One of the collecting projects I’ve started this year is building what I’m calling an Innovation Collection. These are cards that represent milestones in the evolution of the hobby rather than just great players.

Instead of chasing one player or one team, I’m focusing on cards that introduced something new: the first refractors, early serial-numbered cards, Mirror parallels, PMGs, Crusades, Artist’s Proofs, and other releases that helped shape the modern hobby.

My newest pickup is this 1996 Pinnacle Starburst Hardball Heroes Artist’s Proof Chipper Jones PSA 10 (Pop 3). I specifically targeted the Artist’s Proof cards because I think Pinnacle was doing some incredibly creative things in the mid-90s. The foil stamping, the etched “Artist’s Proof” pattern, and the use of the designation across multiple sets and inserts made them one of the era’s most distinctive premium parallels. They may not get the same attention as PMGs or 1993 Finest Refractors, but I think they deserve a place in any collection celebrating hobby innovation.

I’m curious, if you were building a collection around the biggest innovations of the ‘90s, what card or set would be the first one you’d chase?