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I have recently completed another project I've been working on in my Barry Larkin collection: the complete run of Topps Finest cards from 1993 through 1999.
This is a project that I feel demonstrates a very significant time in the hobby as cards transitioned from paper base cards to the modern refractor rainbows we see today. No brand ushered in these changes quite as overtly as Topps Finest. In this thread, I want to share my completed collection, while at the same time providing some background and history of the Finest brand throughout the 90s. 1993 Finest is a 199-card set printed on chromium stock and widely recognized as one of the most important issues of the 1990's and Hobby history. The Finest brand was Topps' first attempt at the super-premium card market and competed with Fleer's Flair brand and Upper Deck's SP. Production was announced at 4000, twelve-box cases (the first time a manufacturer publicly announced case production runs) and cards were distributed exclusively through Hobby dealers in the fall of 1993. This was the first time in the history of The Hobby that a major manufacturer publicly released their production figures. Another important first in 1993 Finest was the inclusion of the Refractor parallel. I am of the opinion that the refractor parallel was one of the most significant additions to card sets in baseball card history. It has shaped the hobby as it is today. Randomly inserted in packs at a rate of one in 15 (mostly one-per-box, occasionally two), this set parallels the entire 199-card Finest set except that their fronts have been laminated with a plastic lens giving the card its trademark appearance. Because of the known production numbers, these cards are believed to have a print run of 241 copies of each card -- although this production figure was never officially confirmed by Topps. This was the start of something big! I recall seeing a box of 1993 Finest on the tops shelf of my local card shop in 1993. The shop owner was asking $20 per pack. I had never seen, nor even contemplated something like that in my life. My curiosity was piqued, and a lifelong fascination was born. When 1994 rolled around, Finest was a household name and had taken the hobby by storm. Topps took full advantage. They included preproduction samples at a rate of one in 24 packs of Topps flagship, and greatly increased the production of the 1994 Finest set. This set was issued in 2 series, and once again included the all-important refractor parallel, which fell as 1:9 packs this year. In addition to the base card and refractor parallel in 1994 Finest, there was a Superstar Sampler parallel for me to track down. Included in each 1994 Topps "Baker's Dozen" factory set, was a cello-wrapped three-card "sampler" of a MLB player. Each player is represented by his 1994 Bowman, Finest, and Stadium Club cards. These cards are identical to their regular issue counterparts except for a special "Topps Superstar Sampler" emblem on their backs. Barry Larkin was included in the Superstar Sampler checklist. 1995 Finest was a set of firsts and lasts. It was the last Finest set to follow the traditional pattern of standard base card with a single refractor parallel. Therefore, Larkin only has 2 cards in 1995 Finest (base and refractor). However, in 1995, for the first time, a protective film, designed to keep the card from scratching and to maintain original gloss, covers the front of each card. Also for the first time, non-parallel inserts were included (Power Kings and Flame Thowers). It should be noted at this time that Barry Larkin is not included on the checklist of ANY insert sets of Finest from 1993-1999, so none of those inserts are included in my project. Although the cards are not serial-numbered, it has been estimated that the production of the 1995 Finest Refractors is around 550 copies each. In 1996, things got weird. 1996 Finest is a 359 card set issued in two series of 191 cards and 168 cards respectively. Once again, a protective film, designed to keep the card from scratching and to maintain original gloss, covers the front. But this time there was a new set structure, unlike anything seen in the hobby up to that point. 96 Finest provided collectors with the opportunity to complete a number of sets within the set, each with a different degree of insertion. In Series One the set was sub-divided into four distinct themes: Phenoms, Intimidators, Gamers, and Sterling. In Series Two, the set was sub-divided into four different themes as well, with some new themes: Franchise, Additions, Prodigies, and Sterling. Within these themes, across both Series, the cards were then fractured into three levels of scarcity: Common (bronze trim), Uncommon (silver), and Rare (gold). Each card is sequentially-numbered twice: once by theme, and twice as part of the set as a whole. In addition to the cards' borders, each card will also have either "common," "uncommon", or "rare" written within the numbering box on the card backs to let collectors know which type of card they hold. Oddly, Barry Larkin has two "Bronze" level