Box Review: 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary (hobby)

The 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary set features overplayed iconic design from 1953 Topps with a full chrome treatment.  Despite the 2022 in the set's name, this particular set was released in August of 2023!  

Today, I have a hobby box from a recent group break to review.  Each 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary hobby box contains 24 packs with 4 cards per pack.  Each hobby box promises one autograph.  

While Topps has definitely oversaturated the modern baseball card market with the 1953 design, I can't help but admit that the base cards look great in this release!  The 500 card base set features a nice mix of retired greats, current players, and rookie cards.  Our box produced so many different base cards that I liked that I had to do multiple scans just to do the base set justice.  

Personally, I love getting a new Barry Larkin card for my collection as I had the Reds in the group break.  That being said, I think my favorite base card in the entire box was actually that Ken Griffey, Jr. card!

As for the rookies, our box produced a total of 18 cards with rookie card logo.  Here's a sampling of the rookies in our box:

This is certainly a set that I'd like to collect in its entirety - too bad it's out of my price range (hobby boxes run over $100 and you only get 96 cards per box).  I will say, I love the card backs for this set.

Look at the gorgeously large card number, so easy-to-read!  I also like the little tidbits for each player, who knew that Ryan Howard has the most homeruns for a person born in Missouri?

Obviously, the base cards are the main draw to this particular set as there are no inserts (other than autographs). Actually, I'd say for most people it's probably the parallels of the base cards that are the main draw.  However, before we get to our parallels, let's get the autograph out of the way.  

As I said at the beginning of the review, each hobby box promises one autograph.  Our signature was that of Marlin's rookie pitcher Zach Pop.

I find it hard to get overly excited about rookie autographs most of the time...especially pitchers (and even more especially, Marlins pitchers).  That said, it is a good looking card and the signature is on-card which is much appreciated.  

While the autograph might not have moved the excitement needle much for me, the parallels more than made up for it (as you'll see shortly).  We'll start with the most common parallel in the set - the classic refractor.

Seeded 1:4 packs, we pulled out expected six refractors.  The refractors look great, as expected!  The Rockies made out best here by landing two of the six shiny cards (including a great Larry Walker card).  

The rest of the parallels in the set are harder pulls.  According to Beckett, here are the overall odds for the various parallels (note that not every parallel is available in every potential box configuration).

• Refractors – (Hobby – 1:4, Lite – 1:4, Blaster – 1:4)
• Black and White Mini Diamond Refractors – (Lite – 1:4)
• X-Fractors – (Hobby – 1:24, Lite – 1:16)
• Prism Refractors- (Blaster – 1:5)
• Blue Prism Refractors- (Blaster – 1:8)
• Gold Prism Refractors- (Blaster – 1:401)
• Red Prism Refractors- (Blaster – 1:800)
• Aqua Lava Refractors – /299 (Hobby – 1:41, Lite – 1:25, Blaster – 1:34)
• Yellow RayWave Refractors – /250 (Hobby – 1:49, Lite – 1:29, Blaster – 1:41)
• Blue Mini Diamond Refractors – /199 (Hobby – 1:61, Lite – 1:37, Blaster – 1:51)
• Platinum Toile White Blue Refractors – /199 (Hobby – 1:61, Lite – 1:37, Blaster – 1:51)
• Speckle Refractors – /150 (Hobby – 1:81, Lite – 1:49, Blaster – 1:68)
• Blue Atomic Refractors – /100 Blaster – 1:60)
• Fuschia Atomic Refractors – /100 (Hobby – 1:122, Lite – 1:73, Blaster – 1:102)
• Platinum Toile Cream Fuschia Atomic Refractors – /100 (Hobby – 1:29)
• Red Atomic Refractors – /100 (Hobby – 1:29)
• Green Wave Refractors – /99 (Hobby – 1:123, Lite – 1:74 Blaster – 1:103)
• Platinum Toile White Green Refractors – /99 (Hobby – 1:123, Lite – 1:74, Blaster – 1:103)
• Platinum Toile Cream Rose Gold Refractors – /75 (Hobby – 1:163, Lite – 1:97, Blaster – 1:136)
• Rose Gold Refractors – /75 (Hobby – 1:163, Lite – 1:97, Blaster – 1:136)
• Rose Gold Mini Diamond Refractors – /75 (Hobby – 1:163, Lite – 1:97, Blaster – 1:136)
• Gold Refractors – /50 (Hobby – 1:246, Lite – 1:147, Blaster – 1:206)
• Gold Wave Refractors – /50 (Hobby – 1:58)
• Platinum Toile Cream Gold Refractors – /50 (Hobby – 1:246, Lite – 1:147, Blaster – 1:206)
• Orange Refractors – /25 (Hobby – 1:487, Lite – 1:291, Blaster – 1:408)
• Orange Wave Refractors – /25 (Hobby – 1:115)
• Platinum Toile White Orange Refractors – /25 (Hobby – 1:487, Lite – 1:291, Blaster – 1:408)
• Black Refractors – /10 (Hobby – 1:1,217, Lite – 1:728, Blaster – 1:1,018)
• Platinum Toile Cream Black Refractors – /10 (Hobby – 1:287)
• Platinum Toile Cream Red Refractors – /5 (Hobby – 1:2,431, Lite – 1:1,455, Blaster – 1:2,038)
• Red Refractors – /5 (Hobby – 1:2,431, Lite – 1:1,455, Blaster – 1:2,038)
• Red Lava Refractors – /5 (Hobby – 1:574)
• Superfractors – 1/1 (Hobby – 1:12,130, Lite – 1:7,271, Blaster – 1:10,173)

