Heritage 2011 is Here!

I hoped these would have been here sooner, but I guess I shouldn't be so impatient. I was the only bidder for a complete Cubs team set, including the SPs, on a auction that ended March 13. My hope was that I'd have the cards within a week. Unfortunately the seller didn't even ship them until Saturday, March 19. So while the rest of you were showing off all your new Heritage cards, I was only an interested observer. But today I'm an active participant!

The Cubs set included 12 base cards and three short-prints. One Cub was also on a rookie card, but I had to pick that card up separately. If I have any complaint about Heritage, it would be the background in the pictures. It looks like they put a fake spring training background on most of these. I wish they would show the ballparks instead. One of my favorite things to do with cards is to decide where the picture was taken. But for the past few years, Heritage has denied me that fun.

I'll start with the faces that you haven't seen yet, the three rookie cards in the set.



Darwin Barney, who may see some playing time at second this season



Wellington Castillo, this is one of the three short-prints. Beef may take Koyie Hill's back-up job.



Casey Coleman, with a white star instead of a yellow one. In the 1962 set, Cubs rookie Ken Hubbs also had a white star. My guess is that Topps is duplicating that. Does anyone know the reason for the different colored stars in 1962?

Up next are the two photoshopped ex-Rays



Matt Garza, though if Topps was really going for a 1962 look, they would have left the hat a plain blue and not added the C.



Carlos Pena



Starlin Castro has the big classic Topps Rookie trophy. In the 1962 set, there were two Cubs with the trophy, pitcher Jack Curtis and Billy Williams



This card of Marlon Byrd is the only "action" type shot; all the rest were posed ala 1962.



Here is the SP rookie card, with Cubs pitcher Andrew Cashner top and center.

And below are all the rest; these are old familiar Cubs faces.