Difference between revisions of "1997 Pinnacle Certified"

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<!-- [[Image:filename.jpg|right|frame|The description goes here]] -->
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[[File:97PCbox.jpg|right|frame|1997 Pinnacle Certified hobby box]]
  
 
=Description=
 
=Description=
  
The 1997 Pinnacle Certified is a 150-card set released exclusively to The Hobby in the summer of 1997.  Pinnacle Brands renamed the set from Select Certified, and was designed to compete with Topps' Finest brand -- so much so that, like Finest, each chrome-stock card featured a removable protective "peel." The set includes a 30-card Rookie subset and fifteen Certified Stars.  Randomly seeded into packs as a late addition is an exchange card good for a card of Jose Cruz, JrAlthough this card is numbered as part of the base set, it is not considered a "true" rookie card nor is it considered part of a complete set.
+
Renamed from "Select Certified," 1997 Pinnacle Certified was a 150-card set released in the summer of 1997.  This set was designed to continue to compete with Topps' Finest brand -- so much so that this year's iteration, like Finest, featured chromium-stock cards with a removable protective "peel"Pinnacle Certified was available exclusively in Hobby stores.   
  
==Totally Certified==
+
The set included a 30-card rookie subset and a 15-card Certified Stars subset.  Randomly seeded into packs as a late addition is an exchange card good for a card of Jose Cruz, Jr.  Although this card is numbered as part of the base set (#151), it is not considered a "true" rookie card nor is it considered part of a complete set.
  
Totally Certified is a 150-card [[parallel brand]] version of the 1997 Pinnacle Certified set. Similar to Topps Chrome, the checklist and design is identical. However the photos are different and the cards are printed on etched-foil. Each three-card pack contains two Platinum Red cards and one Platinum Blue card.  Only 999 three-box cases were produced.
+
Due to the popularity of this product in the secondary-market (which may have been driven by [[1996 Select Certified|the previous year's set]]) and the company's financial troubles, Pinnacle Brands made five separate print runs of '97 Certified.  After the first run sold out, Pinnacle produced an additional two runs before Certified went live. Afterward, another two press runs were ordered.  It is believed that the Mirror Gold Certified Team inserts were exclusive to press runs 2 & 3 and the mysterious Mirror Blacks were only in the fifth and final run.
 +
 
 +
The only significant "true" rookie card is Brian Giles.
  
 
=Distribution=
 
=Distribution=
  
Hobby: Six cards per pack, 18 packs per box. (MSRP $4.99)
+
Pinnacle Certified: Six cards per pack, 20 packs per box. (MSRP $4.99) Hobby exclusive.
  
Totally Certified: Three cards per pack, 18 packs per box (MSRP $6.99)
+
Inserts and parallels were usually the 4th card in the pack.
 
 
=Reviews=
 
  
 
=Insertion Ratios=
 
=Insertion Ratios=
Line 22: Line 22:
 
!Pinnacle Certified
 
!Pinnacle Certified
 
!Total Cards
 
!Total Cards
!Numbered To
+
!Stated Production Run
 
!Odds
 
!Odds
 
|-
 
|-
Line 31: Line 31:
 
|Certified Red||150||-||1:5
 
|Certified Red||150||-||1:5
 
|-
 
|-
|Mirror Red||150||90||1:99
+
|Mirror Red||150||-||1:99
 
|-
 
|-
|Mirror Blue||150||45||1:199
+
|Mirror Blue||150||-||1:199
 
|-
 
|-
|Mirror Gold||150||30||1:299
+
|Mirror Gold||150||-||1:299
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Mirror Black||?||?||?
 
|Mirror Black||?||?||?
 
|-
 
|-
|Certified Team||20||-||1:19
+
|Certified Team||20||?||1:19
 
|-
 
|-
|Gold Certified Team||20||475||?
+
|Gold Certified Team||20||475||1:119
 
|-
 
|-
|Mirror Gold Certified Team||20||25||?
+
|Mirror Gold Certified Team||20||25||1:1800
 
|-
 
|-
|Lasting Impressions||20||-||1:19  
+
|Lasting Impressions||20||?||1:19  
|}
 
 
 
{| class="ratio"
 
!Totally Certified
 
!Total Cards
 
!Numbered To
 
!Odds
 
|-
 
|Platinum Red||150||3999||two-per-pack
 
|-
 
|Platinum Blue||150||1999||one-per-pack
 
|-
 
|Platinum Gold||150||30||1:79
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
Line 64: Line 51:
  
