2014 Topps High Tek

From BaseballCardPedia.com


Description[edit]

2014 Topps High TEK is a 600-card set released on December 3, 2014. After a 14-year hiatus, Topps has brought back the all-acetate card set popular with extreme set collectors. However, the format, based on low-numbered parallels and autographs, only bears a passing resemblance to the original product.

Each eight-card box will yield one autograph and one serial-numbered parallel.

Distribution[edit]

Eight cards per box (MSRP: $70). Hobby only.

Reviews[edit]

Insertion Ratios[edit]

Cards Total Cards Numbered To Hobby Odds
Base 100* - 6:1
Gold Diffractor 100 99 ?
Ice Diffractor 100 75 ?
Disco Diffractor 100 50 ?
Clouds Diffractor 100 25 ?
Black & White 100 15 ?
Red Storm Diffractor 100 10 ?
Blue Dots Diffractor 100 5 ?
Charcoal Galactic Diffractor 100 one-of-one ?
Press Proof 100 four for each ?
Low TEK Diffractors 35 50 ?
1999 TEKnicians Diffractors 25 50 ?
2000 TEKtonics Diffractors 20 50 ?
Autographs 87 ? ?
Autographs Disco Diffractor 87 50 ?
Autographs Clouds Diffractor 87 25 ?
Autographs Black & White 87 15 ?
Autographs Red Storm Diffractor 87 10 ?
Autographs Blue Dots Diffractor 87 5 ?
Autographs Charcoal Galactic Diffractor 87 one-of-one ?
Autographs Press Proof 87 four for each ?
Low TEK Diffractors Autographs 10 15 ?
1999 TEKnicians Diffractors Autographs 10 10 ?
2000 TEKtonics Diffractors Autographs 9 10 ?
Buyback Autographs 12 ? ?

Checklist[edit]

Promos[edit]

Mike-Trout.jpg?id=cba79c39-7cb0-441d-82c7-b8a7f1fa7404&size=original&side=front&.jpg Mike-Trout.jpg?id=cba79c39-7cb0-441d-82c7-b8a7f1fa7404&size=original&side=back&.jpg

A set of six Promo cards were distributed to dealers to announced the return of the Topps High Tek brand. Each is stamped "PROMO" in the lower-right corner on the front. It appears that each card was only available in one pattern.

  • HT-CF Carlton Fisk
  • HT-CK Clayton Kershaw
  • HT-CR Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • HT-JB Jeff Bagwell
  • HT-MT Mike Trout
  • HT-YD Yu Darvish

Base Set[edit]

Base cards are available in 12 different background patterns -- six of the patterns are exclusive to American League players, while the other six are exclusive to National Leaguers. Unfortunately, unlike in the original Topps TEK sets, Topps did not bother to sequentially-number the patterns. Each of the six pattern "levels" is progressively scarcer, with Level 1 being the most common and Level 6 most rare.

Nick-Castellanos.jpg?id=ca3d13ce-e62d-4cdc-8d56-d22133246217&size=original&side=front&.jpg Ernie-Banks.jpg?id=f1041378-45cf-426b-908d-a86acdcd030d&size=original&side=front&.jpg
Level 1: Wave & Spiral Brick
Frank-Thomas.jpg?id=e71a96b6-f794-499f-a03c-c4bd8d1be77f&size=original&side=front&.jpg Jean-Segura.jpg?id=66319030-28cc-44b4-9e6b-8054bceb8a27&size=original&side=front&.jpg
Level 2: Whirlpool & Grid
Bo-Jackson.jpg?id=6d4b5560-2362-4ee1-b5d9-dc7e4e40956f&size=original&side=front&.jpg Tom-Glavine.jpg?id=327483be-ada2-4af1-ac25-7252ada5094f&size=original&side=front&.jpg
Level 3: Shattered Glass & Blast
Yoenis-Cespedes.jpg?id=f29fcc54-6b18-42e8-9c80-4222bcb52872&size=original&side=front&.jpg Adrian-Gonzalez.jpg?id=b3f6c55e-9660-49e8-a22b-a9e50ff44faf&size=original&side=front&.jpg
Level 4: Cracked Ice & Microchip
Dustin-Pedroia.jpg?id=3af53332-9803-4014-b3f6-628923551921&size=original&side=front&.jpg Fernando-Valenzuela.jpg?id=24b6b81f-8142-4835-ae6f-0971040f7673&size=original&side=front&.jpg
Level 5: Circuit Board & Zig Zag
Wil-Myers.jpg?id=c573eda8-3f06-44ca-bd4c-ebc32e7b450a&size=original&side=front&.jpg Adrian-Gonzalez.jpg?id=65243c7c-19b0-4371-b141-9dd6a4bd501f&size=original&side=front&.jpg
Level 6: Stripes & Shatter Stripes

Parallels[edit]

