Every year I make a list of my best Griffey acquisitions. I reference these lists all the time for images, card info, and as historical/cost markers. I find I usually end up having to Google “Junior Junkie Top 30 (year)” multiple times until I find the card I am looking for, so I am making this post mostly for my own reference so I can easily pull up past acquisitions. But feel free to enjoy it as well.
Here are all my Top Acquisitions lists with links to the original posts:
2013:
10. 1997 Stadium Club #50 Matrix
9. 2012 Topps Commemorative Gold Team Ring #GTR-KG
8. AJ (The Lost Collector) original 1/1
7. 1998 Topps Gallery Gallery of Heroes #GH1
6. 1995 Stadium Club #38 Jody Reed
5. 2001 Upper Deck MVP Game Souvenirs Batting Glove #G-KG
4. 2013 Topps Update #US140 Tony Gwynn SP
3. 2006 Upper Deck UD Game Patch #UD-KG
2. 1995 SP Autograph #AU190
1. 1993 Finest #110 Refractor
2014:
30. 1990 Fleer #513 Canadian Version
29. 2014 Rookies ('88 Donruss)
28. 2014 Rookies (Future Uniform)
27. Future Stock 1/1
26. 1997 Pinnacle Passport to the Majors #2
25. 1993 Cardtoons #67 Ken Spiffy, Jr
24. 2009 Disabled Veterans Limited Edition #22
23. 2014 Upper Deck 25th Anniversary Promo #UD25-KG
22. 1995 Stadium Club Ring Leaders #14
21. 1992 Flopps Ken Groovy, Jr.
20. 2000 Just 2K Mystery Gamers Game-Used Bat Relic #MG.01
19. 1997 Pinnacle New Pinnacle Spellbound #1KG-J
18. 1993 Fax Pax #2 (UK)
17. 1997 Topps Gallery Peter Max #PM5
16. 2008 Upper Deck Premier Four Jersey Relics #PR4-KG #/50
15. 1994 Flair Hot Glove #3
14. 2003 Topps Farewell Riverfront Stadium Seat Relic #FR-KG
13. 2010 Sega Card-Gen
12. 1988 San Bernardino Spirit #34 Blue Jersey Photo Variant
11. 1989 Donruss #33 Rated Rookie (sealed in pack)
10. 1999 SP Top Prospects Game Used Minor League Bat Relic #G-JR
9. 2001 Stadium Club Play at the Plate Game Used Dirt Relic #PP4
8. 2014 Topps All-Rookie Cup Team Rookie Cup Commemorative Relic #TARC-8
7. 2009 Upper Deck #93 SP
6. 1987 Bellingham Mariners Team Issue #15
5. 2014 Topps All-Rookie Cup Team Rookie Cup Commemorative Relic #TARC-8 Vintage #/25 (Trophy)
4. 1989 Topps Traded Tiffany #41T
3. 2012 Topps Golden Giveaway Gold Team Coin Autograph #GTC-KGJ #/30
2. 2005 Upper Deck Reflections Dual Signature Autograph #KGKG (w/ Ken, Sr.) (Slabbed BGS 9/Auto 10)
1. 1994 Upper Deck Griffey/Mantle #KG1 Griffey Autograph /1000
2015:
30. 2015 Topps Steel Rookies #/99 & Steel 1993 Finest #/99
29. 2003 E-X Rainbow w/ backdoored Essential Credentials Future
28. 2008 SPx American Hero #KG82 (last card to complete the set)
27. 1990 Donruss Rack Pack Sealed w/ Three Visible Griffeys
26. 2007 Upper Deck Premier Premier Patches 3 #PP3-KG2
25. 2015 Topps Factory Set Refractor Reprints (1989, 1999, 2007) Regular and Gold Complete Sets
24. Donruss Elite Series #/10000, #/2500 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
23. 2012 Playoff Prime Cuts Timeline Triple Jersey Relic #/10
22. 1994 Topps Superstar Sampler (Finest, Bowman, Stadium Club) (sealed set)
21. 1996 Donruss Power Alley Regular #/5000 and Die-cut #/500
20. 2015 Topps Coin/Stamp Birth Year Dual Relic (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) #/50
19. Donruss/Leaf/Triple Play Previews (1990 Leaf, 1991, 1992, 1993 Donruss, 1992 Triple Play)
18. 1997 SP Game Film #/500
17. 2001 SP Piece of the Action Quad Game-Used Bat Relic (w/ Alex Rodriguez)
16. 2007 Upper Deck Premier Premier Pairings Dual Autograph #PP-AK #/25 (w/ Andruw Jones)
15. 2005 Upper Deck Reflections Cut From the Same Cloth Dual Jersey Relic #CC-GG2 Red #/99 (w/ Ken, Sr.)
