2006 Topps Heritage
What I pulled--
Inserts and Parallels:
Chrome Parallel (#ed to 1957) - Manny Ramirez, Andy Pettitte
Chrome Refractor Parallel - Jeff Francoeur (#524/557)
Then and Now - Red Schoendienst/Derrek Lee, Johnny Podres/Roger Clemens
Flashbacks - Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle
New Age Performers - Alex Rodriguez
Relics Cards and Autographs:
Clubhouse Collection - Brian Roberts bat
Real One Autograph - Dusty Rhodes
Review:
When I started collecting again a few years ago, there were a couple sets that really caught my eye
and were among the biggest reasons I got back into the hobby. Topps All-Time Fan Favorites was
one. Topps Heritage was the other.
This year's set is a replica of the 1957 set and, as usual, Topps goes to painstaking lengths to
make the set look, feel and even smell like the original. Of course, there are some new-fangled
bells and whistles. But without question, this set makes it a point to harken back to the infancy of
Topps, when the hobby was about the cards first and foremost.
These cards are about the gorgeous. The pictures have an airbrushed, yet arty feel to the,. The names,
team names and positions are listed very simply and with minimal design on the bottom of the card,
usually in two colors that vary from card to card. In fact, there was seemingly little design effort put into this
set back in 1957, which is actually one of the reasons I think it is a little more appealing today. It is simply
the player, his name, team and position. Now go and put a set together.
As I said, there are some inserts and even some relic cards and autographs. As is tradition, New Age
Performers, Then And Now and Flashbacks are all here, as are the chrome and chrome refractor parallels.
Relics and autographs are included at a combined rate of one in 36 packs, so I definitely beat the odds by
pulling one of each. Of particular interest are the Real One Autographs, which highlight many of the stars
of 1957 (so, for those confused, the Dusty Rhodes I pulled was the baseball player, not the wrestler).
Of course, this set isn't about inserts. It is about the cards and putting a set together. And for many, that is what this hobby is all
about.
I'll never give this line a low grade and, in a case like this where I think the cards deserve nothing but praise, it is easy to hand
out an.......................
A
