1993 Topps Finest Refractor percentages
Charliethefish
Posts: 18
With regards to the historic 1993 Topps finest release in particular the refractors I was reviewing the amount of PSA 10’s issued on the refractor cards.
The missing Holy Grail would be a PSA 10 Bernie Williams… no card has to date been issued a PSA 10... What would the value of such a card be in the market place?
Going down the list you will notice the low output of PSA 10’s in particularly surprising is the Mike Piazza 2.64% only 6 PSA 10’s out of 227 submitted.
Would be interesting to see a PSA 10 Bernie Williams pop up one day and what it would go for as these cards get particularly more and more scarce.
Card No. Name psa 10 Total Percentage
30 Bernie Williams 0 99 0.00%
51 Brian Harper 1 97 1.03%
144 Orestes Destrade 1 84 1.19%
80 Mickey Tettleton 1 81 1.23%
62 Pete Harnisch 2 147 1.36%
156 J.T. Snow 3 142 2.11%
18 Alan Trammell 3 126 2.38%
50 Harold Reynolds 2 83 2.41%
134 Kevin Brown 2 77 2.60%
37 Tim Wakefield 3 115 2.61%
199 Mike Piazza 6 227 2.64%
40 Marquis Grissom 2 74 2.70%
123 Wil Cordero 2 71 2.82%
72 Chuck Finley 3 101 2.97%
60 Charlie Hayes 2 64 3.13%
70 Paul Molitor 3 93 3.23%
61 Shane Mack 3 91 3.30%
124 Jay Buhner 3 89 3.37%
153 Harold Baines 2 57 3.51%
29 Ramon Martinez 3 84 3.57%
133 Pat Borders 3 84 3.57%
68 Ron Gant 4 110 3.64%
186 Mike Lansing 4 109 3.67%
196 Dave Fleming 5 128 3.91%
194 Jay Bell 4 102 3.92%
109 Pat Listach 5 124 4.03%
189 Moises Alou 4 99 4.04%
183 Tim Raines 3 74 4.05%
10 Curt Schilling 3 73 4.11%
176 Mike Stanton 5 115 4.35%
184 Orel Hershiser 3 69 4.35%
9 Steve Finley 4 88 4.55%
166 John Smoltz 6 128 4.69%
192 Robin Yount 6 128 4.69%
52 Rafael Palmeiro 7 140 5.00%
179 Eric Anthony 6 120 5.00%
195 Luis Gonzalez 5 100 5.00%
191 John Franco 5 99 5.05%
6 Brett Butler 6 117 5.13%
82 Mark Langston 6 116 5.17%
2 Lou Whitaker 6 115 5.22%
43 Kenny Lofton 6 112 5.36%
69 Doug Jones 6 109 5.50%
54 Jeff Conine 7 124 5.65%
185 Andy Van Slyke 6 105 5.71%
159 Dean Palmer 6 104 5.77%
73 Mark Grace 8 138 5.80%
71 Brady Anderson 4 69 5.80%
125 Carlton Fisk 7 117 5.98%
89 Darryl Strawberry 8 132 6.06%
24 Jose Rijo 6 99 6.06%
145 Jose Guzman 6 94 6.38%
121 Gregg Olson 6 92 6.52%
8 B.J. Surhoff 5 76 6.58%
87 Tom Glavine 5 75 6.67%
165 Mo Vaughn 8 118 6.78%
66 Bobby Bonilla 7 103 6.80%
107 Nolan Ryan 8 117 6.84%
174 Jimmy Key 5 73 6.85%
31 Gary Sheffield 7 100 7.00%
143 Howard Johnson 6 85 7.06%
97 Larry Walker 6 83 7.23%
63 George Brett 12 164 7.32%
164 Tom Henke 6 79 7.59%
146 Chad Curtis 7 92 7.61%
99 Jose Canseco 10 130 7.69%
162 Dave Winfield 10 125 8.00%
181 Otis Nixon 8 99 8.08%