14. 2005 Upper Deck Rewind to ’97 UD Game Jersey Relic #RE-KG /150
13. 2003 Ultimate Collection SPx & Sweet Spot Buyback Autos
12. 1992 Classic Auto #/3100
11. 90's Finest Refractors (1994, 1995, 1996 Bronze & Silver, 1997 Bronze, 1998, 1999, 2000 regular & SP)
10. 1998 E-X2001 Destination Cooperstown #7
9. 1988 Best San Bernardino Spirit #1 Regular and Platinum /1300
8. 1996 Ultra Hitting Machines Regular and Gold Medallion
7. 1997 E-X2000 Cut Above
6. 1997 Upper Deck UD3 Superb Signatures
5. 2004 Upper Deck Etchings A Piece of History 500 Club Game-Used Bat Relic /350
4. 1997 Upper Deck Game Jersey #GJ1
3. 1998 Donruss Crusade #39 Purple #/100
2. 1994 Upper Deck Griffey/Mantle Dual Autograph /1000
1. 2014 Upper Deck 25th Anniversary Promo Autographed 18” x 25” Jumbo /25
2016:
30. 2016 Topps Finest Careers Die-Cut Set #1-10
29. ‘90’s Stadium Club First Day Issues
28. Late ‘90’s Ultra Inserts & Gold Medallions
27. Collector’s Choice Gold Signatures
26. 2004 Upper Deck Diamond Prosigs Collection Autograph #204
25. 1998 Circa Thunder Rave Reviews #7
24. 2006 Flair Showcase Hot Gloves #HG-19 /150
23. 1995 Pinnacle White Hot
22. 2004 Upper Deck Etchings Etched in Time Autograph #ET-KG #/1625
21. Pinnacle/Select Artist’s Proofs
20. 1998 Finest The Man #1 #/500
19. 1994 Bowman’s Best #40 Refractor & 1995 Bowman’s Best #49 Refractor
18. 1999 SP Signature Edition Autograph #Jr.
17. 2000 SPx Signatures Autograph #X-KG
16. 2001 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Ultimate Signatures #KG Silver #/24 & Bronze #/70
15. 2008 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Signatures Autograph Bat Barrel #KG5 #/243
14. 2006 Fleer Autographics Autograph #KG /150
13. 2000 Upper Deck Game Jersey Autograph Jersey Relic #HKG (unnumbered)
12. 2005 Upper Deck Reflections Dual Signatures Dual Autograph #KGKG Red #/99 (w/ Ken, Sr)
11. 1994 SP Holoview F/X Special F/X #12 Die-Cut Red
10. 2015 Leaf 25th Anniversary Clear Autograph #/25
9. 2005 Ultimate Signatures 500 HRs Dual Autograph #/250 (w/ Willie McCovey)
8. 1993 Pinnacle Cooperstown Dufex #22 /1000
7. 1996 Pinnacle Skylines #1
6. 1991 Topps #790 Desert Shield & #392 All-Star Desert Shield
5. 1996 SPx Ken Griffey Jr. Commemorative Autograph #KGA1
4. 1998 SP Authentic Chirography Autograph /400 (slabbed BGS 8.5/Auto 10)
3. 1998 Upper Deck A Piece of the Action Game Jersey Relic #KG /300
2. 1998 Donruss Crusade #39 Green #/250
1. 1992 Upper Deck Bloodlines Griffey Family Triple Autograph #/1992 (w/ Ken, Sr. & Craig)
2017:
30. 2000 Stadium Club Beam Team #BT9 #/500
29. 2017 Topps Chrome MLB Award Winners #MAW-9
28. 1994 Upper Deck All-Star 125th Anniversary Jumbo Gold
27. The Rest of the Collector’s Choice Gold Signatures
26. 2009 Upper Deck A Piece of History 600 HR #600-KG
25. 2017 Donruss Whammy #W-2
24. 1996 SP Holoview Special F/X #10 Die-Cut Red
23. 1996 Ultra HR King #6 Gold Medallion and Exchange Card
22. 2000 Pacific Aurora #133 Pinstripes Premiere Date #/52
21. 1998 Pinnacle Mint #7 Gold and Silver Coins
20. 2015 Tacoma Rainiers 20th Anniversary card
19. Three of the Four Toughest 1998 Ultra Griffeys
18. Every Pinnacle Brand Artist’s Proofs made before 1997
17. 1999 SPx Winning Materials Jersey/Bat Dual Relic #JR
16. 1997 Pinnacle Passport to the Majors #2 Sample
15. 2000 Upper Deck Ionix Warp Zone #WZ3
14. 1993 Colla Collection Diamond Marks Art Insert #3
13. 1999 Metal Universe Linchpins #4
12. 1989 Fleer #548 (on top of sealed cello pack) & 1989 Bowman sealed magazine pack
11. 1997 Pinnacle X-Press Melting Pot #6 #/500
10. 1997 Pinnacle Inside #19 Diamond Edition and 1998 Pinnacle Inside #24 Diamond Edition
9. 1994 Signature Rookies Autographs
8. 1997 Pinnacle X-Press Metal Works Ingots #1 Gold #/200
7. 2014 Panini Classics Membership Materials Signatures Prime Game-Used Batting Glove/Bat/Patch Triple Relic Autograph #22 #/5
6. 2017 Panini National Treasures #136 Jersey Button Relic #/5
5. 1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Epic Signatures Autograph
4. 1991 Donruss Advertising Sheet
3. 1996 Ultra Thunder Clap #11 Gold Medallion
2. 1989 Mother’s Cookies Sealed Bag
