Topps and Fanatics' foray into expanding their Mega Box concept across new product lines this year has mostly been a boon to baseball collectors, making retail more enticing. Success story after success story from the first run of 2026 Bowman value boxes led diehards to believe that there was a shortprint waiting for them around every corner. The generous gift of $70 SRP 2026 Topps Finest mega boxes only further emboldened the belief that something very special would often be lurking at a totally reasonable value.
And ... while early data has borne out that the megas are certainly worth opening for the numbered parallels, it wasn't immediately evident what differentiated them from the Hobby edition until the final checklist details came to light, just before release date.
As it turns out, while autographs can be found in megas, the vast majority of signees come from a special, mega-only checklist. That checklist ... is neither impressive nor appetizing.
And if you don't like that feeling, get ready for more, because 2026 Topps Chrome baseball, due later this month, has a far more gory list of retail autos.
2026 Topps Chrome baseball retail checklist makes Finest mega swerve look positively delicious by comparison
There are 159 subjects in the Topps Finest Autographs subset, which come one per 11 hobby packs and a staggering one in every 657 mega packs. This is where you'll find star rookies like Cam Schlittler and JJ Wetherholt. Conversely, there's a separate list of "Finest Mega Autographs," which will appear in one in every 67 mega packs. Each mega box has eight packs, so an auto appears just about one in every eight mega boxes.
Of course, the ones you're far more likely to receive come from this Mega Autographs list, which includes mostly veterans (Anthony Volpe, Alex Bregman, Caleb Durbin) and retirees (George Foster, Eric Chavez, Dontrelle Willis). Sal Stewart's in here as the biggest draw, but the list is certainly more restrictive and less appealing than you'd like. No one's throwing any of these out - except maybe Mets fans who pull Devin Williams - but there's certainly a bait-and-switch here.
And it's far worse in Topps Chrome, where the retail autos list is entirely devoid of appealing talent.
Joe Rock of the Rays. Dugan Darnell of the Rockies. Alan Rangel of the Phillies. It's hard to even find a major leaguer here (Tampa Bay lefty Ian Seymour?), let alone an appealing one. This checklist is the opposite of Topps trying to roll the dice and project future stardom. They're actively trying to leave retail purchasers high and dry.
If you're in it for the parallels and inserts, great. But if you're seeking autos, know before you buy and read the fine print.
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