After the dust cleared

 

Twelve days ago I wrote a post about my thoughts on the 2024 Heritage minis after receiving a bunch of the cards from Johnny's Trading Spot.

I said that I didn't plan to collect the set. Even though it's a tribute to my most favorite set of all-time, the 1975 Topps mini test set, I didn't feel enthusiasm for it, mostly because trying to collect the main Heritage set was tough enough and I didn't want to repeat the exact same exacting task.

Well, sometimes when you have written a popular blog for a long time, you don't get to do what you had planned. Sometimes your reputation precedes you. I am known for loving the 1975 set and the mini set, therefore it follows for many that I should love the 2024 Heritage set and the mini set. Who cares what I wrote!

 

So two days after that post, I received the following from reader Grant:

 

A day after receiving that, I received the following from former blogger Greg/grogg:

 

And the day after THAT, I received the following from former blogger Joe:

So on July 8, 9 and 10 I received consecutively boxes filled with 2024 Heritage minis. And that resulted in this:

Those are all the minis I received -- not including the ones originally from Johnny.

There are a couple of things apparent from the avalanche of minis from last week:

1. You all have ripped a lot of a 2024 Topps Heritage minis. Like loads.

2. I have been "persuaded" to collect this set. On at least one condition.

But let's see each of the boxes separately because it's obvious that each of the senders went through a lot of trouble to get me these cards and also they did not contain just Heritage minis.

Starting chronologically with Grant (who sent me the mini box that you saw in the header):

 

Since I received Grant's package first in the back-to-back-to-back sends, I needed the most cards from him. The best cards in the lot -- defined by stuff I won't have to fight for in the future -- were Masyn Winn, Anthony Volpe, Evan Carter, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Adley Rutschmann.

 

Also I was still in need of mini Dodgers at this point (I still am somewhat), so everything like this was super-appreciated.

Grant, like all three collectors last week, sent non-'24 Heritage stuff, too, including a lot of Dodgers that I needed. He focused on shiny:

Some Allen & Ginter Chrome Dodgers from 2020. I still don't really know where to get this stuff, and like a lot of parallel sets Topps makes these days, I like to pretend that if I ignore them, they will go away. But it doesn't seem to be working.

 

More shiny Dodgers, including the guy who just TORE HIS ESOPHAGUS! OW! OW! OW!

Some nice DARK needs from that DARK year. Heritage High Number inserts always escape my attention.

 

 

Some random Dodgers, including a former Nebulous 9 need in that Trea Turner 2022 Fire card, and a 1990 Fleer Canadian Jose Vizcaino card. I don't know how prevalent the '90 Fleer Canadian cards are but I definitely want to flip over all of my 1990 Fleer Dodger dupes right now.

 

 

Grant also sent like 70 cards from the 2021 Chrome Platinum Anniversary set that -- hey, hey -- nobody's supposed to know that I'm secretly collecting this!!

I mean I like the idea of collecting it but then I see that half the set is rookie cards and that I have what seems like an impressive 179 cards from it but THAT'S ONLY 25 PERCENT, LOSER!! What am I doing?

So that's what came from Grant and now it's time for the cards from Greg/grogg and, yes, I know it's getting long, but each of the packages were connected and showing off each of these on separate days consecutively would be so much more boring for you.

So just to wake you up a bit, let's jump ahead to what else was in the box from grogg besides Heritage minis and the buybacks I showed the other day.

That is THREE Ron Cey autographs from 2004 Topps Originals Signature Edition. And that's an SP Chirography Garvey-Cey auto (my second Garvey-Cey auto!). Also that's a Stadium Club Maury Wills auto that I used to have two of and now have two of again. Also it's my first James Outman autograph, and he has signed his name to appear like his name is "Hit," which he needs to do more often (hit, not sign his name like that).

That is so much greatness.

Greg had been saving up for a long time, a few years actually, so keep that in mind. Back to the Heritage minis and then back to the Dodgers.

 

 

That's how many individually packaged mini packages there were.