151 Bob Welch 6 73 8.22%
56 Juan Guzman 8 96 8.33%
64 Lance Johnson 9 107 8.41%
154 Randy Johnson 8 95 8.42%
47 Ivan Rodriguez 15 178 8.43%
48 Eric Young 7 82 8.54%
74 Mike Devereaux 7 82 8.54%
46 Jim Abbott 7 81 8.64%
28 Ozzie Smith 9 104 8.65%
76 Chuck Knoblauch 10 115 8.70%
117 Kent Hrbek 10 112 8.93%
163 Tim Salmon 8 89 8.99%
175 George Bell 9 99 9.09%
20 Reggie Sanders 7 76 9.21%
157 Mike Mussina 10 108 9.26%
1 David Justice 8 85 9.41%
112 Kirby Puckett 16 167 9.58%
17 Duane Ward 9 93 9.68%
119 Craig Biggio 13 133 9.77%
197 Mike Greenwell 9 92 9.78%
169 Charlie Hough 10 101 9.90%
27 Alex Fernandez 12 120 10.00%
81 Felix Jose 7 70 10.00%
19 Andy Benes 8 79 10.13%
122 Eddie Murray 19 186 10.22%
88 Roberto Alomar 12 116 10.34%
139 Reggie Jefferson 9 87 10.34%
161 Julio Franco 8 77 10.39%
5 Sid Fernandez 13 125 10.40%
102 Frank Thomas 26 247 10.53%
32 Eric Karros 12 112 10.71%
158 Ruben Sierra 9 84 10.71%
150 Erik Hanson 10 92 10.87%
152 John Jaha 8 73 10.96%
53 Bret Saberhagen 10 91 10.99%
155 Al Martin 10 91 10.99%
59 Wally Joyner 11 100 11.00%
44 John Burkett 11 96 11.46%
187 Ray Lankford 11 96 11.46%
198 David Nied 10 86 11.63%
84 Andre Dawson 16 137 11.68%
42 Jeff Montgomery 14 119 11.76%
167 Danny Tartabull 11 93 11.83%
14 John Smiley 12 101 11.88%
41 Glenn Davis 10 84 11.90%
45 Darryl Hamilton 11 92 11.96%
92 Mark Mcgwire 27 221 12.22%
83 Gregg Jefferies 10 81 12.35%
58 Charles Nagy 12 97 12.37%
11 Jeff Bagwell 14 112 12.50%
128 Ozzie Guillen 14 112 12.50%
4 Carlos Garcia 13 103 12.62%
77 Tony Gwynn 24 190 12.63%
55 Ivan Calderon 14 110 12.73%
140 Chris Bosio 10 78 12.82%
120 Bobby Kelly 14 108 12.96%
39 Chris Sabo 12 92 13.04%
67 Terry Steinbach 14 107 13.08%
79 Sammy Sosa 27 206 13.11%
138 Benny Santiago 13 98 13.27%
142 Scott Erickson 11 81 13.58%
148 Willie Greene 14 103 13.59%
172 Jack Mcdowell 12 88 13.64%
65 Ben Mcdonald 16 117 13.68%
141 Deion Sanders 13 94 13.83%
114 Barry Larkin 16 115 13.91%
22 Rick Aguilera 13 92 14.13%
12 Alex Cole 13 91 14.29%
135 Travis Fryman 10 70 14.29%
170 Paul O'neill 16 111 14.41%
49 Mitch Williams 14 96 14.58%
131 Ken Caminiti 14 96 14.58%
26 Sandy Alomar 15 102 14.71%
115 David Cone 20 135 14.81%
190 Edgar Martinez 20 132 15.15%
160 Steve Avery 13 85 15.29%
21 Todd Zeile 12 78 15.38%
180 Rob Dibble 14 90 15.56%
149 Tommy Greene 17 109 15.60%
188 Mike Morgan 14 89 15.73%
126 Eric Davis 18 113 15.93%
7 Scott Cooper 11 69 15.94%
85 Greg Maddux 28 172 16.28%
127 Doug Drabek 15 92 16.30%
177 Len Dykstra 15 92 16.30%
104 Roger Clemens 31 186 16.67%
118 Tim Wallach 16 96 16.67%
3 Bryan Harvey 20 119 16.81%
94 Joe Carter 20 119 16.81%