 
==Base Set==
 
==Base Set==
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base/81/Al-Leiter.jpg?id=81ca1365-4ca7-4335-a259-17413b0d5b67&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base/81/Al-Leiter.jpg?id=81ca1365-4ca7-4335-a259-17413b0d5b67&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
1 Barry Bonds     
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1997) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Certified') AND (num < 136);
 +
</sql2wiki>
 +
===Certified Stars===
  
2 Mo Vaughn
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base/138/Roger-Clemens.jpg?id=aca3d4b4-88b7-44da-bb74-a3f94338dc76&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base/138/Roger-Clemens.jpg?id=aca3d4b4-88b7-44da-bb74-a3f94338dc76&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
3 Matt Williams
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player FROM cards WHERE (year = 1997) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Certified') AND (num BETWEEN 136 AND 150);
 +
</sql2wiki>
 +
===Jose Cruz, Jr. Redemption===
  
4 Ryne Sandberg
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base/151/Jose-Cruz-Jr.jpg?id=e9ed592d-5bb6-4263-b54b-bcb1b12198c6&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base/151/Jose-Cruz-Jr.jpg?id=e9ed592d-5bb6-4263-b54b-bcb1b12198c6&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
5 Jeff Bagwell
+
Randomly inserted into packs as a late edition was a redemption card good for a card of rookie Jose Cruz, Jr. Although sequentially-numbered as part of the base set (#151) it is not considered part of the complete set.  The deadline to redeem the card was March 31st, 1998.
  
6 Alan Benes
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 
+
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1997) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Certified') AND (num = 151);
7 John Wetteland
+
</sql2wiki>
 
+
==Parallels==
8 Fred McGriff
 
 
 
9 Craig Biggio
 
 
 
10 Bernie Williams
 
 
 
11 Brian Hunter
 
 
 
12 Sandy Alomar Jr.
 
 
 
13 Ray Lankford
 
 
 
14 Ryan Klesko
 
 
 
15 Jermaine Dye
 
 
 
16 Andy Benes
 
 
 
17 Albert Belle
 
 
 
18 Tony Clark
 
 
 
19 Dean Palmer
 
 
 
20 Bernard Gilkey
 
 
 
21 Ken Caminiti
 
 
 
22 Alex Rodriguez
 
 
 
23 Tim Salmon
 
 
 
24 Larry Walker
 
 
 
25 Barry Larkin
 
 
 
26 Mike Piazza
 
 
 
27 Brady Anderson
 
 
 
28 Cal Ripken
 
 
 
29 Charles Nagy
 
 
 
30 Paul Molitor
 
 
 
31 Darin Erstad
 
 
 
32 Rey Ordonez
 
 
 
33 Wally Joyner
 
 
 
34 David Cone
 
 
 
35 Sammy Sosa
 
 
 
36 Dante Bichette
 
 
 
37 Eric Karros
 
 
 
38 Omar Vizquel
 
 
 
39 Roger Clemens
 
 
 
40 Joe Carter
 
 
 
41 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
42 Javy Lopez
 
 
 
43 Mike Mussina
 
 
 
44 Gary Sheffield
 
 
 
45 Tony Gwynn
 
 
 
46 Jason Kendall
 
 
 
47 Jim Thome
 
 
 
48 Andres Galarraga
 
 
 
49 Mark McGwire
 
 
 
50 Troy Percival
 
 
 
51 Derek Jeter
 
 
 
52 Todd Hollandsworth
 
 
 
53 Ken Griffey Jr.
 
 
 
54 Randy Johnson
 
 
 
55 Pat Hentgen
 
 
 
56 Rusty Greer
 
 
 
57 John Jaha
 
 
 
58 Kenny Lofton
 
 
 
59 Chipper Jones
 
 
 
60 Robb Nen
 
 
 
