The Transition to Modern Cards: A Project Completed!

[saucywombat]

Nice post.

I had at one time collected all 1990's baseball Finest refractors (with the exception of about 15 of the 1997 gold die cut embossed)

Would disagree about the 1994 assessment. There in my estimation approximately the same number of refractors per card for 1994 that existed for 1993 (lets say about 250). Though overall population wise there are many more 1994 refractors because the number of cards in the set more than doubled from 199 in 1993 to 440 in 1994.

The Standard Catalog stated a run of only 4000 cases for 1994. If that is true there would actually be fewer than 241 examples of each refractor for 1994.

Strange but true.

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by saucywombat

Nice post.

I had at one time collected all 1990's baseball Finest refractors (with the exception of about 15 of the 1997 gold die cut embossed)

Would disagree about the 1994 assessment. There in my estimation approximately the same number of refractors per card for 1994 that existed for 1993 (lets say about 250). Though overall population wise there are many more 1994 refractors because the number of cards in the set more than doubled from 199 in 1993 to 440 in 1994.

The Standard Catalog stated a run of only 4000 cases for 1994. If that is true there would actually be fewer than 241 examples of each refractor for 1994.

Strange but true.

Interesting. Every source I can find states that production for 1994 was greatly increased over 1993, and that 1995 scaled it back. 4000 cases was the print run for 1993, so I find it hard to believe that is accurate for 1994. Just anecdotally, having collected them in those days, I saw 94 Finest regularly at my LCS for $5 a pack, whereas 93 Finest was very hard to find, and ballooned to $20 a pack. Coupled with the better odds for refractors (1:15 vs 1:9), and with the checklist only increasing by 20 cards per series, there would need to be even less 94 produced than 93 in order to have the same number of refractors. And I highly doubt that. But I'm definitely open to learning something new. I'll have to pull out my Standard Catalog when I get home to verify.

[ALR-bishop]

Enjoyed this OP post very much.

Are the last posts referring to the 2011 Standard Catalog ?

[saucywombat]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Enjoyed this OP post very much.

Are the last posts referring to the 2011 Standard Catalog ?

Yes 2011 - which I believe was the last "big" book

[ALR-bishop]

Not the last SCD Catalog but do think the last one with post 80 listings, which did make it really big

[G1911]

I mostly collected vintage as a kid with my Dad, but I also liked some of the modern stuff in the late 90's/early 2000's. Finest was one of the cooler brands, I have fun memories of 1998 Finest. There was a card store in my hometown with a great owner that was happy to entertain a 8 year old kid who was going to spend $5-$10 a trip and talk about cards. Even then, some people were really only looking for inserts or refractors. One really kind gentleman used to break his expensive boxes at the counter, take the base he didn't want and give them to kids or leave them behind the counter to be given out to kids later. I still have a few dozen 98 Finest that were very, very exciting to be given back then, including a Larkin and a Clemens. He'd give me and my brother a pile, and we'd have a ton of fun 'drafting' players from the stack. I peeled all the coatings off because they looked so much nicer that way.

I don't know the right word for it, but I loved the 'etched' look of the Finest/Chrome etc. lines of that time, where the players and objects are outlined with slight indents and the pebbly look to the background. Today they just use a flat chromium look that isn't as 'nice' and is more uniform.

[saucywombat]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

Interesting. Every source I can find states that production for 1994 was greatly increased over 1993, and that 1995 scaled it back. 4000 cases was the print run for 1993, so I find it hard to believe that is accurate for 1994. Just anecdotally, having collected them in those days, I saw 94 Finest regularly at my LCS for $5 a pack, whereas 93 Finest was very hard to find, and ballooned to $20 a pack. Coupled with the better odds for refractors (1:15 vs 1:9), and with the checklist only increasing by 20 cards per series, there would need to be even less 94 produced than 93 in order to have the same number of refractors. And I highly doubt that. But I'm definitely open to learning something new. I'll have to pull out my Standard Catalog when I get home to verify.

Having busted a few cases myself, the 1994s ere definitely 2 per box, so 1:12 on the refractors. I'd love for someone else to dive in on the math - happy to be wrong there. But if the number of cases is factual then it is possible to get the number of refractors. It is shockingly low even at 4000 cases per Series.

From what I remember about 1994 it was not well received, as by far the #1 chase in 1993 was for the Nolan Ryan refractor. Then despite being in 1994 Topps base Nolan was not included in Finest in 1994. People were mad! On top of that there was not a key chase rookie card (a problem that would follow Finest and really lead to the development of Bowman Chrome). It was still hobby only though. Also at this point the market was slowing considerably and feeling awfully saturated with high end product. Very important was that the baseball strike began in August 1994 with that year's playoffs and world series canceled. People were mad!

1995 not sure how much Finest they produced but I remember being able to buy a pack at a gas station (happened to get a Kevin Appier refractor). So different distribution that year. The 1995 refractors are not plentiful however. Series 2 really benefited from having a true Nomo RC, which probably saved the product.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

Interesting. Every source I can find states that production for 1994 was greatly increased over 1993, and that 1995 scaled it back. 4000 cases was the print run for 1993, so I find it hard to believe that is accurate for 1994. Just anecdotally, having collected them in those days, I saw 94 Finest regularly at my LCS for $5 a pack, whereas 93 Finest was very hard to find, and ballooned to $20 a pack. Coupled with the better odds for refractors (1:15 vs 1:9), and with the checklist only increasing by 20 cards per series, there would need to be even less 94 produced than 93 in order to have the same number of refractors. And I highly doubt that. But I'm definitely open to learning something new. I'll have to pull out my Standard Catalog when I get home to verify.

Not firsthand, but there were some complaints back in 93, some perhaps more reality based than others.

The set was offered to dealers at a point in the season when they were still looking to get past break even on other sets. And other "gimick" sets had done pretty poorly in the preceeding few years, leaving dealers who bought into those sets and didn't manage to move them in time stuck.

So the preorders were a "I'll think about it for a couple days and maybe get a case" and by then it was too late. They sold out to a handful of big dealers or wholesalers in a day or so. (Hard to imagine today that there were dealers whose main business was wholesaling to other card shops back then)
LOTS of complaining about how Topps had basically made it a deal for the big customers leaving the little guys out of luck.

Some collectors went with that, saying it was just greed to have packs at $20-25 each. And that Topps was in on it and they wouldn't buy the cards.

So mostly sour grapes that they didn't/couldn't get in on the hottest product in years.

I bought my pack for 25, thought the cards were cool, and ended up with maybe half the set over the years, and a handful of refractors.

I didn't really go for it after that, but did usually buy a few plus the football and basketball. On the darker borders of those and the all stars the refractors were a bit harder to spot and just weren't as interesting as the silver of the main part of the 93 set.