Topps reveals latest in American Heritage line

Topps released the basic product breakdown and preview images for the latest installment of its American Heritage series, the American Heroes Edition, a 150-card set loaded with notable people — who it deems the “the most courageous, valiant, progressive and enlightened American women and men in our nation’s history.”

The product will arrive in early August with a combination of two autographs, cut signatures, patches, Relics or stamp cards in every 24-pack hobby box. It looks to be a product heavy on political memorabilia as well as NASA memorabilia for all you space fans.

The base set will utilize famous Topps designs from the 1960s and the 1980s — focusing again on Miltary Heroes (card Nos. 1-10), Political Heroes (11-20), Civil Rights heroes (21-30), “The Bravest” (31-40), “The Finest” (41-50), Heroic Groups and Movements (51-60), Heroes of Medicine (61-70), Humanitarian Heroes (71-80), Diplomatic Heroes (81-90), “Pen is Mightier than Sword” (91-100), Heroic Events (101-125), and finally Kindred Heroes — a 25-card set pairing Barack Obama and Abe Lincoln.

Every box of the first series was a virtual history lesson with some memorabilia touches and sports stars here and there. This set also has plenty of unusual cards like the Lincoln cut autograph which includes a piece from the president’s law office floor and it looks to take that scope of the first Heritage set a step further.

The autograph cards will include 10 “Heroes of Sport” and 10 more “American Heroes. Then there are cut signature cards of “Heroes of Spaceflight” and “Heroes of Sport” and then then dual and quad cut signature cards as well as cut signature Relic cards.

Here’s a sampling from the autographs/cut autograph preliminary checklist:

Heroes of Spaceflight
HSFS-SR    Sally Ride
HSFS-JFK    John F. Kennedy
HSFS-GB    Guion Bluford
HSFS-FB    Frank Borman
HSFS-NA    Neil Armstrong
HSFS-BC    Bob Crippen
HSFS-DE    Donn Eisele
HSFS-RE    Ronald Evans
HSFS-OG    Owen Garriott
HSFS-BA    Buzz Aldrin
HSFS-JG    John Glenn
HSFS-JI    Jim Irwin
HSFS-JK    Joseph Kerwin
HSFS-SL    Shannon Lucid
HSFS-KM    Ken Mattingly
HSFS-BM    Bruce McCandless
HSFS-JM    James McDivitt
HSFS-JR    Judith Resnick
HSFS-HS    Harrison Schmidt
HSFS-DS    David Scott
HSFS-DKS    Deke Slayton
HSFS-KS    Kathryn Sullivan
HSFS-JS    Jack Swigert
HSFS-AW    Al Worden
HSFS-SR    Stuart Roosa

Heroes of Sport
HSS-BR    Babe Ruth
HSS-MM    Mickey Mantle
HSS-OG    Otto Graham
HSS-YAT    Y.A. Tittle
HSS-VL    Vince Lombardi
HSS-BN    Bronko Nagurski
HSS-WP    Walter Payton
HSS-LG    Lou Gehrig
HSS-TC    TY Cobb
HSS-CY    Cy Young

American Heroes
AHS-JS    Jimmy Stewart
AHS-PG    Pat Garrett
AHS-BC    Buster Crabbe
AHS-AC    Art Carney
AHS-LB    Leonard Bernstein
AHS-KV    Kurt Vonnegut
AHS-DP    Drew Pearson
AHS-ML    Mary Livermore
AHS-OJ    Osa Johnson
AHS-HWB    Henry Ward Beecher
AHS-AL    Abraham Lincoln
AHS-BM    Butterfly McQueen
AHS-JC    James Cagney
AHS-FA    Fred Astaire
AHS-GB    George Burns
AHS-HK    Helen Keller
AHS-TE    Thomas Edison
Others TBD

Dual Cut Signatures
AHDS-CC    George Clymer
Charles Carroll
Others TBD

Quad Cut Signatures
AHQS-LRKO    Joe Louis
Jackie Robinson
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Barack Obama
AHQS-MGWL    Henry Mancini
Benny Goodman
Lawrence Welk
Liberace
Others TBD
Cut Signature Relics
AHSR-AL    Abraham Lincoln
AHSR-HST    Harry S Truman
AHSR-FDR    Franklin D. Roosevelt

There also will be patch cards commemorating “Heroes of Spaceflight” — a 28-card set with all cards from the manned Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions represented on cards limited to just 61 copies apiece.