61 Rafael Palmeiro
 
  
62 Mariano Rivera
+
===Mirror Red/Blue/Gold===
  
63 Hideo Nomo
+
Each base card (except the Cruz exchange card) is available in the following parallels:
  
64 Greg Vaughn
+
* '''Certified Red'''
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base---Red/112/Scott-Rolen.jpg?id=4caab04e-5bb2-45a0-8fcc-446d81f0a898&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base---Red/112/Scott-Rolen.jpg?id=4caab04e-5bb2-45a0-8fcc-446d81f0a898&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
65 Ron Gant
+
* '''Mirror Red'''
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base---Mirror-Red/23/Tim-Salmon.jpg?id=fa224837-7881-4e5c-9065-49342b5c3181&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base---Mirror-Red/23/Tim-Salmon.jpg?id=fa224837-7881-4e5c-9065-49342b5c3181&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
66 Eddie Murray
+
* '''Mirror Blue'''
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base---Mirror-Blue/98/Rondell-White.jpg?id=bc49f1a7-ffa9-4a2a-b817-3c3a9a77fc99&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base---Mirror-Blue/98/Rondell-White.jpg?id=bc49f1a7-ffa9-4a2a-b817-3c3a9a77fc99&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
67 John Smoltz
+
* '''Mirror Gold'''
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base---Mirror-Gold/16/Andy-Benes.jpg?id=751cb24f-34aa-4acb-b1ec-2f1d112f3ffa&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Base---Mirror-Gold/16/Andy-Benes.jpg?id=751cb24f-34aa-4acb-b1ec-2f1d112f3ffa&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
68 Manny Ramirez
+
Unlike the announced production figures of 90, 45, and 30 copies of each [[1996 Select Certified]] Mirror Red, Blue, and Gold cards, the production figures for the '97 Mirrors were '''never publicly stated''' by Pinnacle Brands. 
  
69 Juan Gonzalez
+
Initially, however, collectors assumed that the production figures were the same as the '96 Mirrors, as the insertion ratios were roughly the same.  Many collectors familiar with the '97 Mirror sets note that because Pinnacle made additional print runs both before '''and''' after the official release of the product, the actual production runs were higher than initially assumed.  Further, Mirrors may also have been "backdoored" ''after'' Pinnacle Brands' 1998 bankruptcy filing.  Thus, it is unknown how many of each Mirror exists for each player.  For reference, there are at least 50 Tony Clark Mirror Golds:
  
70 F.P. Santangelo
+
[[File:97pcmgTonyClarks.jpg]]
  
71 Moises Alou
+
===Mirror Black===
 +
[[File:97pcmbf.jpg]][[File:97pcmbb.jpg]]
 +
[[File:97pcmbStarf.jpg]][[File:97pcmbStarb.jpg]]
  
72 Alex Ochoa
+
This mysterious parallel carries a lot of speculation about its origin, Pinnacle Brand's intentions, and scarcity as Pinnacle never officially referenced this parallel set prior to the product's release.  It is unknown if this parallel was planned to be released into packs or if these were inserted into packs was a mistake.  It is also unknown if this parallel was intended to be a "stealth" insert/parallel like the [[1998 Donruss Crusade]]s or Certified Mirror Gold Teams.  Many collectors (appropriately) assume these were supposed to be a [[One-of-One|"one-of-one"]] parallel but it is not known for sure if Mirror Blacks for all 150 cards exist; however, ''Beckett Baseball Card Monthly'' reported in 1997 that at least two Mirror Blacks of Jay Buhner were pulled from packs. Below is a list of confirmed cards. 
  
73 Chuck Knoblauch
+
The Mirror Blacks are similar to the base card except the card front has a holographic finish similar to a refractor.
  
74 Raul Mondesi
+
2 Mo Vaughn
  
75 J.T. Snow
+
5 Jeff Bagwell
  
76 Rickey Henderson
+
8 Fred McGriff
  
77 Bobby Bonilla
+
14 Ryan Klesko
  
78 Wade Boggs
+
24 Larry Walker
  
79 Ivan Rodriguez
+
26 Mike Piazza
  
80 Brian Jordan
+
27 Brady Anderson
  
81 Al Leiter
+
39 Roger Clemens
  
82 Jay Buhner
+
49 Mark McGwire
  
83 Greg Maddux
+
51 Derek Jeter
  
84 Edgar Martinez
+
52 Todd Hollandsworth
  
85 Kevin Brown
+
59 Chipper Jones
  
86 Eric Young
+
61 Rafael Palmeiro
  
87 Todd Hundley
+
65 Ron Gant
  
88 Ellis Burks
+
66 Eddie Murray
 +
 +
69 Juan Gonzalez
  
89 Marquis Grissom
+
82 Jay Buhner
  
90 Jose Canseco
+
83 Greg Maddux
  
91 Henry Rodriguez
+
88 Ellis Burks
  
92 Andy Pettitte
+
92 Andy Pettitte
  
93 Mark Grudzielanek
+
103 Edgar Renteria
  
94 Dwight Gooden
+
106 Andruw Jones
  
95 Roberto Alomar
+
109 Brian Giles
  
96 Paul Wilson
+
121 Dmitri Young
  
97 Will Clark
+
139 Mark McGwire STAR
  
98 Rondell White
+
143 Greg Maddux STAR
  
99 Charles Johnson
+
145 Jeff Bagwell STAR
  
100 Jim Edmonds
+
146 Cal Ripken, Jr. STAR
  
101 Jason Giambi
+
150 Andruw Jones
  
102 Billy Wagner
+
*Ken Griffey, Jr. (confirmed, unknown if a base or STAR subset)
 
 
103 Edgar Renteria
 
 
 
