2018 Topps Heritage Baseball Variations — The Ultimate Guide

March 1, 2018

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2018 Topps Heritage Baseball variations come in several forms. It’s the Heritage way. Like past years, some of the short print versions shouldn’t be too hard to find. Others? Well, some of the 2018 Topps Heritage variations are extremely scarce.

All told, there are more than 100 different 2018 Topps Heritage Baseball variations. These cover things like different images, slight style changes, typos and other stealth errors.

And then there’s the Shoehei Othani Action Variation, his first pack-inserted MLB card.

2018 Topps Heritage Baseball Variations: An Overview

2018 Topps Heritage Baseball variation short prints and super short prints offer alternative versions of base cards. Some styles are running themes the brand has used in the past. Others are nods to 1969 Topps Baseball, the inspiration for the release. Others still are new creations.

Topps announced new Nickname Variations shortly before the set came out. These come with the name from the back of their Players Weekend jersey.

2018 Topps Heritage Baseball‘s homages 1969 go beyond basic designs. It looks back at the stars of the era. It’s also a deep dive into some of the original set’s quirks and mistakes.

2018 Topps Heritage Action Image Variations

1969 Topps Baseball isn’t exactly “action” when it comes to its photography choices. Like other sets from the era, it’s Portrait City. Neck-up close-ups, batting stance, pitching stride–they were all fair game.

Because 2018 Topps Heritage Baseball mimics the original set, the base set takes a similar portrait approach.

Enter the Action Image Variations. For veterans, these swap out the regular photos for an in-game shot.

Action Image Variations also fold in some rookies. These don’t swap out the images. Rather, they give the young standout a card of their own. Base Rookie Cards are multi-player cards, another nod to 1969 Topps. The variations make select rookies more like the rest of the cards in the set, giving collectors a rarer solo shot.

Among the rookies with a 2018 Topps Heritage Action Image Variation is Shohei Ohtani. A late addition to the release, he’s not on the main base set checklist. While there was going to be no shortage of interest in any of his cards, this should raise interest even further given its variation short print status.

There are a total of 25 Action Image Variations. Of these, the solo rookies are Ohtani, Amed Rosario, Clint Frazier, Rafael Devers, Rhys Hoskins and Victor Robles.

These are all exclusive to hobby packs. At 1:35 packs, not every hobby box will have one but they won’t be super rare, either.

2018 Topps Heritage Throwback Variations

Heritage is one of those sets that revels in the past. Throwback Variations take it in another direction. Not a direct nod to the close of the ’60s, these are another version of photo swaps. Simply, players are in retro jerseys from yesteryear.

Like past years, Throwback Variations are extremely scarce and, as a result, will likely follow suit and be some of the most coveted cards in the product. Big-time master set builders help fuel a lot of the interest.

2018 Topps Heritage Throwback Variations land 1:6,573 hobby packs.

Team Name Color Swap Variations

Team Name Color Swap Variations are more subtle than the Action Image Variations, but they still aren’t too hard to spot.

For the Team Name Color Swap Variations, look for a different color. Instead of the usual yellow, the team name is in white.

Like Action Image cards, 2018 Topps Heritage Team Name Color Swap Variations are hobby-exclusives and land 1:205 packs.

Nickname Variations

2018 Topps Heritage Nickname Variations are new to the line. They aren’t a nod to the 1969 but rather something different — Players Weekend.

To spot these, look where the team name usually is on the bottom front of the card. Instead, you’ll find the player’s nickname that they had on the back of their Players Weekend jersey.

2018 Topps Heritage Nickname Variations 151 Manny Machado

According to Topps, Heritage Nickname Variations are rare but no specific odds have been announced.

Traded Variations

It’s believed that tough Traded versions are among the 2018 Topps Heritage variations. These note the transaction that brought the player to their respective team. To find this note, look to the vital stats on the back.

Errors

Rookie Cup

If you pull a card of a player with the Rookie Cup trophy on the front, check the year. Some are error variations that say 1969 instead of the normal 2017 that’s on base cards.

