The Junior Junkie: the Baseball Cards of Ken Griffey, Jr. and Beyond

In case you couldn't tell from my grand total of THREE POSTS in all of 2019, I’m drifting away from the hobby, guys.

The owner of my LCS told me a few years ago this would happen. It was the day I told him we were having a kid. He said it doesn’t matter how hardcore a collector you are – once kids enter the picture you start coming to the shop less and less, then eventually not at all, and finally you show up with your arms full of white boxes looking to sell off the whole caboodle.

I’m at stage one of that – I still go, but visits are few and far-between. I haven’t been to a card show in months. My set-building has all but stopped. I haven’t even bought my yearly box of flagship or even Stadium Club. It was several weeks before I even knew what the 2019 Stadium Club card looked like. And on top of all that I’ve begun setting aside that cardboard I plan on selling off sometime soon (not Griffeys, of course).

I’ve changed, man.

But I’m still collecting Griffeys, and some of them are pretty damn cool, so I feel like I have enough here to keep the annual Top 30 list going.

But I do miss writing posts….

We will start with the honorable mentions – the cards that didn’t crack the Top 30 but still deserve a mention because they’re pretty neat, dammit. Note Topps’ very decent showing in the lists this year.

2000 Pacific Crown Collection Moment of Truth #26

These were 1:37, but with 30 cards in the checklist that makes for some tough pulls in the quest for a specific player. It’s also a pretty neat design that puts Pacific’s Spanish-language bent in the forefront. Pound-for-pound, Pacific is still the coolest brand there ever was. That said, to this very day I’ve still never seen a pack of Pacific ANYWHERE EVER.

2014 Topps High Tek Low Tek Diffractor #LT-KG #/50

Neat design with cool fonts and yes, some neat diffraction foil. I don’t know what they were getting at with the “Low Tek” thing – it seems about as Tek as any other Tek I’ve come across.

2004 Playoff Prime Cuts II Century Gold #30 #/25

Boxes were $150 for five cards or $30 per card, and with such a product it should be no surprise that the insertion ratios are unknown. I’m not actually all that excited about this one, but it’s hard to leave any #/25 Griffey off the list.

2003 Donruss Elite All-Time Career Best #AT-27 Gold #/56

Leave it to Donruss, perennial lords of the creative-use-of-serial-numbering, to give us a pretty insert numbered to one of each player’s career-defining statistics. For Junior’s card they chose his career-high 56 home runs in 1997, a feat he never repeated nor surpassed. Generally speaking All-Time Career Best is not a terribly an uncommon insert, but these numbered gold parallel are scarce (and easy on the eyes if you ask me).

1992 Arena Gold Holograms

These dual-sided gold hologram prototypes not all that easy to come by. They’ve been growing in popularity in Griffey circles, and I was able to grab a few more this year for relatively cheap. A rare oddball with actual scarcity and even a little desirability. I'm still one short of the 5-card set, though, so let's not get too excited yet...

2019 Topps 582 Montgomery Club Sticker Set #2
1967 Test Sticker #12

Topps introduced a membership-based program in late 2018 wherein you give them $200 and they send you cards throughout the year, some of those being Griffeys which is where we come in. They spend a lot of space on the back explaining the card itself as opposed to the player on the front (which is weird), but I like the front so much that I’m willing to let it slide. The design is based on “a small-run test product” of stickers Topps made in for the Yankees and Pirates in 1967. If you like this, you should also check out the “Frank Thomas for Mayor” card from the same set.

OK, seriously tho: when do the t-shirts come out, Topps? Print this baby on any color except white and you got a buyer. Oh, and give us one in 6T, please. Griffey is my kid’s hero even though my kid doesn’t know it yet.

1998 Metal Universe Titanium #1T

I may be the planet’s biggest fanboy of the amazing Metal Universe brand, so the fact that it has taken so long to get the FOURTH rarest Griffey from any one of their sets is a travesty. And although I resent the shift in design between the ’97 and ’98 sets, you better believe I still want one of those crazy-tough Precious Metal Gems.

2019 Topps High Tek #48 Green #/150 & Purple #/99

I’ve never been super into High Tek, but there is something to be said about tech-forward, “cool factor” cards when the design is something new. The colored holographic line pattern of the parallels is front-and-center (and centered!) this year, and after seeing three or four different colorways online, I finally broke and grabbed a few. Also, purp-a-derp. Y’all know I loves that purp-a-derp.

2019 Topps Chrome Iconic Rookie Reprints #TGCR-21

I’ve got to have two dozen reprints of this puppy by now, but I’ll be damned if they release a single one I don’t pick up. This year’s is especially nice if you know what to look for.

All those wacky 1984 reprints

Overproduction-era reprints are so my jam. Plus we got all kinds of colorways and chrome and refractors and just everything a kid could ask for. Smitten.

2002 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Ultimate Game Jerseys
Tier 3 #JP-KG #/199

A somewhat early relic with a unique design and noted scarcity.

1998 Donruss Studio Masterstrokes #20 #/1000

‘90’s inserts generally start getting expensive around the /500 mark, but don’t discount those just a little higher than that.

2019 Panini Black Friday #40 Future Frames #/99

This card almost made it into the Top 30 on coolness alone. As neat as the scan is, this thing is a killer in person. Panini has been doing the Black Friday thing for a while now, but as of 2019 the bar it at an all-time high.

2017 Choice Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Camp Bow Wow #16

And I am sorry, but this is straight-up GOTY (Griffey of the Year). Also, I'm NOT sorry. Woof woof.

Up next: Part 1 of my annual Top 30 list. Thanks for reading.

Every year I start to put this list together in late October, and every year from the time when I actually start ranking up the cards, I acquire a bunch more that throw the list into utter turmoil. A major chunk of the list (like half) this year was acquired just in the last few weeks of 2019. I think it has something to do with other collectors selling off their cards to pay for Christmas. Or maybe I’m just more involved and/or excited about cards at this time of year because I’m making the list. So meta.

Maybe if I could keep that Griffey passion up year-round the list would be better. Oh, well.

Here we go:

30. 2000 Upper Deck Game-Used Baseball Relic #B-KG

Here's a first - first repeat from a previous list. It's true I already got one of these last year with the tiniest bit of red stitching visible in the seam. This one, though, has that giant chunk of ball text visible. There’s enough of these around that what part of the ball you get plays heavily in the price/desirability of the card. This is one I couldn’t pass up.

29. 2019 Topps #488 SP Legend Variation & 2019 Topps Update Series #US93 SP Legend Variation

If it were up to me, there'd be a Griffey SP in every Topps flagship base set forever. We almost always get a great Stadium Club-quality photo we’ve never seen before, and they tend to be scarce enough that landing one is pretty exciting. Right on.

28. 1996 Pinnacle Summit Positions #8 #/1500 (w/ Jim Edmonds, Johnny Damon)

This insert from 1996 Pinnacle Summit shares a major characteristic with the notorious Pinnacle Skylines from the same year: they were only available in a very specific kind of pack (magazine packs for Skyline, retail packs for these), and those packs were very difficult to find. Then even if you were lucky enough to find packs in the first place, they were still seeded at a scant 1:50. It’s not as famous as its acetate counterpart, so it doesn’t command the prices Skylines does; but Positions is just as scarce if not more so than Skylines all day. Admit it – you’ve never seen this one before, have you?

27. 1999 Ultra Diamond Producers #1

Ah, the golden age of the dreaded 1:288 insertion ratio. There are uglier cards at that very same level of scarcity (including one with the same name and on this same list – weird), but few combine that shiny crackle effect with die-cut acetate quite like this year’s Diamond Producers. The Kerry Wood from this insert is dirt cheap – you should buy one just to look at. BTW, I am getting really, REALLY close to finishing off every ‘90’s Ultra Griffey.

26. 2019 Topps High Tek PortraiTEK #PT-KG #/50

Again, Topps had a really great showing this year, not just in this list but in general. Some solid Griffeys for 2019. For example High Tek, which I am not generally crazy about, was better than ever because the new cards are really damn cool. I really like the fact that they skipped the die-cutting and went with clear, negative space in the places that would otherwise have been cut away. Some of you know who got the gold 1/1 of this – to those that don’t, it wasn’t me.

25. 1996 Pinnacle Summit Big Bang #2 Mirage /600

This is one weird insert because the regular cards and their Mirage parallel had the exact same stated print run of 600 per player as well as the same insertion ratio. I don’t have the regular card, but there’s a good reason for that: I don’t really want it. I wanted a Mirage parallel because it is one of the coolest ideas for a parallel I have ever seen. Just a big, holographic baseball printed right over the front of the card. Man, these should have been #/100 or something because THAT is really cool. WHY DID THESE GO AWAY? Somebody bring this back please. Panini? Topps? <sigh> Leaf? (Just kidding I love Leaf, and you’ll see why at card #1)

24. 1993 Topps Black Gold ABCD Winner

Black Gold were 1:76 wax packs in 1993 Topps flagship. Most cards pulled were regular old player cards, but some were redemptions for different parts of the total set which was divvied up into four parts and assigned letters. This was the rarest of the redemption cards and won its owner the entire set (parts A, B, C, & D). The following year’s set would complicate things a little with redeemed “Certified” version of the redemption cards, but back in ’93 everything was still nice and simple. A neat and somewhat rare relic from one of Topps’ first real inserts.

23. 2006 Kahn’s Reds #3

Wait for it....

That’s right, baby, I got a new Kahn’s card this year!!! Death to the non-believers! Kahn’s is life! Kahn’s is prosperity! KAAAAAAHHHNNNNSSSSSSSSS! Frickin’ LOVE THESE THINGS.

22. 2019 Topps Throwback Thursday TMNT design

In the annals of cool things that Topps has ever done, making a modern set of baseball cards based on the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trading card design from the early ‘90’s and including age-appropriate Griffey in it is probably in the top 5. Okay, so popularizing baseball cards in the first place was pretty good, I guess. The Adam Greenberg card was sweet, too. And I don’t know – maybe they give to some charities or something? No idea. But this – THIS – is something special. I really do try to avoid dropping F-bombs in this blog, but right freakin’ on, guys. You’ve made what I can only assume is your target market very happy.

21. 2019 Stadium Club Instavision #IV-3

It seems every year there is that one Griffey that EVERYBODY WANTS. This year it was this sweet-looking Stadium Club insert with a little inset square of refracting chromium and a damn scary 1:320 insertion ratio. I’m not surprised this one ended up on so many Griffey guys’ want lists – it is just oozing with that old, tacky ‘90’s magic. Could this herald a return to the off-the-wall inserts of old? BTW, the 1:1 Gold Rainbow is the rarest card in all of 2019 Stadium Club at 1:105,174. Chase THAT.

These cards are getting pretty fancy, and I’m happy to say we still have some doozies ahead. Thanks for reading.

I’ve gotta say the list turned out better than I was expecting. I mean it started okay-ish. But I’ll admit there was a time mid-year when I was considering shortening the final tally down to 24 cards. Or ten. That hasn’t happened since my first year on the card blogs.

But we did it, baby! We landed enough Griffey finery to make a full 30-card list again. It’s a marathon, after all, not a sprint. I’m excited I was able to finish strong enough to maybe melt a face or two.

But seriously I set the bar way too high in my childless years. Must have been all that expendable income.

OK, here’s some more:

20. 1998 Fleer Tradition Zone #7Z

Of the three super-tough Griffeys from this set, Zone is the best-looking. Also it’s one of those pesky 1:288 ‘90’s inserts. Why 288? It was always 288. You never see that anymore. I think it had to do with the number of cards printed by sheet. Anyway, bonus points for the subtle purpliness.

19. 1997 Donruss Elite Leather & Lumber #1 #/500

Another impressive ‘90’s insert, these puppies were printed on wood for the card front and genuine leather on the back. They must have cost a fortune to make, and I suspect they would be numbered to something closer to /100 or /50 were they printed today. Also it would probably be protested by PETA for its leather content. The first non-vegan baseball card?

18. 1999 Upper Deck Game Jersey Relic #KG-H

There are two versions of this card, one numbered #KG-H which was a hobby-only 1:288 pack “case” hit, and another numbered #KG-HR that was 1:2500 packs meted out in both hobby and retail product. The two look extremely similar to one another, but the HR is obviously the rarer of the two. I am, however, quite content with my little H boi.

17. 1999 Upper Deck Ovation A Piece of History Game Used Bat Relic #KGJ

This was the first year of the mighty Upper Deck A Piece of History 500 HR Club super-insert, and this offering from ‘99 Ovation shares a lot of qualities with that legendary set including the title, general design, and even relic shape. Seeded at 1:287 $4.00 packs, there are 14 cards in the checklist putting a specific player pull somewhere in the not-unreasonable 1:4000 arena. However, I have been informed that the Griffey in this set was short-printed and actually closer to 1:16000. I can’t confirm that but I can check that box (woot woot).

Oh, and it's my first multi-piece single relic - see the split? I'm still not sure whether that's a defect or a feature. Or maybe it's a 1/1? It's all in the marketing.

16. 2019 Leaf The National 1992 Leaf Design Refractor #TN-33 Regular, Blue #/20, Purple #/10

The more I look back on 2019, the more I realize that the cards were seriously on-point this year. I mean we just had that year with the Griffey induction where it seemed everyone was all Kid-crazy and the guy had beaucoup inserts and stuff, but dammit if I don’t prefer all the amazing overproduction-era designs coming back in lovely refracting chrome and tiered-scarcity colorways. Man, it is straight-up EMBARASSING how much I like these cards. Oh, and there’s a purple one. What? A Griffey overproduction-era chrome refractor reprint….and it’s purple. Seriously how dare you make a card that is such an on-the-nose shoe-in for this list? HOW DARETH YOU?

15. 1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Emerald &1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 All-Star Epix Moment Emerald

Emerald Epix are a booty pain like few others. The All-Star Epix insert less so, but that Play Emerald is probably going to be the only legit Epix Emerald I own until either I win the lottery and become one of the Griffey-grubbing elite that swims in a money bin filled with all the latest 1/1 auto patches and cleat relics, or a planet-wide cataclysm occurs leaving me in a “Last Man on Earth” situation where I travel across the country in an RV collecting all the rarest Griffeys only to eventually die alone in a palace surrounded by the most amazing Griffey collection the Universe has ever seen. Then centuries later aliens land on Earth and find my rotting corpse seated in a throne surrounded by dusty PSA and BGS slabs, and even though they have no context of who Griffey was or what baseball was, they still acknowledge that my collection is, like, seriously tight; so they sample my DNA and clone me, but I can only stay alive for one day like Haley Joel Osment’s mom in “A.I.” but I spend the whole day explaining Griffey to them and the significance of all the cards, and so impressed are they that they found a new space-religion based on him inevitably leading to a series of intergalactic crusades that kills millions. Needless to say, I’m just not 100% sold Epix Emeralds are worth the trouble.