104 Johnny Damon
 
 
 
105 Jason Isringhausen
 
 
 
===Rookies===
 
 
 
106 Andruw Jones
 
 
 
107 Jose Guillen
 
 
 
108 Kevin Orie
 
 
 
109 Brian Giles RC 
 
 
 
110 Danny Patterson
 
 
 
111 Vladimir Guerrero
 
 
 
112 Scott Rolen
 
 
 
113 Damon Mashore
 
 
 
114 Nomar Garciaparra
 
 
 
115 Todd Walker
 
 
 
116 Wilton Guerrero
 
 
 
117 Bob Abreu
 
 
 
118 Brooks Kieschnick
 
 
 
119 Pokey Reese
 
 
 
120 Todd Greene
 
 
 
121 Dmitri Young
 
 
 
122 Raul Casanova
 
 
 
123 Glendon Rusch
 
 
 
124 Jason Dickson
 
 
 
125 Jorge Posada
 
 
 
126 Rod Myers
 
 
 
127 Bubba Trammell RC
 
 
 
128 Scott Spiezio
 
 
 
129 Hideki Irabu RC
 
 
 
130 Wendell Magee
 
 
 
131 Bartolo Colon
 
 
 
132 Chris Holt
 
 
 
133 Calvin Maduro
 
 
 
134 Ray Montgomery RC
 
 
 
135 Shannon Stewart
 
 
 
===Certified Stars===
 
 
 
136 Ken Griffey Jr.
 
 
 
137 Vladimir Guerrero
 
 
 
138 Roger Clemens
 
 
 
139 Mark McGwire
 
 
 
140 Albert Belle
 
 
 
141 Derek Jeter
 
 
 
142 Juan Gonzalez
 
 
 
143 Greg Maddux
 
 
 
144 Alex Rodriguez
 
 
 
145 Jeff Bagwell
 
 
 
146 Cal Ripken
 
 
 
147 Tony Gwynn
 
 
 
148 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
149 Hideo Nomo
 
 
 
150 Andruw Jones
 
 
 
===Jose Cruz, Jr. Exchange Card===
 
 
 
151 Jose Cruz Jr. EXCH
 
 
 
==Parallels==
 
 
 
Each base card (except the Cruz exchange card) is available in the following parallels.
 
 
 
* Certified Red (1:5 packs)
 
 
 
* Mirror Red (1:99 packs, limited to 90 copies)
 
 
 
* Mirror Blue (1:199 packs, limited to 45 copies)
 
 
 
* Mirror Gold (1:299 copies, limited to 30 copies)
 
 
 
===Mirror Blacks===
 
 
 
This mysterious and very scarce parallel was probably the result of a few test sheets being cut and inserted by mistake into packs. These cards give off a bright green reflection when placed in direct light, but are silver with black print when placed away from light. It is not known for sure if all 150 cards exist; however, it is known that at least two copies of Jay Buhner's Mirror Black exist.
 
 
 
===Totally Certified Platinums===
 
 
 
Each base card is available in the following parallels and are exclusive to Totally Certified packs.
 
 
 
* Platinum Red (two-per-pack, serial-numbered to 3999 copies)
 
 
 
* Platinum Blue (one-per-pack, serial-numbered to 1999 copies)
 
 
 
* Platinum Gold (1:79, serial-numbered to 30 copies)
 
 
 
NOTE: Platinum Red is considered the Totally Certified base set.
 
  
 
==Inserts==
 
==Inserts==
Line 405: Line 175:
 
===Certified Team===
 
===Certified Team===
  
Each Certified Team insert is available in the following parallels.
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Certified-Team/18/Hideo-Nomo.jpg?id=eeb5cf35-e1bd-469c-991e-77ea6493be74&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Certified-Team/18/Hideo-Nomo.jpg?id=eeb5cf35-e1bd-469c-991e-77ea6493be74&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
* Gold (limited to 475 copies)
+
This 20-card set featured the top players in the game on a silver-mirror (non-holographic) and silver etched-foil finish.
  
