JUNKWAXAPALOOZA 2011! 1996 E-Motion XL

The Great Raul Hunt.

The mission: To find as many Raul Ibanez rookie cards out of a pair of recently purchased junkwax boxes. It would be a tough job, but I had an obligation to my readers to find the Raul's, for good or ill.

Box #1: 1996 Bowman








Base Set: 188 of 385 (48.83%)
47 doubles
2 triples

Parallels: 24 Foils (one-per-pack)

Inserts:
2 1996 Bowman's Best Preview (30 cards, 1:12) C. Baerga, C. Jones
1 1996 Bowman's Best Preview Refractor (30 cards, 1:24) NOE-MAH!
2 1996 Minor League Player of the Year Candidate (15 cards, 1:12) R. Rivera, G. Alvarez
1 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle Reprint (one card, 1:48)

Autogamers: NONE

RAUUUUUUUUUL's: 2

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Box #2 1996 Bowman's Best




Base Set: 106 of 180 (58.89%)
24 doubles
6 triples

Parallels
2 Refractors (1:12) J. Buhner, T. Greene

Inserts
1 Mirror Image Atomic Refractor (10 cards, 1:192) Alomar/Relaford/Biggio/Castillo
1 Bowman's Best Cuts (15 cards, 1:24) ManRam
1 Bowman's Best Cuts Refractors (15 cards, 1:48) M. Piazza
1 Bowman's Best Cuts Atomic Refractors (15 cards, 1:96) M. Piazza
1 Mickey Mantle 1952 Bowman Chromium (one card, 1:24)

Autogamers: NONE

RAUUUUUUUUUL's: 1

The Jersey Shore Junkwaxapalooza! 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado

Base Set: 76 of 200 (38.00%)

Parallels
2 Artist's Proof (1:35) J. Damon, M. Newfield

Inserts
2 Slick Picks (32 cards, 1:8) K. Griffey, Jr., J. Gonzalez

Autogamers: NONE

Box Break and Review: 1996 Leaf Preferred

One box of 1996 Leaf Preferred (Paid $15)
24 packs per box, five cards plus one Steel "card" per pack

The Details

Base Set: 150 cards

Parallels
Press Proof: 150 cards (limited to 500 copies*)

Inserts
Steel: 77 Steel cards (one-per-pack)
Gold Steel: 77 Steel Cards*
Steel Power: Eight Cards (numbered to 5000*)
Staremasters: 12 cards (numbered to 2500*)

* Stated odds of finding either a Press Proof, Gold Steel, Steel Power, or Staremaster: 1:10/packs

Autogamers: NONE

The Pulls

Base Set: 75 of 150 (50.00%)
29 Doubles
10 Triples
4 Quads
2 Quints

Parallels: NONE

Inserts
20 Steel
3 Steel Doubles
1 Steel Triple

The Review

So I was at the Philly Show and had $15 burning a hole in my pocket and bought a box of this garbage. Don't get me wrong, I like 1996 Leaf Preferred. It's just that this was possibly the worst collated box I've ever pulled. I pulled quadruples of Andy Pettitte, Juan Gonzalez, and Paul O'Neill and quintuples of Rafael Palmeiro and Kirby Puckett.

This was the premiere edition of Leaf Preferred and the gimmick behind it was that each pack had a card "printed" on a rounded 2 1/2" X 3 1/2" slab of solid steel. Unfortunately, the product didn't sell all that well and was re-tooled as "Donruss Preferred" the following year. Out were the Steel slabs, and in were tin packs. But that's for another review.

In addition to the horrible collation, I also failed to receive any of the promised inserts. There are four of them, and come at the rate of 1:10/packs. Steel Power and Staremasters are typical serial-numbered insert that was common in most mid-90s Donruss products. Gold Steel is a parallel of the Steel plates. Press Proofs are a parallel; however, you'd have to look closely to see if you had one. Other than changing the color of the foil stamp on the front from silver to gold, there is nothing else on the card that designates it as a "Press Proof."

The Bottom Line

The base set looks very nice. Bold colors. Vivid photography. And the one-per-pack Steel "cards" were unique.

I guess I just got unlucky with a lousy box.

Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks (out of Five)

Always Be Collecting: 1996 Fleer

1996 Fleer

Base Set: 600 cards (one series)
Parallels: Tiffany: 600 cards (one-per-pack)
Inserts:

• Checklists: 10 cards (1:6)
• Golden Memories: 10 cards (1:10)
• Lumber Company: 12 cards (1:9, retail exclusive)
• Postseason Glory: 5 cards (1:5)
• Prospects: 10 cards (1:6)
• Road Warriors: 10 cards (1:13)
• Rookie Sensations: 15 cards (1:11)
• Smoke 'n Heat: 10 cards (1:9)
• Team Leaders: 28 cards (1:9, Hobby exclusive)
• Tomorrow's Legends: 10 cards (1:13)
• Zone: 12 cards (1:90)

Notable Cards: Mike Sweeney RC (big frickin' deal)
Other Notes:

• After the visual disaster that was 1995 Fleer, '96 opted for a classic full-bleed look with a unique matte finish.
• Wrappers changed to fin-sealed coated waxpaper.
• First one-per-pack parallels.
  
• Still an insert in each pack, and randomly seeded "Hot Packs."

Packaging: 36 pack, 11-card waxboxes.
Full Set: $80 (NmMT)


1996 Fleer Update

Base Set: 250 cards
Parallels: Tiffany (one-per-pack)
Inserts:

• Diamond Tribute: 10 cards (1:100)
• Headliners: 20 cards (1:20, retail exclusive)
• New Horizons: 20 cards (1:5, Hobby exclusive)
• Smooth Leather: 10 cards (1:5)
• Soaring Stars: 10 cards (1:11)
  

Notable Cards: Tony Batista, Mike Cameron and Chris Singleton RCs were actually worth something.
Other Notes:

• Encore subset consists of non-traded, non-rookie, superstars.
• Diamond Tribute inserts are still worth something.
  

Packaging: 36 pack, 11-card waxboxes.
Full Set: $30 (NmMT)