1996 Leaf Signature Autograph

The 1996 Leaf Signature base set didn't have much going for it. I don't actually own a card from the set although I do own one of the Gold Proof parallels. In the mid-1990s the card companies were all crazy for 'proof' cards. Here's that card. I acquired this on eBay in 2004.

It's pretty drab. The foil seal is the only thing that distinguishes it from the base card. What the set did have however, was a 251 card autographed insert set. I believe that it is the first large scale autographed set. These came in three flavors, the base set, a silver foil set and a gold foil set. I just acquired 2 of the 10 autographed Phillies cards in the set. The design is completely different that the non-autographed cards.  And the autos are on the card.  I don't think sticker autos had been thought of yet.

The cards are not numbered but Beckett.com numbers them in alphabetical numbered. Although they are also not serial numbered, the cards are a limited edition, with only 3,500 of each base card printed. There are a few short printed (to 700 cards) featuring some of the bigger players of the day, such as Derek Jeter. Here's the other one I just got.

The only thing distinguishing the base, silver and gold cards is the color of the foil seal. The gold cards (when seen in person) are pretty easy to tell from the base cards (I have one gold and one silver). The silver cards are limited to 1000 (or 200 for the short prints). The gold are limited to 500 (100 for the short prints). In case you were wondering, the Jeter gold parallel is currently available on eBay for $2,295 (or best offer). The shipping is free.