1. 1998 SP Authentic Jersey Swatch 5x7 Jumbo Patch Relic /125
2018:
30. 2007 Upper Deck Scott Hatteberg #289 Predictor
29. 1996 Bowman’s Best Cuts #1 Atomic Refractor (slabbed PSA 8)
28. 1998 Pacific Crown Royale Home Run Fever #7 #/387
27. 1994 Upper Deck All-Star #1 Gold Jumbo (96 Beckett Tribute Checklist)
26. 2001 E-X Wall of Fame Wall Relic (Milwaukee County Stadium) #9
25. 2001 Donruss Classics Benchmarks Three Rivers Stadium Bench Relic (1994 ASG) #BM-6
24. 2002 Upper Deck Authentics #162 Reverse Negative
23. 2017 Panini Flawless #14 #/20 (diamond-embedded base card)
22. 2017 Panini National Treasures Legends Materials Booklets Duals Stats Jersey/Bat Dual Relic #LBMD-KG2 #/99
21. 1997 Pinnacle Xpress Metal Works Ingots #1 Silver #/400
20. 2000 Upper Deck Game-Used Ball Relic #B-KG
19. 1998 Metal Universe All-Galactic Team #1
18. 1994 Stadium Club Members Only Finest Bronze
17. 2004 Fleer Classic Clippings Box Score Relic #20 #/750
16. 1997 Bowman's Best Best Cuts #BC6 Atomic Refractor & 2017 Bowman's Best 1997 Best Cuts #97BC-KGJ Atomic Refractor
15. 1998 Topps Finest Power Zone #P1
14. 1998 Donruss Studio Freeze Frame #1 #/4500 Die-Cut /500
13. 1996 Flair Hot Gloves #4
12. 2018 Donruss Optic Out of This World #13 Green #/5
11. 1999 Upper Deck MVP Game Used Souvenirs Bat Relic #GU-KGj
10. 1992 Lime Rock Griffey Family Hologram Set Autographed (autographed set of all three Griffeys)
9. 2001 Donruss #13 Chicago National Convention #/5
8. 2016 Panini Pantheon Rudiarius Patch Relic #R-KG Bronze #/10
7. 2017 Topps Museum Collection Primary Pieces Single Player Legends Quad Relics Bat/Jersey/Patch Relics #SPQ-KG Gold #/10
6. 2017 Topps Transcendent MLB Moment Reproductions #MLBR-KG, #MLBR-KGR both #/87
5. 2017 Panini National Treasures 16-Player Materials Booklet Jersey Relic #PMB1-16 #/99 (w/ Barry Larkin, Cal Ripken, Frank Thomas, George Brett, Greg Maddux, Kirby Puckett, Manny Ramirez, Mariano Rivera, Mike Piazza, Ozzie Smith, Paul Molitor, Roberto Alomar, Ryne Sandberg, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs)
4. 1996 Upper Deck National Heroes 3 x 5 Jumbo #NH1 #/5000 Autograph #/250 (w/ UDA COA)
3. 2015 Upper Deck Employee Exclusive Autograph #UD-KG (w/ Wood Display Box)
2. 1997 SPX Bound For Glory Autograph #/250
1. 1996 Pinnacle Zenith Diamond Club #3 Real Diamond Parallel
2019:
30. 2000 Upper Deck Game-Used Baseball Relic #B-KG
29. 2019 Topps #488 SP Legend Variation & 2019 Topps Update Series #US93 SP Legend Variation
28. 1996 Pinnacle Summit Positions #8 #/1500 (w/ Jim Edmonds, Johnny Damon)
27. 1999 Ultra Diamond Producers #1
26. 2019 Topps High Tek PortraiTEK #PT-KG #/50
25. 1996 Pinnacle Summit Big Bang #2 Mirage /600
24. 1993 Topps Black Gold ABCD Winner
23. 2006 Kahn’s Reds #3
22. 2019 Topps Throwback Thursday TMNT design
21. 2019 Stadium Club Instavision #IV-3
20. 1998 Fleer Tradition Zone #7Z
19. 1997 Donruss Elite Leather & Lumber #1 #/500
18. 1999 Upper Deck Game Jersey Relic #KG-H
17. 1999 Upper Deck Ovation A Piece of History Game Used Bat Relic #KGJ
16. 2019 Leaf The National 1992 Leaf Design Refractor #TN-33 Regular, Blue #/20, Purple #/10
15. 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Emerald &1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 All-Star Epix Moment Emerald
14. 2000 Stadium Club Capture the Action #CA12 Game View #/100 & 2001 Stadium Club Capture the Action #CA9 Game View #/100
13. 2019 Topps 150 Years of Baseball Artist Renditions Autograph #105A Blue #/99
12. 2009 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary Sports Memorabilia Jersey Relic #MLB-KG 1/1 Richard McWilliam Autograph (inscribed “Owner” & “1/1”)
11. 2019 Cuyler Smith Art Card #/80 (Simpsons theme on 1992 Donruss design)
10. 1997 eX2000 #40 Credentials #/299
9. 2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Grand Slamarama #GS-KG
8. 1996 Topps Chrome #70 Refractor, Star Power #230 Refractor, & Wrecking Crew #WC9 Refractor
7. 1997 Ultra #121 Platinum /200, Starring Role #2, Fielder’s Choice #6, Diamond Producers #3
6. 1997 Flair Showcase Hot Gloves #4 & 2001 Fleer Legacy Hot Gloves Ball Relic #7
