Big thanks to the both of you. I really appreciate the insight from folks that know the landscape of the hobby in great detail.
My feelings on cracking packs vs. buying singles is really about the thrill of the hunt, I guess. Like a coin collector, there's a different feeling in finding a gem in your loose change vs. buying a chase pre-slabbed quarter, of course the cost disparity in getting to your gem is quite high.
I get what you are both saying about singles, though. I'm sure there are a lot of players/frames/looks that I would love to own and could buy for short money compared to even one hobby box. Just looking at the 2024 Series 1 checklist and then looking at the odds and the eBay prices, I can see why you're both landing in the singles camp. This might just be a recalibration of how I view the values of cards. It's crazy to me that I can get a PSA 9 Johnny Bench from an actual year he played for a BiN that's only a fraction of the going rate for the LHA-2 in 2024 Series 1, but I realize that the LHA-2 is likely considerably more scarce, and that's a listing not a completed sale.
The cynic in me says that all of the Topps products are just additional opportunities for money grabs, but you have taken the time to pick out products you think would be better of me, so I know there has to be some differences. Topps Series 1 (which I'm assuming is the Flagship? I know they do a Series 2 later in the year and that the frames generally feel the most like the cards of yore), Heritage, Stadium Club, Chrome, Archives, what's the real difference between these? Just the look? Is there a good place to get the details and previews of the cards in the different sets, beyond just the checklists?
So, I totally get the thrill of opening packs. For a while I got really into box/case breaks (and still dabble, though not nearly as much) because I loved the thrill but could only justify a smaller amount of cash, and wanted to make it last. I think there's still room for it for the reason you say - thrill of the hunt and honestly I find "pack-pulled" cards just mean a lot more to you as you can associate your memory of it. It's just more fun - and I think it's fine as long as you know going in that the odds of you "beating" the pack price are super low and you're okay with that.
On the LHA-2, it's mostly that Legendary Home Field Advantage cards are obscenely rare for a card from a major set - some estimates put them in the /100 print run area - and there are people who build the Home Field Advantage sets as well as player/team fans who want the card. I never got any of the Sox Legendary HFAs but I do pick up the regular ones - and your instincts are right on it being overpriced as the only one out there, but it is a funky system and hobby.
For the products, here's my rundown of them
Main Product Lines:
Topps Series 1, Topps Series 2, Topps Update - These are your "flagship" products. Think of these like the baseball cards of the last seventy years - the one set Topps would put out. It usually builds out to a 700-800 card set of every notable MLB player of the year and it's available nearly everywhere. They print a ton of it and it's very collectible. It's your baseline and often one of only a couple sets where you'll be able to get non-star, non-rookie, non-legend cards in. There's a little bit of everything in this set - fun inserts, relic and autograph cards, playoff relic/autos, chase case hit inserts, etc. The cards themselves are glossy cards, parallels are typically borders/frames but can be full-bleed/card depending on the years.
Topps Heritage, Topps Heritage High Number - This set is the other set with a massive checklist (usually 700-750 cards over two sets) - it uses a design of a set from 50 years prior (so this year's is the 1975 set-design) with modern players. This is primarily a "set-building" product where people will buy boxes, trade, and buy singles to compile the whole set like ye olde days. These also have "Real One" autographs - on card autos on a classic design that are popular in the hobby. There cards are usually the traditional cardboard you'd expect from the 60s-70s.
Topps Stadium Club - This is a medium sized set with cards focused on photography. There are no borders on the cards (parallels are the foil on the logo), and it usually has specific image choices where the picture is the highlight of the card. This is a set from the 1990s they revived, they have on-card autographs on these great images as well as some mostly forgettable insert cards. This is a great set for people who want a "stars, rookies, and legends" real set-build with some exceptional image work. The cards are glossy, thin-stock like Topps Series 1/2/U
Bowman, Bowman Draft, Bowman Chrome - Bowman is the primary "prospect" set. The big draw is that the "Bowman 1st" generally the most desirable of any player's card - as its typically their first licensed card. Prices have shot up dramatically on opening this over the years, but is still the best source for minor leaguers with MLB logos on the card. The newest Bowman just came out with key players being Dylan Crews, Walker Jenkins, Kyle Teel, etc. Bowman puts out three different sets a year (Bowman Chrome is its own set with own unique checklists). The Bowman and Bowman Draft sets have both glossy paper and chromium cards, Bowman Chrome is all Chromium.
