Placing it in Context: The Topps Finest cards were a big deal when they were first produced. The set was considered premium and referred to simply as “Finest,” usually found in price guides under “F”. It was during the 1996-97 season that the status of the set began to waver. There was a delayed release and, in my opinion, the structure of the set is complicated). The 96-97 set is quite busy in card design, and in structure! There are 291 cards in two series (146 in the first, 145 in the second), and within each series, there are two things to note.
Tiers: In the base set itself, there are cards labeled “common,” “uncommon,” and “rare” (also known as bronze, silver, and gold due to the border colors). The bronze are the most common, silver was inserted 1:4 packs and the gold inserted 1:24 packs (or one per box). This idea of tiers of print runs within a set was probably borrowed from card games like Magic that were booming in popularity at the time.
Themes: In addition to keeping track of this, there are different “Themes” of cards. The theme is printed in large type on the front of the card. In Series I, these themes are Apprentices, Gladiators, Maestro and Sterling. In Series II they are Heirs, Foundations, Mainstays and Sterling. So each card has a typical set number, a theme number, a tier designation and all of this information is printed in a box on the back in this manner (Card 74, Theme A10, Common). As you can see, there’s a lot more to think about than a simple 291 cards. In terms of difficulty, it is more helpful to think that Series I is 100 bronze, 27 silver and 19 gold and Series II is 100 bronze, 27 silver and 18 gold. Collectors wanting even more can collect the parallel “Refractor” versions of the cards.
One last item to discuss is the protective film. Whether the film is on or off doesn’t impact the value drastically. Some collectors like the card closer to its original state with the film. They don’t want to risk any damage to the surface when removing it. It’s intimidating to start picking at the edges or (please no!) the corners when removing it. But the design of these cards is busy enough to begin with and the film really clutters it with the words “Topps Finest Protector, Peel and Remove Coating” scrawled across the front. Also, it could be the case that when grading cards with the protector on, scratches on the protector lower the grade of an otherwise scratch-free card.
The Card: The Kobe Bryant rookie card, #74 is one of the highlights of the set. Although easy to find, it holds its value well. Very nice image selected for the card…a lot of energy captured as he goes up for a dunk. It can be argued that the only card that supersedes it in importance is the other Kobe Bryant in Series II, a gold “Heirs” card, #269. But the #74 Kobe Bryant was released first in Series I. The card is the tenth card in the “Apprentices” theme, aptly titled as it featured newcomers to the NBA.
Don’t overlook the back of the card! In addition to high school stats, there’s fascinating trivia about Kobe Bryant breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s SE Pennsylvania high school scoring record and his average of three dunks per game in high school.
In Short: An absolute must-have for Kobe Bryant collectors. An exciting card that captures his move from high school to the pros. Also, a good introduction to the complexity of the 1996-97 Finest set.
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