I've kept my mouth pretty well shut on Topps Archives from the first leaks of images from the Fan Favorites autograph set to the release of the sell sheets, but the time has come to have my say.
I collected the 60 Years of Topps reprint set this year, so I'm not against reprint cards. I've toyed with the thought of collecting the base Topps Heritage set. I have the original Fan Favorites sets on my want lists.
But there's something about the 2012 Topps Archives set that bothers me. It just doesn't feel right.
That's what it is.
We haven't seen previews of any of the retired players in the base set. The Reggie above is part of a reprint insert set. Will the entire set be done Fan Favorites-style, including the retired players? Or will retired players be reprints? (If so, what's the point of the reprint insert set?)
Something else bothers me with the first two images in this post: putting current players on vintage designs is fun, but that's what Topps Heritage is for. Really, Fan Favorites is best used on retired players - and best done as Fan Favorites was, with new images on designs that existed when that player was playing. Archives is just a reprint set, so I'm up in the air on that concept. I really need to see how this base set plays out.
That said, I can't wait to see the Fan Favorites autograph checklist. There are some players who have been neglected on certified autographs that I'm hoping might show up.
The mini '83s look like a great idea. Any minis seem like a great idea. Too bad it looks like they'll only be autographed - or will the mini '83s be a parallel set?
That may be the set I collect, if so. They announced a gold parallel, but how great would a mini '83 set be inserted 1 per pack or 1 per 3 packs or so?
As for the inserts, it's a great selection. The 1968 3D design should look great, the '67 stickers were a really fun design, and the crisp black and white photography on the minimalist deckle edge '69s can be fantastic. I'm unsure about the Topps Cloth set, and I have no interest in even more reprints (see above). I could be persuaded to chase the 3D, sticker, and deckle sets.
Summary: the base set, if done properly as
Fan Favorites, is a must-have. The autograph checklist is something to check out for those minor stars who never had a certified auto and some big names to score big bucks in return, and the inserts look like a good collection, even if they aren't ones I want.
Please, Topps, do a 1983 mini "parallel" set!
I WANT: Base set (if done as Fan Favorites), Deckle, Sticker, 3D
I DON'T RECOMMEND: The reprint insert set.
See the entire sell sheet at JayBee's site.
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