During its brief history, the Topps Total line centered on massive checklists and being a set builder’s dream. While 2004 Topps Total Baseball is no different, its base set is scaled down offering just 880 cards versus the 990 it offered in its first two diamond outings.
It’s still a largely frills-free product that has plenty of players and prospects for each team. With a set this size, collectors get a lot of players that don’t normally make the smaller sets. This can also be appealing for team collectors who want team sets that fill up more than half of a nine-pocket page. Of the set’s 880 cards, 95 are rookies.
Base cards have a Silver parallel, one of which is in every pack. Every card from the main set and basic insert also has Press Plates. Because of the massive checklist, they’re not overly tough to find either, with one landing in every 1:159 packs, which is less than 1:5 boxes.
2004 Topps Total Baseball has several basic inserts including Award Winners (30 card, 1:12 packs), Total Topps (50 cards, 1:7 packs) and Total Production (10 cards, 1:18 packs). Each franchise also has a Team Checklist (30 cards, 1:4 packs).
While the product isn’t big on chase elements, there are a handful of autographs. These are tough, landing around 1:10 boxes.
2004 Topps Total Baseball Cards Breakdown
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Cards per pack: 10
Packs per box: 36
Release Date: May 31, 2004
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Base Set
880 cards.
Silver
880 cards, 1 per pack.
Base set parallel.
Press Plates
1:159 packs, 1/1.
Each card in the product has four printing plates. Each is a different color.
Blue Chip Autographs
2 cards.
Cole Hamels – 1:5,050 packs.
Val Majewski – 1:3,705 packs.
Total Signatures
5 cards, 1:414 packs.
Award Winners
30 cards, 1:12 packs.
Team Checklists
30 cards, 1:4 packs.
Total Production
10 cards, 1:18 packs.
Total Topps
50 cards, 1:7 packs.
