15 Most Valuable 1996 Topps Baseball Cards

1996 Topps #219 Derek Jeter

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $150

Supported by one of owner George Steinbrenner's most trusted right-hand men, Gene Michael, Derek Jeter made the 1996 Opening Day roster as the Yankees' starting shortstop, the first of 17-straight Opening Days with Jeter penciled in at short.

Under the guidance of new Yankees manager Joe Torre, the 22-year-old middle infielder embarked upon a rookie campaign that fans in the Bronx still talk about 25 years later.

In 654 plate appearances (582 at-bats), Jeter posted a .314/.370/.430 slash line with ten home runs, 25 doubles, and 78 RBI while leading the team in hits (183).

After the season, Jeter became the first Yankees player to be named A.L. Rookie of the Year since 1981 and only the fifth unanimous A.L. Rookie of the Year in MLB history.

Come October, Jeter parlayed his first-year magic into a postseason for the ages, posting an OBP over .400 in all three of New York's postseason series, amassing 22 hits and 12 runs scored in 15 playoff games.

Highlights included a four-hit night, a fan-aided home run in a Game 4 ALCS win over the Baltimore Orioles, and a clutch RBI single off Atlanta Braves ace Greg Maddux in New York's World Series-clinching 3-2 Game 6 triumph.

The Series victory was the Yankees' first since 1978 and the first of five with Jeter in the fold.

1996 Topps #177 Chipper Jones

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $70

After narrowly missing out on the 1995 National League Rookie of the Year Award to Los Angeles Dodgers sensation Hideo Nomo, Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones didn’t blink.

All he did was post a .308 batting average in the postseason, recording hits in his first eight games while helping the Braves to their first World Series title since moving to Atlanta in 1966.

Following the 1995 MLB season, Jones signed a four-year, $8.5 million extension with the Braves, the first of many extensions with Atlanta during his Hall-of-Fame career.

Jones responded to his newfound professional stability with a sophomore season that dwarfed his rookie year in terms of individual brilliance.

The 24-year-old Florida native slashed .309/.393/.530 with 30 home runs, 32 doubles, and 110 RBI while making his first All-Star Game and finishing fourth in the MVP vote.

After securing their second-straight division title and fifth in six seasons, the sophomore star and his Braves teammates rolled into the World Series against the Yankees, taking the first two games in the Bronx by a combined score of 16-1.

Then, it all fell apart...

“We were the hottest team on the planet,” Jones said. “Then all of a sudden, we weren’t.”

The Yankees swept the next three games in Atlanta, capping off a four-game championship surge with a 3-2 Series-clinching win in New York in Game 6.

1996 Topps #205 Ken Griffey Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50

Coming off the Seattle Mariners’ first postseason series win in franchise history, the team’s brass opened up its checkbook for future Hall-of-Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

On January 31, 1996, Griffey signed a four-year, $34 million deal with the club, the most lucrative year-to-year contract in all of baseball.

But, that was far from his only source of income.

“The Kid” was a household name by that point, appearing in multiple commercials and endorsing everything from athletic equipment to video games.

Griffey Jr. was even the subject of an extremely popular “Griffey in ‘96” Nike ad campaign that positioned him as a presidential candidate for the upcoming election.

On the field, Griffey was the highlight-reel heart and soul of a Mariners team that narrowly missed another playoff berth by 2.5 games.

He finished fourth in the American League’s MVP race, posting a ridiculous .303/.392/.628 line with 49 home runs and 140 RBI.

The 26-year-old’s 1.020 OPS marked the third time in four seasons that he eclipsed the 1.000 mark.

As you might expect, the accolades poured in for Seattle’s beloved megastar as he added a seventh All-Star selection, seventh Gold Glove, and fourth Silver Slugger Award to his already stuffed trophy case.

1996 Topps #230 Ken Griffey Jr. Star Power

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50

The "Star Power" subset included twenty-two cards across both Series 1 and Series 2 that featured some of the biggest talents in the league.

Of those twenty-two players, sixteen of them turned out to be Hall of Famers which is quite amazing.

While there are some big names like Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, Frank Thomas, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux in the subset, Ken Griffey Jr. stands atop them all as the most desirable.

1996 Topps #397 Rickey Henderson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $45

Before the 1996 MLB season, all-time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson inked a two-year, $6.2 million deal with the San Diego Padres.

Headed to the National League for the first time, the mercurial future Hall-of-Famer was preceded by a spotty clubhouse reputation.

According to Padres legend Tony Gwynn, however, that was all meaningless talk.

Henderson earned respect and adoration of the San Diego clubhouse for his work ethic but, the 37-year-old outfielder's overall on-field production was starting to slip.

In 602 plate appearance (465 at-bats), Henderson posted a .241/.410/.344 slash line with nine home runs, 17 doubles, and 29 RBI, while his .754 OPS marked his worst since his rookie season in 1979.

To make matters even trickier, Henderson's stolen base total dipped to 29, and his success rate of 65.9% was the worst of his career thus far.

The Padres still won the N.L. West with Henderson's numbers on the wane.

But, a quick three-game sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals left a bitter taste in many Padres fans' mouths.