14. 2000 Stadium Club Capture the Action #CA12 Game View #/100 & 2001 Stadium Club Capture the Action #CA9 Game View #/100

The 2000 card was 1:508, and the 2001 was even tougher at 1:577. Either of the Game View Griffeys is a beyond-case-hit level kick in the balls for a collector, but I picked up both of them this year in a single please-don’t-tell-my-wife-I-did-this deal. There are better inserts with square bits of film cel embedded in them, but I couldn’t continue to call myself a Stadium Club nut without at least one of them, so here’s BOTH of them. And check out the 2000 card – still a Mariner! You take your time, Stadium Club. It’s a big change, I know.

13. 2019 Topps 150 Years of Baseball Artist Renditions Autograph #105A Blue #/99

There are only two Griffey autos in the list this year, and this is one of them. It probably seems a little low on the list (I’m a little surprised at where it ended up, too). The fact that Topps direct-marketed them online so they were never packed-out probably has something to do with that. Still, the design is great and the autograph is on-card which is hard to find these days. There were also some color variations available for significantly more money, but I am a simple man and quite fond of Mariner blue anyway.

12. 2009 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary Sports Memorabilia Jersey Relic #MLB-KG 1/1 Richard McWilliam Autograph (inscribed “Owner” & “1/1”)

All relics were case hits and distributed via all Upper Deck baseball products that year (11 different brands in all), but far fewer of those were signed and inscribed by McWilliam who passed away in early 2013. I suppose I could probably go through each product one-by-one and figure out how many packs per box and boxes per case then math out some kind of bizarre insertion ratio for these, but please don’t make me do that.

The wackiness (or wackness, depending on how you look at it) here is that there are more than one of these inscribed 1-of-1’s. If McWilliam had inscribed each card differently with something like “President,” “CEO,” or even “Big Cheese,” then yes, that would be a legit 1/1. Unfortunately he did not do that. There are several “Owner”-inscribed 1/1’s of this card to be had. I’m just excited to have an autograph of the guy who changed baseball cards – excited enough that I ranked this card higher than an actual Griffey autograph. Hm. Now that I think about it this makes no sense.

11. 2019 Cuyler Smith Art Card #/80 (Simpsons theme on 1992 Donruss design)

If you are unaware of Cuyler Smith and his fabulous array of hand-drawn pop culture sports cards, I’m going to go ahead and apologize now for introducing you because his collectors are insane and you may very well become one of them. It happened to me. I have a few dozen including Henry Rowengartner (from Rookie of the Year), Michael Jordan (Time Squad/Space Jam), and Bill Murray (Kingpin and Caddyshack). I used to have a George Costanza (Assistant to the Travelling Secretary on a 1987 Topps design), but I sold it for….well, I’m not saying how much, but it paid my car note for three months.

So yes, I am a fan. And when he announced a Griffey from that Simpsons episode done in the style of 1992 Donruss, I was like ALL OVER THAT THING. Sorry, major brands, but this is the greatest Griffey of 2019. It’s really not even close.

Kudos to Gavin, tho – he did it first!

OK, Top Ten, comin’ at ya… Thanks for reading.

While 2019 was far from my BEST YEAR EVERRRRRR (that distinction still belongs to 2015), looking back I’m actually pretty pleased at how it turned out. Having said that, I don’t expect the same level of awesome next year – not on the cardboard front at least. I have a good reason, though, and he’s due in May. We couldn’t stop at just one, could we?

And I am not kidding – not even a little bit – when I say that “Griffey” was on the short list of names. I’m still open to suggestions, but you’ve got to admit that one is hard to top.

Oh, and I may never blog again after May. #progeny

Okay, let’s ride:

10. 1997 eX2000 #40 Credentials #/299

Let’s get one thing out of the way: this is not the Holy Grail of 1997 eX2000 – not by a long shot. Both the Essential Credentials parallel #/99 and the Cut Above insert are more highly sought-after. Still, it’s a dynamite card from the heyday of over-the-top mixed-media card design. And those fat, late-90’s serial numbers really set the heart a-thumpin’.

9. 2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Grand Slamarama #GS-KG

If you want to know what the hell this thing is, you are not alone. Not having a BBCP article to refer to – or anything really – is a serious bummer. I don’t know the insertion ratio or any details about the set in general at all. All I know is that it’s a really cool insert from late in the UD timeline, and they are extremely difficult to track down, especially the Griffey. I’m tempted to buy a sealed pack of ’07 Spectrum just to get the insertion ratios off the back. But let me venture a guess: Uhhhh, 1:288? Sound right?

8. 1996 Topps Chrome #70 Refractor, Star Power #230 Refractor, & Wrecking Crew #WC9 Refractor

This seems to be the year everyone noticed how few ’96 Chrome refractors are out there. Usually cards like this whose rarity is just getting realized by collectors are already sitting in my collection, appreciating from when I acquired them pre-HOF-induction. These were a noticeable exception until this year, and I couldn’t have picked a worse set of early refractors to sleep on because suddenly everybody needs them. And here I was thinking I already had them.

Anyway, cool refractors, right? Wrecking Crew has the harder insertion ratio at 1:72, but the 1:12 base set has a big ol’ checklist which makes it a much tougher get, and Griffey collectors need two of them. The chrome Star Power remains one of my favorite subsets of all time, so finally landing the refractor was extra special. 1996 Topps post forthcoming…

7. 1997 Ultra #121 Platinum /200, Starring Role #2, Fielder’s Choice #6, Diamond Producers #3

Is it just me or does Ultra get cooler every year? And no, I didn’t throw a stroke – I am fully aware they are a dead brand – I mean the cards made 20+ years ago are cooler with each passing year. It seems the further removed from their release, the more I want them.

It’s also become a bit of a tradition that once a year I get a bug up my butt about bagging all the Griffeys from a certain year of Ultra, and this year it was the ’97 set that caught my eye. We have the lovely green acetate of Starring Role (1:288, S2 Hobby only), the thick simulated leather of Fielder’s Choice (1:144, S1 only), the subtle scarcity of Diamond Producers (1:288, S1 only), and the legendary Platinum Medallion parallel.

The big get here is the /200 Platinum Medallion despite the fact that the die-cut acetate Starring Role tends to outperform it in the market. The other two inserts have comparable scarcity; but don’t discount the vibrant, detailed printing of Fielder’s Choice here. For how rare it is I’m a little less than blown away by Diamond Producers (it was better pretty much every year that made it as you can see earlier in the list), but I am delighted that box is finally checked.

6. 1997 Flair Showcase Hot Gloves #4 & 2001 Fleer Legacy Hot Gloves Ball Relic #7

The 1997 card was 1:90, and being that this set contained a 1/1 parallel with stated odds, we can figure out that there should be exactly 1200 of these puppies for each player produced. That is a far cry from the ultra-scarce 2006 Hot Gloves with a stated print run of only 150. Based on what I’ve seen in the market, however, I am just not buying that number. These sell like they are more like /300 with high grades charging hefty premiums (as they should – look at all the pointiness here). I’d like to know where all these ended up. Oh, and there’s a Marquis Grissom of this card? What? I need that!

The 2001 cards were meted out via 1:180 exchange cards because Fleer didn’t have the glove relics ready yet. Turns out they never would, so they put ball relics instead. Personally, I believe a baseball relic makes more sense than a glove relic with the card being a die-cut glove and all. If you feel slighted by the substitution, you are absolutely no fun at all.

5. 1992 Score Procter & Gamble Sample

Possibly the toughest Griffey sample there is (the ’91 Donruss advertising sheet comes close). Beckett says that 5 million of these Sample sets were made but, um, NUH-UH. These are rare as hen’s teeth. Rare enough that I ranked it much higher than a very nice on-card autograph.

4. 1997 Pinnacle #193 Clout Museum Collection Artist's Proof /300

This was a strange year for Pinnacle. They only released a Series 1 for this set, so Junior who would have otherwise appeared in Series 2 never got a base card, receiving instead a base card in the curious “New Pinnacle” brand. I’ve never found an explanation for why Pinnacle scrapped the second series and rebooted their ’97 flagship set, but the result is that this subset card is the only base card he got.

That being said, what a freakin’ card. It looks straight out of The Great Gatsby. I’ve probably said before that one parallel or another was my favorite of the ‘90’s and blah blah blah, but forget all that. There is simply no touching this thing in terms of parallel appeal. It very nearly got the top spot in this list just for wow factor.

Anyhoo these cards are unnumbered but there are known to be only 300, a tiny run for any card from 1997. Museum Collection Artist’s Proofs were seeded 1:47 (or one in every two hobby boxes) with a checklist of 200 cards. All that means you had to bust jusy shy of 10,000 packs for a specific player. Yowch.

Despite 1997 Pinnacle being the set of the mighty Shades, Passport to the Majors, and the Home/Away Jersey Die-Cut inserts, this parallel of a subset is still the greatest Griffey you could get out of either Pinnacle flagship product this year. Fight me.

3. 2001 Topps Stadium Club Super Team #STP24

It is really hard to pin down precisely how scarce this baby is, but I really tried. I did that thing of when I try to math it out, but the numbers just weren’t having it. To give you an idea, though, the exchange cards for this set were seeded at an already-daunting 1:874. On top of that only 4 of the 30 cards in the checklist were winners that could be exchanged for the set that contained this card, putting the odds of finding a winning Super Team exchange cards at 1:6555. That means that even if you were lucky enough to pull one of the ultra-scarce exchange cards in the first place, there was still only a 13% chance yours would end up being a winner. Add to that the fact that the recipients of the winning cards then had to pay attention to actual baseball to see if their card won, then go through the motions of actually redeeming the thing which I’m willing to bet did not happen for most of these.

With all that in play, you’ll never make me believe there are more than 25 of these puppies floating around, but I’m open to new information. A pretty high rank for a Reds card, too.

2. 2019 Panini National Treasures Hall of Fame Materials Laundry Tag Relic #HOF-KG #/7

I’ve always wanted a laundry tag relic. I don’t know why. Maybe the marketing has gotten to me, or boredom with the same-ole bits of white cloth and squares of too-clean virgin pine cut from somewhere near the center of a bat barrel where it has never made contact with a ball, or glove, or, well, anything. Ever.

Then there are patches which are more exciting simply for the color, embroidery, and three-dimensional aspect (and the fact that they are guaranteed to not be pants). Not to mention baseballs, curved bits of bat barrels and knobs, and batting gloves which all hold higher esteem in the world of relics because the odds are good they were touched by a player, ideally the one on the card.

Then there are things like buttons and laundry tags – items that you can all but guarantee the player touched at some point. Buttons they likely touched just before and then again just after at least one game. I mean, have you ever tried buttoning a shirt without touching the buttons? It ain’t happening.

A laundry tag, though, lives on the inside, my friend. Whether it be jersey or pants – that thing got touched. Shoot, it may have touched a butt. And given the fact that baseball games tend to be played in the Summer, it may also have gotten sweaty. And let’s be totally clear here: it may have gotten butt sweat on it. Now THAT’S a freakin’ relic.

At a whopping $495 for an 8-card “box,” Panini National Treasures delves well into the realm of the Super Premium, the only place potentially buttsweat-encrusted relics can be found. That’s usually unfamiliar territory for this junkie. But one temperate October night I was feeling a bit saucy, and I decided this was the night I would finally land a laundry tag.

I continue to be impressed at how efficient the Griffey Facebook groups are because it was only 12 minutes from when I first posted that I was in search of a laundry tag to when it was found, bought, and paid for. 2019 was without a doubt the year of Griffey collecting on Facebook because several items on this list came from one group (the Vass group – hey, buddy!). God bless social media.

So a pair of firsts top the list this year – my first laundry tag relic, and this: my first one-of-one…

1. 2019 Leaf Industry Summit Autograph #IS-KGJ Green 1/1

You really have to qualify your 1/1’s these days. There are just so many, some more wanting in 1/1-ishness than others, especially when you’re talking Griffeys. You have your eBay-exclusive customs at $10 to $20 a pop whose differences boil down to varying foil patterns or colors (yes, I have a few of these), you have the officially-sanctioned but misleading 1/1’s of the infamous 2008 SPx Ken Griffey Jr. American Heroes insert (of which there are actually about 500 floating around, five of which reside in my collection), and you have the most alarmingly questionable 1/1’s of all, an example of which can be seen back at #12 of this very list.

I’ve owned numerous [insert heavy finger quotes] “one-of-ones” in my time, but nothing I would feel comfortable talking about without qualifying. That changed a few months ago on Junior’s 50th birthday when I landed my most legitimate 1/1 Griffey to date.

My top card this year is my first and only “true” 1/1. There are some caveats here, but nothing that keeps me from calling it a 1/1 with the utmost confidence. First, it’s an industry summit giveaway which means it wasn’t pulled from a conventional pack – this is probably the biggest potential asterisk here, but it doesn’t bother me in the least. Next, there are other 1/1’s of this card in different colorways (yes, there’s a purple, and it’s amazing), but color variations are a hallmark of some of the most desirable 1/1’s in existence. Plus it’s not like there are dozens of different colors – as far as I know there are only two. And finally it’s a sticker auto, but again that is something you see on most 1/1’s these days much to my dismay. If you’re going to make us chase a 1/1, card brands, it really ought to be on-card.

So as I said, you really have to qualify your 1/1’s these days, and even with those issues I am still pretty darn satisfied with this one. I know this is coming from the guy that just last year said that all 1/1’s are gimmicks, and I stand by that. But dammit if they aren’t also hella-baddass cards. Screw it – I’m on board. Long live the gimmicks!

_______________________________________________________________

Well, there it is – my whole card-collecting year in a nutshell. Things sure have changed a lot around here. There was a time when I kept a running count of total Griffeys which I then tried to wrangle with a duplicate ratio. Then I simplified and started selling off duplicates altogether. The number of dupes I have now couldn’t even fill a medium-sized long box.

I also used to get Griffeys in the mail almost every day, but as time wore on, better methods have led to better cards overall. Now when I find a Griffey in the mailbox it’s usually something pretty special. And my COMC shipments consist mostly of 2019 stuff now that I’m not buying packs and pulling them myself. Even with that I am not buying every single new issue - just those I really like.
I miss the days when I was averaging some crazy number of new Griffeys per day, but I kind of also don’t. Am I becoming a snob?

With another boy on the way, I’ll be pretty happy if I can add 100 new Griffeys to the collection in 2020. But who knows – I may surprise myself again. It happened in 2019.

Thank for reading!

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.

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.

1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Play Purple

Again 20% of all Play cards ever made are purple, and only 10% look like this:

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.

1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Game Orange

As you can see each tier got its own hologram pattern, and they grow more intricate with scarcity. These were the second-toughest pulls (1:21 packs of Pinnacle flagship), but that is an overall ratio for all Epix cards, not for a specific tier. Like I said, we don’t know the ratios of each tier relative to one another. If you were busting packs of Pinnacle trying to find a Griffey Game card, you were more likely to pull several Play cards of other players before getting any Game cards, let alone the Griffey.

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:

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.

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:

1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Orange

1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Purple

1998 Pinnacle Epix #E1 Moment Emerald /30

There you go - they exist. These were allegedly backdoored, but we don't know how many were backdoored. The rumor is roughly five or six of each card, but that is totally indefensible - it's just what I have heard. We do know that there AT LEAST TWO of each card out in the world. I am not baller enough to own any of them. Yet.

