Buzz Break: 2023 Topps Heritage High Number MLB (hobby)

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The box: 2023 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards (hobby)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 217
Base set completion: 
191 of 200 (96 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Correa, Nolan Arenado, Andrew McCutchen, Trea Turner, Jake Burger, Ryan Mountcastle

RC logo cards (76) – Notables include Anthony Volpe, Masataka Yoshida, Kodai Senga, Eury Perez, Josh Jung, Jordan Walker, Matt McLain, Esteury Ruiz, Jared Shuster, Jared Shuster, Drew Maggi, Bobby Miller, Triston Casas, Grayson Rodriguez, Mason Miller, Tanner Bibee, Shintaro Fujinami, Will Benson, Oscar Colas

Insert/short-print cards: 20 (all in gallery below with some base)
Jumbo box-topper (1) – Steve Garvey
Home Run Special (SP ... missing from from first series) (1) – Roger Maris & Aaron Judge
Short-prints (Nos. 701-up) (8) – Jon Gray, Randy Vasquez, Patrick Bailey, Riley Pint, Carlos Estevez, Jace Peterson, Eduardo Salazar, George Soriano
Black parallel (1) – Ryan Weathers (announced /50)
Chrome Refractor (1) – David Bednar (/374)
Rookie Performers (2) – Anthony Volpe, Jordan Walker
Now & Then (2) – Edwin Diaz, C.J. Cron
Award Winners (2) – Justin Verlander, Sandy Alcantara
Combo Cards (1) – Jazz Chisholm Jr. & Luis Arraez
The Hammer (1) – Hank Aaron (MLB debut)

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Real One Autographs (1) – Darick Hall

What's Buzz-worthy: This brand is one that might have taken over the old Bowman tagline -- Home Of The Rookie Card -- in recent years and that helped it quite a bit along with a meaty presence of legendary ink for players who were around back during the time of the original set and then ink for the newcomers and stars of now, too. I landed ink this time ... but it wasn't any of that ... and that was kind of a symbolic find in a brand that, while it's by the HHN book, Topps really, really needed to add more to this one as the ripping here is quite rough other than a few rookies. Meanwhile, it pales in comparison to the first series rookies in that way, too. Hall of Famer ink among the Real One Autographs is nil -- maybe guys like Nolan Ryan, Dave Winfield and others here will play more prominently in a few months when we hit 1975 -- and that really puts even more pressure on everything else. This box? It wasn't fun at all despite finding a Black parallel (one in 10 boxes) and a Chrome Refractor (one in five boxes), the jumbo topper (one in three boxes) and then the Maris/Judge missing card from the first series as my SP (variation-slotted) card here and ink (one in four boxes). I don't mind Maris at all but there was no mystery of tracking down a variation. The rookie presence was fine but Volpe isn't exactly carrying things like even the crop of even last year or last series. This one just needs more. Perhaps a career-capping Willie Mays card could have been created here? Sure, it's not Tom Brady Day stuff ... but he did play in 1973 and didn't have a standard card. (Sure, that's a Hall of Famer ... maybe they're off the table here for some licensing reason.) I still bet there are other things that could have been added as nods to the past ... or, heck, include this year's All-Stars and other things in a new subset to add more star power to the base set while enlarging it. Or, just a thought, pump up the variations and quirky things that H is known for and make them arrive more often. (Do some variations really need to be found one in every 134 boxes?) I would have settled for some kind of Ken Griffey Sr. RC nod with a Junior cameo ... something.) Next year's Heritage will be good if the 1975 set gets echoed ... but I think this 1970s stretch until we get to 1980 is where Topps could/should trick up the inclusions and the set size to make things even better and more enticing. H is not known for flash and dash but that same kind of chase for big stuff does happen here in differing ways -- and it could be, should be pumped up, too. Heritage has been around a long time -- and many like it -- but that also doesn't mean it can't be added onto and bolstered in simple ways. Collectors need H to continue marching its way toward the 1980s for sure but years like this one aren't as strong as the years of a decade ago -- so the inclusions need to be there, too, on a regular basis ... not just in the home run of a top-tier auto box that one might find with a bulk rip. I'm not sure I'm opening any of the retail options with how tough hobby was ... and, again, this was a good box for what it yielded, just not who. This is one of only a few brands for collectors that doesn't have some $200ish-level start price attached and it needs to have more arrive in each box regularly -- and I say that after this being a good box.

Product Grade: C+ (rough basics by HHN standards, but still potential among rarer stuff ... but that is light for some regular Hall of Famer autos)
Box Grade: A- (not flashy ... but this box delivered some rarer finds)
Fun Grade: C (a good box statistically was not a fun one)

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