2008 SPx Redux: the Worst One-of-One

In 2013 I wrote a post about 2008 SPx that was woefully incomplete and certainly premature (an adjective I hear far too often). I didn't even have the base card yet - what was I thinking? Today I make amends by giving you a much more complete version of what that post ought to have been had I waited until I had the cards in hand to show you like a responsible blogger.

There will be many scans. Many.

If you have any 2008 SPx cards in your collection, odds are good they are Griffeys. That's not me assuming everyone hoards Griffey cards as jealously as yours truly - it's a mathematical fact. Upper Deck had the nerve to give Junior his own sprawling insert, "American Hero," consisting of 100 cards in multiple parallels with relics, patches, autographs - you name it. Hence there are A LOT of 2008 SPx Griffeys in the world.

After quite a bit of digging I made a list of (hopefully) all the Griffey cards from the set. Just reading it boils the very blood.

#23
SSS-KG - Superstar Signatures
SSS-KG - Superstar Signatures Parallel
WM-KG - Winning Materials - #/150
WM-KG - Winning Materials - Autograph Parallel - #/20
WM-KG - Winning Materials - Die-Cut Parallel - #/150
WM-KG - Winning Materials - 3 Diamond Parallel - #/125
WM-KG - Winning Materials - Jersey # Parallel - #/125
WM-KG - Winning Materials - MLB Logo Parallel - #/99
WM-KG - Winning Materials - 3 Baseball Parallel - #/99
WM-KG - Winning Materials - MLB Team Letters Parallel - #/99
WM-KG - Winning Materials - Position Parallel - #/20
WM-KG - Winning Materials Rare - Patch Parallel 1 - #/99
WM-KG - Winning Materials Rare - Patch Parallel 2 - #/50
WM2-KG - Winning Materials 2 - #/75
WM2-KG - Winning Materials 2 - Jersey # Parallel - #/35
WM2-KG - Winning Materials 2 - Team Letters Parallel - #/25
WM2-KG - Winning Materials 2 - Position parallel - #/20
WM2-KG - Winning Materials 2 - 3 Baseball Parallel - #/20
WM2-KG - Winning Materials 2 Rare - Patch Parallel 1 - #/50
WM2-KG - Winning Materials 2 Rare - Patch Parallel 2 - #/25
WM3-KG - Winning Materials 3 - Parallel - #/99
WM3-KG - Winning Materials 3 - Team Letters - #/15
WM3-KG - Winning Materials 3 - SPx Parallel - #/10
WM3-KG - Winning Materials 3 Rare - Patch Parallel - #/15
WM3-KG - Winning Materials 3 Rare - Autograph Parallel - #/5
WT-GJP - Winning Trios (w/ Jeter & Pujols) - #/75
WT-GJP - Winning Trios (w/ Jeter & Pujols) - Parallel 1 - #/25
WT-GJP - Winning Trios (w/ Jeter & Pujols) - Parallel 2 - #/15
WT-GJP - Winning Trios Rare (w/ Jeter & Pujols) - Patch Parallel - #/25
KG1 through KG100 - Ken Griffey Jr American Hero - #/725
KG1 through KG100 - Ken Griffey Jr American Hero - Memorabilia Parallel - #/25
KG1 through KG100 - Ken Griffey Jr American Hero - Signature Parallel - #/3
KG1 through KG100 - Ken Griffey Jr American Hero - Box Score Parallel - 1/1

Don't be discouraged by all the 1/1's at the end there - they are not really 1/1. I'll get to that.

Let's just jump right in with the base card:

2008 SPx #23

It was literally years before I even knew what the base cards looked like let alone owned one. They are hella scarce. And they should be - you don't want to lay down 2008 SPx pack money and end up with a fistful of base cards. You were in it for the autos, relics, and the one-per-pack serial-numbered Griffeys.

That being said, the base design is crazytown. All shiny and die-cut and befoiled in all the right places. It's a damn cool baseball card and a real shame that the base set is so overlooked in the grand scheme.

Okay, let's overlook the base set now and jump straight to the fun shit.

When I wrote the original post I had just 22 of the 100 American Hero insert and nothing else. Now I have the base card, a jersey relic, a patch relic, the entirety of the American Hero insert, and five 1/1's for a total of 108 cards. We are going to begin at the relics like the base card doesn't even exist because that is what everybody else does.