Topps Archives - I think of Topps Archives as the variety show of baseball - usually 4-5 different "years" in a set of a mix of modern and former players, with a very diverse checklist (often some "fan favorite" retired guys sign in this that don't elsewhere) and a mix of designs. I am not a huge fan of this set but others love it.
Topps Allen and Ginter - You saw these but it's based loosely on the 1800s A&G sets - but with full size paper (non-glossy) cards as well as minis. The main appeal of this set is that they have all those esoteric mini-sets as well as the mini-framed autos which often have subjects that sign in few or no other products and only once at that. Last year had Wemby, Nadal, Kevin Hart, Robert Kraft, among a pretty stacked list of players for instance. The non-player relics can be a lot of fun too (comedian Adam Ray chopped up a script and had that put into cards last year).
Key Parallel Sets
Chrome - Most of their biggest sets also have a "Chrome" version (Topps Chrome, Stadium Club Chrome, A&G Chrome) - basically takes the paper cards and give them the Chromium styling, often with a more limited insert set, different color parallels, and the like. Topps Chrome in particular has a major market niche as often the only time you'll get autos on the "Flagship" design is in Topps Chrome. For many the Topps Chrome RC Auto is the key rookie autograph card to have.
Sapphire - Some of their biggest sets (usually Topps Flagship and Bowman) have a "Sapphire" set, which are the card with a "cracked ice" or "sapphire" pattering and a higher quality card stock. Really slick looking cards with a high price point.
Other Stuff
This covered most of the lower end product base (minus Big League/Opening Day), but baseball also has a slew of other products in the Mid-Tier and High End. Without going into fifty different product lines, here are some general product types and trends.
The One Pack Magic Boxes (Inception, Topps Chrome Black, Breakers Delight Boxes): These are products with several cards in them that either come a small, premium base set and/or an autograph set. Usually these are mid-priced products ($150-$400 or so) and guarantee a hit or multiple hits.
The One or Two Card Magic Boxes - Lower End (Archives Autos, Clearly Authentic)- Functionally a mystery box of an autograph, mostly on a buyback card but also could be of a card designed for the product.
The One or Two Card Magic Boxes - Higher End (Inception, Sterling) - These are cards designed for the product with a high end (stars, legends, top rookies mostly) on high end card stock with on card autos, premium, relics, etc.
The Multi-Hit Mid-Tier Boxes (Bowman's Best, Topps Pristine, Topps Tribute, Topps Triple Threads) - These are typically smaller sets with multiple autos in each box - with subjects depending on the product type, with some high end chases but most of the value is on volume more than those chases for the most part,
Formats
Not every product is in every format - generally the higher end you go, the less variety you get, and most products only come in one box "type" (Hobby or Web Exclusive). With that said, you may see some or all of these
Jumbo Box - Typically a medium sized number (8-12) of packs with a ton of cards, better odds for inserts, autos, relics, etc, and a higher price point (usually 2x-3x Hobby)
Hobby Box - The "base" entry method, a higher number of packs (16-24) with a moderate number of cards per pack.
A "Lite" Box - This can vary a lot - either fewer cards, a reduced quanity/type of hits, or the like for a lower price than Hobby.
Blaster Box - You'll see these at Wally World or your LCS, usually 4-8 packs that look like Hobby but have different odds meant for Retail Settings - usually $20-$30
Hanger Box - A "one" pack box (that can hang on a hook) with 50-60 cards - usually about $10-$15
Finally, as to where to find out about releases, Cardboard Connection was the gold standard but their Checklist Person seems to have left and they've fallen off a bit. Beckett is probably the best "summarizer" right now but they're not great. For instance the Bowman page is here
2024 Bowman Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists, Box Details (beckett.com)
I generally keep a few breakers in my Youtube subscriptions to see what products are being broken to see if I want to dive in on them or not too, just a good way to catch visuals from people opening early. Probably worth adding a few card stores on instagram/facebook who post when they get shipments in too.