I’m not a huge fan of Topps Heritage. For me, it doesn’t quite make the emotional connection I need. Like most of you, seeing the old designs is nice, but the repetitive nature of the pics (this year’s Red Sox cards are BORING! and it look like they’re repeating the background for next year) and the weird modernity of the photos is off-putting.
I am intrigued about the 2019 set. I saw that there will be Topps Supers as box loaders; after all these years I still don’t know what that means. For me it means nothing. The originals are irreplaceable.
The 1970 Topps Super set, sold separately, three cards for a dime, were a thrill to find at my local Canarsie candy store (Paulino’s, I think it was called, on Glenwood Ave.). Paulino’s was on the walk to school and a frequent, if not daily, stop on the way home.
As beautiful as the 1964 Topps Giants are, I like the Supers more. An obvious reason is that I was a sentient baseball fan by 1970. I wasn’t yet two years old when the ‘64’s came out. The 1970 Supers represent a coming of age year for me. Plus, there’s the heft of these cards.
The 1970 Supers are thick, so thick, certainly the thickest cards I’ve ever encountered. They’re thicker than even Post Cereal boxes, and that cardboard is protecting food! The weight, the rounded corners, make for idiot-proof great condition. It would take a lot of force and evil intent to crease these placards or bend their corners.
The photos are marvelous, with colors that pop, and are different from the base cards. At a time when there wasn’t much choice in the card world, this was very welcome. Backs are the same (though I haven’t read them closely. There may be differences in the text to denote trades, I don’t know.)
(Topps also made Football Supers that year).
Though the 1970 Supers proved to be less than popular, Topps returned with a baseball only version in 1971. Take this as my small sample size, but the 1971s seem to have many more miscuts, with hints of adjacent cards on the sheet visible. Who cares? They’re awesome.
They’re also not too expensive. Complete sets of all three (for you football fans) seem attainable in the $200-300 range. The checklists are crammed with Hall of Famers and, if you get some of these, you don’t have to be so dainty handling them. They’re tough, super tough.
I love the Supers, too! Since I’m older, I have a crush on the 1964 Giants…those aren’t too pricey, either. Fun post!
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The 64’s are beautiful, every one of them.
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Love these cards too. There is a very limited distribution set from ’69, which makes them very expensive. I can’t bring myself to spend the money for the 2 Pilots: Mincher and Tommy Davis. The 70 football giants use many of the same photos as the base set. Nice post, as usual.
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For me, the 69s don’t have the same appeal. That they’re more scarce and more expensive doesn’t help their case either.
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I love oversized cards, and the only reason I’m not working towards collecting these sets is because I’m currently too lacking focus to pick a goal and stick with it. I don’t really collect football, but I would seriously consider running after Super Football.
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The pics they use on the football set aren’t nearly as nice as the baseball ones, but it’s a great set anyway.
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