Welcome to Wax Watch — The Hobby Wire’s quick-hit preview series breaking down upcoming releases before they hit shelves. We cover what the product is, who you’ll be chasing, how the formats stack up, and whether it’s worth ripping, stashing, or skipping. Consider this your pulse check on new wax — fast, focused, and collector-first.
Today, we’re digging into the highly anticipated 2025 Topps Heritage High Number Baseball.
The Lowdown
Release Date:
Hobby Box — 12.17.25
As with Topps Flagship and Chrome, Heritage gets its own update-style release in the form of High Number.
This release expands on the Heritage set from earlier this year, adding late-season call-ups and recently traded veterans. There are 200 base cards and 25 cards with shorter print runs to round it out.
This year’s Heritage lineup also came with some notable changes. Chrome cards and refractors are no longer numbered, and with no preorders available for blaster or mega boxes, Heritage High Number appears to be a hobby-exclusive release. That shift should significantly reduce print runs. But does it actually make this product better for the average collector?
Let’s find out.
Chase Card to Know: There’s really only one true chase in Heritage products: Red Ink Real One Autos. These are on-card autographs, hand-numbered and signed in red ink instead of the standard black or blue.
Talent Watch
Here are the rookies driving most of the hobby interest in this checklist.
Nick Kurtz, 1B/OF - Athletics
Everyone thought Jacob Wilson was the safe bet for Rookie of the Year — then Nick Kurtz exploded onto the scene. After a late-April call-up, he hit .290 with 36 HR and a 1.001 OPS, good for over 5 WAR. The newly crowned AL Rookie of the Year is the clear headline rookie in this class and the name most collectors will be chasing.
Cade Horton, P - Chicago Cubs
The Cubs took Horton high in the 2022 draft, and his big-league debut didn’t disappoint. After the All-Star Break, Cade was hurling the pill like 2015 Jake Arrieta, finishing 11–4 with a 2.67 ERA. Pitchers are always a tougher long-term hobby hold, but Horton’s stuff and postseason potential give him more juice than most arms.
Cam Smith, RF - Houston Astros
Best known as the prospect the Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker. His regular season cooled off a bit, but at 22, there’s still plenty of hobby upside. Cam Smith is one of the short printed rookie cards in this product.
Matt Shaw, 3B - Chicago Cubs
Shaw worked hard to become the everyday third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. While the offensive numbers never seemed to get there, his defense was surprisingly good. Expect him to be the regular starter at the hot corner for the next few years as the Cubs bank on his offense coming around. Matt Shaw is one of the short printed rookie cards in this product.
Drake Baldwin, C - Atlanta Braves
The newly crowned NL Rookie of the Year hit a very respectable .274/.341/.469, with 19 home runs and 80 RBIs. For his hype to stick into next season, Baldwin needs to take the next step — most likely with more power.
Dalton Rushing, C - Los Angeles Dodgers
Rushing might be one of the most underrated names in the set. He’s good enough to start for 27 of 30 MLB teams — but he happens to play behind Will Smith. The Dodgers rarely sit still, so don’t be shocked if Rushing becomes trade bait. If he moves, he’s cleared for takeoff. Dalton Rushing is one of the short printed rookie cards in this product.
💰 Box Breakdown
Not all boxes are created equal. Here, we break down the formats available for this release, the MSRP or pre-sale price for each, how many cards come in a box, and the resulting $/card.
Hobby Box: $149.95 / 192 cards per box → $0.79 per card
1x Real One Auto or Relic Card, 8x Short Prints or Inserts, 8x Dark Blue Bordered Parallels, 6x Chrome Variations, 2x Chrome Refractors, 8x Light Blue Sparkle Parallels, 1x Holographic Insert
🎯 Verdict
Is this Rippable, Stashable, or Junk Wax?
At The Hobby Wire, we keep it simple:
Rippable → A product you should bust down the door of your local shop or retail store to rip right away. The checklist, price, and excitement all line up.
Stashable → Not the flashiest release, but worth grabbing a box or two to tuck away. Time will tell if the rookie class or prospects pan out.
Junk Wax → Hard pass. Either overpriced, overproduced, or saddled with a weak class — leave it on the shelf.
When Heritage High Number was still available at retail, we’d always grab a box or two. The dollar-per-card was dirt cheap, mega boxes were loaded with parallels, and given how tough PSA 10s are on Heritage stock, the upside was real if you hit a clean copy.
Now, with retail off the table, the math changes. The $0.79 per card still looks fine on paper, but this just doesn’t feel like a product that belongs as hobby-exclusive. Autos fall roughly one per 124 packs — about one in every five hobby boxes — meaning you could easily spend $700+ before seeing one.
To Topps’ credit, they’ve put some more numbered cards back into the product this time. Dark blue borders are numbered to 200, while the light blue sparkle parallels are limited to 150.
The rookie class here just isn’t deep enough for us to justify multiple hobby boxes. Without retail formats to soften the entry price, this one loses much of what made Heritage High Number appealing in the first place.
We’re sitting this one out.
👉 Verdict: Junk Wax
Disclaimer: The content in The Hobby Wire is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Commentary, analysis, and opinions on sports cards, rookies, and the hobby are not financial, investment, or professional advice. Collectors should always do their own research before buying, selling, or trading cards. Market values are volatile and can change rapidly—past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Unless specified, all pricing references are based on the Prizm/Refractor parallels of an athlete's Chrome rookie card, with prices from alt.xyz & 130pt.com.
Any odds mentioned were derived from DraftKings Sportsbook.