But Magicpapa is very much baller enough:

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:

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:

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:

1998 Pinnacle All-Star Epix #E1 Orange, Purple, & Emerald

These aren’t all that uncommon because they are from the All-Star Epix insert, not the regular Epix set. Still, it’s the only Griffey Epix card all but a handful of us is likely to own that says “Moment” anywhere on it.

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:

1998 Pinnacle Epix All-Star Epix #E1 Orange


	1998 Pinnacle Epix All-Star Epix #E1 Purple


	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....:-)

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...

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.

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.

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!!!!!!

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.”

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:

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.

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…

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.

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.

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 inert 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 “Thuderclap,” 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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 thing 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.

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. 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.

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

Mellow greetings!

1995-1998 was my favorite era of baseball cards. We got some of the scarcest and most legendary inserts and parallels, the first relics, the explosion of autographed inserts and hits, short prints, and the normalization of printing technologies once reserved for only the most expensive packs. It ended up being too much for some brands in the long run, but what a time for us collectors. That rings even truer for the Griffey crowd as, despite injury, this was the Kid’s heyday; and as a result the guy was slapped onto a lot of cool cardboard.

So while there were few technological leaps in 1996 Topps, there were still plenty of memorable cards as well as some of the greatest commemorative cards ever made.

On that note there are two cards in particular that we have to talk about, and if you bought Topps back in 1996, you probably already know which ones I mean:

1996 Topps Mickey Mantle #7

Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13th, 1995 at the relatively young age of 63. Topps, being a Brooklyn-based outfit that arguably owes at least some of its success to the Mick, paid tribute to the man by giving him a commemorative card at his uniform number and retiring that card number in their base set. Note the '52 Topps image in the foil stamp.

The retirement of his number in the base set wouldn’t last forever, though. Here’s the history of card #7 in Topps flagship:

1996 – Mickey Mantle Commemorative
1997-2005 – no card #7
2006-2012 – Mickey Mantle Commemoratives
2013-2015 – no card #7
2016 – Michael Brantley

Card #7 is back for good, it seems, but the idea was pretty cool while it lasted.

They also released a slough of Mantle reprints this year in both flagship and Chrome, and the cards are fantastic, but that is a whole other post because there are A LOT of them with refractors and everything. I even actively chased them, so I think I may have them all. But we have other matters to attend to...

For example, this also happened:

1996 Topps Cal Ripken, Jr. #96 2131 Commemorative
Team Topps Stamp

Every brand went Ripken-crazy in ’96 because of the thing (you know about the thing, right?). And I kept every single damn one of them because Cal Ripken is a TREASURE. Every single company stepped up and gave Cal some of the best cards of the year. If you don’t believe me, go to COMC and search “Ripken 1996” and just enjoy the show. Even the stupid phone cards are incredible. And try not to weep as you gaze into those baby-blues. I once saw his 1996 Pinnacle Summit Hitters Inc insert set a grown man on fire from across a room.

1996 Pinnacle Summit Hitters Inc #9 #/4000

Again, TREASURE.

You know who else is a treasure?

1996 Topps #205

A rare and totally amazing sliding shot - great pic this year. Topps finally made the leap to a glossy base set in 1994, then on to foil on every card in 1995; so by ’96 they were gloss/foil experts. Every base card got a blue nameplate and inset photo regardless of their team colors (Topps would do this monochromatic thing several times over the next few years), and that was perfectly okay in the case of Mariners like Junior. The design is clean, modern, and more streamlined this year compared with the deckled photo edges of ’95. Make these puppies full-bleed and you practically have a Stadium Club design. Not too shabby.

While there’s really nothing to complain about here, I still prefer the ’95 backs. Plus, while you can't really tell by this scan, the card number is tough to read in any light. Sorry, set-builders. Cool name font, tho.

1996 Topps Chrome #70

This was also the first year of Topps Chrome, but to keep things from getting stale Topps added some mild effects to the card front including a line of stippling around the border and a grid-like indented effect in the background that is more visible in the light parts.

The backs were identical apart from the card numbering. They trimmed down the base set from 440 down to 165 which was a blessing since the packs only had 4 cards each. Set builders had to bust a minimum of two boxes to pull a complete base set assuming some very lucky collation. That's premium for ya.

1996 Topps Chrome #70 Refractor

The refractors fell at 1:12 or two per box, but with the large 165-card checklist that put specific card-pulls at 1:1980 and any Griffey pulls at 1:990 since he had two cards in the set. On top of that the refractors of ’96 Chrome had a TON of print/refractor lines (like most early refractors), so those without lines sell for even more. Expect at least gray whale prices for most stars.

I only show card backs if there is a difference, and there actually IS a difference here. Can you find it?

Hint: the area around the card number is ice cold.

Back to regular flagship:

1996 Topps #230 Star Power

I always liked this subset for the bold colors and fun “The More You Know”-esque background. And that font on the right? I believe I’ve said this multiple times before on this very blog, but dammit if it isn’t still totally true: there is only one other place in the Universe you can find that font, and that is in the Hall of Violence in the 1993 Sylvester Stallone flick “Demolition Man.”

He's going for a gun.

If you haven't seen this gem of the 90's, I have only one question for you: what seems to be your boggle?

The back gives us what may well be a record for quantity of stars on a card back as well as a pretty entertaining shot of Junior impressing his own damn self with a high-arcing home run shot in right-center. The monthly breakdown is probably more impressive for most of the other players in this subset, but let’s not forget that Griffey missed a lot of baseball in 1995 due to injury. And yet he was poised to have his greatest year ever in 1997 when he would pick up AL MVP honors. That’s the Star Power, baby.

1996 Topps Chrome #90 Star Power

It’s rare that the chrome version of any card is so significantly better than the original, but few enjoy this disparity more than the Star Power subset. The colors pop, the stars shine, and the background grid effect isn’t just bumps, my friend, but star stippling. STAR STIPPLING, you guys. Someone sent me this card in a trade package when I first got back into the hobby, and I remember just staring at it from different angles for a totally unreasonable length of time. I don’t care who you collect – if they have a 1996 Topps Chrome Star Power card, ya needs it.

The backs are at least a little glossier than those of the regular base set, but again the only real difference here is the card number.

1996 Topps Chrome #90 Star Power Refractor

If I could take only one 1996 Topps Chrome card with me to a desert island, there is simply no contest. This thing is just, like, TOO awesome. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like meeting a cute brunette who smells nice and loves Frank Herbert’s Dune. Right away you know you lucked out, and you’re gonna have tons to talk about. But then after dating for a few weeks she tells you that she’s secretly a trust fund millionaire and also is deeply in love with you? WHAT? 1996 Topps Chrome Star Power Refractors are basically just like that. Way too much of a good thing and NONE OF US DESERVE THEM.

Again, tiiiiiiiny little difference here very far away from the card number.

I suppose I should mention that while it seems like Star Power was about as baddass as it could possibly get, it actually wasn’t:

1996 Topps Star Power Boosters (Series 1 only)

Say hello to Star Power Boosters. Is that not one of the coolest cards you’ve ever seen? Why oh why they only made this for Series 1 I will never know/understand/appreciate/swallow/come to terms with. 23 years later I’m still raw about it.

Wait – there’s more!

2017 Topps Throwback Thursdays Derby Legends

Topps used the Star Power subset design for one of those Throwback Thursday sets in honor of great Home Run Derby champs, and Griffey, who won THREE derbies, isn’t in there at all. Is there a bigger legend in the annals of the Derby?

There’s a guy in that checklist who had participated in fewer major league SEASONS than Junior has WON DERBIES. Granted that guy is Aaron Judge and his is the most valuable card in the set and everyone was batshit excited about him at the time, BUT STILL. And a few of the other guys in the checklist, namely Frank Thomas, Mark McGwire, and Giancarlo Stanton only won ONE derby each. Trying to understand Griffey's glaring omission is like trying to understand the three seashells. I don't get it and probably never will.

SOMEONE EXPLAIN IT TO ME

Maybe it’s not so becoming of me to bitch about all the sets Junior SHOULD have made an appearance in but didn’t, but I’m taking liberties with this one in particular because it’s the freakin’ Star Power design, man. Sure, they screwed up the font, but, I mean, come on. IT’S MY FAVORITE. GAH. WHY?

2006 Topps Wrecking Crew #WC9

I feel like the design gets a little lost in the abundance of silver and white here. I wasn’t even aware of the insert name because it’s buried in busy backgrounds and hard to read even when you notice it’s there. Overall they’re not terrible-looking - the baseball-as-a-wrecking-ball thing is adorable - but they are surprisingly hard to pin down.

Also why didn't they just call this insert "Demolition Man?" It makes sense with the wrecking ball thing, and we all know where you got the Star Power font. Just own it.

The back is great despite the glaring grammatical error. I am so 100% all about that blurb and Junior’s “This is a rat burger?” expression.

1996 Topps Chrome Wrecking Crew #WC9

The Chrome version is EVEN MORE monochromatic and illegible, but the totally-out-of-place white has been replaced by silvery chromium that STILL doesn’t look quite right. Weird design, guys.

1996 Topps Chrome Wrecking Crew #WC9 Refractor

At 1:72 this is the toughest pull by the numbers, but in terms of scarcity they don’t even come close to the base refractors because of the big checklist. The refraction helps the design and legibility a lot (as it usually does), but this is far from my favorite “early” refractor. Also, print line (sad trombone).

This is the toughest round of “Find the Tiny R” we are going to get. Good luck.

Here seems like a good spot to show you my actual favorite Wrecking Crew card:

2009 Press Pass Kiss 360 #63 Road Stories “Wrecking Crew” Blue Edition

There’s just no topping this thing. And what is that he’s chugging, Courvoisier? LOL gross.

1996 Topps Classic Confrontations #CC1

I freakin’ LOVE the idea here. The front is a damn mess and we’re going to spend only the first half of this sentence discussing how bad it is, but check out that excellent back. This is the kind of card you might keep next to the toilet for a little light reading/stat analysis. I like how Griffey consistently made Roger Clemens look like a damn fool almost as much as Roger Clemens did. I also like how he had never faced Randy Johnson going into ’96 (obviously), but now I want to see if he ever did.

*searches baseball-reference*

Holy crap he did! 6 plate appearances, 3 strikeouts, ZERO average. Aw shit (*buzz) he hit him with a pitch one time. That alone brought his OPS to a measly .167, and that’s all she wrote. No surprise there. I’m sure Randy knew exactly how to get our boy’s goat after over a decade together.

Ah geez, I was fined one credit for violating the Verbal Morality Stature with that S-bomb up there. By bad, Dr. Cocteau.

Anyway, this is my favorite card back in 1996 Topps.

1996 Topps PROfiles #AL-05

Pulling a colorful foilboard card out of a pack in 1996 made a certain 15-year-old Junior Junkie feel like he hit a scratchoff. These weren’t all that uncommon, but they look good and the concept is great. Since this is Kirby freakin’ Puckett and all we’re gonna let that lil’ typo slide, but the write-up in general is fantastic. I didn’t even know home run #8 was on his last at-bat – I’d like to have seen that one. I like Kenny Lofton, too, Kirby. Great card.

1996 Topps Mystery Finest #M16 (peeled)

Pulling a jet-black card out of a pack is usually a good sign you got something special. In the case of Mystery Finest, the card you pulled had one of three players on the front hidden under a peel-away layer of plastic which has been removed from this one.

1996 Topps Mystery Finest #M16 (unpeeled)

This is a scan of the unpeeled card (seriously). See how it accentuates exactly how filthy my scanner bed is.

The back of the card showed you who you might find if you decided to peel. As you can see this first Griffey could also have been Albert Belle or Larry Walker.

1996 Topps Mystery Finest #M25 (peeled)

And this second one could also have been Hideo Nomo, Cal Ripken, Mike Piazza, or Frank Thomas (WOW, btw). And if you could tell whose card you had, you might not peel the card at all. Well guess what? You CAN tell. The player’s silhouette is visible in the right light, so as long as you know what each player’s silhouette looked like on the cards (which you do because THEY'RE ON THE BACK OF THE CARD) it was easy to tell them apart without peeling.

1996 Topps Mystery Finest #M25 Refractor (peeled)

You could also tell whether the card you had was a refractor by – you guessed it – the tiny R buried on the back of the card.

So conceivably you could build a collection of every Mystery Finest card in both regular and refractor AND in both peeled and unpeeled versions with 100% certainty you had the right cards.

There are two inserts (besides Star Power Boosters, I mean) that I really like from 1996 Topps and Topps Chrome that I like to think Junior might have made an appearance in were it not for the injury.

1996 Topps Road Warriors

Just a neat design and a cool stat-based concept. Plus you know the idea was good because Fleer did it too the very same year:

1996 Fleer Road Warriors

Corporate espionage? Probably not. The Fleer backs were just big, long blurbs about general road performance in lieu of Topps who gave us ballpark-specific stats. Still weird, though.

1996 Topps Chrome Master of the Game Refractor

Look at this BEAUTIFUL CARD FRONT. I am obsessed with that giant shadow, but also concerned for the people in the stands along the first base line. These came in both regular and refractors, but I had to have that shiny-shiny. I suppose a point could be made that Junior hadn’t yet been in the league long enough to merit an appearance in this particular insert, but also that point is trash and so is anyone trying to make it.

I would like to take this opportunity to formally invite Topps to bring back this insert in this very same design and finally give Griffey his due as a Master of the Game. Maybe put Junior on another Star Power design just for fun. C’mon, boys - we can do it. We have the technology.

I have all the Chrome Griffeys, but there are a handful I am still in the hunt for from the regular set:

1996 Topps Mystery Finest #M16 Refractor
1996 Topps Mystery Finest #M16 Refractor (unpeeled)
1996 Topps Mystery Finest #M25 (unpeeled)
1996 Topps Mystery Finest #M25 Refractor (unpeeled)
1996 Topps Team Topps Wal-Mart Seattle Mariners AL West Champions #205
1996 Topps Team Topps Wal-Mart Seattle Mariners AL West Champions #230 Star Power
1996 Topps Team Topps Wal-Mart Seattle Mariners AL West Champions Big #3

I’m not exactly passionate about the unpeeled versions of the Mystery Finest cards, but it would be neat to have them all in both versions.

The Team Topps cards have a little stamp on them like so:

1996 Topps Team Topps Wal-Mart Seattle Mariners AL West Champions Stamps -
Image on loan from the Beau Carter collection

I’m not usually sold on base cards with such a superficial difference, but they’re on the list so I’ve got an eye out. And to be fair it IS another Star Power card so I guess I super want it.

Star Power frickin' rules.

By the way, Demolition Man-era Sandra Bullock?

Put me back in the fridge, amiright?

Donruss had already been making the Elite insert for six years when in 1997, amid a flood of other premium offerings from all the other big players in the card market, they decided to flip it into its own premium brand. The Elite name had the advantage of existing desirability and pedigree, so it made a lot of sense. Plus being a Donruss/Leaf nut myself, even I picked up a pack or two of these when they came out.

1997 Donruss Elite #5

Elite cards were usually characterized by holofoil and fancy script, but they cooled things off a bit by using simple foilboard which I’ve always found a bit underwhelming, especially when you try and scan it. The picture is pretty sweet, but I am just not crazy about foilboard in general. Especially scans of foilboard. Yeesh.

