1996 Topps Baseball Factory Sealed Complete Set 440 Cards

1996 Topps Baseball base cards have a simple front design. Photos run nearly full bleed, save for a thin white border. A thin ribbon represents the nameplate. The player's name is written in gold foil. Next to the ribbon is a small head shot replicating the one from the main photo. Cards also have a small team logo. Mickey Mantle is a running theme throughout 1996 Topps Baseball. The Yankees great passed away the previous summer. A commemorative card is base set card 7. The spot was retired beginning in 1997 and remained that way for several years until Topps reached an agreement with Mantle's estate. Besides the commemorative base card, Mantle was also the subject of several inserts. Mickey Mantle Reprints offer reproduction of all 19 of Mantle's base cards from 1951 Bowman through to 1969 Topps. The final five cards in the set are slightly scarcer. For Series 2, Topps reprinted the cards once again, this time with Finest chromium. Each comes with a protective layer that can be peeled off. Finest versions also have much scarcer Refractor parallels. Additionally, 1996 Topps Series 2 cases come with a special sealed version of the basic Mickey Mantle reprints. Series 2 packs also have sweepstakes cards where collectors could enter to win original Mantle cards. Power Boosters are a partial parallel, a high-end version of the first 36 Series 1 cards. The double-thick cards have a "Power Matrix" foil background. Mystery Finest cards hide the featured player with a piece of black film. To reveal the players, collectors have to peel the film off. Cards also have a Refractor parallel. Other basic inserts in 1996 Topps Baseball include Classic Confrontations, Wrecking Crew, Masters of the Game, Road Warriors and Profiles.

• 1996 Topps Baseball Complete Set
• Contains all 440 cards from series one and two