First Look: 2015 Topps Heritage checklist

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

The checklist for this year’s Topps Heritage baseball card set is here from Topps and the trip down memory lane will include some surprises as we revisit 1966 in the packs of today.

Among them? Cut autographs of Dick Clark, Fats Domino and Red Skelton alongside autographs of Bryce Harper, Mariano Rivera, Rusney Castillo and Sandy Koufax.

Back this year will be action image variations and throwback uniform cards where photographs showcase retro threads worn regularly in MLB. Also back from a few years ago are color swaps where the color design is altered on some rarer cards.

At retail there will be 15-card tributes to Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax — A Legend Begins will be Ryan cards in Target packs, while Koufax will have his A Legend Retires cards found at Walmart.

As with previous years, Nos. 426-500 will be short-printed cards. Among the players found here this year will be Jacob deGrom, Harper, Yasiel Puig, Jose Altuve, Jon Lester, Craig Kimbrel, Justin Verlander, Albert Pujols, Yu Darvish and Mike Trout to name a few.

Also back will be mini base variations as well as Chromes — those sets will be skip-numbered with notables from throughout the set showcased.

The base set will include nods to the past such as a team card for the San Francisco Giants on card No. 19 — just as it was in 1966 — teammates showcased on card No. 99 (this time it’s the Angels’ Trout and Pujols, last time it was the Buc Belters) and likely matching variations to go with the UERs in the original set.

Among the subjects in the News Flashbacks set are Batman, Star Trek, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and the NFL/AFL merger to name a few, while Baseball Flashbacks will focus on Ernie Banks, Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax for starters.

Among the past players signing for this one will be Al Kaline, Bob Friend, Brooks Robinson, Choo Choo Coleman, Ernie Broglio, Jim Gentile, Juan Marichal, Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Steve Carlton and Tracy Stallard, while the multi-player auto checklists include the likes of Hank Aaron, Fergie Jenkins, Bo Jackson, Mike Trout, Nolan Ryan, Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera.

Among the baseball cut autographs to be found will be Don Drysdale, Harmon Killebrew, Joe Nuxhall, Roger Maris, Ron Santo, Tug McGraw, Walter Alston, Willie Stargell and Woodie Held.

Players signing for auto Relics will include Anthony Rizzo, Buster Posey, David Wright, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado, Mike Trout, Yasiel Puig, Hank Aaron and Steve Carlton to name a few.

Notable players with Relics in the release will include Derek Jeter, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Juan Marichal, Mike Trout, Roger Maris and Willie Mays among others.

Click here to view the checklist as released by Topps on Tuesday.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.