Card of the Week

2003 Topps Heritage #349 Derek Lowe

The Heritage lines are a lot of fun. Really, any chance to add some variety to a collection is OK in my book. It’s also pretty neat to see newer players in classic designs that I’ve seen for years on older cards. So, this Derek Lowe card is a nice one to have. This design follows the 1954 Topps design, and it’s a nice one. It’s clean, crisp, and colorful. It works well.

The 2003 Derek Lowe is also great because of the stats on the back. Following the lead of the 1954 originals, there is only one year of stats on the back, along with career totals. In Lowe’s case, the 2002 stat line was a great one. It was the year he finished third in the Cy Young voting. So, the stats show his 21 wins, and his sparkling 2.58 ERA. It’s nice that the single line really makes that year stick out. The 1954 Topps also had cartoons on the back. In Lowe’s case, all three cartoons focus on one thing. His no-hitter. So, the back of this one card amplifies his two greatest career achievements. Perfect. It’s also nice for me since, as I may have mentioned, I was at that no-hitter. Anything mentioning that day is just great in my book.

A nice looking card.