Monday, August 2, 2021

Monday Mysteriousness

I have recently been away on a holiday with family. I had a box of cards waiting for me on my return - two eBay purchases of cards from 1996 and 2001. I only saw a handful of cards on the listing, but both sample pictures had a Tony Gwynn card in, so I decided to risk it. Unfortunately the rest of the lots were very light on the Gwynns.

Still, at least it gave me something to share, including this shiny card from Topps's most mysterious range.

Card Number 709: Topps Mystery Finest, 1996; #M9

The number 'M9' comes from Trading Card Database. It's hard to work the number out from the actual card.


It's a super shiny card so I stuck it under the overhead scanner. It's a bit more silver in real life.

On the back we get some "Mystery Facts" and you have to guess who the player is who is being described. M9 is really easy as it's the picture on the front of the card.


The way these mystery facts are presented made me check something. This same card back appeared on M7 and M8 on the set as well, which would make them "cameo cards". According to BaseballCardPedia, these cards were found in Series 1 of Topps's flagship set in 1996 and came with a black film over the top that had to be peeled to reveal the mystery player. That makes this the mid-90s version of a "Rip card" except the card doesn't get ruined in the process.

Speaking of cameo cards, that's what will be coming along tomorrow.

Total: 709 cards


2 comments:

  1. The Mystery Finest inserts were very creative and just another example of how innovative the card companies were in the 90's when everyone was trying to "one up" the other. Same thing can be said for Pinnacle's Dare to Tear cards... which were the first cards rip cards I ever came across.

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  2. Topps did a better job on there mystery line in, I think 97, where it was a Gwynn card but the mystery was is it a bordered, bordeless, refractor, or borderless refractor. Cool concept for both years and nice cards to boot!

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