Beckett: Topps GM Warren Friss ‘Very Excited’ About MLB Exclusive

My high-number ‘62 Marty Kutyna card awaits!

Are there any surprises in store for 2010 that you might be ready to unveil?

[One] exciting thing that I don’t think has been talked about yet is going to be in our Topps Series 1, Series 2 and I think Updates and Highlights as well. We’re launching the Topps Million Card Giveaway. You know how everyone always says “my mother threw out all my cards?” Well, now Topps is giving back all those cards that your mother threw out.

We’re buying back a million cards and they’re going to be available in our packs through online codes. We’re going to have at least one of every base card we’ve ever produced available. Every 1952 card, every 1953 card . . . at least one of everything. There are about 38,000 different base cards that we’ve done over the years and that doesn’t quite get us to a million, so we have multiples of many of them. We’re going to have some autograph cards, some Relic cards;some really interesting cards. We have some Willie Mays Rookie Cards, some that are autographed; so there’s going to be a lot of great, interesting items available.

The way it’s going to work is that in one in six packs of Topps Series 1 and Series 2, you will get a code and you’ll take that code online and that will unlock your actual vintage card that you will be getting. It’s not a digital card. You unlock it online but what you’ve won is an actual vintage card that Topps has bought back. You can get it delivered if you want, when you want. The other thing you’ll be able to do is trade that card.

It’s a huge promotion. A million cards is not easy to buy back. We’re going through the process now. There are going to be several Rookie Mantles in there. There’s also going to be a sweepstakes where every time you enter a code you will be entered into a sweepstakes and the winner will get a complete 1952 Topps set.