* Mirror Gold (limited to 25 copies)
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1997) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Certified Certified Team');
 +
</sql2wiki>
  
1 Frank Thomas
 
  
2 Jeff Bagwell
+
Each Certified Team insert is available in the following parallels:
  
3 Derek Jeter
+
* '''Certified Gold Team''' (stated production run: 475 copies): featured a silver-mirror (non-holographic) and gold etched-foil finish.
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Certified-Team---Gold/14/Andruw-Jones.jpg?id=d6392409-9057-42a9-8ac8-4aa9c5045096&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Certified-Team---Gold/14/Andruw-Jones.jpg?id=d6392409-9057-42a9-8ac8-4aa9c5045096&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
4 Chipper Jones
+
* '''Certified Mirror Gold Team''' (stated production run: 25 copies): featured a silver and gold-etched holographic foil finish.
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Certified-Team---Mirror-Gold/2/Jeff-Bagwell.jpg?id=a44814f8-b9dc-4112-aaf2-17d25a368e9c&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Certified-Team---Mirror-Gold/2/Jeff-Bagwell.jpg?id=a44814f8-b9dc-4112-aaf2-17d25a368e9c&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
5 Alex Rodriguez
+
Originally, Pinnacle Brands stated a total production run of 500 Certified Gold Team cards.  After the official release, Pinnacle revealed that the first 25 copies of each Certified Gold Team were produced with a "Mirror Gold" (i.e., refractor) finish.  However, the initial secondary-market success of the product led Pinnacle to print additional runs of the set (read above).  There has been no confirmation that the Certified Team insert and its Gold and Mirror Gold parallels were also included in these additional print runs and thus conservative thought would be that the stated print run announcement of 475 Certified Team Golds and 25 Certified Team Mirror Golds is accurate.
 
 
6 Ken Caminiti
 
 
 
7 Cal Ripken
 
 
 
8 Mo Vaughn
 
 
 
9 Ivan Rodriguez
 
 
 
10 Mike Piazza
 
 
 
11 Juan Gonzalez
 
 
 
12 Barry Bonds
 
 
 
13 Ken Griffey Jr.
 
 
 
14 Andruw Jones
 
 
 
15 Albert Belle
 
 
 
16 Gary Sheffield
 
 
 
17 Andy Pettitte
 
 
 
18 Hideo Nomo
 
 
 
19 Greg Maddux
 
 
 
20 John Smoltz
 
  
 
===Lasting Impressions===
 
===Lasting Impressions===
  
1 Cal Ripken
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Lasting-Impressions/2/Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=80309146-43d4-4626-8c6f-8eb46e903615&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1997/Pinnacle-Certified---Lasting-Impressions/2/Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=80309146-43d4-4626-8c6f-8eb46e903615&size=original&side=back&.jpg
2 Ken Griffey Jr.
 
 
 
3 Mo Vaughn
 
 
 
4 Brian Jordan
 
 
 
5 Mark McGwire
 
 
 
6 Chuck Knoblauch
 
 
 
7 Sammy Sosa
 
 
 
8 Brady Anderson
 
 
 
9 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
10 Tony Gwynn
 
 
 
11 Roger Clemens
 
 
 
12 Alex Rodriguez
 
 
 
13 Paul Molitor
 
 
 
14 Kenny Lofton
 
 
 
15 John Smoltz
 
 
 
16 Roberto Alomar
 
 
 
17 Randy Johnson
 
 
 
18 Ryne Sandberg
 
  
19 Manny Ramirez
+
This 20-card set featured top stars in the game on a delicate, die-cut and team-colored etched-foil card design.
  
20 Mike Mussina
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1997) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Certified Lasting Impressions');
 +
</sql2wiki>
 +
{{Certified}}
 +
[[Category:1997]]
 +
[[Category:Pinnacle]]

Revision as of 19:56, 5 June 2020

File:97PCbox.jpg
1997 Pinnacle Certified hobby box

Description

Renamed from "Select Certified," 1997 Pinnacle Certified was a 150-card set released in the summer of 1997. This set was designed to continue to compete with Topps' Finest brand -- so much so that this year's iteration, like Finest, featured chromium-stock cards with a removable protective "peel". Pinnacle Certified was available exclusively in Hobby stores.

The set included a 30-card rookie subset and a 15-card Certified Stars subset. Randomly seeded into packs as a late addition is an exchange card good for a card of Jose Cruz, Jr. Although this card is numbered as part of the base set (#151), it is not considered a "true" rookie card nor is it considered part of a complete set.