Looks a lot better far, far away from a scanner

And while we were already used to thick, stately borders from the Elite insert cards, these feel like overkill. Half the card is foil border and massive nameplate, and the other half photo. Again, great photo, but geez, guys. Let’s pump the border brakes, you know?

I will always sing the praises of post-1992 Donruss card backs. For this set they didn’t give us blurbs or stat analysis or anything fancy – just a nice layout, big player photo, and plenty of stars. It’s certainly more focused on aesthetics than content, but that seems to have been the theme for most premium sets of the ‘90’s. Donruss did it well.

There is also a 1:9 gold parallel of this card that I don’t have because it’s just gold-tinted foilboard. Meh.

1997 Donruss Elite Leather & Lumber #1 #/500

Leather & Lumber is a legacy insert in that Donruss gave us several iterations of it (and even its own set, eventually); but of all the L&L Griffeys they produced, this is the best of the lot. The most notable characteristic here is that the front is printed on real wood and the back on genuine leather. Subsequent L&L inserts would also feature fun design gimmicks like bat relics or a simulated leather surface, but none were more on-the-nose design-wise than this first one.

Either side would make a perfectly reasonable card front with complete nameplates, insert AND brand logos, and some tasteful gold foil. Being serial numbered to only 500 is pretty significant, too, given this was only 1997; but it also means the cards are pricey and getting moreso as the years roll on. Don’t dawdle.

There are only three Griffeys in all of 1997 Donruss Elite, and I have two of them. Here is the one-and-only 1997 Donruss Elite Griffey I don’t have:

1997 Donruss Elite #5 Gold Stars

I’m in no hurry. Maybe if I find one for five bucks somewhere I’ll bite, but as far as I’m concerned the biggest box (Leather & Lumber) is checked, and that’s plenty.

I feel like this post would be incomplete without mentioning the totally awesome (but Griffeyless) Passing the Torch insert, so here it is:

Just like Leather & Lumber, these would also make appearances in later Leaf/Donruss products across multiple sports; and also like Leather and Lumber, the original is still the best. If you count all the sports Donruss cards have been made for, this is arguably their most prolific insert of all time.

And the design is always good:

And speaking of legacy inserts, Leather and Lumber is still around today as its own standalone brand, and darn it if it isn’t pretty neat. Here’s some of the cards of neatness:

Panini reminds me more of Pacific every damn year. Go ‘head, Panini. You do you.

So 1990 Leaf is awesome – everybody knows it. A simple but attractive design, some quality rookie cards, and everyone’s favorite Big Hurt rookie (or at least favorite one with his name printed on the front). And on top of all that there weren’t a whole lot printed, lending a certain mystique and desirability not often found in major sets of this era.

Leaf turned down the heat for the ’91 set by overproducing the living daylights out of it, but it’s not like the cards are awful or anything – they’re just plentiful. The same is true for 1992 Donruss. There’s a damn bajillion of them floating around so they exude cheapness and inspire resentment in collectors who, for the most part, want a certain amount of scarcity in their collectibles. Like if someone collected plumbuses. EVERYONE has a plumbus or two around the house. How’s that collector supposed to feel special?

1991 Leaf #372

There is one damn Griffey in 1991 Leaf, and here it is. They embraced the hint of silver from the previous year and did up the whole border in it along with graduated corners that resemble those paper corners you see in photo albums. The uber-centered nature of this design makes miscut cards appear even miscuttier. Check this baby out:

I shelled out 60 cents for this mamma-jamma just because of how laughably off-center it is. It is the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of my ’91 Leaf Griffey collection.

Hey, look at this thing:

2017 Leaf History of Baseball 1991 Leaf Acetate
Throwback #11

I’m just going to lump these reprints from 2017 in with the regular set here. Also, what if this set had thrown off the shackles of its silver predecessors and embraced color?

2017 Leaf History of Baseball 1991 Leaf Acetate
Throwback #11 Blue #/35

2017 Leaf History of Baseball 1991 Leaf Acetate
Throwback #11 Purple #/25

So smitten am I with reproductions of originally-overproduced cards that I just had to have these crazy colorways. They’re even kind of scarce.

Now that we’re on the subject, a little planned scarcity on Leaf’s part combined with a little more discretion in the photo selection could have helped this set a lot. Still, you don’t run into single-Griffey sets too often, so grab one of these on COMC for 38 cents or whatever they’re going for now and be done with it.

And be thankful Griffey didn’t make it into the preview set this year. The 1990 preview is prohibitively expensive these days.

1992 Leaf #392

Welcome to the most boring Leaf ever got. I mean EVER. I’ve heard it argued that the universally-beloved 1990 set is boring, but NOPE. ’92 takes the cake. Just silver squares and Times New Roman font and that’s freakin’ it. They threw a rando red line in the nameplate for…well, I don’t actually know TBH. Try and squeeze a droplet of joy out of these things. I dare you. There was a time when this was my favorite of the first three “silver sets” of the Leaf timeline, but I guess the rampant overproduction has finally worn me down. 1990 for life.

This is also the last time we’d get the classic Leaf script logo which has returned with a vengeance in recent years.

1992 Leaf #392 Black Gold

I feel like they could have put that design in just about any other color and they would have been more interesting. The gold foil helps, too. Not a bad parallel here.

Speaking of color:

2019 Leaf National Convention 1992 Design #TN-33

2019 Leaf National Convention 1992 Design #TN-33
Blue Refractor #/20

2019 Leaf National Convention 1992 Design #TN-33
Purple Refractor #/10

2019 Leaf National Convention 1992 Design #TN-33
Red Refractor #/2

How easy was that?

By the way, I love when any brand does this. Shiny, refractive, multicolored re-imaginings of classic cards we're already intimately familiar with ('specially purple ones) are some of my favorite modern cards. I just cannot get enough of them. I even shelled out a pretty penny for that #/2 red because it is awesome. Gold star for Leaf.

1992 Leaf Preview #24

They skipped Junior in the previous year’s preview set, but he’s back for ’92. Also the previews this year were more plentiful than ever before (they were seeded in ’92 Donruss factory sets of which they probably produced like 900,000 – again the concept of planned scarcity was not yet in their playbook), so they’re not expensive.

1992 Leaf Preview Black Gold #24

They even previewed the parallel. They were still exciting back then. Again, not expensive! Go get ‘em…

Here are the cards I still need from 1991 Leaf, 1992 Leaf, 2017 Leaf History of Baseball, and 2019 Leaf The National:

2019 Leaf National Convention 1992 Design #TN-33 Pink Refractor #/7
2019 Leaf National Convention 1992 Design #TN-33 Green Refractor #/4

1991 and 1992 are complete (that's easy), but there is a pair of colorways I am still on the hunt for from last year's National set. There may or may not also be a 1/1 (I'd be surprised if there wasn't), but these are all the colors I can find references for online.

The same goes for the 2017 History of Baseball acetates in the 1991 design. I assume there are more, but what are they?

I do indeed like the 1990 set (everybody does, it seems), but I am not wild about the ’91 and ’92 sets (though I will always make exceptions for colored acetate and shiny refractive metal). I wouldn’t really care much for Leaf cards until the glitz and glamour of the glossy, befoiled ’93 set. And the ’95 set remains one of my favorite sets of cards to this day. Leaf did get better, and they've been rocking it just in the past few years as well. Overall I’m glad they managed to trudge through these two relatively forgettable years because Leaf turned out pretty darn good in the long-run.

Thanks for reading.

Before we even get started I feel I should come out and admit that I should not make this post because I do not have enough information about 2007 Upper Deck Spectrum to do so, but I’m doin’ it anyway because I am incorrigible. Being that there is no Baseballcardpedia article or set details in general on any of my favorite online card databases, every bit of set knowledge you will see here was gleaned by me personally from the handful of cards I have, multiple incomplete online sources, and one overpriced sealed pack I bought online which I will be busting later in this post.

What I’m saying is that the information in this post may or may not be 100% correct, but it’s as close as I can reasonably get. Don’t let that worry you, though. I am incredibly anal about stuff like this, and I think I got most of it right.

The Base Set

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum has a 170 card base set with a heavy focus on rookies. In fact base cards #101-150 are an autographed subset called Rookie Signatures. That suggests to me a challenging base set build with 120 base cards and 50 autographs. The base set also comes in multiple Die-Cut parallels including Red, Gold #/99, Jersey Number #/varied, and Blue Autograph #/5. There may or may not be a 1/1 parallel, but I haven’t seen one.

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum #59

The design is actually pretty damn cool for a foilboard which is not always the case. They all use angles, shading, and shadow effects that produce a reasonably believable 3D effect that makes it look like the player is standing in the corner of a holofoil hall of mirrors. They look really cool.

The back is simple to the extreme, and features as many years of stats as they could reasonably fit onto the card. Can’t really fault them for that. The focus of this set was always the 2 autos per box and the myriad relics and numbered cards, so no complaints, really.

Junior’s base card may or may not have also come in one of multiple parallels, including but not limited to:

Die-Cut Red #/99
Die-Cut Gold #/99
Die-Cut Jersey Number #/24
Die-Cut Blue Autograph #/5

And they look like this:

I have seen none of the Griffeys for these these, but I have no reason to believe they don’t exist. If anyone has any to show I’d love some scans.

The Inserts

Here are ALL the inserts of 2007 Upper Deck Spectrum (even Griffeyless):

Aligning the Stars Triple Jersey Relics #/99
Aligning the Stars Triple Jersey Relics Gold
Cal Ripken Jr Road to the Hall
Cal Ripken Jr Road to the Hall Gold #/99,
Cal Ripken Jr Road to the Hall Autographs #/5
Grand Slamarama
Rookie Retrospectrum
Rookie Retrospectrum Red #/99
Rookie Retrospectrum Signatures Autographs #/199
Season Retrospectrum
Season Retrospectrum Red #/99
Season Retrospectrum Signatures Autographs Blue #/25
Shining Star Signatures #/99 (image on ebay)
Spectrum of Stars Signatures Autographs
Swatches Jersey Relics #/199
Swatches Jersey Relics Gold #/75
Swatches Jersey Relics Patch #/50
Swatches Jersey Relics Signature Autographs Patch #/25
Super Swatches Quad Jersey Relic #/50

Junior almost certainly does not have cards in Rookie Retrospectrum, Spectrum of Stars Autographs, or Cal Ripken Jr Road to the Hall based on title/theme alone. There is, however, a very good chance he is in pretty much every other insert. And he is most definitely in these next three:

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Season Retrospectrum
#SR-KG

All the cool 3-D perspective tricks I love about the base design are amplified here. It looks like Junior is standing in a small room with TV’s along all the walls like Neo in the source when that one dude is all:

The white/holofoil combo works, and the refraction is so strong that every scan appears to come out different.

ALSO 2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Season
Retrospectrum #SR-KG

This is the very same card you saw a few photos up but from a different scan. I was reviewing scans for this very post when I came upon this extra one and thought it must be a parallel, but after a bunch of time wasted researching a blue parallel of this card, none apparently exist. There is an autographed parallel of this insert that has a blue background, but that one is much darker and, you know, autographed.

Grand Slamarama #GS-KG

This card is pretty much the impetus for this whole post. I’d seen it on social media and in eBay auctions a few times, but it was always just a hair out of my grasp until recently when it cracked the Top 10 of my annual Top 30 Griffey Acquisitions of the year list. The checklist is easy enough to find online, but the insertion ratio continues to elude me.

The cards themselves are heavily die-cut plastic substrate with a blurry 3D effect in the green/blue backdrop. The top and bottom was left flat which helps storage and condition a lot. I suspect that is why all three specimens graded by PSA received a grade of 10. The thickness of the card probably helps keep the condition in check as well.

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Swatches Jersey Relic #SSW-KG #/199

The relic cards keep the 3-D angle designs and even incorporate them into the shape of the relic, but apart from that they’re pretty standard relic cards. The fact that he has a Swatches insert card at all suggests to me that he also has cards in all the Swatches parallels, including a patch and a patch auto.

Here’s all the inserts of 2007 Spectrum that could potentially have Griffeys including the ones that we KNOW he does:

Grand Slamarama #GS-KG
Season Retrospectrum
Season Retrospectrum Red #/99
Season Retrospectrum Signatures Autographs Blue #/25
Shining Star Signatures #/99
Swatches Jersey Relics #SSW-KG #/199
Swatches Jersey Relics Gold #/75
Swatches Jersey Relics Patch #/50
Swatches Jersey Relics Signature Autographs Patch #/25

I’ve seen a Shining Star Signature of the Kid, so go ahead and count that as a definite as well. The rest are anybody’s guess, but odds are good he’s got card in all these inserts.

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Shining Star Signatures Autograph #SS-KG #/99 (not mine)

Which gives us a prospective list of those Griffeys I would need to complete the set if he does indeed have cards in all of them:

Die-Cut Red #/99
Die-Cut Gold #/99
Die-Cut Jersey Number #/24
Die-Cut Blue Autograph #/5
Aligning the Stars Triple Jersey Relics #/99
Aligning the Stars Triple Jersey Relics Gold
Season Retrospectrum #SR-KG Red #/99
Season Retrospectrum #SR-KG Signatures Autograph Blue #/25
Shining Star Signatures #/99
Swatches Jersey Relics Gold #/75
Swatches Jersey Relics Patch #/50
Swatches Jersey Relics Signature Autographs Patch #/25
Super Swatches Quad Jersey Relic #/50

It’s possible Junior does not have a card in the Aligning the Stars insert or a Quad relic, but He probably does. I’d also bet heavy he’s included in all the die-cut base parallels, all the Swatches parallels, and the two Season Retrospectrum parallels (including the auto).

Hey, lookie what I have here:

I bought this specifically to get the insertion ratios off of the back. Finally, some answers. Let’s take a look!

Oops – must be under the flap.

O.....kay, so they gave us nothing in terms of what cards you could pull and what the odds were. Well, at least we can bust the pack and hopefully pull something cool. Maybe one of those Griffey autos. Here goes nothing:

Ugh. FINE, 2007 Spectrum. Keep your secrets.

With such an apparently prolific showing, it’s a wonder there aren’t more examples of 2007 Spectrum Griffeys online. It’s probably to do with the fact that all but a couple are serial-numbered to 99 or less. That is also one of the reasons I suspect Grand Slamarama to be a case hit insert with comparable sub-100 scarcity.

But like almost everything in this post, I can’t prove it. This has been more or less all guesses, so none of this matters.

Sorry fam.

Somewhere far, far away from my wheelhouse lives 2014 Upper Deck whose hockey cards are second to none. You may be thinking what does a southern boy 500 miles from the nearest team know about hockey? And you’d be right – I do not know much. But I know cards, and being that I collect T.J. Oshie and St. Louis Blues cards, people do send hockey stuff to me periodically. There’s a little jab at my heart every time I flip through brand new SP and Upper Deck flagship cards with lovely, modern designs and wonder what might kind of stuff they would be giving us if baseball was still, well, in the cards for them.

And yet I am pleased to report that they do still make Griffey cards. Good ones. GREAT ones, even. And somehow one of the best ever.

