1994 Topps Baseball Forum

  Hello- 

     I just opened two of my 1994 Topps boxed sets and in each were the same "3 special Sample cards" [all are Bobby Bonilla] : 2× 1994 Superstar Sample Bowman #128, 2 x 1994 Stadium Club Sample (Superstar? The background is gold) #59 and the card above- 2 of these 1994 Sample Finest cards #234. I wanted to ask if these samples only come in the 1994 topps base cards because if so wouldn't it make sense for them to be listed as 1994 Topps inserts like the 1995 pre-production and spectralights? After opening a second box and finding the same three "special" cards I may be off base but I decided to post because it took me a few tries to find them at first since they have the 1994 date and I pulled them from the boxes today. Not a big deal- I guess I should've researched more about where they all come from. Feel free to laugh if this is a dumb question- I've been known to ramble. Happy Weekend Everyone! Becky Elizabeth

There are a lot of these cards. And they may have been released across products, and therefore we wind up listing them in their own groups.

I have only known them to come in specific Topps factory sets. A quick search confirms they only come from 1994 Topps Bakers Dozen factory set. Each mark factory set will have a pack of 3 cards, all the same player. The cards will be of Finest, Stadium Club, and Bowman.

Are we 100% certain that these wee availble no other way? Because if that's the case, then they should get moved under the Topps set.

I have just checked Beckett and Baseballcardpedia and both sites say 1994 Topps Bakers Dozen Factory sets. When I google 1994 Topps Bakers Dozen I get images of the Superstar Sampler cards. 

It has been 27 years, but I don't remember a factory set release of Bowman, Finest, and Stadium Club. Not saying there wasn't a factory set of those 3, I just can't remember. Guess I could have Googled that...

 I thought I was certain but when I opened the 2nd box and had all three versions Bonilla again I figured the larger checklist may come from other Topps products but they'd still have to be 1994 for Samples and...well now that I think of it there is also a separate pack of 9x PP1995 topps gold cards in each box and the checklist is under Insert bc there are only 9...but 1 spectralight is included and I got Ken Griffey Jr.in both boxes as well and the spectralight pre-production checklist is a decent one listed under 1994 topps inserts so I'm curious if everyone got K.G.Jr in the box too. If so, they should've come out and said 3 Sample Bonilla cards and a Griffey Spectralight in each box! 

   Back to the question, if you move the Finest then moving the Bowman list should be considered as well.

 If this helps- the box sets I'm referring to have the base cards with 1 plastic wrapped group of the 3 Sample cards along the "top" of set, a separate plastic wrapping containing 10 x 1994 Topps gold, 2 Topps black gold and 1 Black gold redemption card along the "bottom" of the box and in the middle of the base cards is one more plastic wrapping with the 1995 pre-production cards and the 1 spectralight pre-production or just PP spectralight Ken Griffey Jr.card.

The the 10 black gold, 2 gold, and 1 redemption are the 13 cards that would make the Bakers Dozen. You had the chance to get 1 of 45 different players with the 3 Sample cards. 

Nice- well I got all the Bonilla both times but the "Baker's dozen" were all different cards each time. I knew pre-production would be same bc checklist only has 9 or 10 but still don't know about spectralight. Also if those 3 players are all in the factory box that would make those checklists inserts for the 1994 Topps list instead of Stadium Club and Bowman respectively, correct?

They were only available in specially marked Topps factory sets.  If I recall correctly, all sets in a particular case contain the same player's super star sampler - so if you opened a sealed case and pulled a Griffey sampler out of the first set, you'd be smart to open the rest.