Topps Heritage... I got the itch

StickNutzman

As some of you know I've been out of collecting for a while but recently got back in. I've always considered myself more of a vintage guy, but I grabbed some jumbo packs of Topps Heritage from the store and wow... Topps sure knows how to push the right buttons on a vintage collector with these ones. Before I "invest" on some other years and bigger quantities... I thought I'd get some opinions.

Is assembling a complete set a foolhardy proposition with all the variations? Which year Heritage cards do you guys like the best? I've been looking into grabbing some of the 2009 Heritage because I've always loved the 1960 design. Is hobby boxes the best way to go? It seems like the 2011 Heritage are a bit overpriced but other years are more reasonable. The chance of snagging a relic or auto card is a nice bonus too... Sorry I'm a bit late to the party on this.

BunchOBull

Not foolhardy at all, but there are more cost effective means of coming by a complete set + SPs; unless you're looking specifically to hand collate.

Otherwise, purchasing a complete set with high number SPs on eBay and adding the super short prints (SSPs) as they pop up will cost much less.

bishop

I have a run of them, 2001 to 2011 ,and agree with Bunch. It's not as much fun buying them as a set, but maybe cheaper. Usually the "master sets" are sold on ebay with just the SPs and the regular insert sets, and the SSPs have to bought separately. The prices for the latter will be extremely high early on, but usually drop down considerably over time. You need patience on them unless price is not an issue. The B&W SSPs for 2009 were really tough for me for

Sethro

Funny, I just got the itch recently, too.

I am putting together a 2007 Heritage set, as 1958 Topps is my favorite design. I have purchased a few boxes and I would estimate I am about 80 cards short of the set, mostly SPs of course. I never heard of SSPs though. Are there SSPs in the 2007 Heritage set?

I think I might buy a couple more boxes and then try to just finish the set by purchasing/trading the cards individually. I don't think I am going to try for all the inserts, as that seems like an impossible task, but I do want to at least try and get all the chrome cards numbered x/1958. (I think they are chrome. I don't know the difference between a chrome card and a refractor.)

Hopefully I can find some more boxes for relatively cheap. The ones listed on eBay have been sitting for a while, I am guessing because they are priced high, and any search I do finds even higher prices.

If I finally do finish I think I will try for the 2009 set as well! Good luck!

StickNutzman

Yeah I've currently been scouring the web for 2009 hobby boxes and $100 seems like the universal price. On the other hand I could get a 2008 box for half that on Amazon. Where are some of the best places to look for hobby boxes besides eBay?

Also I don't think I'm all that interested in buying an already assembled complete set. Where's the fun in that?

parkerj

Stick, welcome to the heritage world. Buying via boxes is definitely the most fun, but also the most expensive. I highly recommend retail boxes for building sets. The hits are only slightly lower, but you'll get just as many sp's and base for much less. You can still pickup as far back as 2006 in boxes reasonably ~65-75 a box. 2009 thru 2011 were lower production than 2006-2008, so they are a little higher in price. FYI, the chance of pulling ink is there, but very slim, especially if you are used to other products.

<spam>
I keep a full stock of all heritage base sets, inserts, chromes, and sp's on hand for sale (ebay and off ebay). I can fill most orders with on-hand stock, if you need something, pm me. I've sold and traded with many on this board.
</endspam>

StickNutzman

So hobby boxes have a higher hit rate for ink and relics? No wonder the prices are ridiculous. That is definitely part of the fun though! A good hit would justify the higher price. I might grab a retail & hobby of the 2009 and see what I get.

lwehlers

2005 and 2008 are my favorite sets. i have all eleven sets with short prints so far. i really look foward to next year i really like the 63 topps design.

parkerj

hobby boxes are guaranteed one relic or auto per box.
i bet retail has about the same rate.

don't get too excited about the relics....they are just $3 cards on ebay all day long, again much cheaper just to buy the relics you want. you might get lucky with a rare dual relic or something #/25 but that is usually one per case if that.

Edited to add:
my alltime fave is the 2005 set. Great great photograph, and i was always partial to the 1956s anyhow. the 2003 is another great one. just very well done.

Bigjohn69

sorry for your itch, really,, not sure where your itch is originating so other than body powders theres this,,

very very disapointed with this years run of cards, and the look to them is Gawd aweful ugly,, just an opinion, good luck with your quest,,, j

StickNutzman

Haha... What are you trying to say?
I agree that this year isn't as pretty as past years. 2006 is the ugliest in my opinion, with 2009 and 2005 as my faves.

In this hobby if you feel a pull toward a certain product, it's just about impossible to quit thinking about it until you have it in hand. And ripping packs is just plain fun.

Walt

If you want sets then buy sets it is FAR better price wise. The older heritage sets, and even the newer stuff like 09 have never gone down price wise. A box of
02 or 03 heritage will be MUCH better than 09, but they are probably the same price. It just isn't wise to try to build sets by opening wax, the collation of
boxes in a case was awful for 07-09, last year and especially this year was MUCH better. I did the set this year pretty easily.