 

There were a lot of needs. And big names, too, like Elly De La Cruz, Paul Goldschmidt, Yadier Alvarez, Julio Rodriguez, Aaron Judge, Corey Seager, Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Pete Alonso, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider.

 

And there were a bunch of Dodgers mini needs packaged separately from the other minis because there are team sets and set sets and grogg knows what's up!!

 

He didn't stop with regular Dodgers minis either.

 

All variations, either white parallel, purple parallel, blue parallel or photo parallel like Freeman, which is so much better than his base card. The blue parallel Kershaw is numbered to /25, which delights me in this world of more and more Kershaw collectors on TCDB chasing me down. You may catch me, Player Collector, but you probably don't have THIS ONE!

 

 

I also received several regular-sized short-prints for my main Heritage pursuit. This is coming along slowly. I'm waiting for my latest (delayed) arrival. Those postal workers always insist on getting vacation time like the rest of us this time of year.

 

That did it for the 2024 Heritage from grogg (what, you wanted more?), but there was still Heritage Dodgers!

 

All from 2022 Heritage and all shiny except for the one Betts, which is actually a photo variation. It's really nice of Greg to save these for me.

 

 

Still not done with the parallels and variations. These are all gold parallels from 2016, one of my least favorite sets ever. I think Greg might've read my posts about me trying to pursue all the recent Dodgers gold parallel sets but not being crazy about chasing the ones from 2016 and 2017. He has saved me a lot of cash and heartache!

(Look at that crew, how did the Dodgers even win 60 games?)

Like the Grant box, I've got a random Dodgers grouping for grogg. The Kershaw is from the Berger's Best insert from several years ago, which eluded me even though I have multiple Kershaw rookies.

I like how many Betts cards were in this package, keep your eye on that Triumvirates card.

 

Here are a couple of variations of the Dodgers' team card in 2024 flagship. I like the colored border parallels a lot. As for the rabbits, how do I explain that thing to everyone in my life who does not collect? They're going to dial up rehab for me tomorrow.

So that was a whole bunch of greatness from Greg, which he apologized (and shouldn't have) for taking so long to send. But maybe Joe's thinking he could have taken one more day?

 

Reader Joe sent a lot of '24 Heritage minis the very next day, but after the first two sends, about 10 cards of it was all I needed. Sorry, Prelander. At least you're one of the 10!

O'Neil Cruz was in there though and James Outman, both key needs. This goes without saying but I now have so many dupes, which are definitely available. I'm already setting some aside for fellow team collectors.

Joe did send some key other cards though that definitely filled holes, and a couple were Heritage, including another Kershaw mini variation! The Gary Sanchez is another SP for the main Heritage set.

 

One more edition of random Dodgers, this time from Joe! Yes, Joe knows that I think those negative refractors are hideous and all non-Dodgers should be recycled. He also knows I need every Dodger I don't have. Rehab definitely awaits.

 

Joe also sent this 2023 Stadium Club Kershaw Triumvirates card. A day after I got the Betts Triumvirates card from Greg.

I already had the Freeman Triumvirates so for the FIRST TIME EVER IN THE HISTORY OF MY COLLECTING, I CAN DO THIS.

 

That is completely satisfying in the most unnecessary way.

There were a few other random cards from Joe, a George Brett disc, another 1978 Topps Don Sutton for my collection that I'll happily add, but I need to get back to the 2024 Heritage minis. 

 

After all those sends and a flurry of sorting and calculating and the dust clearing, I need 20 more cards to complete the non-short-print version of the mini set.

Twenty cards seems doable, there really aren't too many toughies in that group.

But that's where it ends.

I am not chasing short-prints 1-100. I'm currently doing it with the main set and once is enough. I will take any that come my way (there were a couple in last week's packages as you can see by the Kole Calhoun at the top of the stack). So I'm not totally going back on my plan from a couple weeks ago.

It's just when you are sent all but 20 cards from a set in a three-day period, it tends to change your mind.

(But I still need pages, Ultra Pro).