Back in packs, RCs are stacked
Heritage and I have a strange relationship. When the debut edition became the hottest product of 2001, I chose to sell while it was hot rather than chase the set. I skipped the next decade of Heritage and have bought some each of the four years since, never quite finishing any sets and always falling short of getting my money’s worth. Still, I keep coming back to be somewhat disappointed the next year…
Heritage High Number is a different story. I skipped it in 2012, bought a set at about full price in 2013 and made most of my money back on the autograph, and then never got around to buying a set in 2014. When I finally did pick one up the next year at a steep markdown, I still made back about half the price on the autograph. Not a bad track record, but there’s only so much you can get out of the 100-card factory set format. 2015 Heritage High Number though returned to a standard pack format and in the process became a strong contender for the hottest product of 2015.
Base Card Design
As with 2015 Heritage, it’s the 1966 Topps design here. I’ll admit that I wasn’t too fond of the purple and yellow color scheme used for the Mets, but it actually looks pretty good when you have the team set together.
Mets Selection
12 Mets in the 200-card base set (I don’t count Tyler Clippard, who is listed as a Met but is shown in an Athletics uniform) is pretty good, especially when you consider that 7 of them are RCs. This includes the first RCs for Jack Leathersich, Sean Gilmartin, and Hansel Robles, the first base RCs for Danny Muno and Steven Matz, and the first (and probably only) Mets card for Alex Torres. All 12 are shown in the home pinstripe jersey, all but Torres with photos from spring training photo day. No Mets are featured among the 25 SPs.
Parallels
Where to begin… Kevin Plawecki, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz all have mini parallels numbered to 100. Plawecki and Syndergaard also have chrome parallels (numbered to 999) with refractor (numbered to 566), purple refractor, black refractor (numbered to 66), and gold refractor (numbered to 5) versions. No retail exclusive parallels were made.
But there are plenty of assorted variants. Gum stain variants are back again after appearing in Heritage and Heritage Minor League this year. Also back are blue back variants, likely limited to just a few copies of each. High Number adds two new variants to the mix, a wood grain glossy back variant and a black and white variant. All base cards have all four variants, though only the gum stains have more than a few copies made.
Variations
Color Swap and Action Image variations are also back, with just Noah Syndergaard representing the Mets in both.
Inserts
Inserts featuring Jacob deGrom, Kevin Plawecki, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz round out the master team set.
Box Toppers
A Kevin Plawecki punchboard box topper is the highlight here, plus a bunch of ad panels. Somehow, the punchboard was easier to obtain than most of the ad panels.
Memorabilia
High Number adds three more Clubhouse Collection Relics: Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, and Nolan Ryan. Each also has a gold parallel numbered to 99. Ryan’s cards all feature a piece of bat, while Harvey has a mix of bats and pinstripe jerseys. deGrom only gets gray swatches of what were most likely pants.
Autographs
While autographs in Heritage are usually reprints of original cards from the year of the design, Heritage High Number focuses on active players or retired players who debuted in later editions of Topps. This year’s edition features three Rookies, Plawecki, Syndergaard, and Dilson Herrera, and one retired player. Nolan Ryan. Because every Mets collector wants another Nolan Ryan autograph to chase. Still, it’s a nice card and wouldn’t be a bad choice to get as the only Nolan Ryan autograph in your collection. A dual Nolan Ryan / Jacob deGrom autograph card also exists.
The Verdict
It’s time for Bowman to turn in its “Home of the Rookie Card” card. In 2015, Bowman only had RCs of Dilson Herrera, Kevin Plawecki, and Noah Syndergaard. Heritage High Number has all three as autographs and adds five more in the base set, including what could be the definitive Steven Matz base Rookie Card. Heritage High Number takes another mediocre year for Heritage and turns it into something amazing with an exceptional rookie crop and a great format.
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