Card of the Day: Mike McLaughlin 1994 Wheels High Gear #53

2021 Topps Heritage High Number Baseball Hobby Box Break & Review

Collector Type: Set

Continuing where 2021 Topps Heritage left off, 2021 Topps Heritage High Number takes us back to the summer of 1972.

The base set consists of (225) cards. The last (25) cards #701-725 are Short Prints. Parallels include Black Border #’ed/50, and Flip Stock #’ed/5.

It should be noted that card #216 of Cavan Biggio has now been printed. This card was meant for the regular Topps Heritage set released earlier this year, but didn’t make it in due to an error.

(100) cards have Chrome parallels. Chrome parallels include Purple Hot Box, Refractor #’ed/572, Red Border #’ed/372, Black Border #’ed/72, Gold Border #’ed/5 (Hobby), and Superfractor #’ed 1/1.

(54) cards have Base Minis #’ed/100, and (97) cards have French Text Back O-Pee-Chee versions.

Image Variations include Action, City Uniform/Throwback, Error, Missing Stars, Nickname, and Team Color Swap. The Image Variation type is listed beneath the card number on the back. No need to check the CMP codes.

Autographs include Real One Autographs, Real One Dual Autographs, 1972 World Series Champion Autographs, and 1972 Cut Signatures.

Autograph Relics include Clubhouse Collection Autographed Relics, and Clubhouse Collection Dual Autographed Relics.

Relics include Clubhouse Collection Relics, Clubhouse Collection Dual Relics, Clubhouse Collection Triple Relics, and Clubhouse Collection Quad Relics.

Inserts include 1972 World Series Highlights, 1972 Topps Venezuela Stamps, Award Winners, Combo Cards, Now and Then, Roberto Clemente 3,000, and Rookie Performers.

Box Toppers include 1972 Topps Oversized, 1972 Topps Oversized Autographs, 1972 Baseball Posters, and 1972 Topps Originals.

Waiting for every collector inside a hobby box is (1) autograph or relic. Most likely a relic from the Clubhouse Collection is what you will find. But if you’re really lucky you might find an autograph or other high-end hit.

I’ve been opening some really well-balanced boxes recently. This one is right up there. I pulled an autograph, Chrome Black Border #’ed/72, and a very decent 1972 Topps Originals Buyback Box Topper.

Checklist

Here is what I pulled:

Auto:

• Geraldo Perdomo RC Real One Auto

Parallel:

• Amed Rosario Chrome Black Border #’ed/72

Short Prints:

• Wil Crowe RC #705
• Tommy Kahnle #713
• Keegan Akin RC #714
• Lance Lynn #709
• George Springer #716
• Drew Rasmussen RC #704
• Christian Arroyo #720
• Rafael Marchan RC #718

Inserts:

• Ke’Bryan Hayes RC Rookie Performers
• Johnny Bench 1972 World Series
• Walk-Off Home Run September 3, 2020 Now and Then
• Home Run Robbery September 14, 2020 Now and Then
• Roberto Clemente 3,000 #13
• Roberto Clemente 3,000 #8
• Tug McGraw 1972 Topps Originals Buyback Box Topper #163

Card of the Day: Cavan Biggio 2021 Topps Heritage High Number #216

Card of the Day: Seby Zavala 2020 Topps Heritage High Number #674

Card of the Day: Hector Neris 2019 Topps Heritage High Number #722

Card of the Day: Jose Alvarado 2019 Topps Heritage High Number #639

Card of the Day: Francisco Liriano 2020 Topps Heritage High Number #719

Card of the Day: Phil Gosselin 2016 Topps Heritage High Number #537

Card of the Day: Mike Fiers 2017 Topps Heritage High Number SP #487

Product Highlight: 1991 Pennsylvania High School Big 33

Due to a decline in donations and an increasing amount of debt, the Big 33 Scholarship Foundation closed it’s doors after sixty years in 2017.  The annual football game it once sponsored is now under the supervision of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association.

The Big 33 Football Classic began in 1957.  Its often been referred to as the Super Bowl of High School Football.  Some of the best high school players from Pennsylvania have taken on Ohio, Maryland, and Texas.  In the early years Pennsylvania would just play itself splitting up between east and west or blue and gray.  Between 1957 and 1960 Pennsylvania played against collected talent from around the nation.  Lots of famous football stars have played in the Big 33 game – Herb Adderley, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly.

Starting in 1991, they began to make team sets.  The Pennsylvania set contains (36) black and white cards.  Key cards include Ray Zellars, Curtis Martin, and Marvin Harrison.  All of these predate their NFL rookies.  It’s 1991 Maryland counterpart doesn’t really have any major cards worth talking about.  Any Big 33 card can make an interesting addition to your collection.  Later on, some sets included autographs.

During my senior year in high school, I received a Big 33 Academic Scholarship.  That included a trip to the 2004 Big 33 game in Hershey, PA.  A couple of players from that game made it to the NFL – Chad Henne, Brian Hoyer, Darrelle Revis, and Ted Ginn Jr.