A snapshot of cards from 1996

For some reason I have a few cards from 1996 that missed out on other posts. So, here are a few cards from the middle of the 1990s that were all released that year.

Card Number 464: Score, 1996; #16

I'm not sure why this card got left out of my previous posts about Score, but anyway, here's Tony's Score base card from 1996. On the front we have a handshake with a disembodied hand, which opens a number of questions - is this at the end of a game? Is Tony glum because the Padres have lost?

On the back there's a cool head and shoulders shot obviously taken at a different time. From the front to the back of the card Tony has gone from clean-shaven to sporting a Van Dyck beard.

There's a big grey stats box as well, and a prediction that Tony would finish second to Ty Cobb in the list of batting title winners. Turns out they were right!

Card Number 465: Leaf Signature, 1996; #98

There really isn't much to say about this card, which might be why I haven't blogged about it before now.

The cardback design opts for minimal statting. And I mean minimal. It's nice, though.

Card Number 466: Bowman Best, 1996; #38

And a nice shiny Bowman card to end the post. This isn't the shiniest yellow card in my collection, but it's close. The scan has dulled it a bit.

On the back there's something called the Bowman Best Stat-Scan. I'm always interested in different ways of showing player stats. This one seems to have separated Tony's career stats into three sections, which does highlight how prolific he became in the early 90s. Not many players improve so markedly in the latter half of their career.

His all-time ranking, and career batting average, actually improved between 1996 and his retirement. The "Super Skill" is a good summary of Tony's attitude towards his game - in his Hall of Fame induction speech he said he didn't have enough natural talent to make it just on the basis of his ability, and he had to work hard. I think he was being modest there, but he certainly augmented his talent with hours of studying video footage and preparation for games. 

Total: 466 cards