When High Tek came out last year, there was buzz around the set, as people really liked the throwback product type that reminded people of the late 90s and early 2000s. After a number of weeks, buzz died down, and many of the main autograph hits started to really dip in value. The same thing has seemed to happen in 2015, as you can get some amazing deals on autographs of top players that would normally be significantly more expensive in other sets. The cards also look really nice on the acetate with on card signatures.

Check out how some of these cards look:

2015 Topps High Tek Carlos Correa Auto RC

2015 Topps High Tek Joc Pederson Bright Horizons Auto – LOVE this design

2015 Topps High Tek Mike Trout Drama Tek Auto /25

2015 Topps High Tek Cal Ripken Jr Gold Waves Auto /50

2015 Topps High Tek Mark McGwire Cloud Auto /25

Lets start with the positives. Tek is all on card, acetate focused and is a celebration of gaudy shiny designs, which the hobby usually loves. The autograph checklist has big names on it, and a lot of very low numbered paralells. All a recipe that the base of collectors usually like very much. Im kind of shocked that you can pick up a Kershaw, Trout, Bryant or Correa for some of the prices here, especially for a set that is less than a week old.

The hobby really confuses me sometimes, as its clear that for as much as we complain about stickers, the use of on card doesnt necessarily guarantee a premium. As we are starting to see in football, relic content is almost as important as the autograph, which really seems to be a diversion from the past. I didnt expect to like Topps High Tek all that much, but the cheaper box price and fun chases seems to add a level to this product I wasnt expecting to be enjoyable.

Im curious to see how Topps processes this, as it might be that their focus on doing more with on card autographs has desensitized people more than they would like. The crazy thing is that stickers havent been devalued to the point that would make this theory plausible. Overall I am not sure what