We got a box of 2009 Topps Heritage to review yesterday and did a live break of it on UStream. We didn’t hit any of the Super SP’s, but odds wise in general we did fairly well. Continue reading for the review.
Topps Heritage is one of the most anticipated sets every year for the set building crowd. The prices on some of the inserts can get in to the crazy range. This years set design is based on the 1960 Topps, which had possibly the first Baseball card I really wanted, Yaz’s rookie card. I loved how the rookies in this set looked like that card and really was hoping to get a Michael Bowden like that. Unfortunately I did not hit the Bowden, but SchmidtFan20 who was in our UStream chat did say he would send me one out. He was a great resource to have in the chat room and hopefully he can write up some stuff on the Heritage line for us in the future. But let’s get on to the review.
The Look - It’s a classic design, so if you like the original you like this set. I love the look of the All Star and Rookie Cards. Like I said above I am definitely biased on the rookies since one of my all time white whales, which for some reason I still do not have, but there is a reason why Heritage sets are popular. The mix of the classic design with new players does well every year, and garners as grade of A.
The Value- This is a set that to the naked eye probably baffles a lot of collectors, but year after year is one of the sets that has the highest odds of making you money back between the Heritage Chrome, Refractors and Black Refractors. Add in the Game Jersey or autograph hits, and the super SP cards such as the John Smoltz Red Sox variation, you can do great with pulls in this set. Some people may critisize the autograph checklist this year but with the first autographs of such prospects like Mat Gamel, plus fan favorites like Jay Bruce, Justin Masterson, and Ryan Howard it can do fairly well. If this is a set that you are looking to the autographs to make you’re money, it’s the wrong set. But if you are looking for a set with a good chance to either get great cards for TTM autographs or trade with set collectors it does great. I’ll rate this release a solid B+.
The Total Package – In this break we hit 3 Chromes, 8 SP’s, 1 1960 Buyback, 1 Jersey Relic, and 1 Ryan Howard Refractor. I did not hit any Super SP cards but those do fall aproximately one per 5 cases, so can’t complain there. The box price online falls around 80 dollars per box. This is one of, if not the most popular set every year for set builders. So most when they buy this buy a lot. That speaks to how the public reviews the value, so I have to give this an A.
I enjoyed opening Heritage 2009. I also did get 24 pieces of Gum in the packs, and this is a great set for fathers and sons, or even Grandfathers to go through and get a glimpse of the past mixed with the current MLB stars.
Popularity: 38% [?]