Player Name Color

Among the most valuable cards in 1969 Topps Baseball are White Letter Variations. As the name suggests, these reflect a color different. Here’s it’s the name on the front where the last name is in white instead of yellow.

It’s not exactly the case here. It appears that 2018 Topps Heritage Player Name Color Error Variations have the player’s last name in a different color on the front.

The “Batboy”

Yeah, that’s not Mike Trout. Who is it? That’s a good question. The answer is likely from another Angels card in the 1969 set — Aurelio Rodriguez. It turns out the photo is of the team’s batboy, Leonard Garcia. The mistake was not found until years later.

Errors But Not Variations

2018 Topps Heritage Baseball has at least a couple of error cards. However, they don’t appear to have corrected versions so they’re not variations.

The first comes at the beginning of the checklist with card one. On the front it pictures Hanley Ramirez. It should have been Jose Ramirez, who is list correctly on the back.

Jose Reyes, card #246, is missing his full career stats.

If you get one of these or see some listed for high prices, don’t get too excited beyond the card itself. Usually, unintentional errors like this don’t get corrected anymore.

2018 Topps Heritage Variations: The Codes

The code method does work to identify 2018 Topps Heritage Baseball variations. Although meant for production and not collecting purposes, the fine print on the back identifies different types of cards. This can be handy to quickly identify 1) that you have a variation and 2) what category it falls under.

To do this, look on the back of the card. If the code sequence at the end of the fine print ends in 65, you’ve got a regular base card. If it ends in 85, then it’s one of the high-number short prints (#401-500 on the main checklist).

These are the code endings for the 2018 Topps Heritage variations:

Error – 98
Traded – 99
Throwback – 00
Action Image – 01
Team Name Color Swap – 02
Rookie Cup Error – 03
Nickname – 04

2018 Topps Heritage Variations Checklist

Here’s a master checklist of 2018 Topps Heritage variations with notes on the type to keep things easier. Although Topps hasn’t confirmed the full checklist, we believe it is complete.

If you’re looking for a specific card, click on the link to see what’s currently available on eBay.

17 Shohei Ohtani – Action (Rookie)
20 Anthony Rizzo – Action
20 Anthony Rizzo – Color Swap
20 Anthony Rizzo – Throwback
22 Bryce Harper – Action
22 Bryce Harper – Color Swap
22 Bryce Harper – Error (Birth Year)
22 Bryce Harper – Nickname
25 Aaron Judge – Action
25 Aaron Judge – Color Swap
25 Aaron Judge – Error (Name Color)
25 Aaron Judge – Nickname
25 Aaron Judge – Rookie Cup Error
31 Amed Rosario – Action (Rookie)
31 Amed Rosario – Color Swap
35 Jose Altuve – Action
35 Jose Altuve – Throwback
45 Corey Seager – Action
50 Andrew McCutchen – Nickname
58 Justin Verlander – Traded
60 Justin Upton – Traded
63 Ian Happ – Rookie Cup Error
67 Max Scherzer – Color Swap
70 Joey Votto – Action
70 Joey Votto – Color Swap
74 Giancarlo Stanton – Color Swap
74 Giancarlo Stanton – Error (Reverse Negative)
74 Giancarlo Stanton – Traded
80 Kris Bryant – Action
80 Kris Bryant – Color Swap
80 Kris Bryant – Error (Name Color)
80 Kris Bryant – Nickname
80 Kris Bryant – Throwback
90 Noah Syndergaard – Nickname
101 Salvador Perez – Color Swap
101 Salvador Perez – Throwback
109 Chris Sale – Color Swap
114 Clint Frazier – Action (Rookie)
114 Clint Frazier – Color Swap
114 Clint Frazier – Nickname
118 Cody Bellinger – Action
118 Cody Bellinger – Color Swap
118 Cody Bellinger – Nickname
118 Cody Bellinger – Rookie Cup Error
119 Alex Bregman – Throwback
126 Jose Quintana – Traded
130 Andrew Benintendi – Action
130 Andrew Benintendi – Color Swap
130 Andrew Benintendi – Nickname
130 Andrew Benintendi – Rookie Cup Error
145 Francisco Lindor – Action
145 Francisco Lindor – Color Swap

