The 2012 Topps Bryce Harper 661 Variation Collection. To me this is one of the most sought after rookie cards. If it's not the most sought after, it's possibly the most talked about. Bryce Harper has been a phenom since he was 16 years old. So when Topps made his first rookie card. They made multiple variations of it. Leg up as it is known as in the base factory set, it's considered #661C. Leg up is considered to be Harper's "True Rookie Card" because it is included in all of Topps factory sets. Then there is Screaming, it is know as #661D, it came only in retail factory sets. These two cards are way more populated. Once Harper got called up in 2102, Topps decided to make his card that they would also include a short print version, one called Batting #661A and the other Batting Autograph #661B. These two were randomly put into Series Two hobby boxes. If you follow the industry, you will know that topps comes out with a factory set each year to include 660 cards. But since it was Harper, they added a card to the set in this year. Over the course of time these short prints have become very popular and collector's are always looking for these cards. To show the difference in the scarcity of the C & D versions vs the A & B versions, lets look at the population report by Professional Sports Authenticator, (PSA). Let's start with Leg up, PSA has graded 1062 with 721 graded GEM MINT 10, the highest grade offered by the world's leading 3rd party authenticator. Screaming has been graded 1188 times with 805 being PSA 10's. Now let's shift to the two that collector's look to as rare! First the #661A Batting, graded 315 times to date with 185 being graded PSA 10. The #661B or Batting Autograph is by far the rarest of all, Graded 26 times by PSA with 12 being PSA 10. I am a huge Harper fan and I have been collecting his cards since the end of 2012. The demand for these short prints is overwhelming. I would say over the course of time you will see these cards as great investments.
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