Retail wax is a good option, but remember big hits that can be found in hobby packs are MAJOR trade bait. Pull an autograph that sell for 100 bucks and you have paid
for a third or more of a complete set!

I have a few sets for sale if you are interested, I sent you a PM. Good Luck with whatever you decide!

Bigjohn69

<< <i>Haha... What are you trying to say?
I agree that this year isn't as pretty as past years. 2006 is the ugliest in my opinion, with 2009 and 2005 as my faves.

In this hobby if you feel a pull toward a certain product, it's just about impossible to quit thinking about it until you have it in hand. And ripping packs is just plain fun. >>



I have to say,, this yrs Topps series 1 is just about as nice of set visually as well as ,, well, just having some fun after the fact,, meaning,,, regular cards you buy them, put sets together, yadda yadda yadda, put them away,,,, but with that diamond give-a-way they have its actually kind of fun trading and playing the game they have on there, , plus a buck a pk cheeper,,,j

Stone193

I collected Heritage from 2001 to 2009 - and I agree with Ross - looking for a buy on the complete sets with SPs is the best way to go - but also agree - it's no fun.

I never completed the 2002 set - so I finally bought a complete set to match up with what I have quality-wise.

My criticism of Heritage has been in the quality control - some years are worse than others - the first "bad" year - and for me it was rough cuts - 2003.

I may be in the minority - but I did buy a couple of blasters from Target this year - and to be honest - I didn't like some of the photos - just didn't like the printing appearance.

Trying to put together a set by purchasing individual boxes of a certain year will be quite a task unless you contact some on the boards who will either trade with you or give you a good deal.

Good luck - it's a great set - I only dropped out due to economics - I was buying a hobby case each year and then buying numerous retail from Target and Walmart - not cheap - I must say.

jmmiller777

<< <i>Funny, I just got the itch recently, too.

I am putting together a 2007 Heritage set, as 1958 Topps is my favorite design. I have purchased a few boxes and I would estimate I am about 80 cards short of the set, mostly SPs of course. I never heard of SSPs though. Are there SSPs in the 2007 Heritage set?

I think I might buy a couple more boxes and then try to just finish the set by purchasing/trading the cards individually. I don't think I am going to try for all the inserts, as that seems like an impossible task, but I do want to at least try and get all the chrome cards numbered x/1958. (I think they are chrome. I don't know the difference between a chrome card and a refractor.)

Hopefully I can find some more boxes for relatively cheap. The ones listed on eBay have been sitting for a while, I am guessing because they are priced high, and any search I do finds even higher prices.

If I finally do finish I think I will try for the 2009 set as well! Good luck! >>



Looks like we have a couple of more Heritage addicts coming. Great, as this is a good place to learn and trade with others that are just as strung out. To answer your question about the chromes, etc: the chromes are numbered 1 to "whatever year they are producing". So this year Topps is copying the 1963 format, meaning chromes are numbered from 1 to 1963. The refractors are then numbered 1 to 963. It is the same photo with maybe a different border or something to set it apart from the chromes. Then the blacks would be numbered to 63, again utilizing the same photo. Blacks are just as the name implies, black borders. I haven't seen any of those this year.

The term master set "usually" means the base set(ex 1-425), the short prints(426-500 found in 1:3 packs), and the 4 or 5 subsets(usually 8-12 cards ea). An example would be the Flashbacks, News Flashbacks, Then & Now, etc. Additionall, each year tries to replicate something from the original year they represent. We have had stamps, greenbacks, redbacks, dice back, and even error and variant cards that were smiliar to the original cards. Most do not consider these part of the master set. This year the addition of green, blue and red tints are found, as well as some black to woodgrain border cards. I think there are even green chrome cards, not sure what these are all about. Then we have the SSP cards. I find these very difficult to find and they are expensive to try and purchase. Autographs in the past have been most of the driving factor for the case crackers. I think this year has some great names(Banks, Musuial, Gibson, Robinson,etc), they are just difficult to find. They do the same thing here as they do with the chrome/refractors; blue/red ink. Then there are the buybacks, the advertising panels and all kinds of other chase cards to look for. Was it the 55 set that had "Dem Bums" or something? Last year was Mantle, Ruth, and Maris subsets as well. Anyway, welcome to Heritage. You will find several very knowledgeable guys here that can provide much more detail then I can, and there are great trading sources as well. Later...

parkerj

minor correction to jim miller's post: refractors are 562 (or 5xx) for the year they are producing, not 962 (or 9xx).

