Cheap Wax Wednesday Box Breaks: 1996 Donruss Football
Well, there it is, the end of the NFL season. I don’t think the big game was as close as most people expected it to be, myself included, but the Bucs won it. Being a born and raised New Englander, I was cheering for Brady to win another one. With the end of the NFL season also comes the end of the football cheap wax season. Next week, I will be switching back to baseball and will run with America’s favorite pastime through the end of the baseball postseason.
We end the football cheap wax season with a first. 1996 Donruss Football was the debut for Donruss in the sport. The base set very much parallels the 1996 Donruss Baseball design. Some of the insert themes cross over as well. Press Proof parallels, Elite Series inserts, and Hit List inserts can all be found in both sports.
As was customary for ’90s Donruss inserts, all are serial numbered on the backs. This particular set also has an impressive group of rookies that includes Mike Alstott, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Terrell Owens and Simeon Rice.
1996 Donruss Football Box Break
Cards per pack: 10
Packs per box: 36
Price paid: $20
Shop for 1996 Donruss Football boxes on eBay.
Pack 1 highlights:
Irving Fryar & Bobby Engram Rated Rookie
Pack 2:
Jake Reed, Troy Aikman & Barry Sanders
Pack 3:
Willie McGinest, Mark Brunell & Charles Haley
Pack 4:
Boomer Esiason, Barry Sanders & Vinny Testaverde
Pack 5:
Junior Seau, Kerry Collins & Mike Alstott RC
Pack 6:
Deion Sanders & Brett Favre
Pack 7:
Warren Sapp & Ricky Watters Press Proof /2,000
Pack 8:
Tim Brown, Rodney Hampton & Emmitt Smith CL
Pack 9:
Robert Smith, Darren Woodson & Jonathan Ogden RC
Pack 10:
Shannon Sharpe & Reggie White
Pack 11:
Barry Sanders & Bruce Smith
Pack 12:
Kerry Collins, Trent Dilfer (not quite the best Bucs quarterback to wear number 12) & Junior Seau Elite Series /10,000
Pack 13:
Brett Favre, Andre Rison, Marvin Harrison RC & Leeland McElroy Rated Rookie
Pack 14:
A pair of creamsicle jerseys; Warren Sapp & Mike Alstott Press Proof RC /2,000
Pack 15:
Rodney Hampton & John Elway
Pack 16:
Cris Carter & Muhsin Muhammad RC
Pack 17:
Robert Brooks (with a great Lambeau leap shot!), Rod Woodson & Simeon Rice RC
Pack 18:
Jerry Rice CL, Thurman Thomas, Ricky Watters & Jerry Rice
Pack 19:
Daryl “Moose” Johnston, Herschel Walker & Jim Harbaugh
Pack 20:
Junior Seau & Mike Alstott RC
Pack 21:
Antonio Freeman, Emmitt Smith & Deion Sanders
Pack 22:
Jim Kelly & Erik Kramer Press Proof /2,000
Pack 23:
Steve Young, Andre Reed, Isaac Bruce & Tim Brown
Pack 24:
Curtis Martin & Kordell Stewart
Pack 25:
Dan Marino, Drew Bledsoe (playing through the mud), Ben Coates & Joey Galloway
Pack 26:
Steve Atwater, Derrick Thomas & Errict Rhett
Pack 27:
Eric Metcalf & Napoleon Kaufman
Pack 28:
Marcus Allen & Ki-Jana Carter
Pack 29:
Steve McNair, Desmond Howard & Warren Moon
Pack 30:
A replay of pack 19 with Daryl Johnston, Herschel Walker & Jim Harbaugh
Pack 31:
Dan Marino CL, Terance Mathis & Jeff Blake
Pack 32:
Michael Irvin, Terrell Davis, Emmitt Smith & Terrell Owens RC
Pack 33:
Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith & Tyrone Wheatley Press Proof /2,000
Pack 34:
Jerome Bettis (seems weird seeing him in that old school Rams uniform), Rocket Ismail, Steve Young & Eric Moulds RC. Moulds was a three-time Pro Bowl receiver who ended his career just five receiving yards short of 10,000.
Pack 35:
Curtis Martin & Kordell “Slash” Stewart
Pack 36:
Marshall Faulk, Dan Marino, Drew Bledsoe & Emmitt Smith Hit List /10,000. Not exactly the most flattering Emmitt photo on this one, but it does fit with the insert name. These look great, especially with the die cuts.
Lastly, the Marino card back.
This was a fun one, especially for just $20. Even with some inflated prices, this can still be found on the cheap. A three-box lot recently sold on eBay for $50 shipped.
I really like the Press Proof parallels, especially the helmet cutouts. The inserts are attractive as well. That shouldn’t be a shock. Donruss had some great inserts in the ’90s. I was also able to continue my run of Emmitt Smith inserts with my Hit List pull in the last pack.
I enjoyed the football breaks but am really looking forward to getting back to baseball! Baseball coming back also means summer is right around the corner, right?
Shop for 1996 Donruss Football on:
Want more installments of Shane Salmonson’s Cheap Wax Wednesday? Check out his other breaks in the archives.
I may start getting into these products if current hobby and retail trends continue.
I really enjoy this series, thank you for doing it.
The Boomer card cracks me up … I know he was at the end of his career when he signed with Arizona, but man he looks old in that photo, like a 40-year-old guy trying on his old high school uniform to see if it still fits.