It’ll be a return to 1971 when 2020 Topps Heritage arrives just as spring training camps are opening. The long-running tribute line that traces Topps’ history year-by-year will be celebrating its 20th season.
Yes, Heritage now has its own heritage.
2020 Topps Heritage Configuration and Base Set
Each pack of Heritage will once again have nine cards with 24 packs per box. Every box will have either an autograph or relic card along with a box loader card. Each case will have 12 boxes. You can expect blaster boxes and other retail packaging options as well.
The base set will again include 500 cards with #401-500 short printed (one in every three packs).
Base Card Parallels include:
White Bordered Parallel – Limited to 50 (hobby only)
Flip Stock Parallel- Limited to 5 (hobby only)
There will also be chrome variations of 100 different players in the base set. Those will have several parallels including:
Refractor Parallel – #’d to 571
White Bordered Parallel – #’d to 71
Gold Bordered Parallel – #’d to 5 (hobby only)
Superfractor Parallel – #’d 1/1
Hot Box Refractor Parallel – (hobby and retail value boxes only)
There will also be Throwback Uniform, Action Image (hobby only), Mini (numbered to 100) and Silver Team Name variations (hobby only).
Topps promises some “other surprises” in the set as well.
Autographs
Regular or “Real One” autographs will again include current and retired players, signed directly on-card with blue ink. Red ink versions will be hand numbered to 71 or less.
Among those on the autograph checklist will be players whose last cards were found in the 1971 Topps baseball set. There will also be autographs from members of the 1971 Washington Senators, the club’s final season there before moving to Texas to become the Rangers. They’ll be numbered to 100 or less.
Dual autographs will include signatures of two players connected in some way. Each will be numbered to 25 or less. Triple autographs will be numbered to 5 or less.
1971 Baseball Cut Signatures will be 1/1 cards featuring well-known players from that era while Celebrity Cut Signatures will focus on notable names from pop culture and newsmakers of 1971. All will be numbered 1/1.
Autograph Relics
Clubhouse Collection Autograph Relics will feature active and retired baseball players’ autographs along with a piece of game used uniform or bat. Each will be numbered to 25 or less. There will be 1/1 Autographed Patch Parallels containing a patch from a game-used uniform.
Clubhouse Collection Dual Autograph Relics will feature two signatures along with pieces of game used memorabilia from each, with all cards numbered to 10 or less. 1/1 Autographed Patch Parallel versions will feature patches from a game-used uniform. One-of-One.
Flashbacks Autographed Relics will focus on players who had “remarkable performances in the 1971 MLB season,” according to Topps. They’ll include on-card autographs and game-used memorabilia, with each numbered to 25 or less and also have Autographed Patch Parallels.
Relic Cards
Clubhouse Collection Relics, along with their dual (# to 71) , triple (# to 25) and quad versions (# to 10), will have pieces of game-used uniforms and bat pieces. Most will be unnumbered but there will be parallels ranging from 1 to 99.
Topps will pay tribute to Willie Mays with buybacks of original cards from his playing days with the New York and San Francisco Giants. Each card will be given a commemorative foil “20 Gigantic Seasons” stamp.
1971 Mint will be cards focused on greats from the 1971 season, paired with U.S. coins minted that same year. Each will be numbered as follows:
• Nickel – #’d to 15
• Dime – #’d to 10
• Quarter – #’d to 5
• Half Dollar – #’d 1-of-1
1971 U.S. Postage Stamp Relics will also feature 1971’s top stars along with a U.S. postage stamp released that year. All will be numbered to 50.
Inserts
New Age Performers will have a checklist of 25 of the league’s biggest stars.
Then and Now will provide a comparison of two players’ statistics–one from 1971 and the other a current star.
Baseball Flashbacks will highlight top moments in the ’71 season while News Flashbacks will do the same for what was happening in the news that year.
20 Gigantic Seasons will be the non-relic version of the subset that celebrates Mays’ 20 years with the Giants.
Boxloaders
Collectors will find a trio of boxloaders, again specially wrapped and sitting atop each hobby box. They’ll include:
1971 Topps Super Baseball – Replicating the 1971 oversized cards. There will be autographed parallels limited to 25 or less.
1971 Topps Greatest Moments – Reminiscent of the 1971 product, these will showcase notable moments from players’ careers.
1971 Topps Originals – Original 1971 Topps given a Heritage foil stamp.
The release date for 2020 Topps Heritage is February 26.
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