Robinson-Cano.jpg?id=7644b9a5-c304-4506-af57-7e54b14b1284&size=original&side=front&.jpg Roger-Clemens.jpg?id=797bb397-1848-48c5-9374-e36a6a2ff946&size=original&side=front&.jpg Eddie-Butler.jpg?id=f69a3e7e-71e4-46a4-a3bd-6e5e0293d9b4&size=original&side=front&.jpg Craig-Biggio.jpg?id=dfc4fe3a-66d8-47c0-9c63-46ab4c8ab247&size=original&side=front&.jpg Giancarlo-Stanton.jpg?id=c123f351-45b7-4144-bf5f-dc498bafea11&size=original&side=front&.jpg Chris-Sale.jpg?id=b461abf9-d90c-48a8-9295-bddf04e73df3&size=original&side=front&.jpg David-Wright.jpg?id=7f1c2d28-063e-42bc-aad9-d8446cd60cd7&size=original&side=front&.jpg Tom-Glavine.jpg?id=c731fe3b-ac45-4b1d-b00b-a36f91c872e8&size=original&side=front&.jpg Nomar-Garciaparra.jpg?id=fee05d3c-100d-44b5-9a93-4930e2ac0966&size=original&side=front&.jpg

All 100 base cards are available in the following serial-numbered Diffractor parallels. Unlike the base set, there is only one pattern (Level 1) for each parallel card.

  • Gold Diffractor (serial-numbered to 99 copies)
  • Ice Diffractor (serial-numbered to 75 copies)
  • Disco Diffractor (serial-numbered to 50 copies)
  • Clouds Diffractor (serial-numbered to 25 copies)
  • Black & White (serial-numbered to fifteen)
  • Red Storm Diffractor (serial-numbered to ten)
  • Blue Dots Diffractor (serial-numbered to five)
  • Charcoal Galactic Diffractor (one-of-one)
  • Press Proof (set of four for each)

Inserts[edit]

NOTE: All inserts, from all three sets, are serial-numbered to 50 copies.

Low TEK Diffractors[edit]

Dustin-Pedroia.jpg?id=7fe2eca1-e786-4abe-8cc9-9115dae8f70b&size=original&side=front&.jpg Dustin-Pedroia.jpg?id=7fe2eca1-e786-4abe-8cc9-9115dae8f70b&size=original&side=back&.jpg

1999 TEKnicians Diffractors[edit]

Xander-Bogaerts.jpg?id=4b0d1671-e980-4f1a-8b74-9e741fe28c46&size=original&side=front&.jpg Xander-Bogaerts.jpg?id=4b0d1671-e980-4f1a-8b74-9e741fe28c46&size=original&side=back&.jpg

2000 TEKtonics Diffractors[edit]

Prince-Fielder.jpg?id=a8b7df32-ea9f-40f5-a54b-1e965b49f325&size=original&side=front&.jpg Prince-Fielder.jpg?id=a8b7df32-ea9f-40f5-a54b-1e965b49f325&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Autographs & Game-Used[edit]

Autographs[edit]

Nick-Castellanos.jpg?id=70601c35-8ddb-4de2-a738-48317b558b0a&size=original&side=front&.jpg Nick-Castellanos.jpg?id=70601c35-8ddb-4de2-a738-48317b558b0a&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Each Autograph is also available in the following parallels. Unlike the base set, there is only one pattern for each Autograph card and corresponding parallels.

NOTE: The HT-TP Terry Pendleton base Autograph is signed on both sides.

  • Disco Diffractor (serial-numbered to 50 copies)
  • Clouds Diffractor (serial-numbered to 25 copies)
  • Black & White (serial-numbered to 15 copies)
  • Red Storm Diffractor (serial-numbered to 10 copies)
  • Blue Dots Diffractor (serial-numbered to 5 copies)
  • Charcoal Galactic Diffractor (one-of-one)
  • Press Proof (set of four for each)

Low TEK Diffractor Autographs[edit]

Freddie-Freeman.jpg?id=9e4d09ca-37b1-41af-9dc7-6616711450d3&size=original&side=front&.jpg Freddie-Freeman.jpg?id=9e4d09ca-37b1-41af-9dc7-6616711450d3&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Each Low TEK Diffractor Autograph is serial-numbered to fifteen.

1999 TEKnicians Diffractor Autographs[edit]

Rafael-Palmeiro.jpg?id=7e409280-0f85-49d7-bfdb-e7ccb4bd7ab7&size=original&side=front&.jpg Rafael-Palmeiro.jpg?id=7e409280-0f85-49d7-bfdb-e7ccb4bd7ab7&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Each 1999 TEKnicians Diffractor Autograph is serial-numbered to ten.

2000 TEKtonics Diffractor Autographs[edit]

Robinson-Cano.jpg?id=7c9be1c0-bcfd-46b5-9f52-9494632f8eae&size=original&side=front&.jpg Robinson-Cano.jpg?id=7c9be1c0-bcfd-46b5-9f52-9494632f8eae&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Each 2000 TEKtonics Diffractor Autograph is serial-numbered to ten.

Buyback Autographs[edit]