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 three cards each. This product is a hobby exclusive and the MSRP was $5.99/pack.
Insertion Ratios
| Cards | Total Cards | Numbered To | Hobby Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 50 | - | two-per-pack |
| 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
Promo
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A Ken Griffey, Jr. promo card, marked "SAMPLE" on the back, was distributed to promote the upcoming SPx set.
- SPX45 Ken Griffey, Jr.
Base Set
- SPX1 Eddie Murray
- SPX2 Darin Erstad
- SPX3 Tim Salmon
- SPX4 Andruw Jones
- SPX5 Chipper Jones
- SPX6 John Smoltz
- SPX7 Greg Maddux
- SPX8 Kenny Lofton
- SPX9 Roberto Alomar
- SPX10 Rafael Palmeiro
- SPX11 Brady Anderson
- SPX12 Cal Ripken, Jr.
- SPX13 Nomar Garciaparra
- SPX14 Mo Vaughn
- SPX15 Ryne Sandberg
- SPX16 Sammy Sosa
- SPX17 Frank Thomas
- SPX18 Albert Belle
- SPX19 Barry Larkin
- SPX20 Deion Sanders
- SPX21 Manny Ramirez
- SPX22 Jim Thome
- SPX23 Dante Bichette
- SPX24 Andres Galarraga
- SPX25 Larry Walker
- SPX26 Gary Sheffield
- SPX27 Jeff Bagwell
- SPX28 Raul Mondesi
- SPX29 Hideo Nomo
- SPX30 Mike Piazza
- SPX31 Paul Molitor
- SPX32 Todd Walker
- SPX33 Vladimir Guerrero
- SPX34 Todd Hundley
- SPX35 Andy Pettitte
- SPX36 Derek Jeter
- SPX37 Jose Canseco
- SPX38 Mark McGwire
- SPX39 Scott Rolen
- SPX40 Ron Gant
- SPX41 Ken Caminiti
- SPX42 Tony Gwynn
- SPX43 Barry Bonds
- SPX44 Jay Buhner
- SPX45 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- SPX46 Alex Rodriguez
- SPX47 Jose Cruz, Jr. RC
- SPX48 Juan Gonzalez
- SPX49 Ivan Rodriguez
- SPX50 Roger Clemens
Parallels
All 50 base cards are available in the following parallels:
- Steel
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Grand Finale (limited to 50 copies)
NOTES:
- All parallels have black-and-white player photos on the back to distinguish them from the base cards with each pack yielding one.
- The Grand Finale parallel was aptly named because 1997 SPx would be the final time Upper Deck used the "Holoview" technology.
- The Steel and Silver parallels look similar. The Steel parallel has a holographic background behind both the player's uniform number and the SPx logo. The Silver parallel has etched-foil in these areas, like the Bronze and Gold parallels. There is speculation 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 parallel has a silver holographic image of the player's portrait on the front, while the Grand Finale parallel has a gold holographic player image. Grand Finale parallels are NOT serial-numbered despite an announced production run of only 50 copies.
Inserts
Bound for Glory
Each Bound for Glory card is serial-numbered to 1500 copies.
- 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
Each Cornerstones of the Game card is serial-numbered to 500 copies.
- 1 Ken Griffey, Jr. / Barry Bonds
- 2 Frank Thomas / Albert Belle
- 3 Greg Maddux / Chipper Jones
- 4 Tony Gwynn / Paul Molitor
- 5 Vladimir Guerrero / Andruw Jones
- 6 Jeff Bagwell / Ryne Sandberg
- 7 Mike Piazza / Ivan Rodriguez
- 8 Cal Ripken, Jr. / Eddie Murray
- 9 Mark McGwire / Mo Vaughn
- 10 Alex Rodriguez / Derek Jeter
Autographs & Game-Used
Bound for Glory Supreme Signatures
Each Bound for Glory Supreme Signature is hand-numbered to 250 copies.
- 1 Jeff Bagwell
- 2 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 3 Andruw Jones
- 4 Alex Rodriguez
- 5 Gary Sheffield
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