16 Albert Belle 25 148 16.89%
137 Greg Swindell 15 88 17.05%
25 Matt Williams 20 114 17.54%
96 Cal Ripken Jr. 23 131 17.56%
106 Fred Mcgriff 16 91 17.58%
111 Cecil Fielder 16 89 17.98%
171 Darren Daulton 15 82 18.29%
147 Cal Eldred 17 92 18.48%
136 Kevin Mitchell 15 81 18.52%
23 Dave Hollins 23 123 18.70%
103 Barry Bonds 37 196 18.88%
75 Tony Phillips 17 89 19.10%
78 Kevin Appier 17 88 19.32%
168 Delino Deshields 20 103 19.42%
86 Rickey Henderson 19 97 19.59%
98 Don Mattingly 26 132 19.70%
173 Junior Felix 18 91 19.78%
105 Ryne Sandberg 37 187 19.79%
178 Norm Charlton 25 125 20.00%
108 Will Clark 21 105 20.00%
34 Kevin Young 19 95 20.00%
110 Ken Griffey Jr. 39 194 20.10%
101 Terry Pendleton 20 99 20.20%
38 John Kruk 19 92 20.65%
100 Dennis Eckersley 25 120 20.83%
113 Doc Gooden 24 113 21.24%
93 Robin Ventura 27 126 21.43%
90 Wade Boggs 32 147 21.77%
35 Ken Hill 28 128 21.88%
36 Tony Fernandez 20 88 22.73%
193 Bob Tewksbury 17 74 22.97%
116 Juan Gonzalez 28 118 23.73%
91 Bo Jackson 30 124 24.19%
95 Lee Smith 37 150 24.67%
182 Randy Myers 28 112 25.00%
57 Carlos Baerga 34 132 25.76%
130 Andres Galarraga 31 120 25.83%
129 John Wetteland 25 95 26.32%
15 Bip Roberts 32 121 26.45%
132 Tom Candiotti 29 104 27.88%
13 John Olerud 26 89 29.21%
33 Frank Viola 30 102 29.41%
The missing Holy Grail would be a PSA 10 Bernie Williams… no card has to date been issued a PSA 10... What would the value of such a card be in the market place?
Going down the list you will notice the low output of PSA 10’s in particularly surprising is the Mike Piazza 2.64% only 6 PSA 10’s out of 227 submitted.
Would be interesting to see a PSA 10 Bernie Williams pop up one day and what it would go for as these cards get particularly more and more scarce.
Card No. Name psa 10 Total Percentage
30 Bernie Williams 0 99 0.00%
51 Brian Harper 1 97 1.03%
144 Orestes Destrade 1 84 1.19%
80 Mickey Tettleton 1 81 1.23%
62 Pete Harnisch 2 147 1.36%
156 J.T. Snow 3 142 2.11%
18 Alan Trammell 3 126 2.38%
50 Harold Reynolds 2 83 2.41%
134 Kevin Brown 2 77 2.60%
37 Tim Wakefield 3 115 2.61%
199 Mike Piazza 6 227 2.64%
40 Marquis Grissom 2 74 2.70%
123 Wil Cordero 2 71 2.82%
72 Chuck Finley 3 101 2.97%
60 Charlie Hayes 2 64 3.13%
70 Paul Molitor 3 93 3.23%
61 Shane Mack 3 91 3.30%
124 Jay Buhner 3 89 3.37%
153 Harold Baines 2 57 3.51%
29 Ramon Martinez 3 84 3.57%
133 Pat Borders 3 84 3.57%
68 Ron Gant 4 110 3.64%
186 Mike Lansing 4 109 3.67%
196 Dave Fleming 5 128 3.91%
194 Jay Bell 4 102 3.92%
109 Pat Listach 5 124 4.03%
189 Moises Alou 4 99 4.04%
183 Tim Raines 3 74 4.05%
10 Curt Schilling 3 73 4.11%
