The Best Ways to Collect Max Verstappen in 2026

Building a Max Verstappen collection is refreshingly simple once you know the map — because Topps holds the official Formula 1 license, everything modern comes from one program: Chrome Formula 1 (which is itself the base set — there is no paper flagship), the online-exclusive Sapphire and LogoFractor editions, premium Eccellenza and Lights Out, Turbo Attax, print-to-order Topps Now, and the ultra-premium Dynasty autographed-relic line. Here’s the practical, in-order approach — from a base card to a graded slab — with real card numbers at each stage so you know what you’re actually looking for.

1. Start with a base card

The cleanest entry point is a base card from Topps Chrome F1 out of a Value Blaster retail box — cheap, unambiguous, and a genuine licensed Verstappen card. His 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 cards (card #162) are the anchor of the modern licensed run and carry rookie-card status; every season since has its own Chrome release, most recently 2025 Topps Chrome Formula 1, where his base card sits at card #73 in the “F1 Cars” subset. See the rookie cards guide and the year-by-year card hub for the exact set families to search each season.

A base card also teaches you the mechanics you’ll need for everything else: how to read year + set + card number off the back, and how to spot a legitimate seller, before you’re risking real money.

2. Step up to refractors & parallels

Once you’re hooked, the chromium refractors from Chrome F1 — and the online-exclusive Chrome F1 Sapphire — are where value and visual appeal climb. A refractor isn’t a different card, it’s a color-treated parallel of the same base card, serial-numbered on the back. A real example currently in the catalog: 2021 Topps Chrome Formula 1 #55, Orange Red Refractor, PSA 10. Lower serial numbers (a /25 vs. a /99) are scarcer and generally more valuable, but the set matters too — a Sapphire numbered parallel and a standard Chrome refractor aren’t interchangeable even at the same print run. See the parallels & refractors guide for the full color ladder from base Refractor up to 1/1 SuperFractor.

3. Chase the autographs

The top of the market is on-card autographs, headlined by ultra-premium Topps Dynasty F1 — case-hit, low-print-run, built specifically around on-card signatures rather than the stickers used on some higher-volume Chrome autograph inserts. Buy these graded: a PSA, SGC or BGS slab certifies the signature and the condition, which matters most here because a forged or autopen signature is the single biggest risk in the category. Full breakdown — on-card vs. sticker, redemptions, and how numbering drives scarcity — on the autographs & chrome page and the dedicated autograph guide.

4. Buy smart

Cards trade on the live eBay market — always check completed “sold” listings, not asking prices, before you buy. A real reference point for the “buy graded, buy verified” habit: 2025 Topps Now #88, marking Verstappen’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix win, already graded GEM Mint 10. Topps Now cards carry a published, verifiable print run (the “PR” number stamped on the card) — one of the few places in the hobby where scarcity isn’t a guess.

Buy graded at higher price points, read our collecting guide to avoid fakes and forged autos, and always confirm year + set + card number from the seller’s photos, not just the listing title — the same “Verstappen refractor” title can describe wildly different cards. Not sure what something’s worth? Use the “what’s it worth” framework, and if you already own the card, run it through the free centering tool and grading ROI calculator before deciding whether to submit it.

Real cards at each stage

Card numbers reset within every set, so it’s always year + set + number together — never the number alone — that identifies a specific card. To see how this progression fits the wider catalog, browse the Max Verstappen player hub or the Red Bull Racing team hub.