2008 SPx Winning Materials Jersey Relic #WM-KG 3 Baseball Parallel #/99

I think this is the "3 Baseball Parallel" but I have no assurances that is the case apart from the three baseballs on the front of the card.

2008 SPx Winning Materials Rare Patch Relic #WM-KG Patch Parallel 1 #/99

I think - and it's all guesswork with this monster - this is the "rare" version of Winning Materials given the "Limited" indicator combined with the numeration and relic type which suggests this is Winning Materials and not Winning Materials "2" and the moon is in Pisces and my elbow itches just a little. There's a ton I could be wrong about and dozens of other cards that look A LOT like this one, so it's anybody's guess, but I'm probably close?

Anyway, sweet card. Tri-color!

Now for the part my fellow Griffey getters can appreciate: the entire American Hero insert in one photo:

And again in one massive 12gb JPEG

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG1-KG100 #/725

If this post took a long time to load it was because of this image (um, twice). The fact that I will also include additional scans of the American Hero insert in its entirety at the end of this post probably slows things down a bit, too.

This insert was not necessarily new - they had just done a similar one the year before for Cal Ripken, Jr. that looked like this:

I have no intention of looking at every individual card card here as our time on Earth is precious. But we will be looking at two cards: the first one and the last one.

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG1 #/725

The cards are very pretty and positively gleam in person. The scans do not capture this and the photo only kind of does. The foil they used is perfect. There is an American flag waving in the backdrop that you can't really make out in the scans of the front (it is more visible on the back scans). The fancy font that makes up the insert title is imprinted fairly deep into the card surface. So far so good.

The photo selection is excellent and even appears to be card-specific. This shot of very young Junior at the plate, for example, really does look like it was taken from his first game and could even pass as the moment he blasted that career-launching double. I don't know for sure if that is the case, but if it is that would be pretty impressive. A sign of quality to come.

The portrait on the back remains identical right up until the trade to Cincy. This portrait with the "resting Griff face" graces every Mariners-era card, specifically cards KG1-KG65, the bulk of his career and - let's be honest - most of the good parts.

The cards in-between follow Junior's career in the form of a timeline with cards dedicated to great moments such as a timely Grand Slam in '92, the 56th home run of his storied MVP season in '97, his then-final game as a Mariner, and his 500th home run. As the set rolls on, every photo continues to appear contextually appropriate to the card blurbs.

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG100 #/725

The last card in the set (which only goes up to 2007 for obvious reasons) is kind of a mix between "he's still got it" and "what have you done for me lately?" The blurb on the front sounds like just another great offensive showing, but its appearance in the timeline and historical context become obvious with the addition of the blurb on the back.

One kind of funny aspect of the set is that they bothered to include his position in the same spot on every card. You could flip through every single card one-by-one and....yep, still playing outfield. Well, I thought it was funny.

As gushy as I am about how truly excellent the American Hero insert is, I'm equally annoyed at the the thousands of 1/1's.

You read that right - thousands of 1/1's. No two of the inset "box scores" are the same. There are, in fact, a whopping 2,378 1/1's out there, one for every game Junior had played in up to the set's release.

Here are a few of mine:

Oh, geez. That's not a very good one, guys.

What? Are any of these good? Or even, like, just breaking even?

Good Lord this one is downright upsetting. How did I end up with this one? Out of his whole career? It even manages to make it personal. WTF?

They're not all wine and roses. Desirability of each 1/1 is determined by the content of its box score with home runs and milestones fetching higher prices (which explains why mine are so terrible - I've never paid more than $20 for one).

I'll admit I do like the idea of every game being represented in the set, the good and the bad. I try not to read the bad ones, though. If I wanted to get depressed I'd go driving around for hours looking for toilet paper (by the way is all that still going on? I wrote this on April 27th - is it gone yet?).

So I have five 1/1's from the American Heroes insert. and for any other set that would be pretty impressive. But it's not here, and not everybody knows this. I have seen people getting excited about finding one of these in a lot or scooping one up for "only" 60-70 bucks, then getting bummed out when they discover there are actually thousands of them. They feel a little duped.

