1997 SPx
Description
1997 marked the second year Upper Deck issued their SPx brand. Unlike the premiere edition, the 1997 version had three "insert quality" cards in each pack as opposed to only one. All cards feature Upper Deck's "Holoview" technology on a die-cut card. Before the product's release, UD announced that '97 SPx would be the last product to feature Holoviews. The only notable rookie in the 50-card base set is of Jose Cruz, Jr.
Distribution
Boxes of 1997 SPx contain 18 packs of 3 cards each. This product is a hobby exclusive and the MSRP was $5.99/pack.
Reviews
Insertion Ratios
| Cards | Total Cards | Numbered To | Hobby Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 50 | - | ? |
| Steel | 50 | - | 1:2 |
| Bronze | 50 | - | 1:4 |
| Silver | 50 | - | 1:7 |
| Gold | 50 | - | 1:17 |
| Grand Finale | 50 | 50 | ? |
| Cornerstones of the Game | 10 | 500 | ? |
| Bound for Glory | 20 | 1500 | ? |
| Bound for Glory Supreme Signatures | 5 | 250 | ? |
Checklist
Base Set
1 Eddie Murray
2 Darin Erstad
3 Tim Salmon
4 Andruw Jones
5 Chipper Jones
6 John Smoltz
7 Greg Maddux
8 Kenny Lofton
9 Roberto Alomar
10 Rafael Palmeiro
11 Brady Anderson
12 Cal Ripken, Jr.
13 Nomar Garciaparra
14 Mo Vaughn
15 Ryne Sandberg
16 Sammy Sosa
17 Frank Thomas
18 Albert Belle
19 Barry Larkin
20 Deion Sanders
21 Manny Ramirez
22 Jim Thome
23 Dante Bichette
24 Andres Galarraga
25 Larry Walker
26 Gary Sheffield
27 Jeff Bagwell
28 Raul Mondesi
29 Hideo Nomo
30 Mike Piazza
31 Paul Molitor
32 Todd Walker
33 Vladimir Guerrero
34 Todd Hundley
35 Andy Pettitte
36 Derek Jeter
37 Jose Canseco
38 Mark McGwire
39 Scott Rolen
40 Ron Gant
41 Ken Caminiti
42 Tony Gwynn
43 Barry Bonds
44 Jay Buhner
45 Ken Griffey, Jr.
46 Alex Rodriguez
47 Jose Cruz, Jr. (RC)
48 Juan Gonzalez
49 Ivan Rodriguez
50 Roger Clemens
Parallels
The base set is paralleled by (in order of scarcity): Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Grand Finale. To distinguish them from the base cards, all parallels have black-and-white player photos on the back. The Grand Finale's are so named as Upper Deck announced that 1997 SPx would be the final time they would use the "Holoview" technology. Each pack is guaranteed to contain one of the five parallels.
NOTES:
- The Steel and Silver parallels look similar. The Steel cards have a holographic background behind both the player's uniform number and the SPx logo; whereas the Silver cards are etched-foil (like the Bronze and Gold parallels). It is believed that cards 25-50 in the Steel parallel were short-printed.
- The Gold and Grand Finale cards also look similar. Both cards are printed on gold-colored etched foil. However, the Gold cards all have a silver hologram on the front, while the Grand Finale's have a gold hologram. In addition, despite an announced production run of only 50 copies, the Grand Finale's are NOT serial-numbered.
Inserts
Bound for Glory
1 Andruw Jones
2 Chipper Jones
3 Greg Maddux
4 Kenny Lofton
5 Cal Ripken, Jr.
6 Mo Vaughn
7 Frank Thomas
8 Albert Belle
9 Manny Ramirez
10 Gary Sheffield
11 Jeff Bagwell
12 Mike Piazza
13 Derek Jeter
14 Mark McGwire
15 Tony Gwynn
16 Ken Caminiti
17 Barry Bonds
18 Alex Rodriguez
19 Ken Griffey, Jr.
20 Juan Gonzalez
Cornerstones of the Game
1 Ken Griffey, Jr./Barry Bonds
2 Frank Thomas/Albert Belle
3 Greg Maddux/Chipper Jones
4 Tony Gwynn/Paul Molitor
5 Andruw Jones/Vladimir Guerrero
6 Jeff Bagwell/Ryne Sandberg
7 Mike Piazza/Ivan Rodriguez
8 Eddie Murray/Cal Ripken, Jr.
9 Mo Vaughn/Mark McGwire
10 Alex Rodriguez/Derek Jeter
Autographs & Game-Used
Bound for Glory Supreme Signatures
1 Jeff Bagwell
2 Ken Griffey, Jr.
3 Andruw Jones
4 Alex Rodriguez
5 Gary Sheffield