But let’s start slow:

2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions #89

Not only does Griffey often get a spot in the Goodwin Champions checklist, but the photos used are always on-point. Of course they are often outside of the sphere of his chosen profession (baseball, if you weren’t aware), but they hint at other potential professions he might have excelled in. In the case of this card I am getting a Miami Beach real estate investor vibe. Look at this cat. I want to have lunch with him on the veranda. Maybe split a bottle of white wine. Mixed grill, a little salad, something with avocado – nothing too filling. I call this look “fresh and friendly.”

Still seems a little big, though.


	2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions #89 Mini

That’s better. Somehow they managed to fit a little bit more of the picture onto this card (probably the proportions), but otherwise they’re identical. Great print job on these.

2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions
#89 Mini Green Lady Luck Back

Now is a good time to mention that Goodwin Champions is as close to a true set of tobacco cards as anything else out there. While many tobacco cards were built around baseball, most were all over the place with things like pole vaulters, boxers, animals, and flowers. Yeah, flowers.

1890 Goodwin & Co Flowers N164

This is a genuine Goodwin tobacco card from 1890 – the real deal. I bought it for two reasons: 1) it deserves a spot in this post and 2) it is just a beautiful little relic. Check out the colorful, detailed printing and total lack of an athlete of any kind. Upper Deck took their direction for Goodwin Champions directly from sets like this one – athletes from every sport, famous Native American chiefs, historical figures, monsters, birds, fish – it’s just a big ol’ natural and cultural bouillabaisse.

Hence the “Lady Luck” tobacco logo back seen on the green minis. The original Goodwin owned several tobacco brands including Gypsy Queen, but Upper Deck couldn’t use that for obvious reasons.

2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Goudey #3

Goudey is an early 20th century bubble gum brand that has been emulated numerous times by the likes of Upper Deck, Topps, and Fleer in the few decades. Upper Deck even released it as its own standalone brand from 2007-2009. It lives on as an insert in Goodwin Champions to this day.

2019 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Goudey

The design has changed a lot since the ‘30’s, so it’s really only a tribute to the original Goudey set in name, but you can’t argue with my squinty lil’ angel, J-Love. She could Party my, um,…of Five anytime.

The 2014 Griffey's got kind of a roaring twenties design vibe, and it’s a nice enough image of a young, logoless Griffey. The back gives us a decent summation of the Kid’s career, but for the most part it’s not terribly exciting, I feel like this card is more a box to be checked than a truly desirable card.

Overall Goodwin Champions is a lot of fun, and it would eventually become the first set to give us a card for Junior’s son Trey in 2017. When Junior does make an appearance in the base set it’s always a photo we otherwise never would have gotten to see: him playing golf, totally pulling off pastels. or closing on a three-bedroom fixer-upper in Key Biscayne. Damn his life looks fun.

2014 Upper Deck The National #NSCC20

MLB license or no, Upper Deck always seems to have a sizeable presence at The National. Their 2014 giveaway set featured this card of Junior looking buck as hell (he must work out). Seriously look at the size of him – use that itty-bitty bat as a reference. Junior got huge, amiright? And I’m getting a Jamie Foxx vibe, too. This ain’t your daddy’s Griffey.

The VIP’s, on the other hand - they got your daddy’s Griffey:

2014 Upper Deck The National VIP #4

Ahhhh there’s our guy. It’s the same design as the regular National card but with a tinge of simulated gold and a VIP banner. This happened to be the year of Upper Deck’s 25th anniversary, and it all started with good ol’ card #1 back in ’89. It should be no surprise that we got several cards referencing one of the most famous baseball cards of all time. The photo here is obviously from the same session as the original 89UD#1 photo but with a lot more country background to take in.

Speaking of the company’s 25th anniversary, Upper Deck also released a special 150-card set to mark the occasion:

2014 Upper Deck 25th Anniversary #24 (greyscale)

The set featured players from across the spectrum of sport, and being that the 25th anniversary is traditionally marked by silver, we got an ’89 Upper Deck tribute design in silvery greyscale as well as a silver-bordered parallel:

2014 Upper Deck 25th Anniversary #24 (greyscale)
Silver #/250

They opted to give Junior his heritage Mariners uniform number of 24 in lieu of #1 (James Harden got that honor for some reason), but we did get complete lifetime stats as well as the same alternate version of the famous fresh-faced rookie photo from 1989 UD #1.

2014 Upper Deck 25th Anniversary Industry Summit
Promo #UD25-KG

But my personal favorite image is the color version they used on their 2014 Industry Summit promo. Look at this young guy! There are ZERO FLAWS in this photo – the Easton bat most of us totally used in little league, the visible early #24, the gorgeous balance of colors, the flawless print quality. This is my favorite Industry Summit card in history, and I have an autographed 1/1 Industry Summit card.

One wonders if the print quality would hold up if the image was blown up oh, say, 800%?

2014 Upper Deck 25th Anniversary Industry Summit Promo 18" x 25"
Super Jumbo Autograph w/ COA /25 (UDRAK) !

It totally does!

If I really (I mean really) had to pick a desert island Griffey, it would be hard not to pick this one. I mean the Griffey/Mantle dual-auto is amazing, but this one can be used for shelter, kindling, a makeshift table, and I can only assume the frame I put it in would come along to the island, providing even more kindling, rudimentary tools, and glass that protects against UV rays. Not to mention part of that frame would make a decent enough shovel. The wire and mounts could make traps and fishing tackle. I mean there’s probably a dozen or so other uses I can’t even think of right now, but you get my point.

Framed

But the main difference among those of us not currently stranded on a desert island with only a baseball card is scarcity. There are 1000 of the Griffey/Mantle dual auto, but only 25 of the Industry Summit super jumbo. Also the dual auto could be pulled from a pack or pretty easily bought on the secondary market if you’ve got the money. The super jumbo had to be earned.

In 2015 I had the pleasure of receiving this “card” during Upper Deck’s “Random Acts of Kindness” program for prolifically posting my 1989 Upper Deck Griffey rookie as my #walletcard on Twitter and on the blogs. I got lots of shots of the card on a legit Mardi Gras float on Fat Tuesday here in New Orleans, a couple in front of the Aurora Borealis in the Yukon Territory of Canada, and even one with Mr. Belding from Saved by the Bell. There's a ton more you can check out here.

I’ve been slacking on that front recently, though. Oh, and my #walletcard looks like this now:

1989 Upper Deck #1 #walletcard 1/1 :-)

What kind of PSA grade should I expect? Seriously - I want guesses.

No top loader could hold that mega-card, so I opted to have it archivally framed, and there it remains to this day. You can read about that process here.

THAT is one big auto

I acquired this monster Griffey the same year as I got a hold of the 1994 Upper Deck Griffey/Mantle Dual auto, one of the most legendary baseball cards of all time. And yet when I put together my Top Griffey Acquisitions of the year list for 2015, it was the 2014 super jumbo that landed at #1. I’ve also been mulling over a Top Griffey Acquisitions of the Decade list, and to this day there is still no other card that could take that top spot. We will check again when the decade actually ends on December 31st, 2020.

And in case you were wondering – yes, Magicpapa has it. But if you want one, someone is selling theirs on eBay right now for $5000. Better hurry.

Hey, other UDRAK beneficiaries - don't do this...

Here are all the Griffeys I still need from 2014 Upper Deck:

#89 Mini Green Blank Back
#89 Mini Canvas /99
#89 Mini Red Foil Magician Back #/14
#89 Mini Gold Rainbow Presidential Back 1/1
#89 Mini Printing Plate 1/1
Autographs #A-KG (1:1280)
Goudey #3 Autograph (1:4800)
Sport Royalty Autograph #SRA-KG (1:2855)
2014 Upper Deck 25th Anniversary #24 (greyscale) Autograph /25

I suppose I could sell the super jumbo and use the funds to buy the rest of the 2014 Upper Deck Griffeys, but also are ya nuts? If someone were to hold this one giant Griffey card hostage, I would trade every post-2000 Griffey card I have to get it back. Pre-2000….well, I’d have to think about it.

___________________________________________

Quick note: One of my non-card-collecting buddies reads this blog (just because I write it – isn’t that sweet?), and remarked that I only write posts about sets for which I have some super-crazy-rare Griffey card or cards. My response to this was “Well, of course I do.” If I’m going to put together a post about the Griffeys from a certain set, the idea is to provide as much information about that set and those Griffeys as possible. There are numerous sets of cards that I would love to write about but can’t because I simply don’t have enough of the cards. I’m not saying I need to have EVERY GRIFFEY to make the post (it’s pretty rare that I have them all), but I should have enough that I can cover most of the set or at least hit all the high points.

Anyway, it was my buddy’s point that I am just using the blog as a platform to brag about my cards. And yeah, I guess his point is valid. This very post is a prime example of that. I am super proud of my totally rockin' Griffey cards; but I tend to write posts about sets I am currently excited about, and I tend to get excited about sets when I finally track down their most challenging cards. This is by design, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

As it has always been, if you want me to cover a certain set/sets, just let me know. I’ll do just about any set by request whether I have all the Griffeys or not. My recent 1998 Pinnacle Epix post was by request, and I am far from complete on that thing. Recently someone asked me to do one about some late-90’s Bowman, and now that one is currently sitting in draft mode awaiting scans. I do what I’m told.

Also I’d like to mention that I know several guys whose Griffey collections are way better than mine, and any one of them could almost certainly out-blog me. I would totally read their card blogs, too. But seriously don’t, guys. Don’t. Daddy needs his hobby.

I never really felt like Bowman was for me. Nothing against the set in general, but it always seemed to be marketed more toward the prospector than the Griffey-worshipper. That marketing was never more straightforward than in 1997 when Topps offered collectors the option of a $125 full-set buyback to all but guarantee they were getting their money’s worth out of this year’s crop of blue cards (blue cards were the rookies/prospects).

I was 16 when this set came out, and even then I remember being put off by the direct monetization of the hobby here. I was okay with collectors doing it on the secondary market, but there was just something about the manufacturer being so open about the money-grubbing of some collectors that cheapened the whole experience for me. Is anyone going to be so concerned with whether all those 50 and 75-cent cards are going to add up to enough to make buying packs worthwhile? I don’t care – just give me pictures of the baseball men.

Like if Hooters’ advertising was just about the hot chicks and the food/beer/plethora of big-screen TV’s were all simply an afterthought. Yeah, we all know why people go to Hooters, but it’s a restaurant first and frankly their wings are gross. Plus one time I ordered a half-dozen raw oysters there and DON’T DO THAT.

Anyway a year later I wouldn’t be buying packs at all. I’m not directly blaming 1997 Bowman for that, but it didn’t help.

Bowman made three sets in ’97, and we are going to cover them all here because there are not enough Griffeys in there to justify three separate posts. And I'm maybe a little lazy on the posting front in the first place, so....anyway, here we go.

1997 Bowman #16

This card front has a lot going for it. A bunt shot, a good look at Junior’s signature Nike cleats, and a blurry day-game background crowd to creep on. Add to all that one solid focus tongue, and you have a serious banger on your hands. Possibly the greatest Griffey photo on a Bowman base card. I'm smitten with the fact that they superimposed the top of the photo over the card border. Good-looking card.

Design-wise Bowman was coming off the busy ’95 and’96 designs (the latter of which resembles a Navajo blanket). The ’97 set brought a newfound simplicity that would be Bowman’s hallmark more or less from then on. The red/blue disparity that was only hinted at in earlier designs is front-and-center this year.

These also came in International Foil versions with big ol’ flags in lieu of the stadium crowd. Unfortunately I don’t have that card yet (this post is by request, so I went ahead with it anyway). Anyhoo, spoiler alert: Griffey’s is America, baby. Errrrrybody know what that look like.

More or less like this

That’s it for Junior in the 1997 Bowman flagship set – a base card and its parallel and nothing else. Frankly I have no excuse for not having the flag card yet – it’s not expensive. But I do have a few things that are better…

1997 Bowman Chrome #12

They replaced the black borders with this pinstripe stuff that I can only assume looks amazing as a refractor. Maybe they didn’t think the black would do the refraction justice, but I bet there are some executive samples somewhere of a black-bordered 1997 Bowman Chrome card.

These also came America-flavored with refractor versions of each, but again, they’ve never been super high on the ol’ want list. And refractors have been going crazy price-wise so…meh.

1997 Bowman's Best #1

This, the 4th year of Bowman’s Best, is the worst. While I do like the font they used in the nameplate here (I call it “the Alvin’s Island font”), I get the sense they were shooting to wow us with chrome effects more than they were trying to make good baseball cards. In 1997 that was not unreasonable as chrome was still relatively new. They could afford to be gaudy in the inaugural ’94 set because WOW! CHROME! The simpler designs of ’95 and ’96 were the high-water mark of the brand as a whole, even to this day in this collector’s opinion (though the 2001 Griffey was a damn good base card).

But the ’97 design is just kind of a mess. The peek of foot-level photo background was a strange move. We had gotten a taste of photo background the year before, but it was large, centered, field-shaped, framed in gold chrome, and at body-level. Why did they choose to show us the dirt and grass this year?

I try not to be too complainy in these write-ups, especially since I hardly ever do them anymore (my b), so I’ll just focus on the good, specifically the Alvin’s Island font, and say that it makes me want to go out and buy seashells and airbrushed T-shirts.

These okay-ish base cards also came as a standard refractor and the still-pretty-new Atomic Refractor. They are both reasonably cooler than the regular base card, but no so much so that I’m chomping at the bit to get at them.

1997 Bowman's Best International #BBI2

One of the signature aspects of Bowman is the rookies, and there are a lot of rookies from outside the U.S.; so the flag thing was kind of a no-brainer. It’s pretty cool, too, seeing all those colorful flags in shiny chrome. Colors pop in chromium, so pretty much all the flags look great. Griffey is from America, dammit, so please enjoy some stars and bars in lieu of grass and dirt in this here foot-level inset.

1997 Bowman's Best Cuts #BC6

The Best Cuts insert is more what I would have liked the base card to be, but with some internal die-cutting as pioneered by the previous year’s totally awesome Topps Laser. As is usually the case with unique printing methods, the scan doesn’t really do the card justice. Also the die-cutting here is tiny, detailed, and sharp. You can make it out a lot better in the back.

I don’t have the regular refractor, but I do have the atomic; and let’s be honest - that’s kind of all you need.

1997 Bowman's Best Cuts #BC6 Atomic Refractor

Alvin’s Island font is BACK! Saltwater taffy, anyone?

If you ask me, this is the real prize of 1997 Bowman’s Best – the coolest card, the coolest parallel, and the most difficult pull at 1:96 hobby packs. The numerous other refractors and atomics and be-flagged ’97 Bowman Griffeys are each somehow just a little less cool than this one card; and my already having it is a big part of why I haven’t been knocking out the rest of this year’s Bowman Griffey checklist.

There was a time when I wouldn’t have rested until they were all mine, but let’s be honest, fellas: once you’ve had single malt, there’s no going back to blends. You don’t go back to the carpet store. You go off the grid. You don’t have a social security number for Roy. That’s how the game is played.

