General Forum

Just curious, do Finest cards still have protective peels on them?  I only have Finest cards from the 90s, so just wondering if they still do this.  I know Finest has pretty much been hobby only since I got back into collecting.  

I thought to ask this because I was just looking at some of my 1997-98 Finest cards, and I peeled one for the 1st time.  It looks much better without the peel that was cloudy and bubbling.  But now this one peeled card is bothering me a bit since it's the only peeled card I have.  Thanks Austin Croshere card, for making me probably have to peel them all now haha.  

No. The last set with a peel was 1999-00.

Thanks for the info Billy.  I could have researched this but I figured somebody would just know the answer.  

Did Topps give a reason as to why they stopped using the peels?

I do t recall one, but that's a long time ago now...I do notice that the Finest cards scan differently at that point so perhaps the technology changed? Just guessing there though. 

Update:  So I decided to peel all my 1997-98 Finest cards and they do look much better.  Here is my luck though, while I was pulling the film off one card it pulled a little hard at the end and right onto the back of the Jordan card I had stacked right next to it.  When I pulled the bit of film off the back of the card it looks like it may have removed some coating or left some residue. 

Maybe the card always looked like that, not really sure.  But it kind of looks like a little rectangle that is lighter then the rest of the card when you hold it in the light at an angle.

Anyways, I also peeled a refractor I had from 1998-99 Finest and wow that card looks completely different when peeled.  I have had that card for over 20 years and never really got a good look at it.  

You are a very brave person! I have a hard time with things like these, and usually never peel the film off. I feel sad that I will never get to enjoy my cards in the full colouration that they were meant to have, but I am still happy knowing that they have a fine layer of protection intact, and are still as they originally came 

Side note: I do have a small touch of OCD, and as such, my iPod from way back when still has its protective film on it as well.