5. 1992 Score Procter & Gamble Sample
4. 1997 Pinnacle #193 Clout Museum Collection Artist's Proof /300
3. 2001 Topps Stadium Club Super Team #STP24
2. 2019 Panini National Treasures Hall of Fame Materials Laundry Tag Relic #HOF-KG #/7
1. 2019 Leaf Industry Summit Autograph #IS-KGJ Green 1/1
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Monday, January 20, 2020
Flying Cars: 1997 Ultra
My son will be four in March, and I am beyond excited. Here’s a short list as to why:
1. Soon he will be able to engineer his own Hot Wheels tracks. We built a pretty sweet straightaway just last week.
2. He is very nearly ready to begin to appreciate Star Wars (after much debate we have decided we will be starting him with Episode I like the logical heathens we are).
3. We are about to make that great leap from Duplo to standard-sized Legos. This is a bigger deal that the non-initiated might think.
4. Baseball cards?
So maybe four is a hair too young to start collecting cards in earnest. He can probably handle Starting Lineup figures, but I fear for any piece of cardboard he gets his mitts on. But it’s definitely coming. He’ll be a Topps/Panini kid because, well, we have no choice.
But there will be a time when he is old enough that I can sit him down and show him what cardboard was back at the crest of the late-90’s wave of awesome, when sets like 1997 Ultra were setting a standard none of us realized at the time was unsustainable.
It’s been 20 years since the late-90’s cardboard bonanza that brought us practically every kind of innovation we still enjoy today, so you might think even more innovation has happened since, and yet it really hasn’t. Even today, over 20 years later, no one set could offer with any kind of regularity the sort of stuff you could pull from a plain old retail pack back then.
People say all the time that we were supposed to have flying cars by now, but in terms of baseball cards, we kind of already did. They came in the late ‘90’s, and we’ve been coasting ever since. We’ll get a whiff of them here and there from super-premium sets and woefully intangible digital offerings, but there’s not much you can pull from a pack you buy at Target in 2019 that can compete with the Ultras and Pacifics of yesteryear. And for my little (eventual) collector, that is a pity.
Until then, my son will just have to look upon all the amazing cards that came out of that very short period and be jealous that his old man got to live through it. And from the looks of things his generation’s music is going to suck, too. He and I have a lot of ground to cover over the next few years...
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| 1997 Ultra #121 |
The longer I collect and the further removed we get from the late ’90’s, the more I appreciate the design of 1997 Ultra. This brand already has one of the greatest Design Timelines there ever was, and this set is one of the greatest of those. It set a new design standard for the brand with five of the last eleven Ultra base designs featuring that element of "script-on-a-slight-angle" (I dubbed it SOASA which is just never going to catch on) in the nameplate and six of those designs using all-holofoil nameplates.
This particular design is bright, exciting, and fun without seeming cheap. That handwriting font turned out pretty much perfect, and never was a team name better placed in a nameplate. While not my favorite Ultra base card, this is probably my favorite Ultra design.
As batting photos go, they don’t get much better than this barring a backwards-cap Home Run Derby shot or a far-away, impeccably-lit long-ball launch shot from behind. Or maybe a big, fat focus tongue. That pitch is a little high for me – I’d have probably swung right under it.
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| 1997 Ultra #G121 Gold Medallion |
The Gold Medallions this year gave us a completely different photo (as opposed to a simple foil stamp) and gold-tinted holofoil in the nameplate. I prefer the bright, mid-swing photo of the base card, but the backwards cap does help.