Relics will focus on the same groups with as many as eight swatches on some cards, while a stamp card noting “A Hero’s Journey” — Lincoln — is limited to just 20 copies. It appears some Relics will have pieces from the Space Shuttle embedded into the cards, while others will include pieces of items owned/used by  presidents.

Here’s a rundown of the Relic cards on the preliminary checklist:

Heroes of Spaceflight Relics
HSFR-A11    Apollo 11 Command Module Thermal Protection
HSFR-A15    Apollo 15 Guidance and Navigation Chip
HSFR-AS    Apollo Soyuz Command Module Thermal Protection
HSFR-SSD    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSA    Shuttle Atlantis Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSC    Shuttle Columbia Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSE    Shuttle Endeavour Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SL    Spacelab Wiring
HSFR-SSC1    Shuttle Columbia Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSC2    Shuttle Columbia Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSC3    Shuttle Columbia Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSC4    Shuttle Columbia Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSC5    Shuttle Columbia Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSC6    Shuttle Columbia Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSC7    Shuttle Columbia Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Thermal Blanket
HSFR-SSD1    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSD2    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSD3    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSD4    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSD5    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSD6    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSD7    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Thermal Blanket
HSFR-SSD8    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Blanket
HSFR-SSD9    Shuttle Discovery Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Clamp Seal
HSFR-SSA1    Shuttle Atlantis Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSA2    Shuttle Atlantis Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSA3    Shuttle Atlantis Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSA4    Shuttle Atlantis Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSA5    Shuttle Atlantis Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSA7    Shuttle Atlantis Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Thermal Blanket
HSFR-SSE1    Shuttle Endeavour Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSA6    Shuttle Atlantis Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSE2    Shuttle Endeavour Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSE3    Shuttle Endeavour Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSE4    Shuttle Endeavour  Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSE5    Shuttle Endeavour Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSE6    Shuttle Endeavour Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Liner
HSFR-SSE7    Shuttle Endeavour Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Thermal Blanket

American Heroism Relics
AHR-FDR1    Franklin D. Roosevelt Shirt
AHR-RR1    Franklin D. Roosevelt/Eleanor Roosevelt Pillow Down
AHR-RR2    Franklin D. Roosevelt/Eleanor Roosevelt Pillow Liner
AHR-FDR2    Franklin D. Roosevelt Oval Office Floor
AHR-ER    Eleanor Roosevelt Belt
AHR-HST    Harry S Truman Oval Office Floor
AHR-LBJ    Lyndon B. Johnson Sofa Fabric
AHR-JK    Jacqueline Kennedy Green Room Fabric
AHR-USSME    USS Maine Wood
AHR-TR    Theodore Roosevelt San Juan Hill Tree
AHR-USSMO    USS Missouri Teak Decking
AHR-BM    World War II Bombing Map Silk Bombing Map
AHR-EA    Major General Elmore F. Austin Spanish-American War Boots
AHR-WWII3    22nd Infantry Regiment D-Day Veteran’s World War II

Uniform
AHR-WWI1    105th Machine Gun Battery World War I Blanket
AHR-WWI2    World War I Engineer World War I Uniform
AHR-WWII2    76th Infantry Division World War II Medic’s Uniform
AHR-WWII6    76th Infantry Division World War II Uniform
AHR-KW    30th Infantry Regiment Korean War Uniform
AHR-WWI3    World War I Signal Flag
AHR-WWI4    World War I World War I Flag Kit
AHR-LP    Libby Prison Confederate Prison Wood
AHR-SL    Statue of Liberty Foundation
AHR-WWII5    36th Infantry Division World War II POW’s Uniform
AHR-WWII1    11th Airborne Division World War II Paratrooper Uniform           AHR-VW    Vietnam War Flight Jacket Vietnam War Flight Jacket
AHR-WWI5    World War I Leggings World War I Leggings
AHR-WWII4    12th Armored Division – “Hellcats” World War II Captain’s Uniform

A Hero’s Journey Relics
HJR-AL1    Abraham Lincoln
HJR-AL2    Abraham Lincoln’s Law Office
HJR-AL3    Abraham Lincoln Funeral Train Flag
HJR-AL4    Abraham Lincoln Election Envelope
HJR-AL5    Abraham Lincoln’s Parlor Curtains

American Heroes Relics
AHR-WA    Wesley Autry
AHR-DL    David Lim
AHR-RJ    Robert Jarvik
AHR-PB    Patricia Bath
AHR-JG    Justin Garner
AHR-EM    John Moran
AHR-    TBD
AHR-DS    Dennis Smith
AHR-JF    John Flynn
AHR-    TBD

