1996 Finest was issued across two series’ with series 1 being 191 cards and series 2 being 168 cards for a total of 359 cards. Cards were released in 6-card packs with an initial SRP of $5 per pack. Topps added protective film over card fronts to protect the gloss, which was a thing Topps did on its premium chrome releases in the mid-1990s. It’s common for collectors to peel these off before submitting them for grading. Purest like myself prefer to keep the peel intact.
The set features a variety of subsets with varying degrees of scarcity. The subsets in series 1 include Finest Phenoms, Finest Intimidators, Finest Gamers, and Finest Sterling. The subsets in series 2 include Finest Franchises, Finest Additions, Finest Prodigies, and Finest Sterling. Players can be found in designs done in bronze (common), silver (uncommon), and gold (rare) with different photography used on each style, and rarity stated next to card numbers. For obvious reasons, the golds are the most desirable.
Card numbers are accompanied by either B, G, or S to signify their color – bronze, gold, or silver. Given the somewhat random run of who was included in which color, the following checklist is organized alphabetically by color letter then numerically by card number within the letter code. It’s strange, I know, but this is 1996 Finest. Each card can be found with a refractor parallel that features the word “Refractor” printed near the card number on card backs.
Pronounced Green-oh. Patrick has a BA in Psychology, a BA in Sociology, and an MBA from the University of New Mexico. He also has a Project Management Certificate from UCLA Extension. He has lectured in Internet Marketing at the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge. He is the author of, Student to Founder: Secrets to creating a student organization in college and starting a business after graduation. He has been interviewed on Good Day New Mexico and in Albuquerque The Magazine. Patrick is a frequent speaker and panelist at universities and events where he shares his insights on leadership, technology, and marketing. He's been a baseball card collector since 1987, and is the Founder & Principal of www.radicards.com | Visit the store
Visit our store