176 Mike Stanton 5 115 4.35%
184 Orel Hershiser 3 69 4.35%
9 Steve Finley 4 88 4.55%
166 John Smoltz 6 128 4.69%
192 Robin Yount 6 128 4.69%
52 Rafael Palmeiro 7 140 5.00%
179 Eric Anthony 6 120 5.00%
195 Luis Gonzalez 5 100 5.00%
191 John Franco 5 99 5.05%
6 Brett Butler 6 117 5.13%
82 Mark Langston 6 116 5.17%
2 Lou Whitaker 6 115 5.22%
43 Kenny Lofton 6 112 5.36%
69 Doug Jones 6 109 5.50%
54 Jeff Conine 7 124 5.65%
185 Andy Van Slyke 6 105 5.71%
159 Dean Palmer 6 104 5.77%
73 Mark Grace 8 138 5.80%
71 Brady Anderson 4 69 5.80%
125 Carlton Fisk 7 117 5.98%
89 Darryl Strawberry 8 132 6.06%
24 Jose Rijo 6 99 6.06%
145 Jose Guzman 6 94 6.38%
121 Gregg Olson 6 92 6.52%
8 B.J. Surhoff 5 76 6.58%
87 Tom Glavine 5 75 6.67%
165 Mo Vaughn 8 118 6.78%
66 Bobby Bonilla 7 103 6.80%
107 Nolan Ryan 8 117 6.84%
174 Jimmy Key 5 73 6.85%
31 Gary Sheffield 7 100 7.00%
143 Howard Johnson 6 85 7.06%
97 Larry Walker 6 83 7.23%
63 George Brett 12 164 7.32%
164 Tom Henke 6 79 7.59%
146 Chad Curtis 7 92 7.61%
99 Jose Canseco 10 130 7.69%
162 Dave Winfield 10 125 8.00%
181 Otis Nixon 8 99 8.08%
151 Bob Welch 6 73 8.22%
56 Juan Guzman 8 96 8.33%
64 Lance Johnson 9 107 8.41%
154 Randy Johnson 8 95 8.42%
47 Ivan Rodriguez 15 178 8.43%
48 Eric Young 7 82 8.54%
74 Mike Devereaux 7 82 8.54%
46 Jim Abbott 7 81 8.64%
28 Ozzie Smith 9 104 8.65%
76 Chuck Knoblauch 10 115 8.70%
117 Kent Hrbek 10 112 8.93%
163 Tim Salmon 8 89 8.99%
175 George Bell 9 99 9.09%
20 Reggie Sanders 7 76 9.21%
157 Mike Mussina 10 108 9.26%
1 David Justice 8 85 9.41%
112 Kirby Puckett 16 167 9.58%
17 Duane Ward 9 93 9.68%
119 Craig Biggio 13 133 9.77%
197 Mike Greenwell 9 92 9.78%
169 Charlie Hough 10 101 9.90%
27 Alex Fernandez 12 120 10.00%
81 Felix Jose 7 70 10.00%
19 Andy Benes 8 79 10.13%
122 Eddie Murray 19 186 10.22%
88 Roberto Alomar 12 116 10.34%
139 Reggie Jefferson 9 87 10.34%
161 Julio Franco 8 77 10.39%
5 Sid Fernandez 13 125 10.40%
102 Frank Thomas 26 247 10.53%
32 Eric Karros 12 112 10.71%
158 Ruben Sierra 9 84 10.71%
150 Erik Hanson 10 92 10.87%
152 John Jaha 8 73 10.96%
53 Bret Saberhagen 10 91 10.99%
155 Al Martin 10 91 10.99%
59 Wally Joyner 11 100 11.00%
44 John Burkett 11 96 11.46%
187 Ray Lankford 11 96 11.46%
198 David Nied 10 86 11.63%
84 Andre Dawson 16 137 11.68%
42 Jeff Montgomery 14 119 11.76%
167 Danny Tartabull 11 93 11.83%
14 John Smiley 12 101 11.88%
41 Glenn Davis 10 84 11.90%
45 Darryl Hamilton 11 92 11.96%
92 Mark Mcgwire 27 221 12.22%
83 Gregg Jefferies 10 81 12.35%
58 Charles Nagy 12 97 12.37%
11 Jeff Bagwell 14 112 12.50%
128 Ozzie Guillen 14 112 12.50%
4 Carlos Garcia 13 103 12.62%
77 Tony Gwynn 24 190 12.63%
