option was assigned to each player.
All 20 sticker backs follow the same basic design with the sticker number, player name, team and position on the top of a light blue box. The basic 582 Club information is in the center of the text box, but Topps went a step farther with this set and included a paragraph documenting the 1968 Action Sticker origins of the design. This is what was missing from several of the 2019 sets that in my opinion makes these even more enjoyable. If part of the draw is that these are going to be based on “lost designs”, collectors what to know the history of that design!
Unboxing Video and Checklist
Cody Bellinger - Los Angeles Dodgers
Harmon Killebrew - Minnesota Twins
Bo Bichette (RC) - Toronto Blue Jays
Bob Gibson - St. Louis Cardinals
Stephen Strasburg - Washington Nationals
Ivan Rodriguez - Texas Rangers
Cal Ripken Jr. - Baltimore Orioles
Ted Williams - Boston Red Sox
Javier Baez - Chicago Cubs
Roberto Alomar - Toronto Blue Jays
Wade Boggs - Boston Red Sox
Alex Bregman - Houston Astros
Tom Glavine - Atlanta Braves
Nico Hoerner (RC) - Chicago Cubs
Mike Piazza - New York Mets
Mookie Betts - Boston Red Sox
Willie Mays - San Francisco Giants
Wow, when looking at this checklist there are a few things that stand out to me.
It’s heavy on the retired players! Half the set is from retired legends.
It’s heavy on rookies. Five rookies are found in the set including the top four names in the 2020 Series 1 class. Even more notable is the fact that this Montgomery Club set delivers one of the first RC Logo Luis Robert cards! There was another Topps Now Robert card with the logo that also arrived in collectors’ hands in February as well.
The set delivers one of what will likely be many outdated Mookie Betts cards depicting him as a member of the Red Sox.
Wrapping It Up
I really like this set. The images are cool. The player selection was above average, and I love, love, love that Topps began incorporating some of the designs origin story on the backs of the cards.
Link to Set 3
Let me know what you think of the set in the comments below, and be sure to check out my review of both the 2019 and the first 2020 Montgomery Club Sets!