The Topps Heritage sets for the last 25 years has been an imperfect group, I really was not paying much attention to them until 2008 when I discovered Sports Card Blogs. Also the aspects of short prints limited my collecting.
In one of the most agonizing decisions I pick 1958 (2007) over 1959 (2008).
1, 1958 (2007) - It appears these cards actually exceed the original 1958. This is probably the only Heritage set that does this. I only had the original set ranked 23 all time.
2. 1959 (2008) - The photos were cropped just a little to tight. But I love the design
3 1971 (2020) - This set had to be released in the pandemic year - when prices were through the roof - I might have collected. When I look at these Heritage cards I feel something. I did not collect this set when it first came out but some how got a hold of some in 1972 and 1973 but my big haul was going through a box at a flea market in about 1980 as a 15 year old and just pulling semi stars Jim Hickman, Don Mincher, Johnny Callison,, Rick Wise, Tommie Harper - I will never forget that day - what a feeling.
4. 1976 (2025) 1976 was my collecting prime - This heritage set gives me a feeling. There is a huge drop off after these top 4 sets.
5. 1969 (2018) This set stands on an island it is better than everyone below it but it does not give me the feeling of the 4 above
6. 1975 (2024) Probably the heritage set I was looking forward to the most. Slightly disappointed, the photos were just a tad too small, the borders were just a tad to big.
7. 1972 (2021) My favorite set of all time but for Heritage I was slightly more disappointed than 2024 - A big part of the feeling is missing
8. 1962 (2013) I was feeling it with these cards back then - maybe it was the wood grain
9. 1968 (2017) Not near the 1962 set but the brown borders help
10. 1965 (2014) I have this I my 6th favorite design but Topps kind of missed this
11 1964 (2013) Not great but this was not a total miss
12. 1966 (2015) Did not do too much for me
13. 1967 (2016) Kind of dull compared to the original
14. 1954 (2003) inferior to the 1994 reprint set
15. 1963 (2014) There was something missing about the look and feel of these cards
16. 1952 (2001) - Kind of Blah
17. 1957 (2006) - Kind of Blah
18. 1953 (2002) - A huge disappointment they felt nothing like the original
19. 1974 (2023) Not a favorite designs heritage did not improve on it
20. 1973 (2022) - First set I ever started collecting at the beginning of the season. As a 7 year old I discovered 1972 Topps Baseball in the middle of the summer - then I went into the fall collecting football, hockey, basketball. When I was 8 years old this set gave me a tremendous feeling bit it was lost over the years and heritage did nothing to recapture it and might have made it worse.
21. 1970 (2019) - had this ranked 31 all time - heritage did not improve on it.
22,23,24 - 1955(2004), 1956 (2005) 1960 (2009) - Too much like Topps Big
25. 1961 (2012) - The cards/photo in this set were horrific in this set and felt nothing like the original
I don't think I could rank all these, I feel like I would've had to collect them all and I didn't buy any Heritage until 2008.
ReplyDeleteI agree that 2008 (1959) was pretty great. I also like 2013 (1962) a lot. Agree that "the feel" is missing from the 2021 (1972) set, was very disappointed.
I'm surprised 2023 (1974) is rated so low, I think this is the last time Topps actually tried to replicate the feel of the original set and did a fairly decent job.