Buzz Break: 2012 Topps Heritage baseball cards (retail box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2012 Topps Heritage baseball cards (24-pack retail)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for Value Boxes with two Heritage hobby packs)

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 215
Base set completion: 
194 of 425 (46 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Yadier Molina, Justin Verlander, Aroldis Chapman, Felix Hernandez, Stephen Strasburg, Jason Heyward, Dustin Pedroia, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Joe Mauer, Ryan Howard, Johan Santana, Todd Frazier, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Joe Maddon, Adrian Beltre, Matt Kemp, Tim Lincecum, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto

Rookie Cards (25) – Adron Chambers (SP), Brett Lawrie, Jesus Montero, Matt Moore, Devin Mesoraco, Austin Romine, Wilin Rosario, Addison Reed, Jared Hughes, Chris Schwinden, Tim Federowicz, Nick Hagadone, Tom Milone and a dozen multi-player cards with notables there including Dellin Betances and Devin Mesoraco.

Insert/short-print cards: 20 (gallery of these and more below)
Short-prints (Nos. 426-500) (8) – Paul Goldschmidt, Prince Fielder, Adron Chambers (RC), Gerardo Parra, James Shields, Justin Upton, Jeremy Affeldt, Alfonso Soriano
Chrome (1) – Joey Votto (/1,963)
Topps Stick-ons (3) – David Ortiz, Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler
Then & Now (2) – Sandy Koufax & Clayton Kershaw, Eddie Mathews & Jose Bautista
New-Age Performers (2) – Chipper Jones, Jered Weaver
News Flashbacks (2) – Alcatraz, Martin Luther King Jr.
Baseball Flashbacks (2) – Stan Musial, Juan Marichal

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Clubhouse Collection Relics (1) – Adam Jones

What's Buzz-worthy: If you're a regular reader of The Buzz then you've probably seen the eBay Buzz item where we recently spotlighted the crazy demand for the Mike Trout not-rookie card (it's merely his first Heritage card but people are treating like it is an RC sales-wise). I scoured my 3,200-count box of this one and all of my Trouts set aside years ago and was shocked to find that I didn't ever pull him in Heritage. That got me looking for any type of boxes of 2012 Heritage on the cheap and it wasn't easy. Hobby boxes have steep asking prices and retail boxes like this one also aren't easily found. (See this link for your best shot at some hobby packs on the cheap.) I shockingly found these for roughly their original price and grabbed the last two boxes the dealer had. I struck out on my first box (look for it in next month's Buzz 12 in 12 marathon with some gems from The National next month) but this one delivered. It opened with a Relic in the first pack -- defying the one-in-57-pack odds -- making this roughly similar to what a hobby box would likely yield for about three times the price. (That scares me a bit as this year of Heritage hasn't really aged that well, though I like 1963 more than others from the last decade.) It coughed up my Trout on my 14th pack opened -- so it wasn't found without some stress and expletives after that first box. The rookie crop here is quite rough and the A-listers among the veterans aren't as easily found in the basic cards -- at least in this one -- while the lineup is quite solid for its original price but not necessarily at a hefty premium. (Supply and demand reign here -- it's popular no matter what and Trout is helping what boxes might still exist all these years later now vanish.) You can land some amazing stuff here -- autographs are one in 562 packs in retail -- and Heritage can yield some big names such as Hank Aaron (I pulled that auto back when this was first released). Right now, this one is realistically all about chasing Trout but the good stuff can still be in there with some luck. You'll need luck to find it affordably, though. That's what makes the Value Boxes I mentioned earlier important -- and they can deliver quite well, too. 

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A
Fun Grade: B

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