Heritage High Numbers: A Perspective of a Collector

Topps Heritage High Numbers is an interesting concept on its face. And then it completely subverted the concept and fell flat on its face. The problem with it is twofold: 1)The obvious one is the price point of $100 for one 100 card set and one auto.  This prices out the first world set building collectors that just want Heritage in all its forms.  2) The other and more disturbing is the fact that it is limited to 1000 copies, which is the claim for justifying the high price point.

The Heritage design of this year is memorable because 1963 Topps's design was memorable; it is colorful and lends itself well to treatment in multiple ways (see Heritage minors), so an extension of the early year release with this year's desirable rookies and blockbuster trades is commendable.  The online-only distribution also isn't that bad since Topps Mini seemed to have a good supply, and there are other great cards that Topps has done online over the past couple years.

::Cue gratuitous 2011 Diamond Die Cut scans::

::end scene::


I also thought that the 2012 Topps Mini set was a good idea in addition to the online giveaway set cards from the past couple years.  This set, though, does not feel so much as an update set, but as a money grab.   There are a couple reasons I see this as being its principal case for being.

First, is that the numbering of the set does not seem to be a continuous extension of the Heritage set from this year; the numbering of the base cards is H576-H675.  Where are numbers 501-575?  Did I miss something?  Also, since when do Heritage cards have an H at the start of the numbering?  To be a true boxed traded set (not seen since 2000 Topps Traded), the numbering would have to reset to HT1-HT100 or be a true continuation a la 1981 Topps Traded.

Though the Heritage High Number sets from 2008-2009 were true high number products, they also lacked in their execution.  They were coupled with Topps Update & Highlights, and had too much of an SP ratio for the size of the set.  They also weren't a boxed set.

Second, is that the auto checklist is tailored in such a way to justify the cost rather than the other way around. What I mean by that is that it seems Topps put Darvish, Harper, Cespedes, Middlebrooks, and Bauer on the auto checklist, saw that they were there, and then priced the set accordingly.  I don't know the price to obtain these elite hobby rookie autos, but that's the perception that remains.

The remaining question is, is it possible to profit financially from such a release?  Let's say I buy 5 sets and hold them. Will the secondary market price ever exceed $100 for sealed sets?  If I open them and pull the red ink Harper auto, will I recoup the cost?

The answer to the second question is easier than the first.  Harper autos can generally be said to go in the $150-$400 range for unnumbered or high numbered ones.  Pulling the cream autos will recoup cost, pulling Edinson Volquez will not.

The answer to the second question is at the whim of market forces.  There probably can't be a significant jump in sets because of the nature of releases in 2012.  If I want a limited Darvish, Harper, or Cespedes rookie, I can pick and choose from a number of them.  Will the Heritage design be the magnet that draws me past all the others?  I just don't see a similar jump happening than what happened with 2000 Topps Traded this season or 2011 Gypsy Queen last year or 2010 Bowman the year before.  The limited nature is pre-supposed, the distribution is centralized, so there is no competition to drive up prices, and the subject matter is not exclusive.

It falls somewhere between the first and second world of collecting, though the odds for pulling an elite auto are not that astronomical if they're all inserted equally, and the ones who purchase it at first opportunity may be left holding the bag for a set that has the negative potential to be no more than a footnote.

I also can also be completely wrong, and it will go on the rocket flight of 1993 Stadium Club Murphy.  Like I've been implying, the idea is sound, but the execution needs some refinement to be palatable to one of the collector worlds.

The ideal configuration for me would be $50 with a larger print run (5000? 10000?), one auto and five chrome card parallels per boxed set.  I think that would grab more attention and keep more collectors involved in the long run.

Peeking into a Corner of the 2012 Heritage Universe

I am not a Heritage collector, but I do collect Heritage cards....does this make sense? In other words, I don't think I would ever consciously go after the set in a given year because it would probably entail buying a case or more and that's not how I roll.   (On a deja vu note, I've probably written variations of that sentence at least once each year since 2009).  And yet I dabble, maybe that's what blasters should be called, dabbling boxes....they're almost like opening a full box, but don't have quite the same feel.  