Due to the popularity of this product in the secondary-market (which may have been driven by the previous year's set) and the company's financial troubles, Pinnacle Brands made five separate print runs of '97 Certified. After the first run sold out, Pinnacle produced an additional two runs before Certified went live. Afterward, another two press runs were ordered. It is believed that the Mirror Gold Certified Team inserts were exclusive to press runs 2 & 3 and the mysterious Mirror Blacks were only in the fifth and final run.

The only significant "true" rookie card is Brian Giles.

Distribution

Pinnacle Certified: Six cards per pack, 20 packs per box. (MSRP $4.99) Hobby exclusive.

Inserts and parallels were usually the 4th card in the pack.

Insertion Ratios

Pinnacle Certified Total Cards Stated Production Run Odds
Base 150 - ?
Jose Cruz, Jr. Exchange Card 1 - ?
Certified Red 150 - 1:5
Mirror Red 150 - 1:99
Mirror Blue 150 - 1:199
Mirror Gold 150 - 1:299
Mirror Black ? ? ?
Certified Team 20 ? 1:19
Gold Certified Team 20 475 1:119
Mirror Gold Certified Team 20 25 1:1800
Lasting Impressions 20 ? 1:19

Checklist

Base Set

Al-Leiter.jpg?id=81ca1365-4ca7-4335-a259-17413b0d5b67&size=original&side=front&.jpg Al-Leiter.jpg?id=81ca1365-4ca7-4335-a259-17413b0d5b67&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • 1 Barry Bonds
  • 2 Mo Vaughn
  • 3 Matt Williams
  • 4 Ryne Sandberg
  • 5 Jeff Bagwell
  • 6 Alan Benes
  • 7 John Wetteland
  • 8 Fred McGriff
  • 9 Craig Biggio
  • 10 Bernie Williams
  • 11 Brian Hunter
  • 12 Sandy Alomar, Jr.
  • 13 Ray Lankford
  • 14 Ryan Klesko
  • 15 Jermaine Dye
  • 16 Andy Benes
  • 17 Albert Belle
  • 18 Tony Clark
  • 19 Dean Palmer
  • 20 Bernard Gilkey
  • 21 Ken Caminiti
  • 22 Alex Rodriguez
  • 23 Tim Salmon
  • 24 Larry Walker
  • 25 Barry Larkin
  • 26 Mike Piazza
  • 27 Brady Anderson
  • 28 Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • 29 Charles Nagy
  • 30 Paul Molitor
  • 31 Darin Erstad
  • 32 Rey Ordonez
  • 33 Wally Joyner
  • 34 David Cone
  • 35 Sammy Sosa
  • 36 Dante Bichette
  • 37 Eric Karros
  • 38 Omar Vizquel
  • 39 Roger Clemens
  • 40 Joe Carter
  • 41 Frank Thomas
  • 42 Javy Lopez
  • 43 Mike Mussina
  • 44 Gary Sheffield
  • 45 Tony Gwynn
  • 46 Jason Kendall
  • 47 Jim Thome
  • 48 Andres Galarraga
  • 49 Mark McGwire
  • 50 Troy Percival
  • 51 Derek Jeter
  • 52 Todd Hollandsworth
  • 53 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 54 Randy Johnson
  • 55 Pat Hentgen
  • 56 Rusty Greer
  • 57 John Jaha
  • 58 Kenny Lofton
  • 59 Chipper Jones
  • 60 Robb Nen
  • 61 Rafael Palmeiro
  • 62 Mariano Rivera
  • 63 Hideo Nomo
  • 64 Greg Vaughn
  • 65 Ron Gant
  • 66 Eddie Murray
  • 67 John Smoltz
  • 68 Manny Ramirez
  • 69 Juan Gonzalez
  • 70 F.P. Santangelo
  • 71 Moises Alou
  • 72 Alex Ochoa
  • 73 Chuck Knoblauch
  • 74 Raul Mondesi
  • 75 J.T. Snow
  • 76 Rickey Henderson
  • 77 Bobby Bonilla
  • 78 Wade Boggs
  • 79 Ivan Rodriguez
  • 80 Brian Jordan
  • 81 Al Leiter
  • 82 Jay Buhner
  • 83 Greg Maddux
  • 84 Edgar Martinez
  • 85 Kevin Brown
  • 86 Eric Young
  • 87 Todd Hundley
  • 88 Ellis Burks
  • 89 Marquis Grissom
  • 90 Jose Canseco
  • 91 Henry Rodriguez
  • 92 Andy Pettitte
  • 93 Mark Grudzielanek
  • 94 Dwight Gooden
  • 95 Roberto Alomar
  • 96 Paul Wilson
  • 97 Will Clark
  • 98 Rondell White
  • 99 Charles Johnson
  • 100 Jim Edmonds
  • 101 Jason Giambi
  • 102 Billy Wagner
  • 103 Edgar Renteria
  • 104 Johnny Damon
  • 105 Jason Isringhausen
  • 106 Andruw Jones
  • 107 Jose Guillen
  • 108 Kevin Orie
  • 109 Brian Giles RC
  • 110 Danny Patterson
  • 111 Vladimir Guerrero
  • 112 Scott Rolen
  • 113 Damon Mashore
  • 114 Nomar Garciaparra
  • 115 Todd Walker
  • 116 Wilton Guerrero
  • 117 Bobby Abreu
  • 118 Brooks Kieschnick
  • 119 Pokey Reese
  • 120 Todd Greene
  • 121 Dmitri Young
  • 122 Raul Casanova
  • 123 Glendon Rusch
  • 124 Jason Dickson
  • 125 Jorge Posada
  • 126 Rod Myers
  • 127 Bubba Trammell RC
  • 128 Scott Spiezio
  • 129 Hideki Irabu RC
  • 130 Wendell Magee, Jr.
  • 131 Bartolo Colon
  • 132 Chris Holt
  • 133 Calvin Maduro
  • 134 Ray Montgomery RC
  • 135 Shannon Stewart

