If you weren't collecting in the late-1990s, 2014 Topps High Tek Baseball might be tricky to wrap your head around. Even if you were collecting back when Topps Tek made its first run, you might have a hard time figuring it out. That's part of the point. Before you even get into the parallels, every player has six different versions of their base card. Each has a different background. But what are the 2014 Topps High Tek patterns and variations?
While each player has only six variations, there are 12 total. American League players have six and National Leaguers have six more.
Past sets not only had the traditional card number but a pattern number as well. This gave player and set collectors an easy point of reference to build their lists and know what gaps need filling in. 2014 Topps High Tek doesn't have those pattern numbers. It takes more of a variation approach where you need to know what to look for.
Further complicating matters is the fact that patterns aren't available in equal quantities. The Wave and Spiral Brick patterns are extremely common. These are the base versions. American League players have Wave patterns and National League players have the Spiral Brick.
We've confirmed with Topps that the hypothetical Pattern 1, Wave, is more common than Pattern 2, which is more common than Pattern 3. It keeps going like this until you reach the final pattern.
2014 Topps High Tek Baseball Patterns and Variations Visual Guide
The following is a list of patterns for 2014 Topps High Tek Baseball. The first column is American League players while the second is for the NL. Cards are arranged from perceived rarity with the most common at the top to what's believed to be the rarest at the bottom.
American League
Wave - most common
Spirals
Laser Ice
Cracked Ice
Circuit Board
Stripes
National League
Spiral Brick - NL base, most common
Grid
Shatter
Pipes
Zig Zag
Shatter Stripe
(HT to eBay seller brianped for helping confirm the AL/NL distribution and rarity.)
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