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| 1997 Ultra #P121 Platinum Medallion /200 |
There is also a 1:100 Platinum Medallion parallel this year from an unnumbered edition of 200. As you can see the holofoil is hella sparkly. Despite a pair of 1:288 inserts from this year, make no mistake - this Platinum Medallion is the Holy Grail of ’97 Ultra Griffeys.
If you know anything about Ultra, you know their inserts are some of the best in the game; so get ready for some foiled frivolity and acetate awesomeness as we look at the incredible inserts of 1997 ULTRAAAAA!!!!!!
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| 1997 Ultra Checklist #2 |
PSYCH! Ultra checklists are technically inserts (1:4), so two more boring paper cards before we get to the good stuff. Junior appears on two checklists in ’97 Ultra, both with trademark backwards caps. I call this one “Whistling ‘Stache.”
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| 1997 Ultra Checklist #3 |
And this one is “Slouchy McBabyface.” The disparity in facial hair between these two cards is my favorite. Either he shaved the ‘stache sometime during the season, or his lip hair grows light years faster than mine.
Okay – actual fun insert time now:
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| 1997 Ultra Top 30 #2 |
A characteristically Ultra insert with a full-bleed background design in team-specific colors. This insert also makes an appearance in the ’98 set but it didn’t have the staying power of other, more popular Ultra inserts like Power Plus, Thunderclap, or Hitting Machines.
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| 1997 Ultra Top 30 #2 Gold Medallion |
One of several die-cut inserts (or parallel of an insert in this case) from this year’s Ultra, these are actually pretty tough finds at 1:18 retail-only packs. They seem to have put a little work into the gold finish here because this sucker shines like Flava Flav’s teeth. Well done.
There is a version of this Gold Medallion that does not have the die-cutting. Whether they are errors or backdoored remains anybody’s guess, but they aren’t insanely rare. They are, however, at least a little rarer than the regular die-cuts. It’s on the want list…
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| 1997 Ultra Double Trouble #9 (w/ Alex Rodriguez) |
I get mixed feelings about A-rod cards from this era. He was so cool and good and everyone was so excited about this team and his future and all that. I still keep most of his early Mariners cards, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t resent them a little. Not as much as I do Bonds and McGwire and some of those other asshats; but yeah, still hurts.
That being said, look at this pair. I want to go to the mall with them on a Tuesday morning when no one else is there. Get pretzels, sip smoothies, and giggle in the “naughty” section of Spencer Gifts. Man, that would be a fun day.
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| 1997 Ultra Fame Game #1 |
I don’t know why they tried to ruin this thing with a white border, but everything else about it is reasonably cool. The gold script nameplate and giant, embossed foil and holo-sparkle lettering in the insert title are the stars of the show, for sure. The back is also pretty darn colorful and dynamic as Ultra insert backs go – they’re usually just a picture and simple block of text. A lot of neat elements at work here.
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| 1997 Ultra Leather Shop #1 |
We are still in the fairly easy part of this year’s crop of Ultra inserts which is also where the perennial leather-themed inserts can usually be found. Ultra skipped the Prime Leather insert this year (but would bring it back in ’98) and gave us Leather Shop instead. While not as bright and tactile as the excellent Prime Leather insert from the previous set, this year’s offering has a strip of team-coloring in a vertical nameplate with some lovely gold foil script.
I love this back because flipped-up shades and GIANT NEEDLE! Ever try and poke a hole in leather? You legit need a giant needle like this to do it. Just keep it away from my Griffey cards, yo.
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| 1997 Ultra Power Plus Series 1 #4 |
So this is about as Ultra as inserts get – a big, bold, full-bleed design that eliminates any semblance of photo background. And holofoil – my God – TONS of holofoil. This particular card might be the most holofoil text by surface area ever to grace a card of any sport (seriously if you can find one with more, show it to me).
The back is your standard ho-hum Ultra insert back – text box, big ol’ player photo, and little else. This is why I get so excited about the backs of inserts like Fame Game and Leather Shop where they changed things up a bit.
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| 1997 Ultra Power Plus Series 2 #1 |
Fleer liked the Power Plus Insert so much, they made it twice in ’97. This one from Series 2 is much rarer than its Series 1 counterpart at 1:24 where the latter is 1:8. And that blurb is all business.
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| 1997 Ultra RBI Kings #7 |
One of the challenges of being a card blogger is that sometimes a really awesome card simply doesn’t scan well, and the image you are forced to give your readers looks like the dark, indiscernible mess you see above. So don’t think for a second this insert isn’t totally baddass – it is. Loaded with filigree and medieval symbols that exude royalty, specifically that of a guy who it good at hitting the ball while other guys are on base. I feel like gold would have gotten the point across a little better, but overall no complaints.
Oh, and that might be the best card back of the year for Ultra.
