Mets Card of the Week: 1970 Bob Heise

1970 TOPPS WAX BOX BOB HEISE

Previously on Mets on a Box, we looked at the mock Tom Seaver “card” on the 1970 Topps cello box, and the 1975 Topps wax configuration featuring Hank Webb.

Today’s entry is a little bit of a mystery.

Of course, it is no mystery why Topps would feature Mets players on its 1970 packaging. The 1969 team had set the world on its ear, and along with Armstrong and Aldrin, had encouraged a fractured nation to believe in miracles.

But at first glance, the Mets player pictured on the 1970 wax box looks pretty generic. The eyebrows seem vaguely Shamskyesque, and the gritted-teeth determination on his face could easily mark him as J.C. Martin.

The infield pose displayed on the side of the box could be any middle infielder who ever pounded a mitt in anticipation of the next pitch.

However if we zoom in on the box lid a bit, we can see a number on the tip of the bat: 23.

In 1969, the number later made famous by Esix Snead was worn by none other than Bob Heise.

Heise first logged time with the Mets in 1967, hitting .323 in 62 at bats as a 20-year old. He received late-September call ups in both 1968 and 1969, going 3 for 10 for the eventual World Series champs.

In December of 1969, Heise and Jim Gosger were traded to the Giants for Dave Marshall and Ray Sadecki. He would go on to spend a total of 11 seasons in the majors, touching (near) greatness again as a utility infielder for the 1975 Red Sox.

It is completely plausible that Topps would have pictures in its files of Bob Heise in a Mets uniform, given their practice of combing the back lots of spring training for promising young players to photograph. For that reason, I’m going to go on record as stating that the player image on the 1970 Topps wax box is at the very least based on a picture of Bob Heise.

Heise never appeared on an actual Topps card as a Mets player– the closest he came was his 1970 card, which listed him with the Giants, but showed him wearing an airbrushed Mets cap.

Now whether or not the player featured on the 1970 wrapper is Heise as well is a bit of forensics for another day…