1996 Part 5

Leaf Limited

Another, in my opinion, uninspired offering from Donruss in 1996. Leaf Limited was first issued in 1993. This would be the last year. In 1997, Donruss offered Donruss Limited instead. I guess the set was "Limited" in that there were only 90 cards in the base set. The cards featured a foil background with gold foil printing. They were issued in 5-card packs for $3.24. Since I have 10 of these, I'm guessing that I bought 2 packs.

Leaf Limited Gold
As for most Donruss issues in the mid-1990s, there is the obligatory parallel set. Leaf Limited only had the Gold parallel. This actually is a more attractive card than the base card. I paid $3.95 for this Chipper Jones in August 2004. Beckett would have you believe this card is worth $9.00.

Leaf Limited Lumberjacks
Another offering from Donruss made of wood. This is a very attractive 10-card insert set, numbered to 5,000. I paid $7.84 for this in July 2004. Beckett lists it at $15. There is also a Black version of this set which I don't have. They have a black border. Beckett lists them as 4 times the regular card. 9 of the 10 cards are currently being offered on eBay at Buy-It-Now prices either close to or over the book value. The asking price for the A-Rod is $80. The Black cards are numbered to 450.

Leaf Limited Pennant Craze
Another 10-card insert set, this time numbered to 2,500. I swallowed hard and paid $11.99 for this in July 2004. Beckett listed it then for $40 which hasn't changed. Sellers are currently asking $30 to $53 on eBay. The card is die-cut along the upper edge of the pennant. The pennant is also flocked, so it feels fuzzy like a real pennant might.

Leaf Limited Rookies
I'm not sure where I got this. There were 10 cards in the set which included Derek Jeter. I'm not sure how Mike Grace got included in a "Limited" rookie set. There is also a Gold version which I don't have.

Leaf Preferred
This 150-card set had only this single issue. The cards are pretty boring. I paid $1.50 for this Ripken card in July 2005. I have several other cards from the set which I probably got in repacks. The base cards seem only to exist to provide padding for the steel card in every pack.

Leaf Preferred Staremaster
Not a bad looking card. This 12-card set was serial numbered to 2,500. I paid $5.50 for Chipper in July 2005. Beckett says its worth $12.

Leaf Preferred Steel
There was a steel card in every pack. These are pretty nice. They feature a rolled edge. They look better in person. I have two Phillies which I bought at a local card shop a few years ago. I'm not sure, but I think these are the first regular issued cards made of metal.

Leaf Preferred Steel Gold
The gold cards were inserted 1:24. I paid $6.16 for this in August 2004.