Cheap Wax Wednesday Box Breaks: 1996 Signature Rookies Old Judge Baseball

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Signature Rookies started releasing unlicensed baseball products in 1994 with two sets: Signature Rookies and Draft Picks. The Draft Picks set features autographs of some notable future major league talent, including Ben Grieve, Nomar Garciaparra, Paul Konerko and Jason Varitek. It’s probably a product I should try tracking down for Minor League May. They first released Old Judge in 1995. That product featured 250 Joe DiMaggio autographed cards. 

1996 Signature Rookies Old Judge Baseball looks extremely similar to the 1995 release, and had a very similar makeup as well. The base set consists of just 37 cards. All but two of those also have autograph versions. Unfortunately, one of those two was Vladimir Guerrero.

The chase cards in this one are Ken Griffey Jr. autographs. Griffey signed 1,250 cards that were distributed in the product. With only 12,000 boxes produced, there should be a Griffey autograph in every 10 boxes or so.

1996 Signature Rookies Old Judge Baseball Box Break

Cards per pack: 7
Packs per box: 18
Price paid: $50

Shop for 1996 Signature Rookies Old Judge Baseball boxes on eBay.

Pack 1 highlights:

Frank Catalanotto, Butch Huskey, Matt Morris Peak Picks & Don Wengert Autograph

I was surprised to see that Wengert pitched in 160 major league games. His career ERA: 6.01. 

Pack 2:

Todd Helton Peak Picks & Oscar Munoz Autograph

Munoz threw 35 1/3 innings for Minnesota in 1995 but never pitched in the majors again. 

Pack 3:

Ken Griffey, Jr. Junior Hitman, Brian Maxcy Autograph & Autograph Redemption

Maxcy pitched to a 7.28 ERA over two major league seasons 1995-1996. 

Pack 4:

Alan Benes Rising Stars & Ben Van Ryn Autograph

Van Ryn pitched in just one game for the Angels in 1996 before being traded to the Cardinals for Pat Borders. 

Pack 5:

Johnny Damon Major Respect & Mitch Lyden Autograph

Lyden played in just six major league games. He went 3-10 with a home run.

Pack 6:

Tony McKnight Peak Picks, Amaury Telemaco Autograph & Chad Renfroe Autograph

Renfroe put up some respectable numbers in the minor leagues, but was out of organized baseball by 1996. 

Pack 7:

Vladimir Guerrero, Brian Giles, Nick Delvechio Top Prospect & Scott Bullett Autograph

Bullett got just 405 plate appearances over parts of four seasons in the majors. He hit .233 with six home runs and 42 RBI. He also stole 19 bases. 

Pack 8:

Mike Bovee Top Prospect & Travis Driskill Autograph

Driskill was drafted three different times, finally signing a pro deal after the 1993 draft. He didn’t make his major league debut until 2002 when he was 30-years old. 

Pack 9:

Jeff McNeely, Jeff Darwin Rising Stars & John Frascatore Autograph

Frascatore pitched in 274 major league games, earning an even 4.00 ERA.

Pack 10:

Vladimir Guerrero, Brian Giles, Marty Cordova Rookie of the Year & Travis Baptist Autograph

Baptist showed some dominance in A-ball in 1992. He started 19 games, going 11-2 with a 1.45 ERA. 

Pack 11:

Marty Cordova Rookie of the Year & Ed Larregui Autograph

Larregui hit .268 over seven minor league seasons, but never played above Double-A. 

Pack 12:

Brian Giles, Ken Griffey, Jr. Junior Hitman & Autograph Redemption

There were some decent names on the Peak Picks Autograph checklist including Darin Erstad, Jose Cruz, Jr., & Todd Helton. 

Pack 13:

Frank Catalanotto, Alan Benes Rising Stars & Autograph Redemption

Another redemption. I would’ve had three draws from the Peak Picks list and a decent shot at a notable autograph. 

Pack 14:

Antone Williamson Top Prospect & Tony Mitchell Autograph

Mitchell played 14 seasons of professional baseball, splitting time between the minor leagues, independent leagues, and even one season in Japan. He hit .268 over those 14 seasons. 

Pack 15:

Chad Renfroe, Alex Rodriguez Major Respect & Jeff McNeely Autograph

McNeely was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round in 1989. He played 21 games in Boston in 1993, but was then traded in 1994 for Luis Alicea. 

Pack 16:

Mark Hubbard Top Prospect & Brian Giles Autograph

Giles isn’t talked about much anymore but he put together a very solid major league career. He played 15 seasons in the big leagues, posting a career .400 OBP. 

Pack 17:

Vladimir Guerrero, Marty Cordova Rookie of the Year & Butch Huskey Autograph

Butch had a couple 20-home run seasons in the major leagues, hitting 24 in 1997 and 22 in 1999. 

Pack 18:

Jonathan Johnson Peak Picks & Greg Keagle Autograph

Greg pitched in just 46 major league games, posting a 6.76 ERA. 

Lastly, the Vlad Guerrero card back. They weren’t kidding about Vlad’s bona fide power, he hit 449 major league home runs.

I didn’t hit many notable names from the autograph checklist in this one. But, I did hit a couple. Had this box been opened 25 years ago, I also would’ve had three redemptions coming my way with a shot at a few bigger names. 

Obviously hitting a Griffey autograph would have easily covered the price tag on this one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. 

Shop for 1996 Signature Rookies Old Judge Baseball cards on:

Want more installments of Shane Salmonson’s Cheap Wax Wednesday? Check out his other breaks in the archives.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site, like eBay, and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission.
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