1997 Topps Stars
Description
1997 Topps Stars was released in late 1997. The 125-card base set was one of Topps’ higher end products up to that time. The cards were printed on 20-point stock with gold foil stamping with matte laminate and UV coating. Cards 1-90 feature veteran stars while cards 91-125 feature rookies and rising stars. An unnumbered checklist card was inserted into packs as an extra card.
Topps Stars was distributed exclusively to Hobby dealers who were part of Topps' then brand-new "Home Team Advantage" (or "HTA") network, and was their first "HTA-Exclusive" offering.
Rookie cards in this set include: Lance Berkman, Vernon Wells, Kerry Wood, and Jayson Werth.
Distribution
Boxes of 1997 Topps Stars contain 24 packs of 7 cards each. This product was hobby exclusive.
Reviews
Insertion Ratios
| Cards | Total Cards | Numbered To | Hobby Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 125 | - | ? |
| Rookie Reprints | 15 | - | 1:6 |
| Always Mint | 125 | - | 1:12 |
| Future All-Stars | 15 | - | 1:12 |
| All-Star Memories | 10 | - | 1:24 |
| Rookie Reprint Autographs | 14 | - | 1:30 |
| '97 All-Stars | 20 | - | 1:72 |
Checklist
Promos
Base Set
1 Larry Walker
2 Tino Martinez
3 Cal Ripken, Jr.
4 Ken Griffey, Jr.
5 Chipper Jones
6 David Justice
7 Mike Piazza
8 Jeff Bagwell
9 Ron Gant
10 Sammy Sosa
11 Tony Gwynn
12 Carlos Baerga
13 Frank Thomas
14 Moises Alou
15 Barry Larkin
16 Ivan Rodriguez
17 Greg Maddux
18 Jim Edmonds
19 Jose Canseco
20 Rafael Palmeiro
21 Paul Molitor
22 Kevin Appier
23 Raul Mondesi
24 Lance Johnson
25 Edgar Martinez
26 Andres Galarraga
27 Mo Vaughn
28 Ken Caminiti
29 Cecil Fielder
30 Harold Baines
31 Roberto Alomar
32 Shawn Estes
33 Tom Glavine
34 Dennis Eckersley
35 Manny Ramirez
36 John Olerud
37 Juan Gonzalez
38 Chuck Knoblauch
39 Albert Belle
40 Vinny Castilla
41 John Smoltz
42 Barry Bonds
43 Randy Johnson
44 Brady Anderson
45 Jeff Blauser
46 Craig Biggio
47 Jeff Conine
48 Marquis Grissom
49 Mark Grace
50 Roger Clemens
51 Mark McGwire
52 Fred McGriff
53 Gary Sheffield
54 Bobby M. Jones
55 Eric Young
56 Robin Ventura
57 Wade Boggs
58 Joe Carter
59 Ryne Sandberg
60 Matt Williams
61 Todd Hundley
62 Dante Bichette
63 Chili Davis
64 Kenny Lofton
65 Jay Buhner
66 Will Clark
67 Travis Fryman
68 Pat Hentgen
69 Ellis Burks
70 Mike Mussina
71 Hideo Nomo
72 Sandy Alomar, Jr.
73 Bobby Bonilla
74 Rickey Henderson
75 David Cone
76 Terry Steinbach
77 Pedro Martinez
78 Jim Thome
79 Rod Beck
80 Randy Myers
81 Charles Nagy
82 Mark Wohlers
83 Paul O'Neill
84 Curt Schilling
85 Joey Cora
86 John Franco
87 Kevin Brown
88 Benito Santiago
89 Ray Lankford
90 Bernie Williams
91 Jason Dickson
92 Jeff Cirillo
93 Nomar Garciaparra
94 Mariano Rivera
95 Javy Lopez
96 Tony Womack RC
97 Jose Rosado
98 Denny Neagle
99 Darryl Kile
100 Justin Thompson
1997 Top Prospects
101 Juan Encarnacion
102 Brad Fullmer
