Baseball card collecting has been a popular hobby for over a century. Today, many card collectors are drawn to heritage cards, which pay tribute to the vintage designs and styles of cards from the past. The 2023 baseball card season is shaping up to offer collectors some exciting new heritage options to add to their collections.
Topps has been the dominant force in the baseball card industry for decades. In 2023, they will continue their popular Heritage brand with a new Heritage High Numbers release. High Numbers cards feature player portraits from the 1968 to 1981 Topps designs with serial numbers from 512-575. This parallel set allows collectors to get updated player shots in beloved vintage aesthetics of that earlier era. The photo selection and retro design elements are sure to be a big hit for nostalgic collectors.
Also under the Heritage imprint, Topps has announced a return of their beloved Traded set for 2023. Heritage Traded revives the look of the classic 1975 and 1976 Topps Traded sets. These traded set inserts from the 1970s were highly sought after variations that highlighted players who switched teams in recent transactions. The 2023 Heritage Traded parallels will feature current major leaguers photographed in their new uniforms inserted throughout Heritage packs and boxes. Finding a favorite player in his new threads captured with the authentic brown framed aesthetic of the 1970s Topps Traded design will excite collectors.
In addition to their mainstay Heritage product line, Topps also announced a special Heritage Minor League set for release in Fall 2023. This set will pay tribute to the classic minor league designs issued by Topps, Kellogg’s, and others in the 1960s and 70s. Featuring today’s rising prospects and minor league standouts shot in front of period-appropriate team logos and uniforms, the Heritage Minor League set allows fans to collect the stars of tomorrow depicted in mid-20th century aesthetics. For collectors seeking heritage cards tied to a specific era, the 1968 design will serve as the template for the 2023 Heritage Minor League release.
In the independent collecting scene, boutique sports card companies continue to push the creative boundaries of heritage cards. One such innovator is Franklin Mint Sports Collectibles, which bills itself as “the original retro sports card company.” Franklin Mint has announced multiple compelling new heritage offerings planned for 2023 release that promise to excite collectors.
Franklin Mint’s flagship brand “Yesterday’s News” returns for 2023 with sets replicating rare vintage designs from 1938 to 1969. Inspired by the early designs issued by Bowman, Topps, and others in the post-war period up through the 1960s, Yesterday’s News sets transport today’s players back to the early days of the hobby. Attention to vintage production elements like cardstock, photography styles, and printing flaws adds to the authentic heritage appreciation. Creatively revisiting rare set and parallel variations like 1969 Topps Super or 1955 Bowman Color also keeps these heritage releases highly collectible.
Taking heritage cards in a new direction, Franklin Mint will also debut a special “Yesterday’s Stars” set focusing exclusively on hitters and pitchers who made their pro debuts prior to 1970. By resurrecting the iconic poses and designs of stars from baseball’s earliest eras to encapsulate today’s senior citizens of the diamond, Yesterday’s Stars bridges baseball’s past and present in a nostalgic collector’s package primed to appeal to fans both young and old.
Another heritage innovator to watch is Heritage Auctions, which has licensed historic baseball brands and designs for creative reimagining since 2015. In 2023, Heritage Auctions debuts a special “Diamond Greats” set replicating the gilded 1952 Bowman design. Limited to just 125 autograph cards featuring modern Hall of Famers and batting champions posed in the style of the golden era, Diamond Greats offers an unprecedented intersection of heritage design and premium autograph content.
Demand for new authentic heritage baseball card releases shows no signs of slowing down. While Topps maintains its dominant market position with tried and true Heritage imprints, independent companies have shown an ability to breathe new life into vintage designs in innovative ways collectors appreciate. With rich heritage options available across both mainstream and boutique sports card producers, the 2023 season promises to deliver memorable new ways for fans both new and old to reconnect with baseball’s storied past through freshly minted cardboard tributes. Whether seeking authentic reproductions, creative updates, or premium investments, collectors holding out hope for heritage have much to anticipate.
