1997 Upper Deck

Description

1997 Upper Deck is a 550-card set released in two series of 240 and 250 cards and two 30-card "Update" sets. Series One, containing the first 240 cards was released in January, 1997; while Series Two (cards #271-#520) was issued in June. Every base card is "game dated" on the front with the exact time and place in which the photo was taken.

Each series was supplemented by two 30-card update sets that were only available via a wrapper redemption offers. The "Postseason Highlights" set (cards #241-270) could be had for ten Series One wrappers and $3 shipping & handling. A similar offer for the "Traded" set (cards #521-550) was offered for ten Series Two wrappers and $3.

1997 Upper Deck is notable for having one of the first game-used cards in a mainstream baseball product. It should also be noted that the "Griffey's Hot List" subset in Series Two (#415-424) was short-printed -- one of the first instances of a set featuring cards that were intentionally SPed for the sole purpose of adding secondary market "value."

Distribution

Hobby: 24 packs per box, 12 cards per pack (MSRP: $2.49)

Retail:

10 packs per box, 12 cards per pack

20 packs per box, 12 cards per pack

28 Packs Per Box, 12 Cards Per Pack

Insertion Ratios

Series One

Cards	Total Cards	Numbered To	Hobby Odds	Retail Odds
Base	240	-	?	?
Star Attractions	10	-	N/A	one-per-pack
Rock Solid Foundation	20	-	1:7	1:7
Power Package	20	-	1:24	1:24
Ticket to Stardom	20	-	1:34	1:34
Amazing Greats	20	-	1:138	1:138
Game Jersey	3	-	1:800	1:800

Series Two

Cards	Total Cards	Numbered To	Hobby Odds	Retail Odds
Base	250	-	?	?
Star Attractions	10	-	N/A	one-per-pack
Predictor	30	-	1:5	1:5
Hot Commodities	20	-	1:13	1:13
Long Distance Connection	20	-	1:35	1:35
Run Producers	24	-	1:69	1:69
Blue Chip Prospects	20	500	?	?

Checklist

Base Set

Series One

NOTE: The Jackie Robinson Tribute, Strike Force, Defensive Gems, Global Impact, Season Highlight Checklist, and Star Rookies subsets are all printed on foilboard, but are NOT short-printed.

Jackie Robinson Tribute

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Strike Force

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Defensive Gems

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Global Impact

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Season Highlight Checklists

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Star Rookies

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Postseason Highlights

NOTES

• This set was available through a Series One wrapper redemption offer.
• All cards are printed on foilboard.

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Series Two

NOTES

• The Star Rookies, Season Highlights Chceklist, Capture the Flag, and Diamond Debuts subsets are printed on foilboard but are NOT short-printed.
• The Griffey's Hot List subset is short-printed and printed on etched foil.

Star Rookies

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Season Highlight Checklists

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Capture the Flag

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Griffey's Hot List

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Diamond Debuts

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<sql2wiki database="carddb"> SELECT num,player,info from cards WHERE (year = '1997') AND (setname='Upper Deck') AND (num BETWEEN 484 AND 520) ORDER BY num +0 ASC; </sql2wiki>

Traded

NOTE: This set was available through a Series Two wrapper-redemption offer.

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Capture The Flag White Back Variation

Each card in the Capture the Flag subset is also available in a "White Back" variation.

Inserts

Rock Solid Foundation

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Power Package

NOTE: A special 5" X 7" version was randomly inserted into specially marked Series One boxes sold exclusively at Sam's Club stores.

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Ticket to Stardom

<sql2wiki database="carddb"> SELECT num,player,info from cards WHERE (year = '1997') AND (setname='Upper Deck Ticket to Stardom'); </sql2wiki>

Ticket to Stardom Combos

This 10-card set is a parallel of the Ticket to Stardom insert set. Each card features two Ticket to Stardom's fused together into a 2 1/2" X 6 1/2" "strip." One strip was inserted into each specially-marked Collector's Choice three-packs sold exclusively at mass-market retail outlets.

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Amazing Greats

This Series One set features cards printed on a (non game-used) wood veneer with a die-cut "window." Inside the window is a plastic translucent image of the player.

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Predictor

This 30-card set was randomly seeded into Series Two packs at the rate of 1:5. Unlike previous year's Predictors, the fronts of each '97 edition had four scratch-off gold "bats," behind each is a specific feat. If the player meets of exceeds that feat in a 1997 MLB game, it can then be redeemed (along with $2 for shipping & handling) for an upgraded "Totally Virtual" parallel. Unlike previous Predictor sets, all 30 cards were potential winners.

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Hot Commodities

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Long Distance Connection

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Run Producers

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Blue Chip Prospects

Randomly inserted into Series Two packs, each Blue Chip Prospect card is die-cut to look like a film slide. The "slide" area of the card features a translucent image of the player. Each card is serial-numbered to 500 copies.

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PowerDeck

Randomly inserted into a limited number of Series One Hobby boxes was a Ken Griffey, Jr. PowerDeck "card." An experiment into multimedia trading cards, each "card" is a die-cut compact disc containing a brief interview with Griffey. In order to listen to the interview, a hole in the middle of the "card" had to be punched out -- therefore damaging the "card" -- and placed into a special adapter that was included with the "card."

Ken Griffey, Jr.

Star Attractions

This 20-card set was exclusive to specially-marked six-card "Memorabilia Madness" packs -- which were sold only at mass-market retail outlets -- and seeded at the rate of one-per-pack. Cards 1-10 were exclusive to Upper Deck Memorabilia Madness packs, while 11-20 were in 1997 Collector's Choice Memorabilia Madness packs. In addition to these cards, the Memorabilia Madness packs also included randomly-seeded redemptions good for various autographs.

A Gold parallel was also randomly seeded into packs.

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Sister Assumpta

This card was distributed at the 1997 National Sports Collectors Convention which took place August 7th through the 10th at the I-X Center in Cleveland. It is a tribute to Sister Mary Assumpta, who began baking chocolate chip cookies for the Cleveland Indians players in 1986. The back displays ten trivia questions with the answers printed upside down in a blue bar at the bottom.

Game-Used

Game Jersey

One of the landmark sets in Hobby history, these three cards were randomly inserted into Series One packs. Each card features a swatch of a game-worn jersey, cut up, and placed on the card. These cards were the first of their kind to hit the baseball card market and have become a staple in baseball card products since.

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Upper Deck (flagship)
Upper Deck (flagship) Sets: 1988 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010
Upper Deck (flagship) Update Sets: 1991 Upper Deck Final Edition - 2009 Upper Deck Update
Upper Deck (flagship) Parallel Brands: 1999 Upper Deck Encore - First Edition: 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - First Pitch: 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - Special F/X: 1998 - 2006
Upper Deck Prospect Premieres: 2001 - 2002 - 2003
Upper Deck Japan: 2001