Most of the time when Topps reaches back into its voluminous archives to build out an Archives or Heritage set, the result is pure and delicious anachronism — 1981 Topps Joey Votto or 1959 Topps Juan Soto or 1965 Topps Anthony Rizzo.

After all …

These were the card designs that felt so exotic when we were just starting our collections — or at least, that’s the way it was for me, with the exception of 1981 Topps … I pulled those from packs first-run.

But the others, well, those were legendary parts of the hobby’s past and felt like unattainable relics whenever they came into our field of view, or within earshot.

To see today’s players gracing fresh, crisp copies of those old legends is pretty neat stuff, conceptually if not always from a do-we-really-need-another-set standpoint.

But the diamond time warp can be a bit jarring at times, especially when you consider that the dudes on these new cards generally weren’t even born yet when the original sets rolled off the presses.

Heck, even grizzled Votto out-youngs the 1981 set by more than two full years.

But, while the old card designs almost always outpace the players themselves in terms of seasoning, even Topps couldn’t — or at least — didn’t outdo good old Jamie Moyer back in 2012.

Find Jamie Moyer cards on eBay (affiliate link)

Find Jamie Moyer cards on Amazon (affiliate link)

That season, Moyer was finally wrapping up his Major League career at age 49, taking on the challenge of mounting the mound for the Colorado Rockies.

The marriage went about as you might have expected — 2-5, 5.70 ERA, 11 home runs allowed in just over 53 innings pitched.

It spelled the end of the line for the ancient lefthander, though he did sign minor league deals with both the Orioles and Blue Jays later that summer.

While Moyer was playing out the string on his 25-year big league career, Topps was treating collectors to a 600-card Heritage set, issued in two series that paid homage to its 1963 base set design.

There on card number 605 (cards 501-575 don’t exist) is Moyer in his Rockies uniform, showing the the camera a baseball destined for the Coors Field bleachers.

Moyer looks as old as the design itself, and … well, he’s actually older.

Born November 18, 1962, Moyer came into the world just about the time Sy Berger and the rest of the Topps design team were putting the finishing touches on their picture-in-picture masterpiece.

Who knows? Maybe it was a hobby matchup destined to happen, anachronism be damned!


Hobby Wow!

The 2012 Topps Heritage set is famous for high-dollar cards of Mike Trout and a rookie Bryce Harper. This eBay lot gives you that Harper RC and more …

It’s a complete, sealed factory set of the high-number series, one of only 1000 released.

Check out the full listing on eBay right here (affiliate link).

1981 Topps Baseball Cards - YOU PICK - SHIPS FREE

$1.49
End Date: Sunday 04/28/2024 10:47:05 EDT
Buy it now | Add to watch list