I found Heritage

 

OK, that's a click-bait title. I'm sorry.

I didn't actually find 2023 Heritage cards, which have been obviously delayed, but I did spot the release date for the product just now.

It's scheduled to be released May 31.

That's more than two months later than it has been released in past years, as it's often a mid-March product. But release dates continue to be delayed and one look at the release calendar shows that the majority of what's being released in the next month are 2022 cards. Only 2023 Bowman (late April) and 2023 Donruss (mid-May) stick out as current-year cards on the horizon.

Issuing Heritage at the end of May makes sense because Topps isn't putting out Gypsy Queen this year and that's usually been a mid-May product. Heritage fills a slot.

I'd like to think that the delay in the release would mean updates for players who have changed teams, but I have my doubts considering we're buried in 2022 arrivals. (It'd be nice if 2023 Heritage had the "Traded" cards with all those great painted hats, like '74 Topps did, but I'll be surprised if that happens).

Anyway, I'm very relieved to see a date for Heritage because I was starting to get concerned. Heritage will use the 1974 Topps design and I hope everyone knows how much that year's set means to me. They are the first cards I ever owned. My mom bought some cello packs for me and my brother. It is because of those cards that I am a Dodger fan and have been a card collector for close to 50 years.

I didn't really "collect" the cards that year, no other '74 cards arrived in my collection and I tossed the cards at the end of summer because I thought that's what you did with them. They were part of summer, like beach balls and grills and bathing suits. You got rid of them in the fall.

I want the opportunity to really collect the '74 design this year, like when I was finishing up the actual set back in 2005. No, I'm probably not going to try to complete it -- unless Heritage actually dispenses with the short-print nonsense now that we're paying tribute to sets that weren't issued in series (what are the chances?).

So I'm looking forward to it. I have no recollection of when in 1974 my mom bought those cards for us, but the end of May sounds about right -- a summer of collecting that design, just like 49 years ago.

There are few Heritage sets that I've really looked forward to -- I can probably list 2014 (1965 design), 2016 (1967 design) and 2020 (1971 design) -- but this is one. And you better believe next year is one.

(For more on my appreciation on the '74 set, this sums it up).