Less than a year later, the Padres moved on from Henderson when they traded him to the Anaheim Angels in August 1997.

1996 Topps #7 Mickey Mantle

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

The baseball card hobby has always been fascinated by Mickey Mantle, and Topps decided to pay him an incredible tribute after he passed away in 1995.

With card #7 in the checklist, Topps released this beautiful tribute to the Mick with an embossed image of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, the company's most iconic, in the lower-left corner.

After releasing this card, Topps went even further with their tribute and decided to retire the number '7' by not producing any card with that number in any future sets.

That lasted until 2006, when Topps included him as card #7 in each set through 2012 before retiring the number again from 2013 to 2016.

And, in 2017, Panini acquired the rights to produce Mantle trading cards.

The story behind this card makes it a bit underappreciated, in my opinion.

1996 Topps #50 Kirby Puckett

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

While the rest of the Minnesota Twins bumbled and fumbled their way to a last-place finish in 1995, it was just another fantastic year for superstar outfielder Kirby Puckett.

That is until it wasn't.

In the Twins' final regular-season game against the Cleveland Indians, the 35-year-old slugger took a fastball to the face from righty Dennis Martinez that broke Puckett's jaw and ended his season on a scary, painful note.

Seemingly fully recovered and in great spirits during Spring Training in 1996, Puckett appeared ready to put his nightmarish end to the 1995 campaign behind him.

Unfortunately, on March 28th, the day after collecting two hits against the Atlanta Braves, Puckett woke up with blurred vision and a black dot obstructing the vision out of his right eye.

Both Puckett and the team's training staff were hopeful that his sudden sight problems would improve, and he even sat on the bench for Minnesota's games while sidelined for the first half of the 1996 season.

Sadly, it wasn't to be.

Due to the occlusion of a retinal blood vessel, Puckett eventually lost all sight in his right eye.

He retired in July 1996 in an emotional on-field ceremony in front of his adoring Metrodome faithful, punctuating a career that still has no parallel in Twins lore.

1996 Topps #96 Cal Ripken Jr. Tribute

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

The highlight of the Baltimore Orioles’ 1995 season came on September 6th when perennial All-Star shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record with his 2,131st consecutive game played.

It remains an iconic moment to this very day and Topps paid tribute to Ripken's accomplishment with card #96 in the set.

From May 30, 1982 during his sophomore campaign through September 6, 1995, Ripken didn't miss a single game.

But he didn't stop there.

He went on to play in another 501 consecutive games before quietly shutting things down ahead of a home game against the Yankees late in the 1998 season.

The streak will likely never be broken and it will be amazing if anyone comes close at all.

1996 Topps #100 Frank Thomas

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

After a busy 1995 offseason that included the release of his own video game, Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball, superstar first baseman Frank Thomas was exemplary yet again in 1996.

The two-time American League MVP posted an OPS over 1.000 (1.085) for the fourth-straight season, crushing off-speed pitches and fastballs alike while exhibiting his trademark Zen-like patience at the dish.

In 649 plate appearances (527 at-bats), Thomas posted an otherworldly .349/.459/.626 line with 40 home runs, 26 doubles, and 134 RBI.

And after leading all of baseball in total walks over the previous two seasons, the 28-year-old slugger passed the 100-walk mark for the sixth straight year (109) while pacing the American League in intentional walks (26).

The hulking first baseman was simply a numbers monster.

Ranking near the top of the leaderboard in dozens of primary and advanced statistical categories, Thomas continued to add to his Hall-of-Fame resume with an eighth-place A.L. MVP finish and his fourth All-Star selection.

The White Sox missed out on the American League Wild Card spot by three games in 1996, but at least Southsiders still had the privilege to experience Thomas throughout the year.

1996 Topps #200 Cal Ripken Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

While Ripken breaking Gehrig's consecutive games played streak was undoubtedly a monumental highlight, many forget that the Orioles stunk in 1995 and finished a mediocre 71-73 campaign.

After the season, the team dismissed manager Phil Regan and replaced him with former New York Mets and former Cincinnati Reds skipper Davey Johnson.

With an influx of new blood and a new perspective in the clubhouse, Baltimore bounced back in 1996.

From an individual perspective, Ripken put together yet another high-quality All-Star campaign in the Charm City.

In 707 plate appearances (640 at-bats), Ripken went .278/.341/.466 with 26 home runs, 40 doubles, and 102 RBI.

The Orioles finished the year with 88 wins, securing the American League Wild Card and the team's first playoff berth since winning the World Series in 1983.

In the American League Division Series against Cleveland, Ripken caught fire as he hit .444 and came up with big hit after big hit as the Orioles dispatched the Indians in four. Sadly, it all crashed to a halt from there.

Ripken posted a subpar .586 OPS with one RBI and one run scored in the team's American League Championship Series dud against the Yankees.

The entire Baltimore squad struggled to find key hits all series long, and the O's fell to the Bronx Bombers in five.

1996 Topps #250 Tony Gwynn

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

After having his quest for .400 ended prematurely due to the 1994 MLB players' strike, San Diego Padres right fielder Tony Gwynn had to settle for his fifth National League batting title.

