2015 Topps Heritage - Hobby Box

2015 Topps Heritage Baseball isn't about surprises. It's unapologetic in its nostalgic, heading back to 1966 for its inspiration. Traditionally popular with set collectors and those with fond memories of the past, it's highlighted by a challenging but not impossible base set and plenty of inserts. While not the major focal point for many, hobby boxes do come with the promise of an autograph or memorabilia card.

Falling in line with the brand's lineage, the 2015 Topps Heritage Baseball base set uses 1966 Topps Baseball as its foundation. The main part of the set has 425 veterans, rookies and managers. The checklist is finished off with 75 short prints.

Variation return with several themes. Action Image Variations are exclusive to hobby packs. These switch out the traditional portraits found in the set for action shots. Throwback Uniform Variations show players in old-school uniforms. Collectors can also find Throwback, Error and new Traded Player variations.

In a small switch from the previous couple of years, Black (or Venezuelan) backs have been replaced by Blue Back parallels. The always popular Chrome cards return. These come with Refractor, Black Refractor (#/66) Gold Refractor (#/5) parallels.

For those who have collected Heritage in the past, there's nothing new in the basic insert departments. Returning for another year are New Age Performers, Baseball Flashbacks, News Highlights and Then and Now, which pair 1966 league leaders with their 2014 counterparts.

Similarly, there aren't a lot of surprises in the hits department. All autographs have on-card signatures. Leading the way are Real One Autographs, which highlight active players and retired players who might not see a lot of cardboard ink. Red Ink versions are numbered to 66. Collectors can also find Dual Autographs (#/25) and Triple Autographs (#/5), but only in hobby packs.

Among the other autographs in 2015 Topps Heritage Baseball are Flashback Autographed Relics and one-of-oneCut Signatures.

Clubhouse Collection is the foundations for the product's memorabilia cards. These use uniform swatches and bat pieces from active players. Dual Relics (#/66) return and are joined by new Triple Relics (#/25) and Quad Relics (#/10). Clubhouse Collection Autographed Relics (#/25) and Dual Autographed Relics (#/10) are also randomly inserted.

'66 Mint cards feature players from 1966. These have a coin minted from that year embedded in them. Tiers include Nickel (#/15), Dime (#/10), Quarter (#/5) and JFK Silver Half Dollar (1/1). Similar in theme are Postage Stamp Relics (#/50) that have a picture of a player or event from 1966 that is joined by an American stamp from the same year.

Adding to the nostalgia are four sets of Stamped Buybacks: 1966 Topps Rub-Offs, 1966 Topps Batman Black bat, 1966 Topps Get Smart and 1966 Topps Lost in Space. These are original cards that have a special 50th anniversary stamp added to them noting they're from this release.

Keeping with the trend of adding a box loader to every hobby box, there are three themes in 2015 Topps Heritage Baseball. Returning are the three-card strip Ad Panels and Stamped Buybacks. 1966 Oversized Punchboards (#/50) are an homage to the similarly styled game from five decades earlier. In addition to the limited edition basic versions, there are Jumbo Patch (#/25), Autograph (#/10) and Autographed Jumbo Patch (#/10) parallels.

Product Configuration: 24 packs per box, 9 cards per pack
Price Point: Low-End Baseball Card
Target Audience: Set Builders, Vintage Card Fans, Nostalgic Card Collectors

2015 Topps Heritage Baseball Hobby Box Break

• 1 Autograph or Memorabilia Card
• 1 Box Loader
• 217 Total Cards