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2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks Baseball Parties Like It’s 1996 [Checklist Added]

Flashbacks to the 1990s are becoming rather a popular cultural phenomenon. Props to Topps Finest Flashbacks for flashing back before it was fashionable. The 2023 Topps Finest Flashback release continues that tradition, flashing us back to 1996 Topps Finest.

But what does this online-exclusive, throwback to a simpler time hold for collectors? Let’s get in the way back machine, throw on some “Macarena”, and explore!

Shop for boxes of 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks on eBay or Topps.com

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks release date & release format

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks was available on October 18, 2023 (October 17, 2023 for members of Topps’ 582 Montgomery Club) as an online exclusive. It quickly sold out from Topps’ website, where it was available for $240.

Since selling out, boxes have started appearing on the secondary market, with sales in the $300 range.

Hobby boxes of 2023 Topps Finest Flashback contain 20 packs per box. Each hobby pack contains 5 cards per pack. Hobby cases consist of 6 boxes per case.

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks guarantees one Refractor per box. There is no autograph guarantee. In fact, autographs are quite scarce, falling around one per case.

Shop for boxes of 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks on eBay

Topps Finest Flashbacks 2023 base set & design

The 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks set contains 200 cards. But it’s not that simple. 1996 was a rough time for the card industry.

The “irrational exuberance” of the junk wax era was long gone, and the cloud of the 1994/95 baseball strike hung over the game and the hobby. The card industry doubled down on technology and loud designs.

The other big development of the time was gaming cards, with Magic the Gathering leading the way at the time. These games introduced the concept of “manufactured scarcity,” one that modern collectors know quite well.

1996 Topps Finest was one of the first card sets to offer varying degrees of production within the base set. 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks pays homage to that same approach.

The first 100 cards in 2023 Topps Finest Flashback are “common.” Cards 101 to 150 are Silver Border Uncommon, and come seeded 1:4 packs.

The next level, cards 151 to 175 are Gold Border Rare, and are seeded 1:20 packs. Cards 176 to 200 are Short Prints (SP) and are also seeded 1:20 packs.

The design pays homage to the 1996 Topps Finest set, with lots of gloss. The first 175 cards feature a mix of current MLB veterans and rookies. The SP checklist is made up exclusively of former players.

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2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks Baseball parallels

Three levels of parallels carry through the product, although the odds vary greatly across the different levels of the base set.

Base parallels include:

  • Refractors – (1:28 packs)
  • Protector Refractors – /10 (1:304 packs)
  • Superfractors – 1/1 (1:2,988 packs)

Uncommon parallels include:

  • Refractors – (1:109 packs)
  • Protector Refractors – /10 (1:606 packs)
  • Superfractors – 1/1 (1:5,915 packs

Rare parallels include:

  • Refractors – (1:450 packs)
  • Protector Refractors – /10 (1:1,208 packs)
  • Superfractors – 1/1 (1:11,592 packs)

Short Print Parallels include:

  • Refractors – (1:450 packs)
  • Protector Refractors – /10 (1:1,208 packs)
  • Superfractors – 1/1 (1:11,592 packs)

Protector Parallels pay homage to one of the more unique aspects of 1996 Topps Finest. The cards that year came with a protective film to help keep them from scratching.

The Protector Refractors don’t have the film, but carries the same text that 1996 film did.

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks autographs

Autographs are not guaranteed in a hobby box of 2023 Topps Finest Flashback. In fact, they are very rare in the product, falling at about one per case.

Shop for boxes of 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks on eBay

1996 Finest Autographs

This 33-card autograph offering is seeded in 1:119 packs. The set has various designs, with card designs that match many of the original 1996 Topps Finest insert sets, including Intimidators, Phenoms, Gamers, Sterling, and Franchise.

The checklist consists of a mix of current stars, top rookies, and all-time greats. In addition, 1/1 Superfractors are also available.

Buyback Autographs

Limited to just five copies each, this offering brings 1996 Topps Finest cards of two Hall of Famers, Randy Johnson and Chipper Jones, which were bought back by Topps and autographed by the stars.

These cards are seeded at a very tough 1:28,980 packs.

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks Baseball value

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks are a moderately priced box with a throwback feel, but no guaranteed autographs. How do these boxes hold their value unopened?

Let us review the last several year’s products, with recent comp sales.

YearRecent Hobby Box Comp Price
2023$300
2022$175-210
2021$200
2020$290-300

As a reminder, 2022 boxes sold for around $200 upon release, and 2021 was available for the same. Still, these can be said to hold their value, more or less, although the 2020 box, which originally sold for $55, has seen quite an increase.

In terms of singles, the high water mark, by a lot, when it comes to recent sales, is a 2022 Topps Finest Flashbacks Shohei Ohtani 1/1 Superfractor autograph.

It sold in late September in a PSA 10 in late September for $17,000. Beyond that, a handful of signed cards have signed for over $1,000 in a PSA 10 slab, with a number more above $500.

