2012 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Cards

Product Review

2012 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Product Review

Reviewed by Paul Lesko

Good: The 1963-inspired base set is awesome. It's also a very inclusive minor league product. This is one of the few products where the base set is what most collectors will want.

Bad: Sticker autographs for a minor league product? That should be a crime. Also, because this is a very inclusive minor league product, five years from now, the vast majority of these cards will likely be unwanted by most collectors (other than family members of the players, maybe).

The Bottom Line: If you are a prospector, it's a fun set to build. If you like autographs, stick with Bowman.

Card Design: 4.8/5.0

The throwback design is phenomenal. Each card captures the vintage 1963 Topps feel. The comics on the back of each card also are a nice touch that differentiates this product from other minor league products.

Make no mistake, this is a standalone minor league product. For me, it's different from Bowman because I actually want the base set. With 24 packs, the set is nearly complete after a single box.

Also, it's good to see that those bizarre color tinted parallels from last year have been replaced by easier-on-the-eyes, black-bordered parallels.

The worst part of this product is the autographs. Two per box is a great, but they're stickers. Sure, this product is trying to fill a niche (it's a less expensive, more inclusive, gimmicky Bowman product), but when you're dealing with minor leaguers, it would seem that on-card autographs should be the way to go.

Checklist: 4.0/5.0

The test of this checklist is the future. Now, given that we are two draft classes removed from Mr. Bryce Harper's, the name recognition in this product is considerably less. Still, stars will emerge from this product over the next few years. So, while I think this is a mediocre checklist today, a few years from now, this could change drastically.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great names in this product: Hamilton, Bundy, Bradley. But compared to recent years, it's just not the star power we're used to.

And really, when one of the big draws in this product is a Billy Hamilton autographed relic that comes with a phoned-in autograph (to be fair, that is his autograph on all trading cards), how much of a treat is that?

Really, I can't help but think that five years from now, 99% of this checklist will be unknowns who never get called up. If that's so, 99% of this box will be kindling.

Value: 4.2/5.0

For the price (less than Bowman products), and given that there are two autographs and one memorabilia card per box, 2012 Bowman Heritage Minor League is a good deal. It's also a different product from Bowman because you want to collect the base set here, not the autographs. I don't think this is a product that will hold its value, but you never know. The next great rookie might have one of his first cards in this set.

The Fun Factor: 4.8/5.0

Like last year, I loved this product. It has enough contrast from other prospect-driven products to have a unique niche. I hope to see it again next year.