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Have you been wondering what Formula 1 trading cards are, and want to know more about them? Then you’ve come to the right place!

These cards are all about the teams and drivers participating in Formula 1. They have existed for a while, but interest has definitely renewed since Topps started producing Formula 1 cards in 2021. By now plenty of cards are available on eBay.

In this article I will mainly focus on the different types of cards that are available. I have also included various links to eBay in each section such that you can easily check them out. These cards are also commonly referred to as Formula 1 sports cards.

Topps Dynasty

Topps Dynasty boxes contain the most expensive cards, these boxes usually cost around $2,000 and contain one single autograph card. There have been three releases so far, one in 2020, one in 2021 and another one in 2022.

Everyone hopes to hit top drivers like Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton, however it is also possible to hit team principals which are generally less desirable. Hitting a 1/1 variant of a top driver can mean a very valuable card, with $50,000 not being impossible!

Topps Chrome

Topps Chrome is where it all started for Topps. Topps Chrome Formula 1 2020 was the first product Topps released and since then boxes have been released every year. Hobby boxes cost about $300-600 and Lite boxes cost $100, but do not contain autograph cards and contain fewer parallel cards.

Topps Chrome cards come with a nice shiny finish and with plenty of parallel variants as well. They are also the only other Topps product to contain autographs. The card line-up consists of many Formula 1 driver cards, Formula 2 driver cards, team principals and more.

Topps Chrome Sapphire

Topps Chrome Sapphire also has been present from the start. They come with a limited number of cards in a shiny Sapphire finish, parallels are of course also available. Boxes cost $300-400, with first year product as pretty much always costing a lot more.

Pretty much the same cards as in the Topps Chrome counterpart can be found here, except insert sets and autograph cards are not available.

Topps Paper

Topps Paper is a new addition starting with the 2021 product line-up. These boxes focus on relics containing parts of authentic gloves, race suits, etc. from Formula 1 drivers and team principals. Boxes cost about $50-80 and are also available in Blaster format, costing closer to $20-25. These cards are also referred to as paper cards because regular card stock is used as opposed to thicker card stock which Topps Chrome cards use.

The card line-up is very similar to the Topps Chrome counterpart from the same year, however minor differences may be present and the insert subsets are different. Generally speaking these cards are less valuable and less desirable, however the relics and insert subsets are still cool!

Topps Lights Out

Topps Lights Out is a type of product that is out of sync with the main releases. Boxes are usually released at different dates and cost about $100. The main attraction of these boxes is a nice looking parallel card, and the 1/1 and /5 parallels even have a special Gold or Silver-colored border!

Topps Now

Topps Now celebrates the latest achievements of teams and drivers soon after the Grand Prix event has finished! You can buy these cards directly from Topps for $4-10 each depending on the quantity you purchase.

These are usually only available for purchase for one week, and you have a chance to hit parallels from the 2021 cards onward. Visit the Topps Archives to view all released cards.

Topps Event Exclusives

From time to time Topps releases special Event Exclusives, sometimes they are tied to specific Grand Prix events, and sometimes it is a more general release. The Turbo Attax Fire cards form one such example, with 250 cards being available for a select number of drivers.

Topps Turbo Attax

Topps Turbo Attax cards are a different type of product that is aimed mostly at occasional collectors. You may also encounter these packs in stores in town. The cards are quite cheap and boxes cost about $20-50 and contain a lot of cards compared to the other products.

These sets are also very big and are the first releases to contain Formula 3 cards, perhaps one day their rookie cards may be worth something, but I would not hold out too much hope for it. Generally these cards are not graded, though there are some exceptions as Topps has recently started putting rarer limited chase cards in these boxes as well.

Vintage

Next to the recent Topps releases there are also several vintage cards available! Just a few of them can be seen below. In the right grade some of them can even be worth thousands of dollars!

SI for Kids

Sports Illustrated for Kids is a magazine that comes with a page full of perforated cards that can be removed very carefully. Sometimes these cards become very sought after rookie cards, this for example happened with the 2009 SI for Kids Lewis Hamilton #360 rookie card!

Grid

1992 Grid Formula One is a complete box set that got released in 1992. It features many Formula 1 drivers from back in the day including true GOATs like Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. A must-have for any Formula 1 collector!

Futera

Futera has had several Formula 1 releases. They are mostly popular among long-time collectors and often don’t feature the full team branding, most likely for legal reasons. Some cards are worth a lot though! As can be seen here on eBay.

Final words

Hopefully you learned something new about Formula 1 cards after reading this article! Please consider following me on my Twitter, on my Instagram, or to subscribe to the newsletter on my Home page if you are interested in more articles!