We are entering the third year of the Topps 582 Montgomery Club. In November 2018, Topps announced a new exclusive club collectors could join for $199 which would guarantee them access to six products over the course of the next year as part of the membership fee. The fee was raised to $250 for new members in 2020, and now up to $299 for new members in 2021. Existing members were able to renew at their original rate. The name is derived from the Topps address in its early days in Brooklyn, and the products will reflect unused designs which have been uncovered in the Company’s archive. I have loved being a part of this club, and I can’t wait to see what 2021 brings.
The first set of the 2021 Membership Year released in January of 2021 and I will review it and include the checklist below!
Club History
The first year of the club delivered on it’s promise and you can see my posts on the 2019 version here.
In 2020 they added a few twists, including pre-sale access to a variety of online offerings! Those posts begin here.
The 582 Montgomery Club Plan for 2021
The renewal period for the 2021 Membership got off to a rocky start. The “exclusive” link for existing members to renew was posted to a public location by Topps and it didn’t take long for the link to be shared all across the internet. New members jumped at the opportunity to sign up, the limited memberships sold out quickly, and many existing members appeared to be out of luck.
Here is what members can expect in 2021.
Fortunately, Topps corrected the mistake by cancelling those new memberships which provided existing members a chance to renew. I applaud Topps for doing the right thing and rewarding the loyal members with their opportunity to renew.
The Exclusive access to pre-sales was new in 2020 and proved to be one of the most valuable benefits. There were something like 6 or 7 different products available, and members could either have product to open at a relatively cheap price, or have some boxes to flip which more than covered the cost of the membership. So far in the 2021 membership year we have had the opportunity to buy from 1-3 boxes of four different products. If this rate continues, it will once again be the best aspect of the club.
2021 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Set 1
Sometimes Topps gives us some detail about the design of the set. They tell us what type of product it was originally going to be used for, or sometimes the year or era of the “lost design”. However, sometimes they give us nothing about the background of the design, and this first set of 2021 is one of those times. The card itself says nothing, and I can’t find any additional info from Topps. I think the story of these lost designs adds a lot to the overall appeal of the product, and I wish they were more consistent with giving us that story!
The set itself is comprised of 20 cards and includes an additional autographed card. The action photos are surrounded by a white border with the player, team name, and position located at the top of the card. Interestingly, the Topps logo is nowhere to be found on the front of the card which is reminiscent of vintage Topps sets.
Here’s what my reaction was as I unboxed my set for the first time!
I like the photos used, and the card stock has the old school Heritage feel. While several of the players are guys that I’m not really interested in, I do like that it is not just completely full of the same players we always see. There is a good mix of both superstars and lesser known players which should make those fans happy!
Checklist
1. Cody Bellinger
2. Freddy Freeman
3. Kyle Lewis
4. Gleyber Torres
5. Hyun-Jin Ryu
6. Mike Brosseau
My auto was Luke Voit, and card #1 was Cody Bellinger.
7. Alex Verdugo
8. Keston Hiura
9. Luke Voit
10. Matt Chapman
11. Juan Soto
12. Dominic Smith
13. Trent Grisham
14. Nico Hoerner
15. Mike Clevinger
16. Luis Arraez
17. Aristides Aquino
18. Ronald Acuna Jr.
19. Austin Nola
20. Mike Trout
Overall, I’m pleased with the start of the 2021 Club year. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Click Here to see the Second Set which came out in the Spring of 2021