Topps seems to agree with me:

2017 Bowman's Best 1997 Best Cuts #97BC-KGJ
Atomic Refractor

The ’97 Bowman’s Best Cuts insert was brought back for its 20th anniversary in 2017. Topps has been cranking out the throwback designs, and I am totally all about it. They did not include the internal die-cutting here which is especially strange as that was kind of the whole shtick of Best Cuts in the first place. Perhaps the technology has been lost or is just too expensive to implement for such an attainable insert, but it shows how popular the ‘97 Best Cuts were that they rehashed the design even without the namesake cuts. Still weird, though.

2017 Bowman's Best 1997 Best Cuts #97BC-KGJ
Refractor

These also came in this regular refractor as well as a Gold Atomic and 1/1 Superfractor but I’m not made of money and also NO CUTS. Meh.

Back to 1997:

Mirror Image #MI5 (w/ three other guys, including
Jose Cruz, Jr. & Andruw Jones)

I am utterly indifferent about this particular insert for myriad reasons, the biggest of which is the fact that that one dude is on there and get on outta here with all that mess thank you very much. Andruw Jones and Jose Cruz, Jr. are okay by me, but come on. I mean really.

Add to that the fact that there are so many versions of this damn thing, half of which are utterly indefensible. You’ve got the regular, the Refractor, and the Atomic Refractor. Fine. This is all fine.

Then you have this “Inverted” gobbledy-gook and the two refractors that go along with those. That’s SIX versions of a card I’m not crazy about to begin with. The design isn’t even too bad – frankly it’s a fun way to make a multi-player card that incorporates the layout of the regular base design. It’s just…ugh…that one guy. And the paragraph of legalese on both sides. Man, don’t make me buy all these things.

‘90’s refractors are all exploding in value these days, but these are still pretty affordable. And I STILL don’t want them. Jason Vass is right. Barry Bonds cards belong in the trash.

1997 Bowman's Best Previews #BBP-2

I saved a preview card for last because I did not want to end with a card that includes he-who-shall-not-be-named. These were seeded into packs of 1997 Bowman flagship and appear to be more common than the regular cards they were previewing. This is rather a bigger deal than it ought to be as the previews also came in refractors, both atomic and regular, so you could potentially have all of Junior’s base cards in all their rarest forms without actually having them. In fact odds are in favor of this being the case.

Here are all the Griffeys I need from all three 1997 Bowman brands as of this writing (it's a lot):

1997 Bowman #16 International
1997 Bowman Chrome #12 International
1997 Bowman Chrome #12 Refractor
1997 Bowman Chrome #12 International Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best BBP2 Preview
1997 Bowman’s Best BBP2 Preview Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best BBP2 Preview Atomic Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best #1 Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best #1 Atomic Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best #1 Jumbo
1997 Bowman’s Best #1 Jumbo Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best #1 Jumbo Atomic Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best #BBI2 International Best Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best #BBI2 International Best Atomic Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best Best Cuts #BC6 Refractor
1997 Bowman’s Best Mirror Image #MI5 Refractor (w/ Barry Bonds, Jose Cruz, Jr., Andruw Jones)
1997 Bowman’s Best Mirror Image #MI5 Atomic Refractor (w/ Barry Bonds, Jose Cruz, Jr., Andruw Jones)
1997 Bowman’s Best Mirror Image #MI5 Inverted (w/ Barry Bonds, Jose Cruz, Jr., Andruw Jones)
1997 Bowman’s Best Mirror Image #MI5 Inverted Refractor (w/ Barry Bonds, Jose Cruz, Jr., Andruw Jones)
1997 Bowman’s Best Mirror Image #MI5 Inverted Atomic Refractor (w/ Barry Bonds, Jose Cruz, Jr., Andruw Jones)

I feel like a negative Nelly after writing that last bit, so I’ll end with all the good stuff about the Griffeys of 1997 Bowman.

The flagship base card is nice, the flags look amazing in chromium, and of course those lovely atomic refractors. Also it's nice to see new inserts being produced based on old classics like Best Cuts. Okay, that's it.

Thanks for reading!

It follows that when there are two competitors in a market there will be a certain amount of…well, I don’t want to say copying. Let’s say timely mirroring of each other’s products. One company makes a high-end throwback set with painted images and nice borders, the other does the same thing soon after.

When Topps came out with their high-end throwback Turkey Red in 2005, Upper Deck followed suit in 2007 with UD Masterpieces. While Topps’ design is based on a real set of cards from the turn of the century (Um, the one before last. Haven’t had to qualify that much. Feels weird.), Upper Deck’s is a completely original design that is both classic and modern. I get and respect what Topps did with Turkey Red, but personally I’m a Masterpieces guy all the way.

There’s not a lot to complain about with UD Masterpieces. Maybe the fact that it has a small checklist – only 90 cards. Maybe the fact that some of the paintings aren’t as photo-realistic as you would like to see. Maybe the massive spectrum of colored border parallels and one-of-ones. Whatever issue you have with this set is simply not enough to keep you from loving it.

Let’s do this quick because if you are reading a baseball card blog right now, odds are you’ve held and probably owned Masterpieces cards before, so you already know about this set’s high-end paper stock with canvas texture, perfectly-executed foil embellishments and nameplate, incredible imagery, iconic checklist of current and retired legends, and beautiful card backs. I don’t need to remind you of any of this.

Okay, Griffeytime:

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces #29

Just a really cool image of the Kid having just launched one deep into right field. There’s a great sense of balance and power in the way Junior is carrying himself here, like he just did something effortless and he is already stepping towards first on a leisurely trot around the bases. This is a warrior pose if there ever was one on a baseball card. Oh, and look sharp, Adam Dunn fans – your boy has a sweet background cameo on this one.

The blurb is okay, but it seems to harken back to a brighter day. It’s not negative in any way, but as a bitterly defensive Griffey guy, I’m getting a real “What have you done for me lately?” vibe from this one.

Upper Deck more than made up for that dubious blurb by giving Junior not one but TWO cards in the base set:

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces #45

Hey, a Mariners card in 2007? Cards had come out before that still showed Junior in a Seattle jersey but listed his team as the Reds (mostly in 2000), but this is the first that appears to be a true Mariners card long before he signed back with them in 2009. Cards like that are a dime a dozen now that he’s retired and the M’s his obvious heritage team, but back in 2007 when he was active and with the Reds it was pretty uncommon.

Check out Junior’s feet here - he looks poised for a long throw just as soon as that ball hits his glove. It’s also nice to see him actually use those expensive sunglasses for once. I enjoy the ball hanging right above the brand name here as well as the way the outfield wall frames the photo. A thoughtfully-assembled card. The only issue I can spot is that the fielding shot on this card front matches the back of the other base card a lot better as it talks about Junior’s gold gloves and is even titled “Griffey sensational in center.” Maybe the epically under-used pile-up shot from the 1995 ALCS win would have worked better here.

This blurb is a huge improvement, recounting a specific memory (albeit from 12 years ago) instead of facts that show what a great player Junior “used to be.” Outta here with that, UD.

I have exactly four of the numerous parallels that these cards come in. I usually include this list at the end of a post, but for this set I’m going to show it now because it’s pretty crazy. Here are all the Griffeys I still need from 2007 UD Masterpieces:

#29 Black Linen #/99
#29 Deep Blue Linen #/75
#29 Pinot Red #/75
#29 Blue Steel #/50
#29 Hades #/50
#29 Ionised #/50
#29 Rusted #/50
#29 Artist’s Proof 1/1
#29 Bronze Ore 1/1
#29 Celestial Blue 1/1
#29 Persian Blue Linen 1/1
#29 Red Linen 1/1
#29 Urban Gray 1/1
#29 Printing Plate 1/1 (set of four)
#45 Green Linen
#45 Black Linen #/99
#45 Serious Black #/99
#45 Deep Blue Linen #/75
#45 Pinot Red #/75
#45 Blue Steel #/50
#45 Hades #/50
#45 Ionised #/50
#45 Rusted #/50
#45 Artist’s Proof 1/1
#45 Bronze Ore 1/1
#45 Celestial Blue 1/1
#45 Persian Blue Linen 1/1
#45 Red Linen 1/1
#45 Urban Gray 1/1
#45 Printing Plate 1/1 (set of four)
Box Topper 5x7 Painting
Box Topper 5x7 Painting Signed #MP-2
Box Topper 5x7 Painting Signed #MP-18
Captured on Canvas #CC-KG
Captured on Canvas #CC-KG Bronze 1/1
Captured on Canvas #CC-KG Forest Green 1/1
Stroke of Genius Signatures #SG-KG
Stroke of Genius Signatures #SG-KG Windsor Green
Stroke of Genius Signatures #SG-KG Printing Plate 1/1 (set of four)

Yikes. For those who weren’t counting, that would be twenty-six 1/1’s. Even leaving those out, this is a very difficult rainbow to complete for any player, but I’m certain they look amazing all paged up together. So I put out a call to my fellow Griffey freaks, and wouldn't you know it? Somebody has put some $erious effort into this set. Brace yourself as you behold the 2007 UD Masterpieces collection of the great Rick Seifert:

Bananas, man. The Griffey game is not for the faint of heart. You gotta want it. Also it helps to be actively collecting when a set like this comes out. You're a legend, Rick.

Now even Rick will tell you that the different parallels of this set are notoriously difficult to tell apart. More on this in a moment. Here are the comparably unimpressive parallels I have:

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces #29 Green Linen

This card actually looks great framed in dark green. Okay, I’m sold.

2017 Upper Deck Masterpieces #29 Windsor Green

Wait just a minute…

Windsor Green (L, I think) and Green Linen (R, maybe?)

So I bought these on COMC a few years ago, and I remember when they came in I thought there must be some kind of mistake. The cards are identical. I’ve compared the frames with each other at close range, and under magnification. I’ve set them face down and side-by-side looking for some indicator on the backs that reflect a difference, but nothing.

Eventually I was told the difference is that one border has a slight canvas texturing to it. I mean, kinda? Weird choice, UD.

BTW, the backs are all identical to the base card save for the numbered parallels of which I have only one:

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces #29 Serious Black #/99

Sneaky Harry Potter reference, Upper Deck. Pretty clever for a bunch of muggles.

You can kind of see the blackness of the border in the scan, but it pops mightily in person. These parallel border colors get pretty pricey, too, even the unnumbered ones. I think a lot of folks try to rainbow this set, and I don't blame them. Thing's a banger.

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces #45 Windsor Green

Or is it Green Linen?

The fact that Griffey collectors going for the rainbow also had to chase TWO of each border color is kind of cruel, but I'm 100% certain a binder page loaded with multicolored borders is damn satisfying.

If there was ever a set of cards that was a tribute to baseball cards in general, it would be this one. Like if they wanted a set of cards to include in the Voyager spacecraft along with Carl Sagan’s engraved steel naked people plate and gold-plated record of the sounds of Earth - something to be sent out beyond the Solar System that will appropriately introduce our species to whatever intelligent life may find it. Yeah, Masterpieces, of course.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, Upper Deck did it all over again in 2008 with a second year of Masterpieces that’s just as good as the first and with the addition of gold foil fleur-de-lis in the border design. I’ll put that post together when I think of a few new superlatives about how wonderful it is.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this brand was Collector’s Choice first, and it was awesome then. UD Choice is alright, but it didn’t even approach the coolness of its predecessor. There are a few highlights here; but to be frank if you go into this expecting Collector’s Choice-level quality and appeal, you will be disappointed. Also there will be cans. Yes, plural canS. Get comfy.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice #142

Being such a big fan of Collector’s Choice I feel a certain loyalty to that brand that is making me want to spurn the change and find every fault I possibly can with UD Choice so I can air it all out here. However, I am happy to report that Junior’s base card here is good enough that it’s hard for me to take that negative road right now. Like if your Mom divorced your Dad and started dating some rando you’ve never met, and he actually turns out to be a pretty decent guy who busts packs with you and takes you to Applebee’s and stuff. I want to resent you, UD Choice, but you’re making it pretty hard.

So yeah, this is a pretty nice base card. Bright and attractive, cool nameplate, and I love this shot of Junior only a split-second into a monster swing. And the back reminds me of Fleer’s late-80’s/early-90’s feng shui game where they give you everything you could ever want on the back of a card – full stats, color photo, a meaningful blurb, and TWO trivia questions with answers. Some solid engineers at Upper Deck in 1999.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice #142 Preview

Upper Deck must have made thousands of these Preview cards because they are about as easy to find as the regular base cards which is not always the case. It is literally no different from the regular card apart from that little foil “Preview” at the top (the back is 100% identical), but you need one if you’re going to complete your Griffeys here.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice #142 Prime Choice Reserve Jumbo

There is a #/100 parallel of the base set called “Prime Choice Reserve” (which sounds more like what they might call the $40 filet at Outback than a card parallel) that features the parallel name repeated in the background along with sparkly holofoil bits embedded right in the surface of the card. They are scarce and pricey, so I don’t have any. What I do have, though, is one of these 5x7 jumbo versions of a Prime Choice Reserve card only without the sparkly bits.

The Prime Choice Reserve parallel cards look like this:

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice #142 Prime Choice Reserve & #37 Cover Glory Prime Choice Reserve

Shout-out to Michael Rudolph, owner of these two lil' monsters of Griffeydom.

There is also a “Blow-Up” 5x7 version of Junior’s two base cards, presumably without the “Prime Choice Reserve” words in the background as mine has. I’ve never seen either of them for sale anywhere, and I’m beginning to wonder if they exist at all. It may be that the non-sparkly Prime Choice Reserve jumbos are all there is. If anyone has a non-Prime Choice Reserve “Blow-up,” please hol'atchaboy.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice #37 Cover Glory

Junior’s other base card kinda resembles a magazine cover. About the most magazine-esque thing about this card is the title font. I suspect they were going for gold with that background color, but what they ended up with is summer squash which no magazine would every choose, not even Summer Squash Monthly. Another great card back, though.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice Draw Your Own
Card Contest Card

Griffey is on it, so it counts! Thirty-one winners were chosen and appeared as an insert in 2000 Upper Deck MVP. I like how Upper Deck didn’t specify Griffey must be the subject here – it just says “one baseball player,” which says to me the kids could have chosen Rube Waddell and UD would have accepted it. Griffeymania being in full swing the way it was, he ended up with four cards in the resulting set (fewer than Mark McGwire – grrrr). My personal favorite is “Lightning RAGE!” because come on. Lightning RAGE!

Now is a good time to bring up the cans. In addition to regular packs there were also two types of cans to be had: Superstar and Record Breakers. Both featured Griffey and included their own exclusive insert. The Record Breakers can seems to be at least a little more scarce than the Superstar one.

I have both versions sealed with the cards still inside. I don't know why I still have them as they take up a lot of space which is kind of the problem with cans full of cards in the first place, but you know the collector bug. She is a bitey bitch.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice Grand Slam Record
Breakers #G3

This insert which appeared only in the Record Breakers cans is about as Upper-Deckian as they come – modern design and fonts with plenty of lines for the sake of lines. Being that these rattled around in cans by design, they pretty much all have soft corners and edges. And I hope you like it because you’re going to see it at least two more times in this very set.