103 Kris Benson RC
104 Todd Helton
105 Paul Konerko
106 Travis Lee RC
107 Todd Greene
108 Mark Kotsay RC
109 Carl Pavano
110 Kerry Wood RC
Draft Picks
111 Jason Romano RC
112 Geoff Goetz RC
113 Scott Hodges RC
114 Aaron Akin RC
115 Vernon Wells RC
116 Chris Stowe RC
117 Brett Caradonna RC
118 Adam Kennedy RC
119 Jayson Werth RC
120 Glenn Davis RC
121 Troy Cameron RC
122 J.J. Davis RC
123 Jason Dellaero RC
124 Jason Standridge RC
125 Lance Berkman RC
Parallels
Always Mint
The product's lone parallel, each Always Mint card features foil on both sides of the card. Despite its name, Always Mint cards are very tough to find in mint condition and as such command a premium.
Inserts
'97 All-Stars
This 20-card set features the starting lineups of the 1997 All-Star Game. Alex Rodriguez, who was the American League's starting shortstop, was not under contract to Topps at the time and his place in the checklist was filled by All-Star Game MVP Sandy Alomar, Jr.
1 Greg Maddux
2 Randy Johnson
3 Tino Martinez
4 Jeff Bagwell
5 Ivan Rodriguez
6 Mike Piazza
7 Cal Ripken, Jr.
8 Ken Caminiti
9 Tony Gwynn
10 Edgar Martinez
11 Craig Biggio
12 Roberto Alomar
13 Larry Walker
14 Brady Anderson
15 Barry Bonds
16 Ken Griffey, Jr.
17 Ray Lankford
18 Paul O'Neill
19 Jeff Blauser
20 Sandy Alomar, Jr.
All-Star Memories
1 Cal Ripken, Jr.
2 Jeff Conine
3 Mike Piazza
4 Randy Johnson
5 Ken Griffey, Jr.
6 Fred McGriff
7 Moises Alou
8 Hideo Nomo
9 Larry Walker
10 Sandy Alomar, Jr.
Future All-Stars
This 15-card set features players who were expected to be fixtures in the All-Star Game for the next ten years. As of 2010, seven out of the 15 players have yet to appear in an All-Star Game.
1 Derek Jeter
2 Andruw Jones
3 Vladimir Guerrero
4 Scott Rolen
5 Jose Guillen
6 Jose Cruz, Jr.
7 Darin Erstad
8 Tony Clark
9 Scott Spiezio
10 Kevin Orie
11 Pokey Reese
12 Billy Wagner
13 Matt Morris
14 Jeremi Gonzalez
15 Hideki Irabu
Rookie Reprints
1 Luis Aparicio
2 Richie Ashburn
3 Jim Bunning
4 Bob Feller
5 Rollie Fingers
6 Monte Irvin
7 Al Kaline
8 Ralph Kiner
9 Eddie Matthews
10 Hal Newhouser
11 Gaylord Perry
12 Robin Roberts
13 Brooks Robinson
14 Enos Slaughter
15 Earl Weaver
Autographs
Rookie Reprints Autographed
This 14-card set parallels the Rookie Reprint set. Richie Ashburn died before he was able to sign and is the only player from the Rookie Reprint set not included. This was one of the first sets to feature on-card autographs of Hall of Famers, and were very popular at the time of their release. The Eddie Mathews and Hal Newhouser cards are particularly notable due to the passing of the two stars before the autograph insert card explosion of the 2000’s.
1 Luis Aparicio
3 Jim Bunning
4 Bob Feller
5 Rollie Fingers
6 Monte Irvin
7 Al Kaline
8 Ralph Kiner
9 Eddie Matthews
10 Hal Newhouser
11 Gaylord Perry
12 Robin Roberts
13 Brooks Robinson
14 Enos Slaughter
15 Earl Weaver