If you’ve ever wondered what current players would look like on the design of the 1975 Topps set, you’re about to find out. The 2024 Topps Heritage set continues its annual walk down memory lane with a focus on the elements that made the ’75 set one of the company’s most colorful issues.
Set for release April 10, Heritage isn’t for hit chasers but they can be found alongside the nostalgic twists that always weave their way through the product.
Heritage will again be sold in several different packages: Hobby boxes with 24 packs of nine cards guaranteeing either an autograph or relic card, Value (Blaster) boxes with eight packs of nine, 20-card Fat Packs, 35-card Hanger Packs and Monster boxes with 15 packs of nine cards.
The 2024 base set will include 500 cards, with rookies and veterans as well as cards that showcase MVP’s, League Leaders and highlights from the 2023 season.
One hundred of those 500 cards will be short prints, but unlike years past, they’ll fall at the beginning of the set (#1-100), not the end.
Base card variations will include Black and White Images, White Bordered, Color Swap, Throwback Uniform and Nicknames. Chrome cards found in Heritage will have variations of their own.
Autographs
As usual, the autographs inside Heritage start with ‘Real One’ autos that are essentially the ‘base’ autographs. The checklist will include both current and former players. There are also versions signed in red ink numbered to 75.
New in 2024 are the 1975 Topps Award Winners Buyback Autographs, which will feature cards signed by players who were among the best in the game that year.
One-of-one 1975 Baseball Cut Signatures and Celebrity Cut Signatures will also be part of the mix.
Autographed Relics
Clubhouse Collection Autograph Relics are back, with game-used relics and on-card autographs, all hand numbered to 25 or less. Flashback Autographed Relics look back at moments from the ’75 season and will include retired stars and game-used relic pieces. Those, too, will be numbered to no more than 25.
Relics
Clubhouse Collection Relics are the most common. Once again, Topps will utilize game-used uniform and bat pieces to make the cards. They’ll have gold parallels numbered to 99 or less.
Dual (# to 75) and Triple (# to 25) versions are also part of the checklist, which will be out closer to release day.
1975 U.S. Postage Stamp Relics put actual stamps from the mid-70s alongside players from yesterday and today. They’ll be numbered to 50.
Inserts
Among the returning inserts are: New Age Performers, with Horizontal and Vertical designed cards showcasing modern players whose performances have surpassed former greats.
Then and Now, featuring statistical comparisons of a 1975 player and a modern player in several categories including home runs, batting average, strikeouts, wins, etc.
News Flashbacks are cards that aim to educate about world events that were taking place in 1975. Baseball Flashbacks focus on what the baseball world was watching at that time.
Some inserts will be exclusive to retail packaging, including the new 1975 Topps Baseball Sensations, inspired by Topps’ Bay City Rollers set issued that year.
The checklist will include both current and former players with Gold Foilboard versions numbered to 999 available only at Walmart and Platinum Foilboard versions available only in boxes sold at Target stores, also numbered to 999.
1975 Topps Zoo’s Who Stick-Ons are also based on a ’75 set of the same name. The inserts will feature photos of baseball mascots and player nicknames. Blue versions will be in Walmart boxes with red versions at Target.
Another retail exclusive insert is the 1975 Topps in 3D, which offers base cards printed on lenticular stock.
Boxes of various configurations are now listed on eBay.
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