As for the theme of Grand Slams, you can forget it. This insert is about home runs and home runs only. I don’t know why they even bothered with the insert title here – not one Grand Slam stat on the whole card.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice Opening Season
Superstars #S1

These were exclusive to the Superstar cans and as you can see are more or less identical to the Grand Slam Record Breakers insert. And that’s not all…

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice Homerun Heroes #H1

These were exclusive to retail packs and again not terribly different from the comparable can-exclusive inserts. This being a time before sites like eBay and COMC, to get all three you had to buy both types of cans as well as retail packs, and you probably had to buy a whole lot of all those. Very sneaky, Upper Deck.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice Mini Bobble Head #B27

This is the kind of insert that would have been right at home in a set like Fun Pack. I haven’t had the heart to break this particular one apart, but I did assemble one for a player I didn't particularly care for. If you are wondering how well this little cardboard head actually bobbles, the verdict is “not that well.” Oh, and heads up: the answer to that trivia question is on nearly every other card in 1999 UD Choice.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice StarQuest #SQ1 Green, Red, Blue

This is the second year of StarQuest which first appeared in 1998 Collectors Choice – the big difference this year is that it uses colors instead of printing effects to signal rarity. We would see this insert twice more – once in 2008 and again (and more prolifically than ever) in two sets in 2009, all with both color and printing effects to reflect rarity.

1999 StarQuest was seeded one-per-pack with the green coming up every 9 packs and the much rarer red every 23. There is also a gold version that is numbered out of only 100 which is pretty scarce for a ‘90’s parallel (and the prices reflect that). I wouldn’t mind finishing the rainbow off, but I’m not in any hurry. Plus to save up the money I would probably need to afford it, I would probably have to, say, give up smoothies for five years. I’m just not willing to do that.

But if you really want to seeing one:

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice StarQuest
#SQ1 Gold #/100

Thanks to Joe Lagreca for this image of his damn beautiful and highly enviable specimen.

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice Yard Work #Y25

At 1:13 this is only the third-rarest Griffey to be had in 1999 UD Choice (the three rarest are all parallels), but if you ask me it’s the best Griffey in the set. We get a shot of Griffey just hammering the piss out of a pitch over a lovely green-tinted background and beside a large, stylized insert title/nameplate. It looks nothing like a Collector’s Choice insert.

Here are the Griffeys I still need from 1999 UD Choice:

#142 Prime Choice Reserve #/100
#37 Cover Glory Prime Choice Reserve #/100
Star Quest Gold #/100
Blow-Up 5x7 Jumbo #1

The best pull you could have gotten from 1999 UD Choice was Eddie Murray’s card from the Upper Deck A Piece of History 500HR Club. While I would love one of these (Eddie Murray is a boss), one of those #/100 Griffeys would be pretty sweet, too.

So about those cans....

I don't need them, I'm not interested in storing them, and if I sold one that had one of the big three Griffey pulls or the Murray 500HR Club, I would kick myself, so here we are. Come along on this journey with me, won't you?

What am I hoping to pull? A Starquest Gold #/100 would be my druthers. Either Prime Choice Reserve would also make my pack (um, can) busting career. Do I have the touch?

TWO Sosa's. Ugh. And look at the hack job on that insert on the right. Geez, guys.

Let's do this:

Okay, pair of Hall of Famers. Not terrible. I really like that Ripken. Not bust-out-the-can-opener love it, but it's something.

Alright pack #2 - last chance. Let's see that shiny-shiny!

ANOTHER Ramon Martinez? C'mon man.

Here are some individual scan of those StarQuest cards:

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice StarQuest #SQ1 Blue (1:1)

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice StarQuest #SQ1 Green (1:9)

1999 Upper Deck UD Choice StarQuest #SQ1 Blue (1:23)

Thanks for reading.

It’s hard to get excited about every single brand that popped up in the early 2000’s, especially when the set was made by Fleer. Nothing against them – they churned out above-average inserts at an almost Pacific-level pace for years – but it seems the word “overkill” is not in their corporate dictionary. In 2002 alone Fleer flooded the market with no fewer than fourteen different products. Only Topps made more.

So you can’t really blame collectors when sets like this one fall by the wayside and into obscurity, or designs all blur together to the point of relative meaninglessness. There was a time when there were only four TV stations, too, and everybody watched the same few shows. They all had opinions about them and could talk about them with any other TV viewer without missing a beat. “Doby Gillis was on point last night. Bob Denver got jokes.” Now that there are hundreds of stations and thousands of shows, most conversations start with “Hey, have you seen any of these six things?” and end abruptly at “Oh, I don’t have time for that. I’m watching these twelve other things.” That must have been what collecting was like in 2002.

So the question at this time was “What sets this particular set apart from the rest?” Well, some unique die-cutting and the introduction of the first manufactured relic are the two hallmarks of 2002 Fleer Focus et cetera (I am not typing that whole thing every time). That’s two more things than most sets from this era of glut can say they gave the world.

Here’s the base card:

2002 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition #84

Looks like they were going for different, and they more or less got it. The border and picture flow in and out of one another with the nameplate separated by the team/position below. And I suspect that’s the wordiest logo ever committed to cardboard: “Fleer Focus Jersey Edition MLB 2002” (fine I'll type it all one more time). That’s thirty letters in six words. Upper Deck probably made something longer, but this one remains quite impressive.

As for the photo, it’s a standard fielding shot complete with flipped-up shades. It does that body outline thing we’ve seen on previous Fleer Focus base cards. The background is a little ho-hum as I guess we’re supposed to “focus” on the player image here, but that’s still an awful lot of negative space. Luckily it’s broken up by the green of the field.

The back is the saving grace here with a big, beautiful stat box, small portrait, and Mr. Red himself repping Cincy with gusto. Fleer always did know their way around a card back.

2002 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition Kings of Swing #5

Here is some of that unique die-cutting I was talking about. It appears to be a crown shape to go along with the “Kings” aspect of the insert and the Fleer logo. Again we have a lot of white with some slight team-colored tinting in the background. There’s also an awful lot of negative space between the nameplate and insert name that is just begging for an auto parallel, but apart from that this is not a bad-looking card.

2002 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition Materialistic #10 Away

Here is the dubious crown jewel of 2002 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition: the first manufactured relic. What Fleer gave us here is a large swatch of non-relic fabric complete with a cloth-printed player image. I do like the finished product here, but I have to feel bad for the kids who pulled one and thought they had a jumbo swatch. I’m sure there were more than a few.

This card is ahead of its time in the same way that the guy who took the first selfie was ahead of his time. Some people love selfies, and some shake their head. I tend to understand both sides – there have been some cool manu-relics in the past few years. Like them or not, this is where they began.

2002 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition Materialistic #10 Away Jumbo

Hot damn, it’s a big one! It’s the same basic card, sure, but again there’s something about the player image artfully printed on fabric that I really like.

I have all the common Griffeys from this set – everything else I need is a serial-numbered parallel. I'm not bananas about this set, so I'm in no hurry here. Here are the Griffeys I need from 2002 FFJE:

#84 Century #/130
#84 Jersey #/30
Materialistic #10 Home #/50
Materialistic #10 Home Jumbo #/50

I have to wonder if someone at Fleer thought they were giving something substantial to the collecting community with this set. I can’t imagine anyone is standing around their LCS in 2020 saying, “Topps and Panini are doing an OK job, but you know who really got it right? 2002 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition, man. THOSE were the cards.” Like many, many sets from this era, this is more a page from cardboard’s past than from its history.

Studio is to the Pinnacle brands what Gallery is to Topps; and if you’re as big a Gallery fan as I am, you probably like Studio, too. Typically as a brand evolves you see a shift in the general theme of the set, but that didn’t happen quite as much with Studio. Even in 1998, seven years after their inaugural set, the focus is still very much on the portrait, even going so far as to include a set of Glamour Shots-style 8x10’s. It shouldn’t be that big a deal that a set is able to stick with a theme for so long, but it is.

And since this set came out in 1998, there are plenty of inserts, parallels, samples, and variations to talk about. Let’s dig in…

1998 Studio #112

There are Studio designs I like better than this, but not many. And while I like this backwards-cap photo, I am positively smitten with the Swingman logo on Junior’s …shirt? Would you call that a shirt? Anyway it’s baddass.

One thing Studio began doing not long into their timeline is ditch paying for portrait studio time and start being selective within the pool of existing photos. I always assumed it got cost-prohibitive to get every player in the checklist to a photo studio to take pictures, so I really don’t blame Donruss for the change. In fact I appreciate the creativity and relatively high standards in their photo selection.

The card back is fairly standard with that characteristically-Studio total lack of stat box in favor of a bit of inside information on the player. Here we get an anecdote about how Ken, Sr. first taught Junior to beware the path of pride which is the very lesson Hrothgar taught Beowulf after he defeated Grendel and Grendel’s mother. After this Beowulf went on to become king of the Geats, and Griffey went on to hit 56 home runs in 1997; so you know it’s got to be a pretty valuable lesson.

1998 Studio #112 Studio Proof Silver /1000

Now THAT is a freakin’ parallel! You hear me, every other card brand in history? THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE. You want me to blow reams of my hard-earned scrilla on pack after pack of your product so I can land your little parallel? Well I’m not quite as willing to do that if said parallel is as boring as doing your taxes. I don’t want tiny stamps or little circles of foil, guys – I want centimeter after square centimeter of retina-blistering holofoil. This is the most common parallel in this set and completely lacking in die-cutting, and it’s still better than 80% of the parallels that have ever been made. God bless you 1998 Studio Press Proof. You get it.

1998 Studio 8x10 Portraits #19

Here is a big, giant version of that base card. They did us a service by tweaking the photos on the front and back at least a little bit. That doesn’t seem like that big a move, but the way photos are reused and recycled these days even across different inserts within the same set, having different photos here is a treat.

I even have an autographed version:

I have no clue who autographed it, but I’m very, very proud of it I think or whatever I guess and stuff. VERY-ish.

1998 Studio Chase Checklist

The unnumbered checklists use the same design as the base cards and 8x10’s but with different photography and a surprisingly attractive back. Pretty darn nice as checklists go. Strong B+.

1998 Studio Chase Checklist Studio Proof Silver /1000

Here’s more of that sweet, sweet Press Proof sugar – or as I’m going to start calling it, “God’s own parallel.” Look upon it, ye boring-ass mid-90’s Stadium Club First Day Issues, and despair.

1998 Studio Chase Checklist Studio Proof Gold #/300

The gold is over three times as rare and yet I still like the silver better. The only real difference is that fact that the gold was serial numbered in holofoil.

Bruh – EVEN THE SERIAL NUMBERS ARE IN HOLOFOIL.

Damn right.

Now according to Baseballcardpedia, there is also a set of Executive Proofs of which 300 were produced for each player. It seems these were backdoored after Pinnacle went belly-up. The cards are identical to the gold Studio Proofs but numbered “XXX/300.” I have zero of these, but I do kind of want one.

1998 Studio Freeze Frame #1 #/4500

Baseball cards as a medium lend themselves well to photography-themed inserts, and a few took it a step further by going meta and incorporating film right into the design. I think I list these off every time I bring up such inserts, and I have no reason not to do it again here: 1997 SP Game Film, two years of Stadium Club Capture the Action Game View, a couple of years of Leaf Slideshow, and a couple more of this one, Studio Freeze Frame. All of them are just delightful.

That said, this one is the least desirable among them. It’s very shiny, and I like the design in general. I think it’s especially cool the way they work the number and position into the film on the card back. And I really want a taste of the meth that blurb writer was on. I mean, come on – Batman makes an appearance. The hell, dude? Who you think you are with them wacky-ass blurbs? Skybox?

But overall the card is dark and scans horribly; and on top of all that I’m also not totally sold on all that empty space above and below the diagonal film strip. Not a bad card; but as film cards go, this is the weakest of the lot.

1998 Studio Freeze Frame #1 #/4500 Die Cut #/500

A buddy of mine has his Dad’s original vinyl pressing of Abbey Road, and the legend goes that his Dad hated the song “Maxwell Silver Hammer” so much that he scratched it out of the record. Like, he literally took something you should never touch a record with and ssscccrrraaaattttchhhedd it out. The moral of that story is that one way to get rid of something you don’t like is to remove it completely, and Donruss did exactly that for the first 500 numbered cards – they just cut off the excess to match the angle of the film strip. Yes, this version is rarer and more expensive, but to me the design is also more or less saved by the die-cutting. That being said, I think Abbey Road would not be improved by the removal of “Maxwell Silver Hammer” and remain horrified at my friend’s Dad’s actions to this day.

There are only 500 of the die-cut version (again, the first 500 of the total run), the same number as there are the 1997 SP Game Film insert. Even with the die-cutting, if you are ever given a choice between the two, go with Game Film.

There is an uncut sample version of Freeze Frame numbered “XXXX/5000” currently on COMC that somebody is way too proud of. If I ever come across one for $20, I’d be a buyer. Above that I don’t see the appeal.

1998 Studio Hit Parade #6 #/5000

Hit Parade is the most common hit in 1998 Studio even counting the parallels, but you would never know it from the design. Every bit of this card outside of the player silhouette is either team-colored spikes or textured foil, even in the giant “Hit Parade” lettering. You can tell somebody put some real thought into this design (check out how the arch of spikes also makes an appearance on the back). I think this card also could have benefited from some wacky, spiky die-cutting, but you can’t die-cut everything. I suppose.

1998 Studio Masterstrokes #20 #/1000

This insert has a few neat things going for it. The title font is great (though the nameplate is a bit sterile), and the card stock has a canvas feel. The theme here is a pencil sketch that morphs into an action photo, but at the bottom is a paintbrush where maybe a pencil would have made more sense. Also the title suggests painting, but that ain't no painting - it's a sketch. Maybe call it Mastersketches?

And for the record I really do like the TWO SQUARE INCHES of shin illustration here, but it's a bit understated for how cool it is. Maybe flip-flop the photo and drawing bits so it's not just the space below his knees that gets the treatment that is the theme of the whole insert? There should be 10,000 of these. No one should have to pay /1000 prices for these pretty but overall underwhelming things.

I am happy to say I have pretty much all the Griffeys I really want from 1998 Studio; but technically there are a few I still need if I’m going to finish off the Griffeys:

1998 Studio #112 Studio Proof Gold #/300
1998 Studio #112 Executive Test Issue #/300
1998 Studio Chase Cards Checklist Executive Test Issue #/300
1998 Studio 8x10 Portrait Jumbo #19 Studio Proof Gold #/300
1998 Studio Freeze Frame Sample

Backdoored cards carry a hefty premium, so I’m not desperate for those. My faves here are the Freeze Frame die-cut and the Silver Studio proofs, and I have those. The rest will come.

For those of you sitting at home bored as an Amish electrician, welcome. The Junior Junkie is here for all your reading-about-baseball cards needs. Community involvement and social responsibility are at the forefront of everything we do here at TJJ, so here's a list of the steps we are taking during this national crisis:

1. Writing about baseball cards

2. Posting what we wrote

3. Reading our own posts

4. Laughing at our own jokes

5. Re-watching all 12 hours of The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions

6. Falling asleep right before the Battle of Helm's Deep

7. Waking up and rewinding the Battle of Helm's Deep

8. Crying in the bathroom

Okay, that's it. Wash your hands, I guess.

