1996 Sports Time Beatles trading cards are one of only a handful of Beatles sets released after the peak of Beatlemania in 1964.
Sports Time, Inc. produced trading cards — none of which were sports sets — for approximately five years in the mid 1990s with the bulk of their output focused on Playboy and Marilyn Monroe. This set of Beatles cards is a (mostly) chronological look at the entire Beatles career, including 1995’s Anthology project, with a selection of photographs that are heavily stylized.
Black and white photos are colorized. Color photos are colorized differently. And the backgrounds of most the shots have been removed which also eliminates a great deal of context. The reverse of each card contains a bit of historical context or trivia as well as the unedited image from the front of the card.
Unopened packs and boxes are not uncommon on the secondary market and complete sets can be assembled for fairly inexpensive. There were two 23kt gold cards that were sold separately from the boxes.
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1996 Sports Time The Beatles Checklist
Base Set – 100 Cards
Gold Records Foil Stamp – 12 Cards, 1:7
Signature Series – 4 Cards, 1:144
Magical Mystery Tour – 5 Cards, 1:36
Meet the Beatles – 10 Cards, 1:14
Base Set
| 1 | Still unequaled is The Beatles’ chart dominance… |
| 2 | A moody 1965 shot by Robert Freeman… |
| 3 | Early Beatles photographer Dezo Hoffmann captured this… |
| 4 | The Beatles showcased their wide rock ‘n’ roll repertoire… |
| 5 | The first of the three “Beatles Anthology,” issued… |
| 6 | Live from Miami Beach, The Beatles… |
| 7 | The Beatles donned their “Sgt. Pepper” uniforms… |
| 8 | The Beatles take a break from recording “The Inner Light”… |
| 9 | “Fabulous” and other British teen magazines… |
| 10 | “A Hard Day’s Night,” The Beatles’ first movie… |
| 11 | A July 2, 1963, Dezo Hoffmann shot of The Beatles… |
| 12 | In the midst of a March ’63 tour with Chris Montez… |
| 13 | Bob Whitaker took this dignified portrait March 25… |
| 14 | The 1965 film “Help!” parodied the spy movie craze… |
| 15 | With triumphant tours of Europe, Australia and America… |
| 16 | An Ethan Russell shot of the Fab Four… |
| 17 | Celebrating “I Want to Hold Your Hand” hitting No. 1… |
| 18 | Bob Whitaker, who took some of the most unusual Beatles… |
| 19 | This unusually atmospheric 1962 Peter Kaye shot… |
| 20 | Beatlemania was making headlines all over England… |
| 21 | The Beatles mark their first official recording session… |
| 22 | Part of The Beatles’ charm was a casual style… |
| 23 | This Dezo Hoffmann shot shows The Beatles… |
| 24 | Just about a week after The Beatles returned… |
| 25 | Their fame in Britain was growing by leaps and bounds… |
| 26 | Over the top? Maybe, but The Beatles would occasionally… |
| 27 | Another gritty ’62 Peter Kaye publicity shot… |
| 28 | This acrobatic March 5, 1963, pose for EMI photographer… |
| 29 | This lighthearted shot of the Fab Four from April… |
| 30 | Blocks of polystyrene were among the props… |
| 31 | One of the last shots ever taken of The Beatles… |
| 32 | This January 1967 publicity shot for the “Penny Lane”… |
| 33 | The “Revolution” promotional video… |
| 34 | Dawning of a new age: the mustached Beatles… |
| 35 | Any way you ook at it, The Beatles were quite photogenic… |
| 36 | John Lennon’s Littenhurst Park estate… |
| 37 | Bob Whitaker photographed The Beatles… |
| 38 | Photographer Bob Whitaker came along for the filming… |
| 39 | The Beatles took a break from sessions for the White Album… |
| 40 | During a day long July 28, 1968, photo shoot… |
| 41 | The Dezo Hoffmann collarless suit shots from April 1963… |
| 42 | Dezo Hoffmann captured the Fab Four… |
| 43 | The Beatles were seen by an estimated 73 million viewers… |
| 44 | Paris was plastered with Beatles posters… |
| 45 | Robert Freeman took this portrait before a mural… |
| 46 | Recording “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You” … |
