Outside of 1975 Topps, 1977 Topps is the set that elicits the most memories for me, underlines what a different time it was and makes me want to go back to sixth grade.
This is why I’ve looked forward to Heritage covering the sets of the mid-to-late 1970s for so long. Those are the sets I grew up with and kicked off my devotion to collecting. But it’s also exactly the time when Heritage pulled away from what it has been since it’s beginning in 2002, a set-collector’s set, and the last surviving one besides flagship.
Still I pressed forward because of how much I love those ’70s sets and designs. I was only halfheartedly collecting Heritage (except for the 2008/1959 set) through the brand’s coverage of the ’50s and ’60s.
And I finished 2023 Heritage (’74), 2024 Heritage (’75) and with a single-card exception, 2025 Heritage (’76). They also hint at the de-evolution of the brand.
1. The 2023 Heritage set trotted out 100 short-prints even though Topps had stopped issuing its sets in series in 1974, eliminating the “excuse” for short-prints.
2. The 2023 Heritage set features those dumb Angels cards with blank top flags.
3. The 2024 Heritage set pushed the 100 short-prints (still not representative of the ’75 set!) to the front of the set for no good reason.
4. 2024 Heritage stopped trying to imitate the tribute set as far as photos and this is where I first started to notice some font choices that don’t match with the originals (Blue Jays in particular).
5. 2025 Heritage was like ’24 Heritage in photo choice and also went full force into parallels. Gone are the days of a simple chrome parallel or the black border parallels which were the only “color” parallels.
6. The 2025 inserts turned away completely from recognizing news and pop-culture events of the time period and churned out “Excuse To Feature More Stars and Rookies” insert sets instead.
Still I persisted. With the demise of Allen & Ginter and the decline of Stadium Club, it’s all I had as a flagship alternative.
So now 2026 Heritage is here … and trying really hard to kill the brand.
I had already decided not to attempt a fourth straight Heritage completion, based on the increasing difficulty of the quest. It was the right call because this is no longer a set-collector set. Cutting back the set from 500 cards to 400 is alarming enough. Maintaining the 100 short-prints in the set is outrageous.
The short-prints are also distributed throughout the set instead of at the end, which was a thing with the initial Heritage sets. Thank goodness for TCDB for pointing out the SP’s.
I would expect that something like one-quarter of the set being short-printed to provoke a revolt against Topps or the brand, but I’ve watched pack break after pack break on video and nobody has a clue (or acts like they don’t) about what’s changed. Even with my decision not to complete the set, I still want the Dodgers team set. But out of 23 cards, 10 of them are short-printed. Fanatics is killing off set collectors and team collectors in a single product.
All right for those who came here for the pack break instead of a rant, I’ll show the cards now. But it’s not going to be any sunnier.
266 – Spencer Horwitz, Pirates
It does feel like a ’77 card as far as look, but a veteran of that old set can notice the differences right away. Sure, the copyright symbol is an affront and there was not a single player in the 1977 set that posed with his hands behind his back. What kind of baseball pose is that? What stands out to me is the team font.
That’s what you’re supposed to do, Spencer! Put on a glove at least! But notice that the Pirates lettering is not as slanted as the ’77 Pirates lettering and potentially larger. Also the name font touches the position flag, which was not typical in ’77 Topps.
1977 Topps squeezed the long names (through kerning or making the letters smaller, I haven’t really checked), so they didn’t touch the flag.
This is stuff I’d typically point out in Topps Archives cards, not Heritage, but here we are.
126 – Brandon Pfaadt, Diamondbacks
More standing and doing nothing.
Heritage used the color for the Diamondbacks name that it used in the 2018 Archives set, it looks pretty much the same. At least Heritage goes with the black print on the position flag.
217 – Christian Walker, Astros
The “O” in team names is really driving me to distraction and probably what first told me that they weren’t a match.
That is definitely not the same.
322 – Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
51 – Jurickson Profar, Braves
Two jerk-faces back-to-back. Is part of my dissatisfaction with this pack due to pulling absolutely no Dodgers? Maybe. At least the Profar is a proper 1977 throwback photo.
78 – Noah Cameron, Royals
For the rookie cup, not the city connect uniform.
27 – Casey Schmidt, Giants
119 – Brandon Nimmo, Rangers
6 – Strikeout Leaders, Garrett Crochet, Red Sox/Logan Webb, Giants
I do like this, static poses are the way to go.
Doesn’t quite hold the same weight as the original though, right?
The Heritage backs have readability issues that have been a problem since the 2023 set. It’s not terribly difficult but I don’t understand why Heritage didn’t simply bold the names like the ’77 set does.
43 – Louis Garcia Jr., Nationals
339 – Lenyn Sosa, White Sox
226 – Ryan Jeffers, Twins
210 – Shane Bieber, Blue Jays
251 – Joey Cantillo, Guardians
This is a short-print (yay?). I was surprised to pull a guy that I didn’t know who is not a rookie. (He was a rookie last season but his rookie card is in the 2025 Heritage set). He was the rookie of the month in September so it’s probably just a case of me not paying attention to Cleveland much.
He does look like he has a story. … As for the cartoons, they’re all baseball-action-related as far as the drawings at least for the cards I pulled. Also there’s a weird thing where they don’t print out the full first names for the player mentioned — R. Clemente, C. Cedeno. Please don’t tell me that’s a rights deal.
264 – Ozzie Albies, Braves
Albies is another card that resembles the ’77 set, with the Mike Jorgensen card I pulled. I’m clinging to whatever I can find here, I suspect this was just a coincidence though.
241 – Seiya Suzuki, Cubs, chrome parallel
Thank goodness, this was the only parallel/insert that came in the pack, a good ol’ chrome card that’s been with Heritage since the beginning. It seems like every pack break I’ve seen pulls one of those damn blue-speckled chrome cards, I don’t want those things.
192 – Seth Lugo, Royals
82 – Logan Webb, Giants
DO SOMETHING. I see a glove, pull it up to your chest like you’re looking in for the sign — something!
254 – Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks (more standing, I give up)
176 – Jesus Sanchez, Astros
The end.
I’ve read many times since Fanatics’ takeover of Topps that it would ruin the hobby and there have been plenty of examples that is true. But for me, this is the biggest one — Fanatics has pretty much ruined one of the best products that modern sets had going. There’s nothing left but flagship for me now, and unless a designer can catch fire with a design like 2024 Topps, I don’t expect to be trying to complete it anymore.
It’s too bad. Really, I tried a lot longer than many traditional collectors, certainly those who are my age. But I know when I’m not wanted. This is the biggest sign.