ThoseBackPages

Stick,

Welcome to the pool my friend! the water is warm, and it's not as crowded as it once was from what i hear
you see, i am new to the party as well as i caught the Heritage Bug a few months back.

i highly recommend picking up the sets already completed, thats how i did it. sure not as "fun" as ripping tons
of wax, but much better on the wallet.

i am down to about 50 cards shy of the master run of 2001 to 2011 base sets. i am not a fan of inserts, as they
werent around when the sets being portrayed were released.

HeritageAddict

It's always nice to see a new addition to our little Heritage group......but be warned, it will most definitely hook you.

ThoseBackPages

wanted to add that these sets look AMAZING in sheets/albums!

Sportsamerica

I got the itch as well... Just finished the 2011 set (1-500) don't do subsets. Now ripping 2008 set.. I know the easy way is to buy the sets, but that is not my thing. I just like putting them together, and hunting for the cards. I know it is not the most cost effective, but oh well..

brian26

<< <i>Stick,

Welcome to the pool my friend! the water is warm, and it's not as crowded as it once was from what i hear
you see, i am new to the party as well as i caught the Heritage Bug a few months back.

i highly recommend picking up the sets already completed, thats how i did it. sure not as "fun" as ripping tons
of wax, but much better on the wallet.

i am down to about 50 cards shy of the master run of 2001 to 2011 base sets. i am not a fan of inserts, as they
werent around when the sets being portrayed were released. >>



How do you put together 11 years of Heritage in basically two months?

brian26

<< <i>As some of you know I've been out of collecting for a while but recently got back in. I've always considered myself more of a vintage guy, but I grabbed some jumbo packs of Topps Heritage from the store and wow... Topps sure knows how to push the right buttons on a vintage collector with these ones. Before I "invest" on some other years and bigger quantities... I thought I'd get some opinions.

Is assembling a complete set a foolhardy proposition with all the variations? Which year Heritage cards do you guys like the best? I've been looking into grabbing some of the 2009 Heritage because I've always loved the 1960 design. Is hobby boxes the best way to go? It seems like the 2011 Heritage are a bit overpriced but other years are more reasonable. The chance of snagging a relic or auto card is a nice bonus too... Sorry I'm a bit late to the party on this. >>



SSPs are basically nonsense and aren't considered part of the master set, so don't kill yourself trying to find those. The SSP phenomenon started in 2006 with the Alex Gordon cut-out card.

ThoseBackPages

<< <i>

<< <i>Stick,

Welcome to the pool my friend! the water is warm, and it's not as crowded as it once was from what i hear
you see, i am new to the party as well as i caught the Heritage Bug a few months back.

i highly recommend picking up the sets already completed, thats how i did it. sure not as "fun" as ripping tons
of wax, but much better on the wallet.

i am down to about 50 cards shy of the master run of 2001 to 2011 base sets. i am not a fan of inserts, as they
werent around when the sets being portrayed were released. >>



How do you put together 11 years of Heritage in basically two months? >>



with the help of three online collectors, ebay, and COMC! lol

parkerj

Eric send me your 50 card wantlist, i may have picked up a few more you need.

- jim

parkerj

Brian, all it takes is money and inclination!

BunchOBull

<< <i>wanted to add that these sets look AMAZING in sheets/albums! >>



Yes, however...

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT WARNING

...I love storing sets in binders, from 100+ year old cards to current; however, there is a right and wrong way.

#1. ALWAYS use cardboard or plastic inserts in the rear and front of the binder. I use corrugated plastic sheets made for sign printing. These prevent sheets from slipping under the binder rings and cards from becoming crimped by the rings.

- I also think it's a good idea to place an insert between every 25 sheets or so as well. This helps prevent bending and bowing of the cards when flipping through multiple sheets at a time.

#2. Store the binders flat. Upright storage causes stress on the sheets, they sag, putting weight on the cards. Not good.

If you do those two things, water, dirt, fire, natural disaster are all that's left. I'm currently in the process of designing fireproof life preservers for binders. I'll let you know how that plays out.

Walt

Wouldn't it be great if we had one thread that had all the heritage posts through the years? I believe you can still find the 01 post in the archives.

jmmiller777

Wow Bunch, great idea on the binder info. Does everyone place the card in a penny sleeve and then slip it in the 9 card page?
I only have a few of my vintage sets in binders, really need to get the Heritage in there too. My favorite 60's years is yet to come: 65-69, hope I'm still around by then...

StickNutzman

<< <i>#1. ALWAYS use cardboard or plastic inserts in the rear and front of the binder. I use corrugated plastic sheets made for sign printing. These prevent sheets from slipping under the binder rings and cards from becoming crimped by the rings. >>



Do you have a link to the company that you buy your inserts from?



<< <i>If you do those two things, water, dirt, fire, natural disaster are all that's left. I'm currently in the process of designing fireproof life preservers for binders. I'll let you know how that plays out. >>



Here, just stick your binders in one of these:


Picked up another blaster of the 2011 Heritage... starting to like the design more and more. About to order a hobby box... someone talk me down.