Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I was more interested in music and unsuccessfully fitting in at school than collecting sports cards. During that time, the hobby was a hodge podge of gaudy inserts that for lack of a better term, were better suited for the front of a trapper keeper than a modern card product. High Tek is based on that time in the hobby, which is probably why it is lost on me.

Here are some of the cards up so far:

2015 Topps High Tek Mark McGwire Pink Proof Auto 1/1

2015 Topps High Tek Omar Visquel Auto

2015 Topps High Tek John Smoltz Gold Auto /50

2015 Topps High Tek Noah Syndergaard Auto Gold /50

Dont get me wrong, I love on card autos on acetate technology, and that is the only reason why I am even slightly intrigued by this set. I mostly stayed away from the set last year, save a box I bought well after release, but the way the cards look in person really do have a certain quality about them.

The “bright horizons” cards are pretty awesome in their own right, and I believe there are autograph versions as well. These feature the skyline of the city the player is from, and they look REALLY cool. Cards like this werent really in the product last year, as they went with retro designs from the original set.

This year’s set is definitely trying to recapture some of the popularity from last year’s product, which includes a sister set being released in Football to boot. I like that the autograph checklist looks pretty strong, and that Carlos Correa will again have hard signed cards in the set. He will be paired with the usual suspects in Trout, Bryant, and the rest of the Cubs young battery, which should make for some fun.

It also doesnt hurt that the price tag isnt enormous for the one autograph per box, especially when you consider that some of the parallels can be pretty valuable without an auto. I might try a box or two just to see what this is about, yet I cant help but feel this is probably better aligned for a person who was my age during the turn of the century.