Latest Topps basketball and baseball release analysis: What you need to know before you buy

Over the past few weeks, several new Topps baseball and basketball releases have hit the market that we haven’t had a chance to dive into here. Topps is flexing its new NBA license with some solid products, and there are a couple baseball highlights (and lowlights) to recap as well.Here’s my math on the print run numbers (full explanation on how I calculate these numbers can be found in previous deep dives) and honest assessments of five recent Topps releases: 2025-26 Topps Finest Basketball: A return to form for a historic brand 2026 Topps Series 1 Baseball Celebration boxes: Now the best buy for Series 1 (which is a low bar) 2025 Bowman’s Best: Good option for prospectors and autograph collectors 2025-26 Cosmic Chrome Basketball: Fun visuals and rare inserts likely to command big value 2025 Transcendent Baseball: Stay away Read on for analysis on each set.2025-26 Topps Finest BasketballSee full set checklist, odds, and breakdown. Finest has always lived in an interesting space in the product hierarchy. It’s usually produced in more modest quantities than flagship Chrome releases, yet carries a lineage that goes back even further than Topps Chrome itself. The brand debuted in 1993 with Finest Baseball and Basketball, introducing Refractors to the hobby and permanently changing the landscape. It remained a staple all the way through 2008-09, when Topps lost the NBA license to Panini.Advertisement