Cheap Wax Wednesday - Episode 222 - 1996 Topps Finest Series 1 Baseball

This week marks 222 straight Wednesday's with a #CheapWaxWednesday post! Not only that, but this is my 300th post on the blog. I always plan to be posting more, but here we are. At least I have kept the cheap wax streak alive! This week's post features a box of 1996 Topps Finest Series 1 Baseball!

No, I did not pay the $90 sticker price. I paid $40 for this one on eBay.

Box configuration: 24 packs per box, 6 cards per pack

Pack 1 highlights: Fred McGriff, Jose Mesa & Terry Pendleton

Pack 2: Steve Avery & Reggie Sanders Silver (1 in every 4 packs)

Pack 3: Paul O'Neill, David Justice & Bobby Bonilla

Pack 4: Derek Jeter & Albert Belle Silver (1:4 packs)

Pack 5: Mike Greenwell & Trevor Hoffman

Pack 6: Eddie Murray & Jose Mesa

Pack 7: Ruben Sierra. Many would've been pretty disappointed with this $3-4 pack back in the day!

Pack 8: Frank Thomas, Bobby Bonilla, Barry Larkin & Greg Vaughn Silver Refractor (1:48 packs)

Pack 9: Ozzie Guillen, Derek Bell & Ken Griffey, Jr.

Pack 10: Chipper Jones & Marquis Grissom

Pack 11: Steady Eddie Murray

Pack 12: Ramon Martinez & Ken Caminiti

Pack 13: Brian Jordan Bronze Refractor (1:12 packs)

Pack 14: Tim Wakefield, Chipper Jones & Kirby Puckett Silver (1:4 packs)

Pack 15: John Olerud & Terry Steinbach Bronze Refractor (1:12 packs)

Pack 16: Tim Salmon, Tony Gwynn, Andy Pettitte, Ken Caminiti & Mike Greenwell

Pack 17: David Cone & Jeff Bagwell Gold (1:24 packs). These Gold cards really pop!

Pack 18: Eddie Murray & Pedro Martinez Bronze Refractor (1:12 packs). A new addition to the Pedro PC!

Pack 19: Paul O'Neill, Pedro Martinez (my 37th copy) & Jeff King Silver (1:4 packs)

Pack 20: Derek Jeter, David Cone & Carlos Delgado

Pack 21: Ken Griffey, Jr. & Chipper Jones

Pack 22: Mike Piazza & Cecil Fielder Silver (1:4 packs)

Pack 23: Eddie Murray, Ken Caminiti & Pedro Martinez (my 38th copy. Yikes)

Pack 24: Paul O'Neill Silver (1:4 packs)

And the Pedro card back. Pedro was already intimidating back in 1996, and only got more intimidating from there!

Fun break. I have always liked Finest. I mean come on, they're shiny! I also did well in this box with the parallels. When you consider you could hit any player in the set, I pulled a Bagwell Gold, Puckett, Fielder and Belle Silver, Pedro Refractor (a card I didn't even own yet!), and even the Greg Vaughn Silver Refractor could have been worse! Not bad at all!

@ShaneSalmonson