How much do you dislike sticker autos?

I don’t necessarily hate them – especially when they’re done well – but there’s just something more special about an autograph being directly on the card.

When I saw 2026 Topps Finest, I instantly fell in love with the design. Topps somehow fused ’90s mall food court / skating rink energy with a genuinely beautiful high-end look.

A quick eBay search showed that the set has a mix of on-card autos and sticker autos. My friend Jon and I decided that if it had a sticker, maybe it should really be called 2026 Topps Fine…or perhaps Topps Fine-ish.

So I removed the sticker from this 1/1 and had Jose sign the card itself.

Now that it’s on-card, I’m happy to report that it has officially earned the Finest name, while still retaining all of that glorious food-court energy.

Huge thanks to Jon and Mark for egging me on, and to Carlos for helping make it happen.

Next time we’re all together, I’ll take everyone to the mall for Cinnabon, Sbarro, a Pretzel…and maybe one lap around the fountain before our moms come pick us up.

Oh, and by the way … here is a pic of the ONLY (currently) two Finest superfractor autos ever made of Jose Canseco – released 30 and 33 years after the groundbreaking ’93 inaugural edition.  There is something poetic here about it, too. He has had other superfractors, but given that the ’93 Finest was the progenitor of the refractor, (and Jose was the model for the box art!) it is fitting that the very box model has finally been treated to the ultimate paring – a 1/1 superfractor finish, and signature.  It sure took them long enough, didn’t it?  I’m not quite sure which one I like best.