I like simplicity. Simplicity is one of the more underrated concepts in the hobby when it comes to design, and it bothers me. That being said, there were a lot of collectors who came into the peak of their collecting years during the late 1990s who will disagree with me.

They like things shiny and busy. Topps has taken this to heart in creating a few product concepts this year, and this week’s release of Topps High Tek is one of them. Im just not a fan.

2014 Topps High Tek Mike Trout On Card Red Auto /10

2014 Topps High Tek Jose Abreu On Card Auto RC

2014 Topps High Tek Jose Canseco Black Auto 1/1

2014 Topps High Tek Nolan Ryan B&W Auto /15

Usually, whenever a set has acetate cards, Ill take a look. If the acetate cards are hard signed, I will usually be all over it. For whatever reason, High Tek (another awful 1990s name) is one of those sets that breaks from my normal affinity for the combination. The cards are shiny, full of patterns, and look like they are straight out of 1997.

I understand why Topps is going to this well again, as collectors seem to be like babies in that sense. If the design is busy and shiny, they are happy regardless of how horrible the design looks. Its almost like a set of keys for an infant. Shiny and noisy! All things considered, though, there will be a lot of people who will love every last card that is populating this returning beast.

On the other hand, this is a pretty low cost box for the checklist and on card autos that it houses. I was pretty surprised to hear this comes in at under 100 bucks a box, which I believe will appeal to many of those individuals who made the 1990s their wheelhouse.

I guess I should become more accustomed to the “retro nostalgic but not vintage” feel that we are likely going to be seeing more often if this set finishes as well as it looks like it will.