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| 1997 Ultra Thunderclap #8 |
Now I am a huge fan of the 1996 version of this insert as I actually pulled one from a pack back in the day, it came in the incredibly scarce Gold Medallion parallel (and in holofoil no less), and I’m a total slut for purple baseball cards; but objectively speaking if I were asked to design an insert called “Thunderclap,” this is exactly how I would do it. Black sky, cool foil lightning bolts, and a back design that stylizes the player name instead of the insert title.
Then again I would probably also include a subtle personal watermark somewhere on the card like so:
I really did miss my calling.
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| 1997 Ultra Baseball Rules! #2 |
The front of this card got me like, “Heck yeah, dog! Baseball DOES rule! Dang, Fleer Ultra, you cool AF.” Then you flip it over and it’s more like, “Oh, it’s Baseball Rules. Like rule-rules. Buzz harshed.”
I suspect it’s also just coincidence that rules are made to be broken and at the same time finding one of these cards without damage, especially on that top edge, is damn near impossible. These were available in Series 1 retail packs only, and if you know anything about retail vs hobby, you know that retail packs are the ones you see spread out in a messy pile in the card aisle at Wal-Mart. This is one of those cards where the premium carried by a high slab grade is justified.
Still, it’s a fun design and great use of die-cutting. And prices have cooled on these considerably in the last few years, especially in the case of damaged copies (which is most of them). Great insert and a satisfying get for the budding Griffey collector.
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| 1997 Ultra Hitting Machines #2 |
Can you imagine pulling one of these things from a pack in the ‘90’s? They weren’t even that scarce for such a crazy design. That’s 34 corners, y’all. There are worse cards for slipping into penny sleeves, but not many. And how about all that etched foil? How these were as common as 1 per box I’ll never know. They look more like a case hit to me, even for the ‘90’s.
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| 1997 Ultra HR Kings #4 |
My favorite of the 1:36 inserts, these are all acetate with a tasteful smattering of holofoil in the clear bits plus a lovely gold foil logo. This is another one of those that seems bland in a scan but sparkles in person.
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| 1997 Ultra Fielder’s Choice #6 |
I usually take issue with inserts that are so heavily designed around a logo, but damn it if this isn’t a perfectly executed version of that very faux pas.
Thick, simulated leather with a bold stitch forming the border, a light foil effect, and the iconic Ultra logo in lieu of a forgettable one-off insert logo. And most importantly it feels like a hit. As far as Ultra inserts are concerned, this is one of the greats. I do miss the giant needle, tho.
Usually brands will have a “mirror” insert in terms of insertion ratio in each of the two series, but there is no 1:144 Griffey insert in Series 2; so today we get to jump straight to the 1:288’s:
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| 1997 Ultra Diamond Producers #3 |
Of all the wacky inserts this year, Diamond Producers is a total warlock. The most noticeable design element is a deckled matte surface, pinstripes, and THAT’S IT. There’s a vague shadow effect going on in the background and the insert logo/nameplate combo is attractive enough but this design is hella-scant for a 1:288. I don’t hate it or anything – actually the matte surface is pretty darn cool – but I can’t help feeling like they should have swapped this with Hitting Machines for the most difficult pull. I’m just not getting a “case hit” vibe from this card.
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| 1997 Ultra Starring Role #2 |
Die-cut refractive acetate, anyone? While it is equally scarce as Diamond Producers, this is the most highly-sought after of the ’97 Ultra inserts for two reasons. First, it’s really cool. This card has the kind of curb appeal you should expect from a case hit (though I still think that Hitting Machines insert has more). It was also at least a little harder to pull, only appearing in Series 2 Hobby packs while DP was in hobby AND retail of S1. Still, with the always-unpublished production figures of retail vs hobby product, we will never know how much more scarce Starring Role is.
If any set gave Stadium Club a run for its money, this was it. I think Upper Deck still owns the Fleer brands, so the likelihood of Ultra making a comeback in baseball in the same way Stadium Club did is as low is it can get. Hm. Kind of a bummer. I hate to end a post like this. Let me find a happy picture to cap this one off.
Oh....oh my God. Yes. Aaaaaaaand POST.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
The 1998 Pinnacle Epix Rabbit Hole and a Live Cardboard Caesarian
I’ve been dreading this one, but I also don’t have a lot of readers, so when someone requests I write up a specific set I kind of have to do it. Also making posts like these are how I learn about the Griffey game in the first place, so I guess I don’t mind so much.
I already knew Epix was a rabbit hole, and I’ve avoided it for years…but having finally finished a post about it, I can honestly say that it is somehow even worse than I thought.
