Welcome to Wax Watch — The Hobby Wire’s quick-hit preview of upcoming releases before they hit shelves. We break down what it is, who you’re chasing, and whether it’s worth ripping, stashing, scooping singles, or skipping altogether.
Before this week’s release, we want to take a quick look at 2026 Topps Heritage Baseball.
The Lowdown
Release Dates:
All Formats — 03.18.26
Heritage has a simple premise.
Debuting in 2001 as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Topps Baseball, the concept was straightforward: take the players of today and put them on the designs of 50 years ago. It connected generations of collectors in a way that flashier products couldn’t. It stuck. And now, more than two decades later, it’s become one of the most reliable releases on the calendar.
This year’s design pulls from 1977 Topps. The base set clocks in at 400 cards featuring rookies, veterans, and league leaders.
Printed on traditional card stock, it’s one of the few modern releases that actually feels old. That tactile difference is part of the appeal. You’re not just collecting a card. You’re holding something that looks and feels like it came out of a pack 50 years ago.
Chase Card to Know
Heritage's most iconic hit is exactly what it's always been: the Red Ink Real One Autograph. On-card signatures, hand-numbered to 77. It's one of the most visually distinct autographs in the hobby — and when you pull the right player in a PSA 10, you're looking at a card worth a few thousand dollars without breaking a sweat.
Talent Watch
Whether you collect pitchers or hitters, there’s a little something for everyone here.
Roman Anthony, OF - Boston Red Sox
2025 Stats: 3.1 WAR, .292 Average, 8 HR, 32 RBI, 140 OPS+
Anthony has the look of a long-term impact bat in Boston. He’s a disciplined, left-handed hitter with real power and the ability to make consistent hard contact, projecting as a future middle-of-the-order bat. He moves well in the outfield and fits comfortably in a corner spot. The main hurdle will be handling elite velocity and tightening up a swing that can get long at times, but the blend of patience and power gives him serious upside.
Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF - Kansas City Royals
2025 Stats: -1.3 WAR, .157 Average, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 49 OPS+
Widely considered the hottest prospect out of the 2024 MLB Draft, Caglianone cemented himself as a difference maker down in the minors. It was a different story in his call to the show however. The man with the profile of a top tier slugger couldn’t seem to get a hit to save his life. There’s one stat that makes us still hold out hope for Jac. Last year, his BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) was a measly .172. That kind of BABIP usually screams bad luck rather than bad talent. If even a few of those rockets start finding grass, the stat line looks very different.
Jacob Misiorowski, SP - Milwaukee Brewers
2025 Stats: 0.5 WAR, 4.36 ERA, 102 SO, 95 ERA+
Jacob Misiorowski looks like he was built in a pitching lab. His big frame, elite velocity, and wicked breaking balls check all the boxes for a stud pitcher. He has a 100+ mph fastball and pairs it with a ridiculous slider that sits above 90mph that flashes swing-and-miss potential. The problem is command and consistency. His long delivery can get out of sync, leading to walks and elevated pitch counts. If he can regain control, he has top-of-the-rotation upside. If not, the fallback could be a high-octane late-inning reliever.
Samuel Basallo, C/1B - Baltimore Orioles
2025 Stats: -0.2 WAR, .165 Average, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 56 OPS+
Basallo is an imposing, left-handed hitter with rare power for a young catcher. He has the kind of strength that can drive the ball out to any part of the park. The big question is long-term position: he has the arm and tools to catch, but his size means some evaluators wonder whether he eventually shifts to first base or designated hitter. If he sticks behind the plate, the bat plays at an All-Star level for the position. He comes to Baltimore at just the right time with Adley Rutschman possibly cooling off.
Kyle Teel, C - Chicago White Sox
2025 Stats: 1.9 WAR, .273 Average, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 121 OPS+
Teel plays with the kind of steady, high-energy presence teams love behind the plate. He’s a left-handed hitter with a mature approach, meaning he works counts, uses the whole field, and doesn’t look overmatched against quality pitching. There’s solid gap power now with the chance for more as he continues to get stronger, and he runs well for a catcher. Defensively, he’s athletic and competitive, though like most young backstops he’s still polishing the finer details of game-calling and consistency.
