Topps Heritage Failure

What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some companies you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way they want it. Well, they get it. And I don't like it any more than you men (and women).

I've stood by and watched Wal-Mart and Target get their own parallels of Topps cards. From what I've seen of the Wal-Mart version, they look cool. At least Topps was honest about everything when directly asked about the situation. They even offered up the Target information before we suspected anything.

While this is all innocent and cute, it reveals a larger problem with Topps. They just don't know when to stop. Are parallels and short prints a necessary evil in today's card collecting? Apparently so, since all the card companies seem to be doing it. This is the type of thinking that got Donruss' license revoked and led to Pinnacle Brands going bankrupt. These were all innovative when first thought of. Now, they are tired and recycled.

There needs to be a quality set released without a chase card or a gimmick. This not only will provide relief to wary collectors, but would be a throwback to the old sets which no retro product could ever provide. All these artificial creations are hurting the industry in the long run. Why can't a set stand on its own merits? Topps Heritage shouldn't need a short printed gimmick.

The final short print list has yet to be officially released. If Topps has short printed the last 75 cards in the set, there would be four short printed cards involving the White Sox that I could pick out. If for some odd reason, Nick Swisher isn't airbrushed into a Yankees uniform, that would make five short printed White Sox cards. That is absolutely ridiculous.

You know that Topps wouldn't make the short prints that easy to pick out. If last year's set is any indication, there will be short prints scattered throughout the other 425 cards. This means that some sucker paying huge money on eBay for a card in the last 75 cards, might be wasting their money on a common card. I don't care how good the set looks, I will only be collecting the White Sox cards this year. I still haven't been able to collect last year's Heritage base set because of all the short prints and variations. I don't need this aggravation.

Come to think of it, A.J. Pierzynski is probably the most short printed White Sox player in history. I can't think of any Sox player in the past five years that has been short printed as many times. He is short printed in this year's set, based on early information.

Can Topps get over themselves and turn out a decent product this year without any gimmicks, short prints or parallels? Doubtful. I am hopeful that it will happen again in my lifetime. The kids of today may never experience a new quality set without artificial scarcity. That's a shame.