2012 Topps Heritage Mike Trout #207

I had no doubt the Angels were going to pay their franchise player - what else is there to say other than with the way Trout has built himself up as an all-around player, he'll continue to having lasting power through his mid 30s when he is supposed to be getting old and declining.

As far as Trout cards, I'll keep the ones I pull or stumble upon, but don't really go looking for ones to pick up since his better cards are always in demand - maybe two or three years ago, this particular second-year card was probably worth $3, but interest had picked up and it caught my attention.

I remember having a fling with trying to build the 2012 Topps Heritage set off loose pack / blaster breaks but lost interest soon enough - after the fact, it's easier to start with a hand-collated set purchase on eBay.

I didn't find a Trout among the 150-card box that housed my loose Heritage set-build from seven years ago - to scratch the itch, I had to get a copy even if it meant paying the going rate for a graded '9' example of his first Heritage card.