Card of the Day: Chuck Finley 1996 Topps Laser #118

Flashback Product of the Week: 1996 Topps Laser Football

The 1990’s are known for having some of the best inserts The Hobby has ever seen.  Before autographs and relics flooded the industry, one of the most popular cards collectors could pull from a product would be the famous die-cuts.  A good portion of the time these die-cut inserts would look just like the base cards except they would have some kind of fancy cut design.  Instead of being the standard rectangle shape, these special inserts would come cut in all different shapes and sizes.  1996 Topps Laser football is a classic example of what a manufacturer does when they realize something has become popular within The Hobby, overproduce the hell out of it.  Every card in this set has some type of die-cut design, including the base cards.  Each box contains 24 packs with 4 cards per pack.  Collectors can look for Stadium Stars, Bright Spots, and Draft Picks.  In my research, it looks like 1996 was the only year Topps made Laser for football and baseball.

A Wealthy Counterfeiter’s Tool – Laser Cutting

Can you believe that some people will spend thousands, yes, thousands of dollars on a machine pictured above?  This is a laser cutter that many “card doctors” use to make the edges of a card look sharper than what they really are.  These machines are extremely expensive and people have been using them to make their cards look better.  What they do is shave off a small portion of the edge taking away the damaged pieces and then what is left is a smooth clean edge.  Most likely “card doctors” will use these for vintage cards.  This is why you should only purchase vintage cards that are certified.  A good grader should know the exact size of the card.  The problem is that these laser cutting machines can get so exact you almost can’t tell.  These are becoming one of the biggest problems in the hobby today.  I would hate to see how many counterfeit cards a “card doctor” would have to sell in order to afford one of these.