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 | 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 twenty-box cases were produced, and each box is numbered.
+
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
 
 
 
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
 
 
 
===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
+
===Mirror Red/Blue/Gold===
  
124 Jason Dickson
+
Each base card (except the Cruz exchange card) is available in the following parallels:
  
125 Jorge Posada
+
* '''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
  
126 Rod Myers
+
* '''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
  
127 Bubba Trammell RC
+
* '''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
  
128 Scott Spiezio
+
* '''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
  
129 Hideki Irabu RC
+
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. 
  
130 Wendell Magee
+
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:
  
131 Bartolo Colon
+
[[File:97pcmgTonyClarks.jpg]]
  
132 Chris Holt
+
===Mirror Black===
 +
[[File:97pcmbf.jpg]][[File:97pcmbb.jpg]]
 +
[[File:97pcmbStarf.jpg]][[File:97pcmbStarb.jpg]]
  
133 Calvin Maduro
+
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. 
  
134 Ray Montgomery RC
+
The Mirror Blacks are similar to the base card except the card front has a holographic finish similar to a refractor.
  
135 Shannon Stewart
+
2 Mo Vaughn
  
===Certified Stars===
+
5 Jeff Bagwell
  
136 Ken Griffey Jr.
+
8 Fred McGriff
  
137 Vladimir Guerrero
+
14 Ryan Klesko
  
138 Roger Clemens
+
24 Larry Walker
  
139 Mark McGwire
+
26 Mike Piazza
  
140 Albert Belle
+
27 Brady Anderson
  
141 Derek Jeter
+
39 Roger Clemens
  
142 Juan Gonzalez
+
49 Mark McGwire
  
143 Greg Maddux
+
51 Derek Jeter
  
144 Alex Rodriguez
+
52 Todd Hollandsworth
  
145 Jeff Bagwell
+
59 Chipper Jones
  
146 Cal Ripken
+
61 Rafael Palmeiro
  
147 Tony Gwynn
+
65 Ron Gant
  
148 Frank Thomas
+
66 Eddie Murray
 +
 +
69 Juan Gonzalez
  
149 Hideo Nomo
+
82 Jay Buhner
  
150 Andruw Jones
+
83 Greg Maddux
  
===Jose Cruz, Jr. Exchange Card===
+
88 Ellis Burks
  
151 Jose Cruz Jr. EXCH
+
92 Andy Pettitte
  
==Parallels==
+
103 Edgar Renteria
  
Each base card (except the Cruz exchange card) is available in the following parallels.
+
106 Andruw Jones
  
* Certified Red (1:5 packs)
+
109 Brian Giles
  
* Mirror Red (1:99 packs, limited to 90 copies)
+
121 Dmitri Young
  
* Mirror Blue (1:199 packs, limited to 45 copies)
+
139 Mark McGwire STAR
  
* Mirror Gold (1:299 copies, limited to 30 copies)
+
143 Greg Maddux STAR
  
===Mirror Blacks===
+
145 Jeff Bagwell STAR
  
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.  
+
146 Cal Ripken, Jr. STAR
  
===Totally Certified Platinums===
+
150 Andruw Jones
  
Each base card is available in the following parallels and are exclusive to Totally Certified packs.
+
*Ken Griffey, Jr. (confirmed, unknown if a base or STAR subset)
 
 
* 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.
 
 
 
In 2010, collector George Calfas ended a 13-year quest by becoming the first person to collect a full 150-card Totally Certified Platinum Gold set.<ref>http://www.freedomcardboard.com/?p=953</ref>
 
  
 
==Inserts==
 
==Inserts==
Line 407: 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)
 
 
 
* Mirror Gold (limited to 25 copies)
 
 
 
1 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
2 Jeff Bagwell
 
 
 
3 Derek Jeter
 
 
 
4 Chipper Jones
 
 
 
5 Alex Rodriguez
 
 
 
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
+
This 20-card set featured the top players in the game on a silver-mirror (non-holographic) and silver etched-foil finish.
  
15 Albert Belle
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1997) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Certified Certified Team');
 +
</sql2wiki>
  
16 Gary Sheffield
 
  
17 Andy Pettitte
+
Each Certified Team insert is available in the following parallels:
  
18 Hideo Nomo
+
* '''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
  
19 Greg Maddux
+
* '''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
  
20 John Smoltz
+
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===
 
===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