The rest are below that number, and well below that in most cases. That being said, the chance for real value exists, although the odds aren’t high.

Shop for boxes of 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks on eBay

Final thoughts on Topps Finest Flashbacks Baseball 2023

There’s a lot of retro fun to be had in 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks. With varying levels of rarity in the base set and some interesting refractors and autograph offerings, there’s some potential value to be found in this online exclusive.

What is your take on 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks? Excited about the product? Break a box? Or plan to tuck one away for the future? Let us know at card_lines on Twitter.

Shop for boxes of 2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks on eBay

Other recent and upcoming baseball releases

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks checklist

See below for the 2023 Topps Finest Flashback checklist, which is fully searchable.

2023 Topps Finest Flashbacks

wdt_ID Base Card Number Player Team Rookie
1 Base Finest Phenoms Common 2 Anthony Rizzo New York Yankees®
2 Base Finest Phenoms Common 3 Hunter Brown Houston Astros® Rookie
3 Base Finest Phenoms Common 6 Ezequiel Tovar Colorado Rockies™ Rookie
4 Base Finest Phenoms Common 15 Matt Wallner Minnesota Twins® Rookie
5 Base Finest Phenoms Common 28 Oswaldo Cabrera New York Yankees® Rookie
6 Base Finest Phenoms Common 33 Dansby Swanson Chicago Cubs®
7 Base Finest Phenoms Common 40 Yordan Alvarez Houston Astros®
8 Base Finest Phenoms Common 46 Cedric Mullins Baltimore Orioles®
9 Base Finest Phenoms Common 50 Andrew Benintendi Chicago White Sox®
10 Base Finest Phenoms Common 51 James Outman Los Angeles Dodgers® Rookie
11 Base Finest Phenoms Common 55 Masataka Yoshida Boston Red Sox® Rookie
12 Base Finest Phenoms Common 57 Shohei Ohtani Angels®
13 Base Finest Phenoms Common 58 Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers®
14 Base Finest Phenoms Common 60 Michael Harris II Atlanta Braves™ Rookie
15 Base Finest Phenoms Common 62 Joey Wiemer Milwaukee Brewers™ Rookie
16 Base Finest Phenoms Common 66 Jordan Groshans Miami Marlins® Rookie
17 Base Finest Phenoms Common 68 Carlos Rodón New York Yankees®
18 Base Finest Phenoms Common 71 Miguel Vargas Los Angeles Dodgers® Rookie
19 Base Finest Phenoms Common 72 Garrett Mitchell Milwaukee Brewers™ Rookie
20 Base Finest Phenoms Common 87 Josh Jung Texas Rangers® Rookie
21 Base Finest Phenoms Common 90 Juan Soto San Diego Padres™
22 Base Finest Phenoms Common 91 Triston Casas Boston Red Sox® Rookie
23 Base Finest Phenoms Common 93 Kodai Senga New York Mets® Rookie
24 Base Finest Phenoms Common 94 José Abreu Houston Astros®
25 Base Finest Phenoms Common 98 Francisco Álvarez New York Mets® Rookie
26 Finest Intimidators Common 5 Brice Turang Milwaukee Brewers™ Rookie
27 Finest Intimidators Common 7 Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers®
28 Finest Intimidators Common 8 Gunnar Henderson Baltimore Orioles® Rookie
29 Finest Intimidators Common 12 Brandon Nimmo New York Mets®
30 Finest Intimidators Common 17 Riley Greene Detroit Tigers® Rookie
31 Finest Intimidators Common 18 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Toronto Blue Jays®
32 Finest Intimidators Common 25 Maikel Garcia Kansas City Royals® Rookie
33 Finest Intimidators Common 49 Jordan Diaz Oakland Athletics™ Rookie
34 Finest Intimidators Common 54 Terrin Vavra Baltimore Orioles® Rookie
35 Finest Intimidators Common 56 J.D. Martinez Los Angeles Dodgers®
36 Finest Intimidators Common 61 Esteury Ruiz Oakland Athletics™ Rookie
37 Finest Intimidators Common 64 Will Benson Cincinnati Reds® Rookie
38 Finest Intimidators Common 65 Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers™
39 Finest Intimidators Common 67 Mike Trout Angels®
40 Finest Intimidators Common 70 DL Hall Baltimore Orioles® Rookie
41 Finest Intimidators Common 73 Aaron Judge New York Yankees®
42 Finest Intimidators Common 77 Michael Toglia Colorado Rockies™ Rookie
43 Finest Intimidators Common 78 Wander Franco Tampa Bay Rays™
44 Finest Intimidators Common 80 Liover Peguero Pittsburgh Pirates® Rookie
45 Finest Intimidators Common 81 Taj Bradley Tampa Bay Rays™ Rookie