I hate to give you fine folks an ultimatum, but here it is: if you don’t love Stadium Club, we can’t be friends. It’s awesome every year they decide to make it, and I am ecstatic not only that it seems to be back for good, but that it is just as good as it ever was.

That said, the ’01 design is hardly my favorite. It’s one of their more heavy-handed designs with that big, honking (by Stadium Club standards, at least) nameplate weighing down the bottom of the card. At least they stuck with that aesthetic across the set with lots of color and bold, simple designs. And the photography was stellar this year pretty much across the base set.

Come on, that's awesome.

Where this set really shines, though, is in the inserts. It's got everything: dirt, pearl, film cels, die-cutting, serial-numbered insert parallels, exchange cards, and plenty of respectable scarcity. They're even kind of all over the place which I love.

Base card first, tho:

2001 Stadium Club #125

Griffey’s base card sports a fielding shot this year which Stadium Club (and Ultra) did more than most brands. This particular shot is especially fun in that we get a clean, unbroken field of green behind the Kid broken up only by his shadow (probably early in a noon game) and a peek at the ball a split second before it enters the basket. Junior is trotting forward, so I’m thinking either this catch ended the inning or he was preparing for a long put-out throw to third after securing the ball. Either way, Junior is fielding his ass off.

A rare (the only??) Stadium Club card back without a baseball field theme, but they stuck with the non-traditional stat box with a detailed breakdown of his previous year’s batting performance. To all you right-handed pitchers on turf during a day game, be afraid, fellas. Homie’s got ANALYSKILLZZZZ.

By the way, ANALYSKILLS? I don’t know if your mind lives in the gutter as much as mine, but take away one letter and….um, nevermind.

2001 Stadium Club Diamond Pearls #DP1

Stadium Club usually gives us at least one “techy” insert, but this year they gave us a couple. This first one is characterized by some lovely pearlescent printing over holofoil combined with the same color as my grandma’s guest bathroom (that’s not me being snarky – I love this color and my grandma).

While this insert is attractive and unique, there were some problems. First, they were pretty common. Even I pulled one from a pack, and I did not bust many packs. A slightly higher scarcity would have added to the fun here.

Second, these were incredibly prone to damage the most common of which came from the tacky (meaning sticky, not ugly) card surface leaving bits of card surface stuck to the card in front of it in the pack. As I write this there are three Griffey Diamond Pearls on COMC, ALL of which have that characteristic surface damage. These enjoy a slight premium for good condition, but nothing major, again, because they were not terribly scarce.

When I first came across these I wondered why we hadn’t seen this pearlescent effect on more cardboard, but I think that damage issue is probably why. If you have one of these with a complete surface, please keep it in at least a penny sleeve.

Oh, and it bears mentioning that Griffey is not just A Diamond Pearl – he’s THE Diamond Pearl Number 1. And since they never made this insert again, that shit is forever. Smile, #1 Diamond Pearl forever– you’ve earned it.

By the way, you know those Japanese T-shirts that have American words on them that make no sense but sound amazing together? "Number One Diamond Pearl Forever" would be the best one of those I've ever seen.

Okay, second best.

2001 Stadium Club Beam Team #BT9 #/500

The other techy insert is the heavily die-cut Beam Team. They still make this one (though it’s not as cool as it was in 2001), but it actually began as a basketball insert back in 1992 and has also made appearances in Upper Deck’s football and hockey sets over the years. This was the first baseball Beam Team insert, and it’s a real knockout with some super-detailed die-cutting and plenty of fun holofoil. I love the helix in the "beam" along the left edge. It's downright Ghostbustersian.

(Fun fact: whichever way you pronounce "Ghostbustersian" in your internal monologue, it's wrong.)

The back is pretty scant, but the internal die-cut lines prevented anything of substance appearing on the back, anyway. Pretty front, though.

2001 Stadium Club Capture the Action! #CA9

Capture the Action is a real straightforward insert depicting action shots. I think the idea was to capture a moment as depicted on the front in the always-excellent Stadium Club photography and describe it on the back. It’s a good idea, but more context in the blurb might have driven the theme home a bit better. The banners here appear to be a throwback to the 2000 base card design whether that was intentional or not.

2001 Stadium Club Capture the Action Game View #CAGV9 #/100

The toughest pack-pulled Griffey of 2001 Stadium Club was this insert parallel with a bit of translucent film dressed up like a photo slide and embedded right in the card. It wasn’t a new technology – Upper Deck had done it before in 1997 SPx Game Film – but it goes great with a set that focuses on their photography.

Again I still think some detailed photo context would help this thing out a lot, but maybe Topps didn’t want to admit photo context was a good idea when Upper Deck used it in their base set a full four years before.

2001 Stadium Club Play at the Plate Game-Used Batter's Box Dirt Relic #PP4

Everybody loves these things. I remember seeing a commercial for real stadium dirt from Ripken’s 2,131st game and kind of wanting it. Well, here’s that on a baseball card.

The blurb gets real specific about one of the great moments in Griffey’s career, but stops just short of saying this dirt is from that game. I’m going to go ahead and guess that it is NOT from that game, but man that would be something, right?

Anyhoo, these were not all that uncommon if you could find the Home Team Advantage packs they were in. Most could be pack-pulled, but some, including the Griffey, were packed out via exchange cards. I'm guessing DIRT was had to come by in a timely manner. Oh, and bummer alert – the exchange cards say the cards were autographed, but none of them actually were. Oops.

Also, THIS:

1996 Ultra Cal Ripken, Jr. Diamond Dust Dirt Relic #/2131 (w/ COA)

This is the earliest card with dirt in it that I have. Not 2001 nor Stadium Club, but certainly worth a mention.

2001 Stadium Club Superteam Exchange
Prize Card #STP24

Now if you were really lucky, there was a chance you could pull a “Superteam” exchange card out of your pack of 2001 Stadium Club. And if you were even luckier, the team on your exchange card would go on its respective League Championship Series. If both of those happened, and you pulled the card before the exchange deadline, and paid enough attention to baseball to know your team won, and you remembered you had it in the first place, and mailed your winning card in to Topps, they would send you a complete set of enhanced 2001 Stadium Club Superteam cards that included the Griffey you see above.

With so many conditions to meet, it should be no surprise that these are some seriously scarce cards.

Superteam in general is just a cool parallel of the base set with plenty of gold, foil, and a shiny not-quite-chromium effect. The backs are similar save for a blurb in lieu of ANALYSKILLS (good riddance) and the addition of a full-team stats breakdown from the previous season (a 2001 breakdown would have been something, but these were probably printed around the same time as the base set). I don’t have any of the exchange cards (yet), but I am hopeful for a Reds one someday…

So there is not enough information for us to figure out exactly how many of these there are, but there are hints to their scarcity all over the place. First, the insertion ratio of the exchange cards was 1:874 in Hobby and Retail boxes and 1:339 in HTA (Home Team Advantage) boxes. Since only four teams go to a League Championship Series, only four of the thirty cards were winners. That changes the insertion ratio for WINNING Super Teams cards to 1:6555 and 1:2542, respectively.

The highest possible mathematically-defensible number of packs produced is based on the stated odds of Beam Team cards and their insertion ratio in Hobby packs. 30 cards in the checklist x 500 of each card at 1:175 = 2,625,000 packs. At 1:874, that means 3003 Superteam Exchange cards or roughly 100 per team or 400 winning cards. That’s not an unreasonable number. BUT, that is not the only estimate we have. There are, unfortunately for those of us who like nice, clean numbers, SEVERAL estimates.

Also this doesn’t even take into account the fact that Retail boxes ALSO had Superteam cards in them as well as Beam Team cards and allegedly Capture the Action Game Views as well. Hence, all these numbers are wrong wrong wrong and why did I even try to figure this out?

Suffice it to say that there were somewhere between 1 and 1,032 WINNING exchange cards. My laughably educated guess based on what I’ve seen in the market is that, oh, maybe a few dozen were actually exchanged. That would also mean that there may be a box in a Topps warehouse somewhere that contains hundreds of unexchanged Superteam Griffeys in need of a forever home.

This is how I picture it, but honestly it's probably not this nice. Also it's probably in Jersey.

If you are a night watchman at a certain aforementioned warehouse, my e-mail address is near the top of the screen. Hit me up.

Here are the Griffeys I still need from 2001 Stadium Club:

Superteam Exchange Card #ST8 Cincinnati Reds

As that’s not actually a Griffey, for player collecting purposes, my 2001 Stadium Club checklist is complete. This does not happen a lot for prolific post-2000 sets. Halle-frickin-lujah.

Thanks for reading, smooth troopers.

I try to stick with whole-set posts when I can, but I was so excited about this particular get that I just had to throw this post together and show you guys. Get ready to pee your pants with jealousy, kittens, because this thing is freakin' EPIC:

2007 Upper Deck Game-Chewed Gum Relic #UD-KG #/5

The rumors were true. I'm happy to say that this Hall of Fame wad does not disappoint.

I've been trying to pin down the brand of gum Junior chews from this sample. I originally suspected Big League Chew, but there is a certain pliability that is missing in the surface area of the wad that suggests this thing is sugar-free, a wise choice as Junior's success gut was at its peak around this time.

Being the dedicated cardboardologist I am, I took it to the next level and removed a tiny sample from the main wad for a once-over. The flavor remains surprisingly intact, and this thing chews more like Orbit than, say, a Super Bubble or a Wrigley's. That also follows given the time period Junior chewed this particular gum. You remember the commercials, right? Cuz I sure as hell do.

Hubba Bubba, amiright?

If you look really hard you can see a lil' chunk of popcorn kernel that must have been stick in Junior's molar, possibly from a matinee of Shrek the Third given the time period. You can't deny it - this is as close to the game as you can get. Maybe a little too close.

It takes a lot for me to get excited enough about a relatively new brand to write a post about it when there are still so many sets from the ‘90’s I haven’t gotten to yet. But I 'm excited about 2017 Topps Fire, a set that is hard to talk about without bringing up 2016 Topps Update; and being that 2016 Update only has two Griffeys to begin with, we’re going to go ahead and do both sets today. Just try and stop me.

I first bought a pack of Topps Fire back in 2014 when it was a football-only brand. I think it was the look of the packs that sold me at the time, but I remember being smitten with the cool, over-the-top card design and great colored parallels. Eventually Topps began issuing Fire baseball cards exclusively online, then as an insert in 2016 Update, and finally in 2017 as its own stand-alone baseball set. Griffey’s 2016 Update insert card was his first Topps Fire card:

2016 Topps Update Fire #F-6

Is it just me or does this look like Junior showed up in uniform to one of those festivals in India where they throw colored dust absolutely everywhere (the very thought of which make my OCD go ballistic)? The hallmark of Topps Fire is obvious: heavy-handed, effect-driven overdesign. I am just into it.

I’m not sure if this card is meant to be blue and yellow to match the Mariners team colors, but to me this looks purple and gold, the same colors as on my favorite version of 1998 Donruss Crusade (and LSU). It looks like a damn mess in the coolest way possible – like the antithesis to the relatively orderly lines-for-the-sake-of-lines aesthetic of way too many Upper Deck inserts. Despite the sparse, three-sentence back, overall this is an excellent insert card.

While we're on 2016 Update, we may as well knock out the one other Griffey in this set:

2016 Topps Update 500 Home Run Club Stamp Relic #500SC-KG #/375

The only other Griffey to appear in 2016 Topps Update is this 500 Home Run Club Stamp card. I think Topps must have gotten a hold of someone’s stamp collection a couple years back because we went from there being zero Griffey cards with stamps on them to five in a very short period of time.

It's a pretty card, and I really like the whole stamp idea which lends itself well to card-mounting. If I had been a philatelist back in 2017 with the same passion for stamps as I have for Griffeys, I'd probably have tried to get ALL 375 of these.

Back to Fire. It returned the very next year as its own standalone brand:

2017 Topps Fire #83

The base card seems like it should be some kind of ice-themed parallel with the dominant blue and white; but that blue is on every parallel, and the white is just a placeholder for the parallels to come. For some reason they really toned down the design for the set. It’s not as crazy/busy/fun as the 2016 Update insert. I distinctly remember being really excited to finally get a proper Topps Fire baseball brand then seeing the cards and being a little disappointed at how under-the-top (as opposed to over it) they were.

Also I hate seeing this kind of thing, but that blurb has a factual error in it. It says that Griffey's "barrage came in a shorter span of calendar days (8, in the 1993 season)," but those eight games took place over nine days, not eight. July 26th was an off/travel day for the M's.

I do want to mention that the inserts of 2017 Topps Fire are fantastic, and several of them captured that old Fire magic I wish was present in the base set:

2017 Topps Fire Monikers

How Griffey with his numerous nicknames did not make an appearance in this insert I will never know, but this is the kind of sloppy, colorful design I was hoping for from the base set.

2017 Topps Fire Walk it Off

Another whole set of lookers.

2017 Topps Fire Golden Grabs

Man, how did they nail the inserts so hard? Good on you, Topps. These are sweet.

While there are a few inserts and autographs to be had in Topps Fire, the color parallels seem to be the force that drives collectors here with several of the parallels available only in certain retail media. You have the Gold Minted exclusive to blasters, Blue Chip in rack packs, and the super scarce but unnumbered Onyx available only in something called “collector boxes.” Conceivably you had to buy four different pack types just for a chance at getting your guy in every parallel. This is far from a new concept, but it is much more welcome in the age of online card collecting where the cards you need to complete your rainbow are usually only a few clicks and a couple of bucks away.

Here are the parallels I have with limited commentary:

2017 Topps Fire #83 Flame

Befoiled red. No serial-numbering here so the backs are identical.

2017 Topps Fire #83 Gold Minted

Banana-yellow - a tribute to ’91 Fleer, perhaps?

2017 Topps Fire #83 Blue Chip

OK I like this one. Ice King Griffey!

2017 Topps Fire #83 Orange #/299

Clashy AF but finally some serial-numbering.

2017 Topps Fire #83 Green #/199

More my speed.

2017 Topps Fire #83 Purple #/99

Like, my literal exact speed. Purple Griffeys all damn day, s’il vous plait.

And here are the numerous Griffeys I still need from 2017 Topps Fire:

#83 Onyx
#83 Magenta #/25
#83 Inferno 1/1
Fire Autographs #FA-KGJ
Fire Autographs #FA-KGJ Green #/75
Fire Autographs #FA-KGJ Purple #/50
Fire Autographs #FA-KGJ Magenta #/25
Fire Autographs #FA-KGJ Inferno 1/1

I do want to show you what the Onyx looks like, though:

Neat, right? Again those Onyx cards, despite being unnumbered, are some seriously tough cookies. And all the autos are of the sticker variety, so honestly I’m more interested in the Onyx than anything else here because they do look really good. No Fire bug up this Junkie’s butt. I’ll bide my time. At least my 2016 Topps Update Griffey checklist is complete.

Thanks for reading.

Latest Images