Certified Stars

Roger-Clemens.jpg?id=aca3d4b4-88b7-44da-bb74-a3f94338dc76&size=original&side=front&.jpg Roger-Clemens.jpg?id=aca3d4b4-88b7-44da-bb74-a3f94338dc76&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • 136 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 137 Vladimir Guerrero
  • 138 Roger Clemens
  • 139 Mark McGwire
  • 140 Albert Belle
  • 141 Derek Jeter
  • 142 Juan Gonzalez
  • 143 Greg Maddux
  • 144 Alex Rodriguez
  • 145 Jeff Bagwell
  • 146 Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • 147 Tony Gwynn
  • 148 Frank Thomas
  • 149 Hideo Nomo
  • 150 Andruw Jones

Jose Cruz, Jr. Redemption

Jose-Cruz-Jr.jpg?id=e9ed592d-5bb6-4263-b54b-bcb1b12198c6&size=original&side=front&.jpg Jose-Cruz-Jr.jpg?id=e9ed592d-5bb6-4263-b54b-bcb1b12198c6&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Randomly inserted into packs as a late edition was a redemption card good for a card of rookie Jose Cruz, Jr. Although sequentially-numbered as part of the base set (#151) it is not considered part of the complete set. The deadline to redeem the card was March 31st, 1998.

  • 151 Jose Cruz, Jr. EXCH

Parallels

Mirror Red/Blue/Gold

Each base card (except the Cruz exchange card) is available in the following parallels:

  • Certified Red

Scott-Rolen.jpg?id=4caab04e-5bb2-45a0-8fcc-446d81f0a898&size=original&side=front&.jpg Scott-Rolen.jpg?id=4caab04e-5bb2-45a0-8fcc-446d81f0a898&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • Mirror Red

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  • Mirror Blue

Rondell-White.jpg?id=bc49f1a7-ffa9-4a2a-b817-3c3a9a77fc99&size=original&side=front&.jpg Rondell-White.jpg?id=bc49f1a7-ffa9-4a2a-b817-3c3a9a77fc99&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • Mirror Gold

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Unlike the announced production figures of 90, 45, and 30 copies of each 1996 Select Certified Mirror Red, Blue, and Gold cards, the production figures for the '97 Mirrors were never publicly stated by Pinnacle Brands.

Initially, however, collectors assumed that the production figures were the same as the '96 Mirrors, as the insertion ratios were roughly the same. Many collectors familiar with the '97 Mirror sets note that because Pinnacle made additional print runs both before and after the official release of the product, the actual production runs were higher than initially assumed. Further, Mirrors may also have been "backdoored" after Pinnacle Brands' 1998 bankruptcy filing. Thus, it is unknown how many of each Mirror exists for each player. For reference, there are at least 50 Tony Clark Mirror Golds:

File:97pcmgTonyClarks.jpg

Mirror Black

File:97pcmbf.jpgFile:97pcmbb.jpg File:97pcmbStarf.jpgFile:97pcmbStarb.jpg

This mysterious parallel carries a lot of speculation about its origin, Pinnacle Brand's intentions, and scarcity as Pinnacle never officially referenced this parallel set prior to the product's release. It is unknown if this parallel was planned to be released into packs or if these were inserted into packs was a mistake. It is also unknown if this parallel was intended to be a "stealth" insert/parallel like the 1998 Donruss Crusades or Certified Mirror Gold Teams. Many collectors (appropriately) assume these were supposed to be a "one-of-one" parallel but it is not known for sure if Mirror Blacks for all 150 cards exist; however, Beckett Baseball Card Monthly reported in 1997 that at least two Mirror Blacks of Jay Buhner were pulled from packs. Below is a list of confirmed cards.