| 47 | Two days after finishing work on the “Abbey Road”… |
| 48 | The Beatles put on their old gray collarless suits… |
| 49 | Believe it or not, the clean-cut Fab Four… |
| 50 | A November 25, 1963 visit to Granada Television… |
| 51 | On a July 2, 1963, London walkabout… |
| 52 | It takes a Beatle to give a Beatle haircut… |
| 53 | Among the most popular early images of The Beatles… |
| 54 | Buckingham Palace scenes for The Beatles’ second film… |
| 55 | In their last live TV performance before an audience… |
| 56 | Between 1964 and 1966, The Beatles played three world tours… |
| 57 | Popping up out of their psychedelic bus… |
| 58 | Dezo Hoffmann captured The Beatles’ energy… |
| 59 | The Beatles topped the bill of the November 4, 1963… |
| 60 | The Beatles traveled by boat on the River Thames… |
| 61 | The Beatles played a three-week engagement in Paris… |
| 62 | Dezo Hoffmann took this shot… |
| 63 | The Beatles are caught here by photographer Dezo Hoffmann… |
| 64 | Their clever quips instantly won over the press… |
| 65 | An August 22, 1962, lunchtime Cavern Club performance… |
| 66 | Vive Les Beatles! The Fab Four joke around in French… |
| 67 | A March 28, 1965, taping marked the Beatles’ last… |
| 68 | This April 4, 1963, Dezo Hoffmann shot of The Beatles… |
| 69 | Dezo Hoffmann catches Paul McCartney getting his 21st… |
| 70 | The Beatles get back to where they once belonged… |
| 71 | Paul McCartney was so proud of his Mark I Cortina… |
| 72 | The Fab Four made up the entire panel picking the music… |
| 73 | The Beatles play peek-a-boo in the flowerbed… |
| 74 | Advance sales of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love”… |
| 75 | Taking a global approach to the message “All You Need Is Love”… |
| 76 | The Beatles post August 22, 1969, in a paddock… |
| 77 | Posing by a cypress tree on John Lennon’s estate… |
| 78 | Making like musclemen… |
| 79 | A May 19, 1967, press party… |
| 80 | Go-karting for photographer Dezo Hoffmann… |
| 81 | Wearing uniforms tailored for them… |
| 82 | Dressed like Eskimos here… |
| 83 | George Harrison came up with one of his best-loved songs… |
| 84 | The Beatles sit on the steps of historic Cliveden House… |
| 85 | The Beatles quickly became favorites… |
| 86 | The year 1963 saw The Beatles release four singles… |
| 87 | A masterpiece in the making… |
| 88 | The “With The Beatles” album had just come out… |
| 89 | The windblown look achieved with a fan… |
| 90 | Old Beatle pal Klaus Voormann designed the “Anthology 2″… |
| 91 | “Baby, you can drive my car”… |
| 92 | A Bob Whitaker shot of The Beatles at Chiswick House… |
| 93 | Still unequaled is The Beatles’ Chart Dominance… |
| 94 | The Beatles filming a November 25, 1963, appearance… |
| 95 | The Beatles’ second album in Britain, “With The Beatles”… |
| 96 | Checklist Card #1 |
| 97 | Checklist Card #2 |
| 98 | Checklist Card #3 |
| 99 | Checklist Card #4 |
| 100 | Checklist Card #5 |
Gold Records
| 1 | Please Please Me |
| 2 | With The Beatles |
| 3 | A Hard Day’s Night |
| 4 | Beatles for Sale |
| 5 | Help! |
| 6 | Rubber Soul |
| 7 | Revolver |
| 8 | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band |
| 9 | Magical Mystery Tour |
| 10 | The White Album |
| 11 | Abbey Road |
| 12 | Let It Be |
Signature Series
| 1 | John Lennon |
| 2 | Paul McCartney |
| 3 | George Harrison |
| 4 | Ringo Starr |
Magical Mystery Tour
| 1 | The “I am the Walrus” segment… |
| 2 | Directing themselves… |
| 3 | The “Your Mother Should Know” finale… |
| 4 | In “Magical Mystery Tour”, seen in Britain… |
| 5 | Filming on the perimeter road and runway… |
Meet the Beatles
| 1 | Wearing the trademark grey … |
| 2 | I wanted to portray … |
| 3 | Just before recording … |
| 4 | At manager Brian Epstein’s behest… |
| 5 | The Beatles were the first… |
| 6 | This late ’64… |
| 7 | The dozen giant white arrows … |
| 8 | Early Beatles Publicity |
| 9 | A July ‘6visit to the beach |
| 10 | The Beatles’ June ‘6tour … |