Believe it or not, when 2008 Topps Heroes came out, it was the one of hottest sets in the hobby. People hadn’t forgotten the awesome first season and the product came in strong. A big part of that success was the autographs, which included most of the show’s key actors. Today, the 2008 Topps Heroes Autographs don’t carry the same prestige. But that doesn’t mean all is lost. The main cards still command attention thanks to careers that have extended beyond the show.
The set has ten cards, which isn’t huge but autographs weren’t guaranteed in any given box. Inserted 1:135 hobby packs, there was usually only one or two per case.
Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet) has been the top card from the beginning. When 2008 Topps Heroes first released, it was fetching more than $300. It hasn’t dropped much even with additional autograph cards from the actress in other sets.
Zachary Quinto (Syler) hasn’t disappeared since Heroes went off the air. While he hasn’t been everywhere, he’s taken on the role of Spock in the Star Trek reboot.
Other key 2008 Topps Heroes Autographs include Masi Oka (Hiro) and Milo Ventimiglia (Peter).
Topps made a second set of Heroes trading cards that also had autographs but that one didn’t go over very well. Rittenhouse later took over the license and released one set that not only had the most comprehensive autograph checklist for the show, but the signatures are also on the card and not a sticker like Topps used.
The rarest and most valuable Heroes come from a set of cards given out as prizes at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con.
2008 Topps Heroes Autographs Checklist
Jack Coleman as Noah Bennet
Noah Gray-Cabey as Micah Sanders
Greg Grunberg as Matt Parkman
Jason Kyson Lee as Ando Masahashi
Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura
Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet
Adrian Pasdar as Nathan Petrelli
Zachary Quinto as Gabriel Syler
Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohinder Suresh
Milo Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli
