The Topps 2012 Heritage Card Set Has Arrived!

I’m happy to report that this week I went to several baseball card shops and purchased three boxes of the newly issued Topps 2012 Heritage set, which features today’s ball players on cards that utilize the 1963 format. Those of you who read my recent post on the 1963 Topps set know that it is my favorite. I was so anxious to open these cards after purchasing them that I would have taken a rocket home if one was available. However, on this particular rainy day, a cab did the trick.

I lost track of time while opening them. During this period I was so mesmerized by the “new” 1963-style cards that I may have entered a different state of consciousness. Part of me thought back to the last time I opened this many baseball card packs in one sitting, which occurred in 1965 when I bought an entire box of them. Back then they went for a nickel a pack. I wish they cost that now. But I can’t complain about the cost because these cards are a gift from my three sisters, who gave me the money for them. Susan, Nancy and Jane, thank you for this wonderful gift! It’s so cool that these cards are from you, and I will remember that whenever I look at them in the months and years ahead.

While opening them I noticed a number of inserts, which Topps is famous for. They come in some crazy, random, haphazard order that gets some people to keep buying. I suppose some collectors are hooked on them because they sure are costly when you purchase them on the secondary market. Fortunately, they don’t do much for me, so I usually end up trading them for cards I need to finish out a particular set. That’s what I’ll do with most of the inserts that came into my life this week.

They are a varied lot. There’s a “News Flashbacks” series highlighting events from 1963, baseball and otherwise. I am now the proud owner of baseball cards featuring Pope Paul VI, Russian Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova and a host of others people and topics. Wow. Another subset  is titled “New Age Performers.” This one has today’s best players on cards in a brand new format. What happened to 1963, Topps? You guys didn’t issue these cards back then. I know. I was there. Also present are “Then ’63, Now ’12” cards that compare a great performer from that time to a great one now. “Clubhouse Collection” cards feature game-used memorabilia. I got one that has a tiny piece of cloth from a uniform once worn by Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Stickers from that era are inserted in packs as well. There’s a red border series, a fancy thick card series, and an even fancier silver, thick card series.

There is a subset featuring autographs from players who were in the 1963 set. I got one featuring Johnny Logan, who was a pretty fair shortstop in his day. He played in the major leagues for thirteen years, with stops in Boston, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.

Then, from the initial 1963 issue, I got a Lenny Green card that was stamped in the upper left with a Topps 50th Anniversary stamp. That was pretty cool. I remember him from his years with the Minnesota Twins, where he played all three outfield positions. I’ll keep these two cards.

Terrific is the word that comes to mind in connection with the primary cards from this set. By “primary” cards, I mean the regular cards that make up the bulk of this issue. I know my opinion is influenced by my love for the ’63 format. In my mind I see some so-so photography and a few poor expressions on the players faces. In my heart, however, every one of these cards is a winner. So far I’ve sat for hours, reading the backs of the cards, sorting them, picking favorites and engaging in all the other activities we card collectors enjoy.

I think the folks at Topps have short printed some of the higher numbers in this set, which runs in excess of 500 cards. After sorting mine, I totaled up how many cards I needed to complete my set. I divided my “needs” into groups of 100’s. The low numbers look good but the high numbers are harder to find. Check this out:

Cards 1 through 99: 5 cards still needed.

Cards 100 through 199: 5 cards still needed.

Cards 200 through 299: 6 cards still needed.

Cards 300 through 399: 11 cards still needed.

Cards 400 through 499: 38 cards still needed.

Cards 500 and up: I don’t have any of these.

All in all, I’m very happy with my new cards. Lots of people will want to trade for the cards from the subsets. I know several other collectors I’ve connected with through my blogging and membership in the Baseball Blogger’s Alliance, so I’ll be able to trade my “primary” duplicates with them for most of the cards I need. That’s great, because these are, after all, trading cards.

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On another note, I want to thank those of you who have liked the “Grubby Glove – All Things Baseball” Facebook page. I’ll use it to make brief comments, show art work, note players birthdays and etc. So far, it’s been fun. With your participation, I’m sure it will continue to be so. This is Grubby Glove, thanking you all, and signing off, until next time.