Yeah, that's a lot!  Player collectors will have their hands full with this set...and you better believe that I'm both excited and dreading the prospect of trying to track down some of the Barry Larkin parallels!  (spoiler alert:  no Barry Larkin parallels for me in this box.)

For a hobby box, the next most common parallel are the X-Fractors (seeded 1:24 packs or 1 per box).  Our X-Fractor was Cody Bellinger.

X-Fractors (and regular refractors) are not serially numbered.  However, the other six parallels that we pulled are all serially numbered.  

In order of serial numbering, we'll start with this awesome looking Yellow RayWave refractor #/250.

Seeded 1:49 hobby packs, these are some of the most striking parallels that I've seen come out of the set (certainly out of any of the parallels that we pulled in this particular box or in the other box that we opened for the same group break).

Next, we pulled a pair of Platinum Toile Cream Fuschia Atomic Refractors, each numbered out of 100.

Interestingly, according to the odds on Beckett, these particular parallels are supposed to be seeded 1:29 hobby packs and yet we ended up with two of them in our box.  

Now, on to the rarer pulls starting with this Robin Yount Gold Wave Refractor.

Numbered out of only 50 copies, I think the Yount might be the pull of the box in terms of a combination of rarity and star power.  The Gold Wave Refractors are seeded 1:58 hobby packs.  While a beautiful card, the Yount wasn't our rarest of the box.  In fact, we pulled two rarer parallels!

For the second time in three group breaks, we pulled a #/25 parallel.  This time around, it's an Orange Wave Refractor of Ivan Castillo #15/25.

The Orange Wave Refractors are seeded 1:115 hobby packs making this a great pull for the Royals team slot!  I do promise that the card does look orange despite it appearing more red in my scan.  

Finally, we get to our rarest pull of the box:

That Kiner-Falefa is a Black Refractor and is serially numbered 02/10!!  Unsurprisingly for a card numbered out of only ten copies, the Black Refractors are tough pulls coming in at 1:1,217 packs!!

Overall, I give the 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary (hobby) box the following rating:

Set Design:  A

Collation:  A

Opening Thrill:  A

Overall:  A

Yep, my grading gives this set straight A's across the board.  A great base card design, no duplicates, and plenty of awesome parallels including a couple of quite rare cards.  It's hard to complain about this box though if I had to nitpick it would be that our lone autograph wasn't overly inspiring given the cost of a hobby box.  Still, there's certainly plenty of great names on the autograph checklist and not every box will hold a Mike Trout signature!  

In fact, despite the relatively high price tag of a hobby box, I have to admit that I'm itching to order a box of this set for myself to rip.  Boxes are super fun - and yes, there's that outside chance I could get one of the Barry Larkin parallels (plus I'm still on the fence about whether or not I want to try and collect the full base set)!