Heroes of Sport Relics
HSR-1    Jackie Robinson
HSR-2    Babe Ruth
HSR-3    Mickey Mantle
HSR-4    Johnny Mize
HSR-5    Magic Johnson
HSR-6    Jim Brown
HSR-7    Rogers Hornsby
HSR-8    Larry Bird
HSR-9    Jimmie Foxx
HSR-10    Ty Cobb
HSR-11    Lou Gehrig
HSR-12    Frank Robinson
HSR-13    Dan Marino
HSR-14    Bill Russell
HSR-15    Terry Bradshaw

Heroes of Sport Dual Relics
HSDR-1    Larry Bird
Magic Johnson
HSDR-2    Terry Bradshaw
Dan Marino
HSDR-3    Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
HSDR-4    Jackie Robinson
Mickey Mantle
HSDR-5    Lou Gehrig
Babe Ruth

Heroes of Sport 8-Piece Relics
HS8R-1    Mickey Mantle
Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig
Jackie Robinson
Honus Wagner
Ty Cobb
Rogers Hornsby
Tris Speaker
HS8R-2    Jackie Robinson
Babe Ruth
Mickey Mantle
Jim Brown
Dan Marino
Bill Russell
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird

Other insert sets will focus on Medal of Honor winners, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the sports and space heroes previously mentioned. And, of course, there couldn’t be a Topps set without Chrome and Refractors for the lovers of all things shiny.  Chromes are limited to 1,776 while Refractors are limited to 76.

Here’s the preliminary checklist for the Medals sets:

Medal of Honor
MOH-1    Jacob Parrott
MOH-2    Frank Baldwin
MOH-3    Thomas Custer
MOH-4    Orion P. Howe
MOH-5    Theodore Schwan
MOH-6    William H. Horsfall
MOH-7    Francis E. Brownell
MOH-8    James Thompson
MOH-9    Allen Thompson
MOH-10    John C. Black
MOH-11    William P. Black
MOH-12    Arthur MacArthur, Jr.
MOH-13    Daniel Sickles
MOH-14    Robert Blake
MOH-15    William Harvey Carney
MOH-16    Mary Edwards Walker
MOH-17    Powhatan Beaty
MOH-18    George Lewis Gillespie, Jr.
MOH-19    Billy Dixon
MOH-20    Benjamin Brown
MOH-21    Henry Johnson
MOH-22    William F. Cody
MOH-23    Bernard J.D. Irwin
MOH-24    William F. Lukes
MOH-25    Theodore Roosevelt
MOH-26    Albert Leopold Mills
MOH-27    Dennis Bell
MOH-28    Ira Clinton Welborn
MOH-29    Henry L. Hulbert
MOH-30    Hiram I. Bearss
MOH-31    Webb Hayes
MOH-32    George F. Shiels
MOH-33    Daniel Daly
MOH-34    Smedley Butler
MOH-35    Julien Edmund Victor Gaujot
MOH-36    Louis Cukela
MOH-37    John J. Kelly
MOH-38    John H. Pruitt
MOH-39    John Finn
MOH-40    Gordon Ray Roberts
MOH-41    Thomas J. Ryan
MOH-42    Floyd Bennett
MOH-43    William Halford
MOH-44    Gary Gordon
MOH-45    Randy Shughart
MOH-46    Paul Ray Smith
MOH-47    Jason Dunham
MOH-48    Michael P. Murphy
MOH-49    Michael A. Monsoor
MOH-50    Ross A. McGinnis

Presidential Medal of Freedom
MOF-1    John Kenneth Galbraith
MOF-2    Jonas Salk
MOF-3    James Cagney
MOF-4    Norman Rockwell
MOF-5    Jimmy Stewart
MOF-6    Bob Hope
MOF-7    Aaron Copland
MOF-8    Duke Ellington
MOF-9    Johnny Carson
MOF-10    Martin Luther King, Jr.
MOF-11    Earl Warren
MOF-12    Ansel Adams
MOF-13    Frank Sinatra
MOF-14    Edward R. Murrow
MOF-15    Bill Cosby
MOF-16    Helen Keller
MOF-17    Jackie Robinson
MOF-18    Ella Fitzgerald
MOF-19    Andy Griffith
MOF-20    William F. Buckley, Jr.
MOF-21    Gregory Peck
MOF-22    Carl Sandburg
MOF-23    Buckminster Fuller
MOF-24    Charlton Heston
MOF-25    Walter Cronkite

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.