Did you know that you can get a hobby box now for less price than 3 blasters?  The lesson, as always, retail is only good for 2010 Bowman, 2011 Gypsy Queen, and 2011 Topps Value Boxes.  Below are the highlights of my first blaster purchase since 2009 Topps series 1 in search of the Target parallels.  I prefer rack packs with the bonus pack of three cards rather than the "7 packs with 1 pack bonus!" that isn't a bonus pack, but just states that it's a complete blaster with 8 packs and has no additional bonus (exceptions do exist)

The hypnotized face of a mini sticker of Madison Bumgarner...One thing I appreciate about Heritage the last few years has been the inclusion of one insert set beyond the usual assortment.  2010 had the Ruth/Maris home run chase subset and last year had something else which I'm drawing a blank on...

Domonic Brown as a red-bordered Phillie.  These are a semi-useless parallel since there's only 25 of them, but there's 25 for each of the major retail outlets.  Regardless, I was happy to pull a Phillie, even if he's an Iron Pig to start the year.

The other interesting part of Heritage is that they really try hard to fit players in their new uniforms....for well-known players at least.

Jose Reyes pretending to like the M on his new jersey.

Aramis Ramirez happy to get away from the talk of curses and to a place where there's a slide in the outfield, and he may not have had to change houses to do so.

Jonathan Papelbon rocking the alternate day cap without knowing he's actually wearing it.

And of course, the most noted change of the offseason. Is there still interest in the SP card from 2012 Topps series 1? As with many things in the hobby, good things come to those who wait, except if you wait too long, in which case, they don't come at all.

Other quirks were picked up from the original set like floating heads.  Cliff Lee is certain that Tim Lincecum is laughing at him because of that time when...nothing really happened, it's just weird how stoic every other head is on the card.  As the position of power (3rd place in ERA with the red diamond), every other head wants the center spot (I think this is where jet lag is starting to show).

And then there were the normal inserts....

Then N Now starring Killebrew and Bautista, fellow back to back HR champs.

And a baseball flashback showing the retirement of Musial.  Did you know he had the same number of hits both home and away for his career (1815 hits apiece)?

So ends my 2012 Heritage sojourn....oddly enough, I'm more amped about the hockey playoffs right now rather than the beginning of baseball season.  What does that mean for the course of human events?  Only that Roy Halladay got the small screen, while the Flyers got the big screen...epic.

The Heritage Substitution Cards: 1963 Topps Phillies

As in the past two years, when the Heritage brand comes out, I'm going to attempt (with that being the operative word) to collect the corresponding vintage Phillies team set from the year that the Heritage brand is replicating. So far this year, I'm having a devil of a time locating affordable 1963 Topps Phillies cards. For some reason, 1961 and 1962 cards were comparatively easier to find. Any suggestions for locating these wayward cards of yesteryear on the intertubes besides the world's biggest marketplace?

These cards I purchased at a show late last year, and even there, 1963 was in much less quantity compared to other years around that time period (or maybe it was the Phillies cards only, memory is fuzzy like that).

With what little I have, I've decided to present the pieces of one of the most improved teams from year to year ever (because 1961 was that bad),in which the Phillies managed to improve by 34 games (probably due to the addition of the two expansion teams) and still only finish in 7th place, at least they beat the expansion teams....

Bobby Wine: Years on the Phillies: 1960-1968.  Notable fact: Never had a greater than .600 OPS for any season of his career.

Bob Oldis: Years on the Phillies:  1962-1963.  Notable Fact: Had one career home run and had higher OBP than SLG for his career.

Dallas Green: Years on Phillies: 1960-1964, 1967... Notable Fact: Member of the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame.

Art Mahaffey: Years on Phillies: 1960-1965  Notable Fact: Was selected as an all-star in 1961 despite finishing with 11-19 record.

Clay Dalrymple Years on Phillies: 1960-1968...Notable Fact:  Threw out 48.8% of runners trying to steal for his career and led the league with 8 sacrifice flies in 1964.  This is the last card until 1969 that shows an image of him doing a catcher's squat.

That is all I was able to rustle up so far.  I think I like them better than 2012 Heritage, but then again, Heritage is not a brand I normally collect.  Anything with a color swap variation that is random and requires a  visual checklist to determine if you have one is not something I will actively seek out in large quantities. 

Here's to the 1963 Phillies....if only I can find more of you to continue my collecting trend.