EVORETRO's broader guide to Heritage's 150-card Image Variation chase already laid out how the full six-category structure works.
This guide zooms in on one specific, confirmed name inside that checklist: Drake Maye, whose Image Variation is one of the clearest star-driven pulls in the entire product.
Maye's base card sits in the checklist alongside Josh Allen and Jayden Daniels as one of the established young quarterbacks featured throughout 2026 Topps football products, and his short-printed variation gives collectors a specific, confirmed target within that larger chase.
Here's what makes his variation worth prioritizing, and how to tell a standard base card from the short-printed version.
Maye's standard base card appears in the 400-card Heritage checklist, recreating the 1976 Topps Football design with the same thick, rounded borders and football-shaped nameplate used across the entire base set.
He also appears in a League Leaders combination card alongside another quarterback, giving his name multiple points of entry across the checklist beyond the standard base card alone.
Maye is one of the confirmed subjects in Heritage's short-printed Image Variation run, which swaps the photo used on his base card for an alternate image while keeping the same design and card number.
Because the swap is visual, confirming a genuine variation requires comparing the photo directly against a standard copy of his base card rather than relying on the card number alone.
A short print of an established, high-profile quarterback like Maye tends to draw attention beyond typical Heritage set builders, pulling in collectors focused specifically on his career rather than the broader variation checklist.
That crossover demand is exactly why star-driven short prints like this one often move independently of the rest of a product's variation run, regardless of how common or rare the underlying print actually is.
Base Card Chrome Autograph Variations put a genuine signature onto a glossier Chrome version of the Heritage design, a completely separate chase from the photo-based Image Variation covered here.
Collectors specifically targeting the Image Variation should treat it as a distinct goal from any autographed Chrome version of Maye elsewhere in the checklist.
Given the short-print nature of the full Image Variation run, checking dedicated singles marketplaces alongside opening boxes is a more realistic path to landing this specific card than relying on pack odds alone.
Cross-referencing a checklist that specifically confirms which cards carry the variation treatment avoids wasted time double-checking every Maye base card that comes out of a box.
A confirmed short print of a name this prominent is worth pulling out of the regular sort pile immediately, rather than treating it the same as a standard base card while you finish opening the rest of the box.
Checking centering and corners closely before deciding on grading matters more here than with a common base card, given the added demand a star-driven short print typically carries.
A short print's price is normally driven mostly by its print rate, but a variation tied to an established, widely-followed quarterback like Maye tends to draw demand beyond typical Heritage set builders, pulling in player-collectors who don't otherwise chase Heritage variations.
That crossover demand means this specific short print may hold value differently than a same-rarity variation of a less prominent name elsewhere in the 150-card checklist.
Beyond a direct photo comparison, checking the card against an officially published Image Variation checklist once Topps releases full details is the most reliable way to confirm a specific pull rather than relying on memory or a quick visual glance.
Keeping a saved reference image of both the standard and variation photo side by side makes future comparisons faster, especially useful if you're opening multiple boxes and sorting a large stack of his base cards at once.
Yes, he's one of the confirmed subjects in the short-printed variation run.
Compare the photo directly against a standard copy of his base card.
No, those are two separate chases within the product's overall checklist.
In a League Leaders combination card alongside another quarterback.
Yes, crossover demand from player-collectors can push its value beyond what its print rate alone would suggest.
A confirmed star short print deserves protection before it goes anywhere near a sort pile. Reach for an EVORETRO One Touch Magnetic Card Holder the second you pull it.
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