The 2016 baseball card season featured several short prints and rare inserts that became highly sought after by collectors. While base cards from popular sets like Topps, Bowman, and Stadium Club hold value based on the players featured, it’s the harder to find parallels, serial numbered cards, and unique inserts that really drive enthusiasm for the modern game. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most valuable and coveted rare inserts and short prints released in packs and boxes in 2016.
One of the biggest chase cards of the year came from Topps Triple Threads. Considered one of the premier high-end modern sets, Triple Threads is known for featuring quad jersey/memorabilia patches of star players. In 2016, the biggest hit of them all was a 1/1 triple patch card of Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, featuring swatches from his jersey, batting gloves, and pants. With Bryant fresh off his Rookie of the Year campaign and the Cubs on the rise, this ultimate Bryant relic card skyrocketed in value after a strong season. Numbered to just one, it’s likely still the crown jewel in any Triple Threads collector’s collection.
BowmanChrome refractors and parallels always gain popularity due to the vivid color pops and refractor effect of the Chrome design. In 2016, some of the most coveted included superfractor parallels numbered to just 5 copies or less featuring the games’ rising talents. Cards like the Miguel Andujar orange refractor /5 from Bowman Sterling and the Dansby Swanson red refractor /3 from standard Bowman Chrome resonated with collectors. With Andujar and Swanson both becoming stars in future seasons, anyone who obtained these short print rookies gained an impressive asset.
Stadium Club is renowned for its sharp photography and elite imaging technology. In 2016, several parallel variations stood out as real condition sensitive keys. The Clayton Kershaw ultra rare 1/1 black parallel captured imaginations due to its spectacular on-card black bordered design showcasing Kershaw’s picture-perfect delivery. Only one was produced to commemorate Kershaw’s greatness. Others like the white whale parallel of Kris Bryant posed in front of Wrigley Field ivy, numbered to just 5 copies, satisfied collectors seeking a one-of-a-kind modern classic.
Speckled and Sparkle parallels proliferated across 2016 Topps Flagship Series 1, 2, and Update with several highly sought serial numbered short prints emerging. Popular singles included a Ronald Acuna Jr. speckled refractor /50 from Series 1, foreshadowing Acuna’s stardom. But the true blue-chipper was a Mike Trout superfractor parallel literally numbering 1/1 from Update, sure to satisfy any Trout enthusiast. With serial numbers ranging from the single digits to the rare solitary “1”, these Flagship parallels produced some of the most valuable modern pickups of the year.
Panini Prizm had also established itself as a force in the high-end baseball card market by 2016. The Prizm collegiate sets focused on stars of the future like Kyle Lewis, Casey Mize, and Brendan Rodgers. But hobby boxes offered a chase for the rare 1/1 Prizm Silver signature refractors of established MLBers such as Nolan Arenado and Noah Syndergaard. These unique 1/1 rookie season autographs became centerpieces for collections.
Topps also experimented with new technology in 2016 with the Topps Triple Threads Indy sets. Featuring quad swatches with embedded Indy car helmet fabric, the biggest “hit” printed was a 1/1 triple quad relic of Byron Buxton with jersey, batting gloves, pants, and Indy 500 swatch. Numbered to just one, this mega-relic fused sports in a totally unique fashion.
2016 came and went with many of these rare cards still in the hands of lucky collectors who may not have realized their value at the time. But for those who recognized stars in the making or grasped the historic nature of serial 1/1 parallel print runs, they gained assets that have grown exponentially in value as the featured players’ careers blossomed in subsequent seasons. Whether obtained as high-end retail hits or on the secondary market, these select 2016 rare baseball cards demonstrated what a speculative but rewarding hobby collecting modern cards can be. While base rookies remain affordable for most collectors today, it’s the Holy Grail short prints and serial 1/1 pieces showcasing the future faces of MLB that continue to drive collector excitement and command top dollar from enthusiasts chasing the rarest of the rare.
