Difference between revisions of "1997 Pinnacle Certified"

From BaseballCardPedia.com
Jump to: navigation, search
m (Mirror Black)
(54 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Image:1997PinnacleCertified.png|right|frame|1997 Pinnacle Totally Certified hobby box]]
+
[[File:97PCbox.jpg|right|frame|1997 Pinnacle Certified hobby box]]
  
 
=Description=
 
=Description=
  
Renamed from "Select Certified," 1997 Pinnacle Certified is a 150-card set released in the summer of 1997.  Designed to compete with Topps' Finest brand -- so much so that, like Finest, each chromium-stock card featured a removable protective "peel" -- Pinnacle Certified was available exclusively in Hobby stores.   
+
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 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, 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.
+
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, and their 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.
+
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.
 
The only significant "true" rookie card is Brian Giles.
 
==Totally Certified==
 
 
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 photographs are different and the cards are printed on etched-foil.  Each three-card pack contains two Platinum Red cards (each serial-numbered to 3999 copies) and one Platinum Blue card numbered to 1999.  Only 999 twenty-box cases were produced, and each waxbox is serial-numbered.
 
  
 
=Distribution=
 
=Distribution=
Line 19: Line 15:
 
Pinnacle Certified: Six cards per pack, 20 packs per box. (MSRP $4.99)  Hobby exclusive.
 
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)  Hobby exclusive.
+
Inserts and parallels were usually the 4th card in the pack.
 
 
=Reviews=
 
 
 
Totally Certified: [http://blog.stalegum.com/2009/07/jersey-shore-junkwaxapalooza-1997.html Stale Gum] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJK7tCqFPjg Wax Heaven] [http://oldschoolbreaks.wordpress.com/2008/04/13/1997-pinnacle-certified-baseball-review/ Old School Breaks]
 
  
 
=Insertion Ratios=
 
=Insertion Ratios=
Line 49: Line 41:
 
|Certified Team||20||?||1:19
 
|Certified Team||20||?||1:19
 
|-
 
|-
|Gold Certified Team||20||475*||1:119
+
|Gold Certified Team||20||475||1:119
 
|-
 
|-
|Mirror Gold Certified Team||20||25*||1:1800
+
|Mirror Gold Certified Team||20||25||1:1800
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Lasting Impressions||20||?||1:19  
 
|Lasting Impressions||20||?||1:19  
|}
 
 
∗ These figures were announced by Pinnacle Brands prior to the initial release of the product; however, it is believed that more (much more) were produced. 
 
 
{| 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 74: 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
+
===Mirror Red/Blue/Gold===
  
115 Todd Walker
+
Each base card (except the Cruz exchange card) is available in the following parallels:
  
116 Wilton Guerrero
+
* '''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
  
117 Bob Abreu
+
* '''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
  
118 Brooks Kieschnick
+
* '''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
  
119 Pokey Reese
+
* '''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
  
120 Todd Greene
+
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. 
  
121 Dmitri Young
+
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:
  
122 Raul Casanova
+
[[File:97pcmgTonyClarks.jpg]]
  
123 Glendon Rusch
+
===Mirror Black===
 +
[[File:97pcmbf.jpg]][[File:97pcmbb.jpg]]
 +
[[File:97pcmbStarf.jpg]][[File:97pcmbStarb.jpg]]
  
124 Jason Dickson
+
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. 
  
125 Jorge Posada
+
The Mirror Blacks are similar to the base card except the card front has a holographic finish similar to a refractor.
  
126 Rod Myers
+
2 Mo Vaughn
  
127 Bubba Trammell RC
+
5 Jeff Bagwell
  
128 Scott Spiezio
+
8 Fred McGriff
  
129 Hideki Irabu RC
+
14 Ryan Klesko
  
130 Wendell Magee
+
24 Larry Walker
  
131 Bartolo Colon
+
26 Mike Piazza
  
132 Chris Holt
+
27 Brady Anderson
  
133 Calvin Maduro
+
39 Roger Clemens
  
134 Ray Montgomery RC
+
49 Mark McGwire
  
135 Shannon Stewart
+
51 Derek Jeter
  
===Certified Stars===
+
52 Todd Hollandsworth
  
136 Ken Griffey Jr.
+
59 Chipper Jones
  
137 Vladimir Guerrero
+
61 Rafael Palmeiro
  
138 Roger Clemens
+
65 Ron Gant
  
139 Mark McGwire
+
66 Eddie Murray
 +
 +
69 Juan Gonzalez
  
140 Albert Belle
+
82 Jay Buhner
  
141 Derek Jeter
+
83 Greg Maddux
  
142 Juan Gonzalez
+
88 Ellis Burks
  
143 Greg Maddux
+
92 Andy Pettitte
  
144 Alex Rodriguez
+
103 Edgar Renteria
  
145 Jeff Bagwell
+
106 Andruw Jones
  
146 Cal Ripken
+
109 Brian Giles
  
147 Tony Gwynn
+
121 Dmitri Young
  
148 Frank Thomas
+
139 Mark McGwire STAR
  
149 Hideo Nomo
+
143 Greg Maddux STAR
  
150 Andruw Jones
+
145 Jeff Bagwell STAR
  
===Jose Cruz, Jr. Exchange Card===
+
146 Cal Ripken, Jr. STAR
  
151 Jose Cruz Jr. EXCH
+
150 Andruw Jones
  
==Parallels==
+
*Ken Griffey, Jr. (confirmed, unknown if a base or STAR subset)
 
 
Each base card (except the Cruz exchange card) is available in the following parallels.
 