Cam Schlittler, SP - New York Yankees
2025 Stats: 2.0 WAR, 2.96 ERA, 102 SO, 138 ERA+
Cam Schlittler is freaking intense. He’s a power right-hander with the kind of size and fastball that immediately grabs your attention. He works in the mid-to-upper 90s and isn’t afraid to challenge hitters, showing the mentality you want from a starting pitcher. His breaking ball flashes real swing-and-miss potential, and when he’s in rhythm, he can pile up strikeouts quickly. He’s exactly the type of pitcher the Yankees are in need of.
Honorable Mentions:
Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays), Jonah Tong (Mets), Colson Montgomery (White Sox), Brady House (Nationals), Owen Caissie (Cubs/Marlins), Bubba Chandler (Pirates), Chase Burns (Reds), Christian Moore (Angels)
💰 Box Breakdown
Not all boxes are created equal — especially at these prices. 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. If there are any guarantees per box, we crunch the $/Hit, excluding inserts.
Hobby Box: $149.99 / 160 → $0.94 per card
1x Auto or Relic
8x Short Printed Base Cards
8x Dark Grey Bordered Parallels
8x Base Chrome Variations/Short Prints/Numbered Parallels
8x Chrome Light Blue Sparkle Parallels
$4.55/hit
Mega Box: $49.99 / 136 cards per box → $0.37 per card
4x Short Printed Base Cards
4x Red Bordered Parallels
4x Base Chrome Variations/Short Prints/Numbered Parallels
4x Chrome Silver Sparkle Parallels
$3.13/hit
Value Box: $24.99 / 64 cards → $0.39 per card
2x Short Printed Base Cards
2x Dark Green Bordered Parallels
2x Base Chrome Variations/Short Prints/Numbered Parallels
2x Chrome Pink Sparkle Parallels
$3.13/hit
Hanger Box: $14.99 / 35 cards → $0.43 per card
1x Light Purple Bordered Parallel
1x Short Printed Base Card
1x Chrome Variation/Short Print/Numbered Parallel
$5.00/hit
🎯 Verdict
Is this Rippable, Stashable, Singles Only, 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.
Singles Only → Product pricing is way off base, but the checklist is decent enough to pick up a few singles in the secondary market.
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. Leave it on the shelf. Either overpriced, overproduced, or saddled with a weak class.
We’ve always been on the fence with Heritage.
Some years it's a genuinely fun rip. Other years it feels closer to junk wax. At first glance — but without an odds sheet in hand at the time of writing — this looks like it’ll be one of the good ones.
We’re still unhappy about some of the decisions Topps has made with Heritage. Making base chrome parallels no longer numbered really makes them feel less special. But the depth of the 2026 rookie class makes this much more forgiving than last season.
We’re still not thrilled about every call Topps has made here. Taking the numbered designation off the base chrome parallels makes them feel less special, and that’s a real loss. But the depth of this rookie class more than compensates. It’s a much more forgiving release than last season.
Dollar-per-card looks solid across every format at under $1 with MSRP pricing, and the cost-per-hit is nearly identical regardless of which box you go with. Because we weren’t high on Heritage last year, we passed when pre-orders opened. Time will tell if that was the right call. But retail doesn’t look bad this year, particularly mega boxes. The main reason is simple: the mega-exclusive red bordered parallels are a direct color match for the most coveted rookie in the checklist. Roman Anthony in a red border? We’re ripping a few of those for our “Ripped” series, no question.
As always, we'll have more to say on best formats once Topps drops the odds sheet. The moment it goes live, we'll start working on the Wax Value Index.
👉 Early Verdict: Rippable
🏆 Most Valuable Format at a Glance: Mega Boxes
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 Market Movers, alt.xyz & 130pt.com.
Any odds mentioned were derived from DraftKings Sportsbook.