Epix is a freakin' cluster, guys. There are so many ins and outs it’s hard to even know where to start here, so I’ll start with a simple checklist of all the Griffeys of 1998 Pinnacle Epix:
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Orange
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Game Orange
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Season Orange
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Orange
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 All-Star Orange
1998 Pinnacle Epix Header Orange
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Purple
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Game Purple
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Season Purple
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Purple
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 All-Star Purple
1998 Pinnacle Epix Header Purple
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Emerald
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Game Emerald
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Season Emerald
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Emerald /30
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 All-Star Emerald
1998 Pinnacle Epix Header Emerald
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Printing Plates
Before I go into the deets here, just accept that you’ll never own them all. I mean, really accept it. Say it out loud, write it in your journal, mail a letter to your future self that reads, “You will never own all the Epix cards, and that’s okay.” Now, live with that fact for fifty or so more years and then die.
Okay, you're ready.
In the simplest terms Epix is a single-year super-insert, that being one of those with cards spread across multiple sub-brands from a single company (not unlike Donruss Crusade). You could pull an Epix card out of just about any Pinnacle brand in 1998, but the odds were generally against that happening.
There are four tiers: Play (most common), Game, Season, and Moment (rarest). Each tier is also available in three colors: Orange (70% - most common), Purple (20%), and Emerald (10% - rarest).
Saying that building a set of Epix is a real feat is an understatement, even for a collector of a single player. Even if you don’t count the header cards or the alleged printing plates, there are still 15 cards, the rarest of which only THIRTY were produced. Thirty – in 1998. That’s only five more than the red Donruss Crusade from the same year.
Man, we haven’t even scratched the surface yet.
So this set was complicated enough as it is, but here’s the worst part: The distribution of each of the four tiers is not the same across the checklist of players. They also broke up the checklist of each tier into four parts and distributed those in four different brands. For example, the first quarter of the “Play” checklist is seeded in Score packs, the second quarter in Certified, the third in Zenith, and the fourth in Pinnacle. Then these were all switched around for each of the other three tiers so no brand got the same player in more than one tier. The result is that you had to buy ALL the products to have a still-all-but-impossible shot at pulling your guy in all four tiers.
It gets worse. The insertion ratios were not the same across all brands. Epix was 1:21 in Pinnacle, 1:61 in Score, and those cards distributed in Zenith packs were actually sealed INSIDE JUMBO CARDS at a rate of 1:11 packs, meaning you had to destroy your jumbo just to find out if you got an Epix at all which you probably didn’t because Zenith jumbos usually contained standard-sized Zenith cards. On top of that, ripping a Jeff Bagwell Zenith jumbo did not guarantee a Jeff Bagwell card inside – the cards hidden inside the jumbos were totally random by player. Plus not everyone was willing to do the surgery. So even though “Play” is the most common tier, Cal Ripken’s Play card – even the orange – is harder to get because it is probably sealed inside a Zenith jumbo somewhere.
Wait – still worse. We don’t know how scarce each tier is relative to the other tiers. If you were to bust 1000 packs of a specific product – let’s use Pinnacle as an example – the odds (1:21) state you should end up with 47 Epix cards. The vast majority of those cards should be “Play,” some would be “Game,” a handful may be “Season,” and with a little luck you may get a “Moment” or two. But the ratios of each tier relative to the others is anybody’s guess. The only stated production run Pinnacle gave us is Emerald Moment at 30 cards produced of each player.
And then it gets worse…some more. On top of all that nonsense, despite the fact that “Play” is the most common of the four tiers, finding the Play card of Barry Larkin is all but impossible because that quarter of the Play checklist was meant to be distributed in Pinnacle Certified which was NEVER RELEASED. Hence, the most common Barry Larkin Epix card is also the scarcest.
Exactly.
That makes for a total of six players’ Moment cards that never made it into circulation due to the Pinnacle bankruptcy. And wouldn’t you know it? Griffey was one of the six. This is both a blessing and a curse because if you omit the unreleased cards from the checklist, it’s not really all that impossible; but that is only true for collectors of Griffey and five other guys. And set-builders are totally screwed.
So, let’s say you’re a player collector of one of the 24 (25 really but let’s not even go there) guys in the Epix checklist. Please allow me to direct you to the baseballcardpedia page for this cursed set. Check your guy and his tier distribution. Anything with a Z (Zenith) is gonna be a tough get, even the relatively common Play or Game cards. And those with a C (Certified) you can just forget. There are some backdoored cards out there somewhere, but Lord knows where they’ve ended up or how many made it out into the world.
Had enough? Too bad, because there’s also a bunch of OTHER Epix cards you have to get.
First there’s the straight-up insert, All-Star Epix, released in two sets and also available in the same three color parallels. These are actually the easiest Epix cards to find in any color because they made a lot. All-Star Epix insert cards are all marked “Moment,” so don’t get too excited if you have a bunch – they are fairly easy gets. The difference boils down to where the word “Moment” is printed. If it is in the black field at the bottom, it’s the not-terribly-rare All-Star Epix insert. If it is repeated down the right side in the field of chrome, that is the legit Epix card. If it is the latter AND Emerald, um, can I have it?