 
 
* Certified Red (1:5 packs)
 
 
 
* Mirror Red (1:99 packs)
 
 
 
* Mirror Blue (1:199 packs)
 
 
 
* Mirror Gold (1:299 copies)
 
 
 
NOTE: Unlike the announced production figure 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, it was assumed that the production figures were the same as the '96s, as the insertion ratios were roughly the same.  However many collectors familiar with the '97 Mirror sets note that because Pinnacle made additional print runs both before '''and''' after the initial release of the product, the actual production runs were higher.  While many of the Mirrors did pack out, some of those excess Mirrors may have been "backdoored" ''after'' Pinnacle Brands' 1998 bankruptcy filing.  In fact, one collector posted to Freedom Cardboard a picture of 53 different Mirror Gold cards of Brian Hunter.<ref>http://www.freedomcardboard.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=103527</ref> 
 
 
 
===Mirror Blacks===
 
 
 
This mysterious and very scarce parallel was probably the result of a few test sheets being cut and inserted into packs during Certified's fifth and final press run. The Mirror Blacks 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 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.
 
 
 
===Totally Certified Platinums===
 
 
 
Each base card (except the Cruz exchange card) is available in the following parallels and are exclusive to Totally Certified packs.
 
 
 
* Platinum Red (two-per Totally Certified pack, serial-numbered to 3999 copies)
 
 
 
* Platinum Blue (one-per Totally Certified pack, serial-numbered to 1999 copies)
 
 
 
* Platinum Gold (1:79/Totally Certified packs, serial-numbered to 30 copies)
 
 
 
NOTE: Platinum Red is considered the Totally Certified base set.
 
 
 
In August 2010, collector George Calfas concluded his 13-year quest to become 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 419: 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 (stated production run: 475 copies)
 
 
 
* Mirror Gold (stated production run: 25 copies)
 
 
 
NOTE: Originally, Pinnacle Brands stated a total production run of 500 Gold Certified Team cards. After the release of '97 Pinnacle Certified, Pinnacle revealed that the first 25 copies of each Gold Certified Team were produced with a "Mirror Gold" (i.e. refractor) finish.  However, the initial secondary-market success of the product led Pinnacle to print more of it.  It is believed that as many of 55 copies of each Mirror Gold Certified Team card were inserted into packs with another 10-15 sets produced for Pinnacle employees and another five sets as replacements for damaged cards.<ref>http://www.freedomcardboard.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1415699#p1415699</ref> 
 
 
 
1 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
2 Jeff Bagwell
 
 
 
3 Derek Jeter
 
  
4 Chipper Jones
+
This 20-card set featured the top players in the game on a silver-mirror (non-holographic) and silver etched-foil finish.
  
5 Alex Rodriguez
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1997) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Certified Certified Team');
 +
</sql2wiki>
  
6 Ken Caminiti
 
  
7 Cal Ripken
+
Each Certified Team insert is available in the following parallels:
  
8 Mo Vaughn
+
* '''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
  
9 Ivan Rodriguez
+
* '''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
  
10 Mike Piazza
+
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.
 
 
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
 
  
20 Mike Mussina
+
This 20-card set featured top stars in the game on a delicate, die-cut and team-colored etched-foil card design.
  
 +
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1997) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Certified Lasting Impressions');
 +
</sql2wiki>
 +
{{Certified}}
 
[[Category:1997]]
 
[[Category:1997]]
 
[[Category:Pinnacle]]
 
[[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

Tim-Salmon.jpg?id=fa224837-7881-4e5c-9065-49342b5c3181&size=original&side=front&.jpg Tim-Salmon.jpg?id=fa224837-7881-4e5c-9065-49342b5c3181&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • 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

Andy-Benes.jpg?id=751cb24f-34aa-4acb-b1ec-2f1d112f3ffa&size=original&side=front&.jpg Andy-Benes.jpg?id=751cb24f-34aa-4acb-b1ec-2f1d112f3ffa&size=original&side=back&.jpg

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

Hideo-Nomo.jpg?id=eeb5cf35-e1bd-469c-991e-77ea6493be74&size=original&side=front&.jpg Hideo-Nomo.jpg?id=eeb5cf35-e1bd-469c-991e-77ea6493be74&size=original&side=back&.jpg

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