cards, but no "Gold" card. So while I have 6 cards for 96 Finest for Larkin, there are 2 Bronze base, 2 Bronze refractors, and a silver base and refractor, but no Gold base or refractor. As part of the sell sheet for 1996 Finest Series One, Topps claimed that no more than 150 copies of each Gold Refractor would be produced -- although the cards would NOT be serial-numbered. Dr. Joseph Sentef managed to collect over 220 Greg Maddux Gold Refractors often paying as much as $900 for each card. Sentef sued Topps in 2003 and settled out-of-court for an undisclosed figure. Excerpts from an article on the lawsuit state that: Sentef placed an advertisement on America Online saying he would pay top dollar -- usually more than $1,000 per card -- for the Maddux cards. Those with cards came to Sentef's buyer, Steve Kopp, who was deluged with offers from collectors who said they had the card. Kopp stated he, "...purchased 50 in one week and I called Joe and told him that I thought we had a problem." Kopp then called Topps officials for an explanation. Kopp was first told that the company stood by its numbers. When Kopp said there were more than 100 were available for him to buy, Topps told him there was a theft at the printing plant. A month later, when he pressed them again, Kopp said company officials told him they had automatically produced a 10 percent overrun of their cards and the extra cards were missing from their vault. 1997 Finest took the craziness of the 1996 set to a whole new level. It is the peak of the themed subsets with various refractors motif that Topps would reach before scaling back to a more traditional format in 1998. 1997 Topps Finest is a 350-card fractured set, issued in two series of 175 cards each: Series One is divided into five distinct themes: Finest Blue Chips (up-and-coming future stars), Finest Hurlers (top pitchers), Finest Warriors (superstar players), Finest Power (formidable hitters and pitchers), and Finest Masters (top players). Series Two is also divided into five distinct themes: Finest Blue Chips (up-and-coming future stars), Finest Acquisitions (latest trades and new signings), Finest Competitors (hottest players), Finest Power (formidable hitters and pitchers), and Finest Masters (top players). All five themes of each series have one of three distinctions: Common (1-100 and 176-275) with bronze trim, Uncommon (101-150 and 276-325) with silver trim and an insertion rate of one in four for both series, and Rare (151-175 and 326-350) with gold trim and an insertion rate of one in 24 for both series. Thus, there are not Bronze, Silver, and Gold versions of every card in the set; rather, each card in the set had a designated theme and distinction. For example, card #342 features Ken Griffey, Jr. with the 'Power' theme and 'Rare/Gold' distinction. There are no 'Common/Bronze' or 'Uncommon/Silver' versions of card #342. Each of the 350 base cards were available in a Refractor parallel. Just like in the base set, the Bronze Refractors are the easiest to pull (1:12/packs), Silver Refractors were tough (1:48), and Gold Refractors were the toughest (1:288). Unlike the 1996 Finest set, Topps made no statement about the print runs of Gold Refractors. Additionally, there was the inclusion of Finest Embossed cards. This was a partial-parallel as only the 150 Uncommon/Silver and Rare/Gold base cards had an embossed parallel. Each Embossed parallel is imprinted to create a raised image of the player on the front. The Gold Embossed versions had a die-cut, "deckled" edge on all four sides to further distinguish from the base set. Each of the embossed cards had a refractor parallel as well. These were the hardest to pull and featured an embossed front with a refractor finish. The Silver Embossed Refractors featured a refractor pattern similar to the 1996 Bowman's Best Atomic Refractors. The Gold Embossed Refractors featured a refractor pattern similar to the 1997 Bowman's Best Atomic Refractors and a "deckled" edge. Silver Embossed Refractors fell at a rate of 1:192 packs, while Gold Embossed Refractors fell at a rate of 1:1152. Print runs of the Gold Embossed Refractors are estimated to be anywhere from 35-75. They are often considered the top Finest card for any player in the 90s, 1993 notwithstanding. Thus, players who had both silver and gold versions, had a 10 card master set in 1997 Finest. Barry Larkin has all 10 cards. 