145 Francisco Lindor – Nickname
145 Francisco Lindor – Throwback
150 Josh Hader – Rookie Cup Error
151 Manny Machado – Action
151 Manny Machado – Color Swap
151 Manny Machado – Nickname
151 Manny Machado – Throwback
159 Jay Bruce – Traded
161 Yu Darvish – Traded
176 Corey Kluber – Throwback
177 Sonny Gray – Traded
180 Jordan Montgomery – Rookie Cup Error
189 Rafael Devers – Action (Rookie)
189 Rafael Devers – Color Swap
189 Rafael Devers – Rookie Cup Error
189 Rafael Devers – Nickname
191 Gary Sanchez – Action
191 Gary Sanchez – Color Swap
201 Yoan Moncada – Throwback
206 Rhys Hoskins – Action (Rookie)
206 Rhys Hoskins – Color Swap
216 Clayton Kershaw – Action
216 Clayton Kershaw – Color Swap
216 Clayton Kershaw – Nickname
232 Yadier Molina – Color Swap
250 Trey Mancini – Rookie Cup Error
275 Mike Trout – Action
275 Mike Trout – Error (Batboy)
275 Mike Trout – Color Swap
275 Mike Trout – Nickname
275 Mike Trout – Throwback
284 Victor Robles – Action (Rookie)
284 Victor Robles – Color Swap
293 Buster Posey – Action
293 Buster Posey – Color Swap
294 J.D. Martinez – Traded
305 Josh Bell – Throwback
315 Sean Doolittle – Traded
320 Paul DeJong – Rookie Cup Error
330 Mookie Betts – Action
330 Mookie Betts – Color Swap
330 Mookie Betts – Throwback
348 German Marquez – Rookie Cup Error
351 Nolan Arenado – Action
369 Paul Goldschmidt – Action
369 Paul Goldschmidt – Nickname
381 Carlos Correa – Action
381 Carlos Correa – Color Swap
381 Carlos Correa – Nickname
381 Carlos Correa – Throwback
406 Ryan Braun – Throwback
454 Shin-Soo Choo – Throwback
472 Brandon Phillips – Traded

2018 Topps Heritage Baseball Variations Gallery

Here’s where you’ll eventually find a massive image reference for the 2018 Topps Heritage Baseball variations to make finding them even easier. You can use the tabs to easily navigate between the different variation types.

Throwback

2018 Topps Heritage Throwback Variations

Odds: 1:6,573 hobby packs
Code Ending: 00

20 Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs

35 Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

80 Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

101 Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals

119 Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

**Throwback Variation – wearing helmet**

145 Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians

151 Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles

176 Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians

201 Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox

275 Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

305 Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates

330 Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox

381 Carlos Correa, Houston Astros

406 Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

454 Shin-Soo Choo, Texas Rangers

Rookie Cup

2018 Topps Heritage Baseball Rookie Cup Error Variations

Odds: unknown
Code Ending: Rookie Cup – 03

25 Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

63 Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs

118 Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers

130 Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox

150 Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers

180 Jordan Montgomery, New York Yankees

189 Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox

250 Trey Mancini, Baltimore Orioles

320 Paul DeJong, St. Louis Cardinals

348 German Marquez, Colorado Rockies

Nickname

2018 Topps Heritage Nickname Variations

Odds: unknown
Code Ending: 04

22 Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

25 Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Variation has him listed as a catcher as well.

50 Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates

80 Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

90 Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets

114 Clint Frazier, New York Yankees

118 Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers

130 Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox

145 Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians

151 Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles

189 Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox

216 Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Angels

275 Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

369 Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

381 Carlos Correa, Houston Astros

Error

2018 Topps Heritage Baseball Error Variations

Odds: unknown
Code Ending: 98

22 Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

25 Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Variation has no Rookie Cup, either.

74 Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees

80 Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

275 Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

Team Color Swap