Retro Refractors That Beat the Rookie? + Panini vs Topps SHINE Showdown + Ohtani Heritage 1/1 Regret + Expo Toronto & On-Site Grading (PSA/Beckett/TAG) + VGLX Gaming Drop-In
Description
Jeremy and Dylan gush over modern executions of vintage designs—Topps Chrome refractor tributes (think ’52 Mantle), Heritage retrofractors, and even OPC “blast from the past”-style rookies—and why some tributes can look better than the originals. Joe shares a missed Ohtani Topps Heritage 1/1 (yes, Superfractor, not “gold vinyl”), and Dylan makes the case for enjoying vintage players on modern tech as a smart, budget-friendly lane.
Mid-segment, Mikey Singer (Sport Card Expo/Strongsville) pops in to show his completed 1990–92 Upper Deck Heroes auto run, plug next week’s VGLX gaming show, and share November Expo details—including on-site grading.
Highlights
Why refractor/retrofractor tributes of icons (Mantle, Hank, Nolan, Gretzky) can out-aesthetic the originals
Heritage Retrofractor full-set love (hockey) and why “modern retro” scratches the vintage itch
Prism/Optic vs Topps Chrome: year-to-year design, surface “shine,” and where Fanatics needs to improve
Dylan’s encouragement to vintage die-hards: try shiny—safely and cheaply
Intermission with Mikey Singer:
Completed UD Heroes autographs run (’90–’92)
VGLX gaming & culture show (video games, TCG, indie devs, AMD/MSI free-play, cosplay)
Sport Card Expo Toronto (Nov 6–9): PSA & Beckett on-site; TAG taking subs; stage/Q&A teasers
Nostalgia side quest: Vectrex mini chatter + retro consoles
Listen + support
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