1998 Finest is a 275-card set released in two series of 150 and 125 cards, respectively. Topps shed the fracturing scheme of the past two years, and went back to a simpler Finest base set. This would also be the last time all Finest base cards would be printed in equal quantities. Playing off the removable peel design, as well as a growing trend to give both sides of the card the chrome/refractor treatment, each card not only got a refractor parallel, but also had a dual sided base card (where both sides of the card were chrome, as well as a dual sided refractor (where both sides of the card were refractors). These dual sided cards had no protective peel on them. The decade concluded with 1999 Finest. The brand began to settle into what would become a pretty standard format we are familiar with today. There is a base set of 100 cards, along with 50 shortprinted subset cards in each series. Each card had a refractor parallel, as well as a gold refractor parallel numbered to 100. To me, as the 90s drew to a close, sets began to resemble what we think of today. Refractor parallels along with various colored refractor parallels of varying rarity. The hobby had changed forever, and Finest was at the forefront of the changes. Today, we see the rainbow chases made popular by the 1996 Select Certified set, merged with the colored refractor rainbows that began to emerge with the Finest brand. Additionally, Finest (along with its prospect themed little brother, Bowman's Best) introduced the concept of differing refractor patterns to go along with the differing refractor colors. All of these meld into the set design most sets have today. Call it laziness, or staying with what works, there is no denying the influence the Finest sets of the 90s had on the sets of today. Without further ado, here is a photo containing all 30 of Barry Larkin's Finest cards from 1993 through 1999. This was a project several years in the making, as some of these are not easy, nor cheap, to track down. Row 1: 1993 Finest base; 1993 Finest Refractor; 1994 Finest base; 1994 Finest Refractor; 1994 Superstar Sampler (unopened pack) Row 2: 1995 Finest base; 1995 Finest Refractor; 1996 Bronze base (Intimidators); 1996 Bronze base (Franchises); 1996 Silver base Row 3: 1996 Finest Bronze Refractor (Intimidators); 1996 Finest Bronze Refractor (Franchises); 1996 Finest Silver Refractor; 1997 Finest Bronze base; 1997 Finest Bronze Refractor Row 4: 1997 Finest Silver base; 1997 Finest Silver Embossed base; 1997 Finest Silver Refractor; 1997 Finest Silver Embossed Refractor; 1997 Finest Gold base Row 5: 1997 Finest Gold Embossed base; 1997 Finest Gold Refractor; 1997 Finest Gold Embossed Refractor; 1998 Finest base; 1998 Finest Dual Sided base Row 6: 1998 Finest Refractor; 1998 Finest Dual Sided Refractor; 1999 Finest base; 1999 Finest Refractor; 1999 Finest Gold Refractor ![]() Last edited by OhioLawyerF5; 02-03-2025 at 10:07 AM. |
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Excellent informative post!
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Radically Canadian! |
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Those are all beautiful cards. They are also the cards that chased me out of modern back then. I appreciate them now and kinda wish I didn't sell all my 1/1s and other silly rare Wade Boggs cards from back then.
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Radically Canadian! |
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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. |
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Kind of agree. A lot of sets within the main set to collect. Either way great accomplishment and informative post Timothy.
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Last edited by OhioLawyerF5; 02-03-2025 at 02:50 PM. |
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Enjoyed this OP post very much.
Are the last posts referring to the 2011 Standard Catalog ? |
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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. |
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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. Last edited by saucywombat; 02-03-2025 at 05:19 PM. |
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Yes 2011 - which I believe was the last "big" book
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Not the last SCD Catalog but do think the last one with post 80 listings, which did make it really big
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__________________
Radically Canadian! |
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Okay. So what does "Dual Sided" mean for the 1998 Topps Finest baseball? I thought all Topps cards were dual sided. ![]()
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Radically Canadian! Last edited by Balticfox; 02-04-2025 at 09:57 AM. |
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In 1998, they decided to do a parallel that gave the cards the treatment on both sides. So the dual sided base card has chrome card stock on both the front and the back. Neither side is paper. And the dual sided refractor has the rainbow shine on the back as well. It is really hard to capture the chrome back on a photograph, but the refractor on the back is obvious. So here are photos of both the front and the back of the dual sided cards. Hope that helps. If you still have questions, let me know. I can take better photos when I get home. These are just what I have on my phone (as I catalog my collection photographically in albums on my phone). ![]() ![]() Last edited by OhioLawyerF5; 02-04-2025 at 10:21 AM. |
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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. |
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Rich
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