55 Ivan Calderon 14 110 12.73%
140 Chris Bosio 10 78 12.82%
120 Bobby Kelly 14 108 12.96%
39 Chris Sabo 12 92 13.04%
67 Terry Steinbach 14 107 13.08%
79 Sammy Sosa 27 206 13.11%
138 Benny Santiago 13 98 13.27%
142 Scott Erickson 11 81 13.58%
148 Willie Greene 14 103 13.59%
172 Jack Mcdowell 12 88 13.64%
65 Ben Mcdonald 16 117 13.68%
141 Deion Sanders 13 94 13.83%
114 Barry Larkin 16 115 13.91%
22 Rick Aguilera 13 92 14.13%
12 Alex Cole 13 91 14.29%
135 Travis Fryman 10 70 14.29%
170 Paul O'neill 16 111 14.41%
49 Mitch Williams 14 96 14.58%
131 Ken Caminiti 14 96 14.58%
26 Sandy Alomar 15 102 14.71%
115 David Cone 20 135 14.81%
190 Edgar Martinez 20 132 15.15%
160 Steve Avery 13 85 15.29%
21 Todd Zeile 12 78 15.38%
180 Rob Dibble 14 90 15.56%
149 Tommy Greene 17 109 15.60%
188 Mike Morgan 14 89 15.73%
126 Eric Davis 18 113 15.93%
7 Scott Cooper 11 69 15.94%
85 Greg Maddux 28 172 16.28%
127 Doug Drabek 15 92 16.30%
177 Len Dykstra 15 92 16.30%
104 Roger Clemens 31 186 16.67%
118 Tim Wallach 16 96 16.67%
3 Bryan Harvey 20 119 16.81%
94 Joe Carter 20 119 16.81%
16 Albert Belle 25 148 16.89%
137 Greg Swindell 15 88 17.05%
25 Matt Williams 20 114 17.54%
96 Cal Ripken Jr. 23 131 17.56%
106 Fred Mcgriff 16 91 17.58%
111 Cecil Fielder 16 89 17.98%
171 Darren Daulton 15 82 18.29%
147 Cal Eldred 17 92 18.48%
136 Kevin Mitchell 15 81 18.52%
23 Dave Hollins 23 123 18.70%
103 Barry Bonds 37 196 18.88%
75 Tony Phillips 17 89 19.10%
78 Kevin Appier 17 88 19.32%
168 Delino Deshields 20 103 19.42%
86 Rickey Henderson 19 97 19.59%
98 Don Mattingly 26 132 19.70%
173 Junior Felix 18 91 19.78%
105 Ryne Sandberg 37 187 19.79%
178 Norm Charlton 25 125 20.00%
108 Will Clark 21 105 20.00%
34 Kevin Young 19 95 20.00%
110 Ken Griffey Jr. 39 194 20.10%
101 Terry Pendleton 20 99 20.20%
38 John Kruk 19 92 20.65%
100 Dennis Eckersley 25 120 20.83%
113 Doc Gooden 24 113 21.24%
93 Robin Ventura 27 126 21.43%
90 Wade Boggs 32 147 21.77%
35 Ken Hill 28 128 21.88%
36 Tony Fernandez 20 88 22.73%
193 Bob Tewksbury 17 74 22.97%
116 Juan Gonzalez 28 118 23.73%
91 Bo Jackson 30 124 24.19%
95 Lee Smith 37 150 24.67%
182 Randy Myers 28 112 25.00%
57 Carlos Baerga 34 132 25.76%
130 Andres Galarraga 31 120 25.83%
129 John Wetteland 25 95 26.32%
15 Bip Roberts 32 121 26.45%
132 Tom Candiotti 29 104 27.88%
13 John Olerud 26 89 29.21%
33 Frank Viola 30 102 29.41%
0
Comments
What have other scarce 10s fetched in the market?
Topps/OPC Hockey 1966-Present base sets
Thinks like odds on getting cards, approx print runs, cards that are very hard to be graded high (centering, print errors, etc), variation cards, etc.
