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.
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
All 50 base cards are available in the following parallels:
- Steel
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Grand Finale (limited to 50 copies).
All parallels have black-and-white player photos on the back to distinguish them from the base cards. The Grand Finale parallel was aptly named because Upper Deck announced that 1997 SPx would be the final time they would use the "Holoview" technology in this product. Each pack was guaranteed to contain one of the five parallels.
- 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 hologram on the front, while the Grand Finale parallel has a gold hologram. 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 serial-numbered to 250 copies.
- 1 Jeff Bagwell
- 2 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 3 Andruw Jones
- 4 Alex Rodriguez
- 5 Gary Sheffield