The Mirror Blacks are similar to the base card except the card front has a holographic finish similar to a refractor.

2 Mo Vaughn

5 Jeff Bagwell

8 Fred McGriff

14 Ryan Klesko

24 Larry Walker

26 Mike Piazza

27 Brady Anderson

39 Roger Clemens

49 Mark McGwire

51 Derek Jeter

52 Todd Hollandsworth

59 Chipper Jones

61 Rafael Palmeiro

65 Ron Gant

66 Eddie Murray

69 Juan Gonzalez

82 Jay Buhner

83 Greg Maddux

88 Ellis Burks

92 Andy Pettitte

103 Edgar Renteria

106 Andruw Jones

109 Brian Giles

121 Dmitri Young

139 Mark McGwire STAR

143 Greg Maddux STAR

145 Jeff Bagwell STAR

146 Cal Ripken, Jr. STAR

150 Andruw Jones

  • Ken Griffey, Jr. (confirmed, unknown if a base or STAR subset)

Inserts

Certified Team

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This 20-card set featured the top players in the game on a silver-mirror (non-holographic) and silver etched-foil finish.

  • 1 Frank Thomas
  • 2 Jeff Bagwell
  • 3 Derek Jeter
  • 4 Chipper Jones
  • 5 Alex Rodriguez
  • 6 Ken Caminiti
  • 7 Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • 8 Mo Vaughn
  • 9 Ivan Rodriguez
  • 10 Mike Piazza
  • 11 Juan Gonzalez
  • 12 Barry Bonds
  • 13 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 14 Andruw Jones
  • 15 Albert Belle
  • 16 Gary Sheffield
  • 17 Andy Pettitte
  • 18 Hideo Nomo
  • 19 Greg Maddux
  • 20 John Smoltz


Each Certified Team insert is available in the following parallels:

  • Certified Gold Team (stated production run: 475 copies): featured a silver-mirror (non-holographic) and gold etched-foil finish.

Andruw-Jones.jpg?id=d6392409-9057-42a9-8ac8-4aa9c5045096&size=original&side=front&.jpg Andruw-Jones.jpg?id=d6392409-9057-42a9-8ac8-4aa9c5045096&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • Certified Mirror Gold Team (stated production run: 25 copies): featured a silver and gold-etched holographic foil finish.

Jeff-Bagwell.jpg?id=a44814f8-b9dc-4112-aaf2-17d25a368e9c&size=original&side=front&.jpg Jeff-Bagwell.jpg?id=a44814f8-b9dc-4112-aaf2-17d25a368e9c&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Originally, Pinnacle Brands stated a total production run of 500 Certified Gold Team cards. After the official release, Pinnacle revealed that the first 25 copies of each Certified Gold Team were produced with a "Mirror Gold" (i.e., refractor) finish. However, the initial secondary-market success of the product led Pinnacle to print additional runs of the set (read above). There has been no confirmation that the Certified Team insert and its Gold and Mirror Gold parallels were also included in these additional print runs and thus conservative thought would be that the stated print run announcement of 475 Certified Team Golds and 25 Certified Team Mirror Golds is accurate.

Lasting Impressions

Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=80309146-43d4-4626-8c6f-8eb46e903615&size=original&side=front&.jpg Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=80309146-43d4-4626-8c6f-8eb46e903615&size=original&side=back&.jpg

This 20-card set featured top stars in the game on a delicate, die-cut and team-colored etched-foil card design.

  • 1 Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • 2 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 3 Mo Vaughn
  • 4 Brian Jordan
  • 5 Mark McGwire
  • 6 Chuck Knoblauch
  • 7 Sammy Sosa
  • 8 Brady Anderson
  • 9 Frank Thomas
  • 10 Tony Gwynn
  • 11 Roger Clemens
  • 12 Alex Rodriguez
  • 13 Paul Molitor
  • 14 Kenny Lofton
  • 15 John Smoltz
  • 16 Roberto Alomar
  • 17 Randy Johnson
  • 18 Ryne Sandberg
  • 19 Manny Ramirez
  • 20 Mike Mussina