Mickey Tettleton 2999.95
Paul Molitor 2989
Orel Hershiser 2499.99
J.T. Snow 2499.99
Jimmy Key 2499.95
Alan Trammell 2499.95
Brady Anderson 1999.99
Dave Fleming 1850
Nolan Ryan AS 1825
Ken Griffey JR. AS 1700
Harold Baines 1499.95
Pat Borders 1499.95
Howard Johnson 1499.95
Barry Larkin AS 1299.99
Mike Piazza 1230
Tim Raines 1180.88
Ivan Rodriguez 1000
Doug Jones 999.95
George Brett 904
Barry Bonds AS 899
Cal Ripken JR. AS 860
Shane Mack 809
Jeff Bagwell W 799.99
Jay Bell 799.99
Gary Sheffield 799.99
Ron Gant 761.5
Chad Curtis 724.99
Jose Guzman 710
Ramon Martinez 710
Greg Maddux AS 704
My Hoard of 93 Finest Refractors and 94 Pinnacle Artist Proofs and Museums
eBay Store
Greg Maddux #1 Master SetGreg Maddux #2 Basic Set
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
eBay ending prices for Greg Maddux from 2012.
eBay Date Grade
$228.49 12_11 PSA 9
$274.99 3_12 PSA 9
$199.99 3_12 PSA 8
$299.99 3_12 PSA 9
$224.99 3_12 PSA 8
$349.95 6_12 Raw
$191.38 7_12 PSA 9
$704.00 7_12 PSA 10
$152.50 9_12 Raw
$105.61 9_12 Raw
$150.00 10_12 Raw
$230.00 11_12 Raw
$150.00 12_12 Raw
$149.00 12_12 Raw
My Hoard of 93 Finest Refractors and 94 Pinnacle Artist Proofs and Museums
Phil
My Hoard of 93 Finest Refractors and 94 Pinnacle Artist Proofs and Museums
The guy in a more recent post had a good idea on a dedicated website breaking down the numbers and percentages of things.. Would bring awareness to particular cards and drive the market for these cards... its amazing to think that a PSA 10 Berrnie Williams refactor would probally be the move valuable card in the set... I would think it would command more than a PSA 10 Ryan or a PSA Ripen without a doubt.
-A lot of kids that couldn't afford 93 Finest in 1993 are going to have more disposable income in the coming years. And at least half the stock has been opened up if half of the refractors have been graded.
Another factor that could boost prices....people disgusted, turned off by the 96-2005 baseball, PED era. And they want to go back to "better times" (i.e. Ripken and Ryan). The set has a great player selection. And it was a very significant set overall in the hobby. It seems like good upside for a modern set.
Just doing some reading on this set and happened up this thread. Over a decade later and still no Bernie Williams PSA 10. Nolan Ryan and Ken Griffey Jr. are the top stars to this day and are commanding five figures in PSA 10. There are currently 36 Hall of Famers in the set. Still a handful of players that could be enshrined by the veteran's committee. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro will always command a premium. Multi-sport legends Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders have increased significantly. Boxes have settled to about the $1k range as of this post.
If I recall correctly there were some issues with people scamming on unopened boxes of 1993 Finest baseball.
If my memory is correct the pack with the refractor was in the same location every time. People would open the box and switch another pack into that spot and remove the pack with the refractor. They then could easily rewrap the box in cellophane since the cellophane was just plain clear cellophane.
Does anyone have any insight on this and if I am correct?
I had no idea that Bernie Williams refractor was a big card. I thought I saw one in a collection I bought recently and dug it out of the commons box. Unfortunately, it is OC so no chance at a 10 for me.
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I'm glad this topic came up. Other than the first year, do you think there's a premium for refractors?
Recently, I was negotiating with a seller on a couple of 1995 Puckett refractors in PSA 9, one was the highest graded and the other there were 5 higher. His point was they were refractors and worth more than "regular" cards. My thoughts were, if it's a 9 and there's no 10's, I'll pay a premium, but if it's a 9 and there are five 10's, I don't see that it's any more special than any other low pop card.
It seems that nobody wants 9's in cards from the 1980's and 1990's at all, even if there are no 10's!
I was able to get the card that was "highest graded" but we couldn't make a deal for both. Are refractors any more special than other premium products in your opinion?
I'm not talking about the super highly collected guys. Puckett isn't really someone that a lot of people are chasing.
