Saturday, September 6, 2014

Signature Sunday

Leaf's 1996 Signature Series set (and the alliteration it produces) was one of the landmark sets in the hobby, introducing the concept of the one hit per pack high end product a full decade before Topps would beat the concept into the ground each and every month.  The initial set, with three tiers of bronze, silver, and gold autographs, is one of the cleanest and most comprehensive autograph sets ever.

The set got a second helping when Leaf Signature Extended came out.  Similar concept, but the auto tiers were gone.  There were some big names included, but overall most of the mid-upper tier guys had been included in the initial release.  And the design...well, it's similar.  But not quite as clean, not quite as exciting.

But it does have a few gems on the Pirates end, including this rookie auto of Mexican free agent signing Francisco Cordova.  Cordova looked like the ace of the team through the late 90's, before his arm imploded as the Bucs christened PNC Park.  But he's still one of my favorite childhood Bucs.

4 comments:

  1. I'll never forget the combined no hitter he was a part of.

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    1. I've been searching for years for a copy of that game. As far as I know, it's hasn't been re-aired on Root/FSN or MLB Network any time over the last few years. It has to be one of the most dramatic ends to a no-hitter.

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  2. Love 1996 Leaf Signatures. Great way to add some affordable autographs of players who don't have a lot of certified issues to your collection.

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    1. My favorite of the Donruss/Leaf Signature sets is '98, but in terms of player selection and affordability you can't beat '96.

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