Second, the year before the release of Epix, Pinnacle also gave out a bunch of “header” cards, those being samples of what Epix would look like. These too came in the three color parallels. There are no players on these header cards – only the Pinnacle logo, but if you’re a completionist like me, you want all three. Unfortunately anybody that wants them has to complete with player collectors of the other 23 (24 tho) guys in the checklist. Have I mentioned the gigantic, 24-player checklist?
Last but not least (kind of most, actually) allegedly there are printing plates. Freakin’ printing plates on top of ALL THIS NONSENSE. I’ve never seen one, but God help us if this is true.
After all that, do you still wanna see some Griffeys? Because I totally get it if you don’t.
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Orange |
Ladies and gents, the commonest of the common Epix Griffeys. His Play cards were distributed via packs of vanilla 1998 Score with the insertion ratio of ALL 24 Epix cards falling at about 1:61 packs. That puts the purples at 1:488 and the Emeralds at 1:610.
I really hope you like it because there's going to be a lot of cards that look more or less exactly like that.
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Purple |
Again 20% of all Play cards ever made are purple, and only 10% look like this:
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Emerald |
It’s apparently the most common of the Griffey Emeralds, but you wouldn’t know that if you go strictly by the stated insertion ratio (again, 1:61 packs of Score flagship). Then again Score packs were cheaper than Pinnacle and a lot more forgiving than Zenith, so it probably all balances out. Still, 1:14,640 for a specific emerald – that’s a damn tough little nugget.
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Game Orange |
I am missing the purple and emerald Game cards. This should come as no surprise at this point. I did, however, pay out the ear for a couple Season cards:
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Season Orange |
Somebody somewhere sliced open a Zenith jumbo and pulled this card out, and now it’s mine. What a weird concept.
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Season Purple |
And it happened TWICE. This is the second most-valuable Epix Griffey I own behind the Emerald Play. I do not have the Emerald Season card, but for our purposes, being that none of Junior’s Moment cards were ever released, that would be the toughest get for Griffey collectors.
I do not have any of the Moments cards, but I do have images of them:
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Orange |
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Purple |
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Emerald /30 |
But Magicpapa is very much baller enough:
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| Magicpapa's Moments |
How does he do it?
I have none of the header cards, but (again) Magicpapa does (of course). And he is kind and generous with the scannage:
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix Header Cards Orange, Purple, & Emerald |
These are without a doubt the coolest header cards I have ever seen.
Now the Griffey printing plates may or may not exist (I've never seen one), but I have seen the Andruw Jones, so we know there are SOME out there:
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix Andruw Jones #E20 Printing Plate |
I assume these are so hard to track down because they were meant to have been released in the unreleased 1998 Pinnacle Certified as that was the premium product. I haven't had confirmation of this - it's just a guess.
OK back to cards I actually own:
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| 1998 Pinnacle All-Star Epix #E1 Orange, Purple, & Emerald |
Here are the cards I need to complete 1998 Pinnacle Epix. I say "cards" instead of "Griffeys" here because I count those headers:
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Game Purple
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Game Emerald
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Season Emerald
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Orange*
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Purple*
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Emerald*
1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Printing Plate **
1998 Pinnacle Epix Header Orange
1998 Pinnacle Epix Header Purple
1998 Pinnacle Epix Header Emerald
*unreleased
** questionable release
If I can get a hold of the Season Emerald, the rest will almost certainly fall right into place. For us practical Griffey collectors, that card is the big prize.
Hey, guess what? I happen to have a handful of 1998 Pinnacle Zenith 5x7 jumbos:
As I said before this is where you could pull the Season cards from, and I am going to do that RIGHT NOW.
What am I hoping for? Well, the Emerald Season Griffey would be my main want, but any standard-sized Griffey from this set would be pretty nice (I don’t even have the Zenith base card yet). Emerald cards for any rando player would be pretty good because I could sell them on eBay and use the money to buy more Zenith jumbos and try again. Let’s just hope for a Junior, shall we?
Alright - here we go.....come on Emerald Season Griffey!
Epix, man. Heartbreaking.
In summation:
Easy-Peasy: Play, Game, All-Star
Pretty tough: Season (because Zenith), Header Cards
Just give up: Moment (because unreleased Certified), Printing Plates
On a related note, Epix did make a return 2005, 2010, and again just recently in 2019. No Griffeys in any of them, though:
Couldn’t just let it die, could ya, Pinnacle?
Here are the full-sized scans of the All-Star Epix cards:
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix All-Star Epix #E1 Orange |
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix All-Star Epix #E1 Purple |
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| 1998 Pinnacle Epix All-Star Epix #E1 Emerald |
Now I will be very disappointed if Magicpapa does not comment below with the link to his legendary Photobucket. Your move, MP....:-)
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