Buzz Break: 2023 Topps Heritage baseball cards (blaster box)

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The box: 2023 Topps Heritage baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery for what was found in this one.

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
66 of 400 (17 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Mookie Betts, Byron Buxton, Rafael Devers, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis Robert, Yu Darvish, Kris Bryant

RC logo cards (18) – Notables include Christopher Morel, Joey Meneses, Vaughn Grissom, Nolan Gorman ... see all in gallery.

Insert/short-print cards: 6 (all in gallery below with some base)
Short-prints (Nos. 401-500) (3) – Jeremy Pena, Sean Manaea, Edmundo Sosa
New Age Performers (1) – Riley Greene
News Flashbacks (1) – Congress Expands Freedom Of Information Act
Then & Now (1) – Dick Allen & Aaron Judge

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: The annual trip back in time via Heritage takes us back to 1974 this year and, well, I waited a little bit to grab this on as, well, the 1970s -- particular the stretch from 1974-79 except for 1975 is not among my favorites. (And, truth be told, 1971-73 weren't either ... but some of them had their moments.) This time, things are crisp and clean -- especially vs. the card backs and cutting of last year -- but the unfortunate death of Hank Aaron in January 2021 really deprived us of things that could have been found here to make this one a bonafide home run (pun intended) with his autograph presence and more mixed in as nods to his history-making that was first teased in the 1974 set and then revisited again in 1975. This blaster gave me this one's nod to all of that -- the No. 1 card is of Aaron Judge with a new twist on the Hank Aaron card from back in the day (see it here). All the quirks of Heritage are here -- and they're noted on the checklist so start there -- with the notations for most variations on the bottom of the cards near the Topps logo instead of around the card numbers. Buzz has been "in" on Heritage since its start with 1952 back in 2001 but I really could use a fast-forward to 1980. The Judge card, to me, is one of the best cards here ... but I can't help but dwell on the Hank Aaron touches that should have been found in this set. The quirks are good and this one is better than last year for sure but I'm just not that into 1974 at all with its quirks being more sloppy than interesting ... and the Angels names here ... that doesn't work for me at all. The photography is getting better as it started to back then -- still with some real trainwreck photos back in the day -- but there are nods here, too. Find Harmon Killebrew's 1974 card, for example, and compare that to No. 54 in this set (likely not an accident but I would have made that card No. 400). Those are the other kinds of touches that are fun here. There are a number of key names among the newcomers -- Michael Harris for example -- that I might chase but in some cases there are a lot of variations in play where the cards are visually just not that fun for me to pay up for so I'll wait to see if they soften. Hit hobby boxes for a guaranteed hit in every box -- and there are  a few autos in every case -- and that's how I'll eventually go this year. Right now, I am just going to dabble here and there if any singles strike me. (There are some things you'll see in a Buzz Buys at some point.) I'll also do a hobby box here soon for a fuller and better bite at this one but I suspect there will be plenty up for grabs there and a healthy retail presence this year.

Product Grade: B+ 
Box Grade: A- (good run of top stars in base and then some of the better rookies ... but the rest was rough)
Fun Grade: B

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