Sunday, December 16, 2012

My top 25 sets #10: 2011 Topps Heritage


Set 2011 Topps Heritage
Number of cards in set: 500
Affordability: 7
Key RCs: Darwin Barney, Freddie Freeman, Jeremy Hellickson
Is the set built?:  468/500 (missing 32 SPs)

What I like about this set:   I love the wood grain borders.  The copy of the 1962 design is a winner in my book, because the set is easily distinguishable from the other releases.  The photos for the most part are really nice, and the backs of the cards are an easy read.  The look and feel of this set is the main reason that I am working towards completing this set.  I've bought lots of Heritage in the past, but none of the sets have inspired me to complete them as much as the '11 set has.  I am a big fan of the '64 set, so we'll see if the '13 Heritage release inspires me like this one did.

What I don't like about this set:  I will whine and moan about this until Topps changes the number of SPs in the set.  I'm sorry, but 75 is just way too much.  Do the math:  75 SPs at a rate of 1 in every 3 packs, so in a perfect world, you would have to buy 225 packs to obtain all 75 SPs.  At 24 packs in a hobby box, you're buying a minimum of 9 boxes.  Those who have pulled the SPs are not letting them go easily, the $6 common price is still not far fetched almost 2 years after release.  Rant over....

I did a search for hobby boxes for this set while writing this post, and the disparity is alarming.  While hobby boxes on Dave & Adam's are going for $71, on eBay the prices are in the $85 range, while a 12 box case is up for $970 (just under $81 a box).  Unlike the '12 release which saw hobby boxes crash below the $50 mark, this set appears to have some staying power...so far anyhow.

thanks for reading, Robert

4 comments:

  1. Hooray for Heritage! I love these cards, too. And, I agree with your 'rant' on the SPs. Makes it a pure pain in the arse, for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'd rather see Topps put the Heritage set out in 2 series than include all the SPs. Next to the flagship release, Topps Heritage is a must complete set for me, but these SPs are severly discouraging.

    Sorry to go off-topic Robert, but I have quite a few 2012 Topps Update for you...sent you an e-mail but hadn't heard back yet. Let me know if you want me to resend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you do the math, 2012 Heritage was printed in almost twice as much quantity as 2011 (~4,500 cases vs. ~2,600 cases). I think that has a lot to do with the low prices for 2013.

    I'm not quite so turned off by the SP's as some folks. 75 is a bit much, I agree, but it makes it a difficult but not impossible project. Personally, I'd prefer 50.
    -lifetimetopps

    ReplyDelete
  4. Topps does the SPs as a way to sell more product, but also to promote trading and resale. There is a method to limited availability's madness.

    ReplyDelete