The root of the problem is simple: they put "1 of 1" on the card. And it's not that simple, unassuming, three-straight-lines little "1/1" - it's that thick, stylized, eye-grabbing, ego-stroking "1 OF 1" with the fancy script we all know and love/resent. It is a seriously boastful "1 of 1." Come on guys, at least a slightly more subdued font or something damn.

I'm showing the backs to give you an idea of the drastic color difference between the gold regular cards and the green-tinted "1 of 1's." It's there. I kinda like it, I guess. Whatever.

Apparently Rick Seifert likes the box score abuse:

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG1-KG100 Box Score 1/1 courtesy of Rick Seifert

That would be a complete run of all 100 Box Score 1/1's or as I call it, "2008 SPx Level 2." I've never seen Level 3, that being a complete run of all 100 #/25 American Hero relics. I do know of one guy who got pretty close to Level 4, all 100 #/3 autographs. I don't know what the hell constitutes Level 5, but if you reach it Griffey himself comes to your house and cooks you, like, a really nice spaghetti dinner. Garlic bread, broccoli au gratin - the works.

So allegedly I have 0.21% of all the 2008 SPx 1/1's, and I suspect mine is the most tragic 0.21%. I have no desire to chase any of the "good" ones, though. I love you, American Hero insert, but these booger-green, potentially-bum-you-out "1 of 1's" can suck it. For real.

Not having a complete understanding of which cards are which, it's hard to make a concrete list of the cards I need from 2008 SPx, but I can rule at least a few things out.

Griffeys I need from 2008 SPx:

SSS-KG Superstar Signatures
SSS-KG Superstar Signatures Parallel
WM-KG Winning Materials #/150
WM-KG Winning Materials Autograph Parallel - #/20
WM-KG Winning Materials Die-Cut Parallel - #/150
WM-KG Winning Materials 3 Diamond Parallel - #/125
WM-KG Winning Materials Jersey # Parallel - #/125
WM-KG Winning Materials MLB Logo Parallel - #/99
WM-KG Winning Materials MLB Team Letters Parallel - #/99
WM-KG Winning Materials Position Parallel - #/20
WM-KG Winning Materials Rare - Patch Parallel 2 - #/50
WM2-KG Winning Materials 2 #/75
WM2-KG Winning Materials 2 Jersey # Parallel - #/35
WM2-KG Winning Materials 2 Team Letters Parallel - #/25
WM2-KG Winning Materials 2 Position parallel - #/20
WM2-KG Winning Materials 2 3-Baseball Parallel - #/20
WM2-KG Winning Materials 2 Rare Patch Parallel 1 - #/50
WM2-KG Winning Materials 2 Rare Patch Parallel 2 - #/25
WM3-KG Winning Materials 3 Parallel - #/99
WM3-KG Winning Materials 3 Team Letters - #/15
WM3-KG Winning Materials 3 SPx Parallel - #/10
WM3-KG Winning Materials 3 Rare Patch Parallel - #/15
WM3-KG Winning Materials 3 Rare Autograph Parallel - #/5
WT-GJP Winning Trios #/75 (w/ Jeter & Pujols)
WT-GJP Winning Trios Parallel 1 #/25 (w/ Jeter & Pujols)
WT-GJP Winning Trios Parallel 2 #/15 (w/ Jeter & Pujols)
WT-GJP Winning Trios Rare Patch Parallel #/25 (w/ Jeter & Pujols)
KG1 through KG100 - Ken Griffey Jr American Hero Memorabilia Parallel #/25
KG1 through KG100 - Ken Griffey Jr American Hero Signature Parallel #/3
KG1 through KG100 - Ken Griffey Jr American Hero Box Score Parallel 1/1 NO MA'AM

This set does have a lot going for it, so let's end on a positive note: completing the American Hero insert (or "Level 1") is a rite of passage for any Griffey collector, so if you're considering giving it a go you have my wholehearted blessing. Oh, and the base card kills - grab that, too.

As promised, here is a detailed scan of all 100 Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero insert cards:

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG1-KG9 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG10-KG18 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG19-KG27 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG28-KG36 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG37-KG45 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG46-KG54 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG55-KG63 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG64-KG72 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG73-KG81 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG82-KG90 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG91-KG99 #/725

2008 SPx Ken Griffey, Jr. American Hero #KG100 #/725

Yep, still playing outfield.