2012 Topps Heritage: Back in '63

It's like going back in time.

Ever since its debut in 2001, Topps Heritage has always been a fun set to open. I still love seeing current players on older Topps designs.

Even though I think the prices on these cards are a bit high (I shelled out over $5 for a 16-card rack pack), that doesn't stop me from purchasing a nice batch of these each year.

2012 was no exception. I purchased a blaster and a rack pack of 2012 Heritage this afternoon, in case you missed my last post.

We'll start with the rack pack.

Evan Longoria is the "cover boy" of the 2012 Heritage product, and I pulled his base card.

Longoria is "that guy" that I'm sure a lot of us have. That guy that you seem to pull out of each and every pack, like he's following you.

I've had good luck with the first cards I've pulled from sets this year.

The first card I pulled out of my first 2012 Topps pack (also a rack pack) was Mickey Mantle. The first Heritage card I pulled was Derek Jeter.

Lincecum is one of my dad's and mine favorite players, so anything I pull of him is a plus.

I'm excited to see what these two guys do for the South Siders in 2012.

The '63 Topps design brings back the great double-image photography that has been missing from the last few Heritage offerings.

I don't usually like multi-player cards, but I have to admit that this one is pretty nifty.

I wouldn't go comparing Kershaw to Sandy Koufax yet, but we might be in ten years or so.

I've collected the ten-card "News Flashbacks" insert sets each year since they were introduced in 2008.

Many people might not like these cards, but I enjoy learning more about US and world history.

Overall, the rack pack wasn't all that great, but it was just fun ripping open my first helping of 2012 Heritage.

Now, let's look at the blaster.

The best thing about Heritage is that the set is built around the base cards. There's a few insert sets and a couple "hits" each year, but the base set is the main draw.

I have a feeling that Night Owl is going to like this card of the "Dodgers' Big Three".

I wonder how many times the three of them were on base at the same time last year?

Not every photo can be a good one, right?

It's like they specifically told them, "Stand over there by that fence. And don't look at the camera. And don't smile."

Yay, new uniforms!

Another great thing about Heritage is that they get shots of guys in their new uniforms. These two may be airbrushed, but I can't tell for sure either way.

The Buehrle was one of my favorites from the blaster. It's really weird seeing him in anything but a White Sox jersey, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does in Miami.

I've got almost sixty cards of Roy Halladay as a Phillie, but he's only been playing for them since 2010. He'd only have one card if this was really 1963.

Looks like Mr. Samardzija is growing a mini-Rollie Fingers mustache. Or maybe he's going for a long-haired Salvador Dali look.

Just like Buehrle, it's going to be odd seeing Aramis Ramirez out of a Chicago uniform.

And I'm going to have to see him a lot now that he's up in Milwaukee.

The Nyjer Morgan was my favorite base pull from the box, without question. I would've liked to have seen a shot like that in the actual '63 Topps set.

I don't collect rookies or multi-player cards, but these are neat.

Who doesn't like floating heads?

I only pulled three SPs from the blaster and the rack pack combined.

I didn't need any of the three, but perhaps I should start collecting Alex Liddi since he was born in Italy, which is where most of my family comes from.

Time for a look at the inserts I pulled.

Speaking of floating heads...

These mini peel-off inserts are cool. They're bigger than A&G minis, but not by much.

Another great thing about Heritage is that they haven't messed with the insert sets.

Having the same inserts each year might not work well for sets like Topps flagship, but it does for Heritage since the draw is mainly to the base cards.

Everything else is secondary.

JFK has had a card in the last couple "News Flashbacks" insert sets.

He's always welcome in my collection.

This was probably my favorite pull of the day.

Target has exclusive red-bordered cards in Heritage blasters now, much like flagship. This was the only one I pulled, so I assume they're a bit more scarce than the flagship red-borders.

This is my first (of probably many) cards of Reyes with the Marlins. It might even be one of those super-duper SPs from Heritage since he's listed as a Met on the front. Or maybe it's just a mistake.

Overall, I really like the looks of this year's Heritage set.

I'm a fan of all vintage Topps designs, but 1963 is among my favorites.

I wish I could go back in time and open a pack of a '50s or '60s Topps set when they were on display at the candy store. Sadly, that will never happen.

However, I'm always like a kid in a candy store when I see Heritage on the shelves.