Joe,
Yes there is a premium. I love collecting the refractors. I think for first couple of years there were around 240 or refractors per card made. Then the atomics came out. And I collect those too. In grade 10 the atomics sell for quite a bit. 1996 Clemens would fetch around $150, Puckett about $125, Mcgwire about $150. The finest refractors from 1993 - 1995. Obviously the 1993 are off the chart, but the 1994's sell decent. Glavine around $175, Smoltz $150, Mcgwire and clemens would be a little higher, puckett probably $150 at least. I haven't reviewed the pop reports on these, so if one is really hard to get it would probably get $50 - $100 more.
I bought 3 Shaq 1996 atomics at the same time for around $75 total ($25 a piece). Back when PSA graded a little nicer, all three 3 got 10's on the same grading. I think the pop is around 8. These would go for $1,000 maybe more a piece. Same on 1 1997 griffey atomic international, bought 3 for about $10 apiece, all three got 10"s. Total pop around 8 also. now sell for over $1,000 apiece.
If some them are still in packs, you run the risk of them sticking to other cards, so the ones that are out there might be the nicest ones to grade.
A complete set that was described as 'gem mint' just sold on eBay for $329.
As with anything in the hobby, it is all about demand and supply. The 90's/00's Hall of Fame refractors have a solid core of collectors that are dedicated much like vintage wax collectors. Refractors were also not so easy to pull back in the 90's/00's as they might be 1 per box. The premium that was mentioned is accurate but how much of a premium it might have could easily be debated and is very dependent on the player and year/make of the refractor.
1998 - 2000 Topps Chrome refractors must have a very low print run as well. These sets had over 500 cards, refractors were inserted at 1:12 packs, and refractors were the only parallel. At 2 refractors per box, it would take 250-300 boxes to pull any specific one.
It depends on what cards you're talking about. There is a limited market for based cards in PSA 9. We all know all those cards are just PSA 10 fails. When you start moving to refractors, there is a large demand for every refractor in the 90's particularly HOF players or legends. Boxes are $125 plus and it makes more sense to buy the player you want. A PSA 9 is a really good grade for a refractor especially if its centered
Add player collectors and you have another layer of demand for specific cards.
I would have loved to have seen Phil G's collection in its entirety. The ebay auctions that sold his collection were incredible (and sad at the same time), but it would have been something to see them all laid out on a big table, sorted by card, and stacked.
This is SO hilarious! We are having our prior debates in reverse.
Now, I'm the one preaching rarity and you are on the demand side.
Life is beautiful!
Well, I took a page out of your book and picked the card that was in the least supply.
I saw the refractor craze when I had no interest in collecting anyone playing at the time, so even though they are beautiful, they don't mean anything more to me than any other high end manufactured rarity.
With 1262 cards in Puckett's master set, I won't overspend on a card just because other collectors see a special value.
Absolutely!
There are plenty of high end cards serial numbered lower than refractors that don't command the same prices. Demand is high for these.
The 2 cards I wanted were from 1996 and were both Kirby Puckett. Both were PSA 9's. I picked the one that was pop 3 with no 10's over the one with five 10's. The one I passed on also had the coating on it, I don't like that as it's hard to see the actual card.
One thing that should also be mentioned Joe. The 1996 Topps Chrome refractors are amongst the most valuable refractors 90's baseball. It is the first year of Topps Chrome and those bad boys fetch a lot more than other refractors.
Joe
They are rare that's why I collect them. The ones still in the boxes might be stuck together, and be less than mint. 200 - 250 cards in that era is definitely rare.
I probably have an atomic puckett or two at the house.
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I appreciate the information!
Since I wasn't collecting any current players during the 1990's (I was completely focused on my Killebrew set), I never got caught up in the refractor craze, so now when I look at the population report and see there are several 10's, I still want a 9, but can't justify the cost. Since I am a "player" collector, I was unaware that so many people were buying refractors of guys they weren't necessarily pursuing.
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Yes 200-250 is rare, and these were beautiful cards, so it's understandable collectors/investors chased them. BUT, this was almost 30 years ago and if it's a 10, I can (sort of) grant you they're worth bigger $ than other low pop cards, but if it's a 9 and there are several 10's, I'm not inclined to pay a huge premium.
Other than some Killebrew items, I rarely pay much for a baseball card. I'm cheap, no denying it, no apologies offered either.
😁😁😁
PM sent. 😁
Definitely more than 241