Luckily for Gwynn and Padres fans, it was just the beginning of a masterful four-year stretch for the San Diego icon that saw him take the N.L. batting crown home to sunny Southern California every year from 1994 to 1997.

In 1996, Gwynn bested Colorado Rockies outfielder Ellis Burks by nine points, hitting .353, the sixth time in his 15-year career that he had hit .350 or better.

With Gwynn serving as an exacting and steadying force in the starting lineup, the Padres won their first division title since 1984 with a 91-71 record.

However, San Diego's postseason trip was short-lived as the N.L. Central champion St. Louis Cardinals swept them in three games in the NLDS.

Gwynn hit .308 with a double in 13 at-bats but, the Padres had no answers in the clutch and lost all three games to St. Louis by two runs or less. 

1996 Topps #150 Randy Johnson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

After pacing the Major Leagues in strikeouts from 1992-95 and securing his first of five Cy Young Awards in 1995, it seemed like nothing could stop Seattle Mariners ace Randy Johnson in the early-to-mid 1990s.

In 1996, though, Johnson's body started having other ideas.

For most of the season, the 6-foot-10 lefty struggled with a bulging disc in his back that took some zip off his trademark fastball late in outings.

In 14 games pitched (eight starts), Johnson posted a 5-0 record with a 3.67 ERA. While that looks good on paper, it marked an ERA jump of nearly 50% from the Big Unit's sterling 1995 campaign (2.48).

Johnson's strikeout rate remained consistent with 85 punch-outs in 61.1 innings pitched.

Yet while his strikeout total and peripheral stats compared favorably to most of his season-to-season results, his body language and facial expressions made it clear that something needed to change.

On August 28th, 1996, that something became a reality.

With the Mariners fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot that didn't come, the team shut him down for back surgery.

He'd battle back problems for the rest of his career but still went on to produce one of the greatest late-career runs by any pitcher in any era.

1996 Topps #185 Don Mattingly

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35

Following the 1995 season, the New York Yankees brought in Tino Martinez from the Seattle Mariners as part of a multi-player trade to be their starting first baseman.

After fourteen seasons in the Bronx, Don Mattingly's days in pinstripes had come to a close.

Mattingly didn't retire in 1996 but never played either, despite a mid-season attempt from the Baltimore Orioles to sign him.

Eventually, Donnie Baseball hung up the cleats for good when he announced his retirement in January 1997 ahead of Spring Training.

It's a shame that Mattingly couldn't hang on with the Yankees for one more season as they finally picked up the World Series ring that had alluded him his entire career.

1996 Topps #300 Barry Bonds

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

The San Francisco Giants ended the 1996 MLB season with a dismal 68-94 record, finishing dead last in their division for the second-straight season.

While the team struggled to find a winning identity, superstar left fielder Barry Bonds continued to write his name all over the baseball history books in big, bold lettering.

Bonds entered the 1996 campaign with three 30/30 seasons to his credit, balancing his prowess as a feared home run hitter with fantastic straight-line speed and base running prowess.

He did himself one better in 1996, mashing 42 home runs and stealing 40 bases to become just the second player with a 40/40 season in Major League Baseball history since Jose Canseco in 1988.

Bonds finished the year with a ridiculous .308/.461/.615 slash line, 27 doubles, 129 RBI, and led MLB in both total walks (151) and intentional walks (31).

His 1.076 OPS ensured his fifth-straight season with an OPS of 1.000 or better.

The 31-year-old generational slugger finished fifth in the 1996 National League MVP balloting to cap off yet another brilliant season.

Bonds was also named to his sixth All-Star Game while earning his sixth Gold Glove and sixth Silver Slugger Award.

1996 Topps #145 Mark McGwire

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25

Mark McGwire was completely dialed in during the 1996 season as he led the league in home runs (52), OBP (.467), SLG (.730), and OPS (1.198) while setting a career high in batting average (.312).

For his efforts, he'd make his eighth All-Star team, his second Silver Slugger and would finish seventh in the MVP vote after the season came to a close.

It was the first of four consecutive seasons in which McGwire would belt 50 or more home runs but the only full season he would do so in an Oakland uniform after the team traded him to the Cardinals during the 1997 season.

1996 Topps Baseball Cards In Review

As you can see, despite there being many big-name stars and Hall of Famers in this list, it takes them being graded in top condition to bring out much value in them.

The checklist was smaller than sets of the early 1990s, clocking in at 440 cards in total, which was a telling sign of the reduced hysteria for sports card collecting after the bubble burst.

The set also featured multiple subsets, including:

• Draft Picks (#13 - 26; 232 - 245)
• Star Power (#1 - 12; 221 - 232)
• AAA Stars (#101 - 104)
• Future Stars (#210 - 219)

While the set may not be the most popular in the hobby, I think there is still a lot to enjoy.

You can never go wrong when there are as many stars, and Hall of Famers as this set has, and the design is pretty good, too.

If you're looking for a high-value set, this one probably isn't for you, but if you're simply a hobby purist at heart, then why not give this one a shot?