46 Finest Intimidators Common 82 Logan O'Hoppe Angels® Rookie
47 Finest Intimidators Common 86 Bryson Stott Philadelphia Phillies®
48 Finest Intimidators Common 89 Matthew Liberatore St. Louis Cardinals® Rookie
49 Finest Intimidators Common 95 Vinnie Pasquantino Kansas City Royals® Rookie
50 Finest Intimidators Common 99 Michael Conforto San Francisco Giants®
51 Finest Gamers Common 13 Livan Soto Angels® Rookie
52 Finest Gamers Common 14 Corbin Carroll Arizona Diamondbacks® Rookie
53 Finest Gamers Common 21 Josh Bell Cleveland Guardians™
54 Finest Gamers Common 22 Cody Bellinger Chicago Cubs®
55 Finest Gamers Common 24 Daulton Varsho Toronto Blue Jays®
56 Finest Gamers Common 26 Mark Vientos New York Mets® Rookie
57 Finest Gamers Common 29 Simeon Woods Richardson Minnesota Twins® Rookie
58 Finest Gamers Common 30 Jacob deGrom Texas Rangers®
59 Finest Gamers Common 31 Oscar Colás Chicago White Sox® Rookie
60 Finest Gamers Common 32 Christopher Morel Chicago Cubs® Rookie
61 Finest Gamers Common 36 Nolan Gorman St. Louis Cardinals® Rookie
62 Finest Gamers Common 39 Shea Langeliers Oakland Athletics™ Rookie
63 Finest Gamers Common 41 Oswald Peraza New York Yankees® Rookie
64 Finest Gamers Common 43 Brett Baty New York Mets® Rookie
65 Finest Gamers Common 47 Trea Turner Philadelphia Phillies®
66 Finest Gamers Common 48 Ronald Acuña Jr. Atlanta Braves™
67 Finest Gamers Common 52 Jose Altuve Houston Astros®
68 Finest Gamers Common 53 Edouard Julien Minnesota Twins® Rookie
69 Finest Gamers Common 59 Alec Burleson St. Louis Cardinals® Rookie
70 Finest Gamers Common 63 Bo Naylor Cleveland Guardians™ Rookie
71 Finest Gamers Common 75 Nolan Jones Colorado Rockies™ Rookie
72 Finest Gamers Common 76 Anthony Volpe New York Yankees® Rookie
73 Finest Gamers Common 83 Grayson Rodriguez Baltimore Orioles® Rookie
74 Finest Gamers Common 84 Jordan Walker St. Louis Cardinals® Rookie
75 Finest Gamers Common 97 Vaughn Grissom Atlanta Braves™ Rookie
76 Finest Sterling Common 1 Jonathan Aranda Tampa Bay Rays™ Rookie
77 Finest Sterling Common 4 Brayan Bello Boston Red Sox® Rookie
78 Finest Sterling Common 9 Lenyn Sosa Chicago White Sox® Rookie
79 Finest Sterling Common 10 William Contreras Milwaukee Brewers™
80 Finest Sterling Common 11 Nolan Arenado St. Louis Cardinals®
81 Finest Sterling Common 16 Adley Rutschman Baltimore Orioles® Rookie
82 Finest Sterling Common 19 Bobby Witt Jr. Kansas City Royals®
83 Finest Sterling Common 20 Kyle Stowers Baltimore Orioles® Rookie
84 Finest Sterling Common 23 George Kirby Seattle Mariners™
85 Finest Sterling Common 27 Justin Verlander New York Mets®
86 Finest Sterling Common 34 Tim Anderson Chicago White Sox®
87 Finest Sterling Common 35 Francisco Lindor New York Mets®
88 Finest Sterling Common 37 Drew Waters Kansas City Royals® Rookie
89 Finest Sterling Common 38 Zach Neto Angels® Rookie
90 Finest Sterling Common 42 Nelson Velázquez Chicago Cubs® Rookie
91 Finest Sterling Common 44 Iván Herrera St. Louis Cardinals® Rookie
92 Finest Sterling Common 45 Andrés Giménez Cleveland Guardians™
93 Finest Sterling Common 69 Max Meyer Miami Marlins® Rookie
94 Finest Sterling Common 74 Gabriel Moreno Arizona Diamondbacks® Rookie
95 Finest Sterling Common 79 Julio Rodríguez Seattle Mariners™
96 Finest Sterling Common 85 Spencer Steer Cincinnati Reds® Rookie
97 Finest Sterling Common 88 Oscar Gonzalez Cleveland Guardians™ Rookie
98 Finest Sterling Common 92 Steven Kwan Cleveland Guardians™
99 Finest Sterling Common 96 Paul Goldschmidt St. Louis Cardinals®
100 Finest Sterling Common 100 Oneil Cruz Pittsburgh Pirates®
Base Card Number Player Team Rookie
Mike D.

Mike D

Mike D. has collected cards for over 35 years, since he bought his first pack of Topps at the corner store in 1987. His fandom,  collecting interests, and contributions to Cardlines center around baseball in general and the Baseball Hall of Fame specifically.

Mike's collecting focus is centered on graded cards, mostly rookie cards, of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. Lately, he's been enjoying dabbling in graded minor league cards. A collector/investor with a "buy and hold" approach, Mike takes the long-term view with his collection.
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