At first look, the 1997 Higher Deck baseball set may seem like simply one other extraordinary set.
It has all the hallmarks of a mid-90s Higher Deck product: borderless design, lovely pictures, and artistic subsets.
However make no mistake, this set is filled with innovation…
Maybe most vital, ’97 Higher Deck is credited as the primary set within the pastime to introduce game-used materials into its playing cards.
For those who look carefully on the card fronts, Higher Deck additionally time-stamped every card with the date of when the picture was captured together with a quick point out of that second’s significance.
I want extra playing cards had that function, as understanding the context behind the picture is extremely enjoyable and useful.
Lastly, the “Ken Griffey Jr.’s Sizzling Listing” subset was one of many first examples of a card firm deliberately shortprinting playing cards to fabricate relative shortage into them.
Whereas the set might fly below most collectors’ radars, the pastime owes rather a lot to 1997 Higher Deck for pushing the trade to new heights.
And on this information, we’ll check out the 15 most precious.
Let’s bounce proper in!
1997 Higher Deck #175 Ken Griffey Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $100
Seattle Mariners megastar Ken Griffey Jr. was already a perennial MVP candidate heading into 1997, with three top-five finishes within the earlier 4 campaigns.
Nonetheless, one or two standout seasons at all times appeared to dam the trail to his future.
In ’97, he would not be denied.
Griffey put collectively a clear season for the ages in an period outlined by steroid-enhanced offensive manufacturing.
The 27-year-old heart fielder carried the Mariners to their second division title in three years, turning into simply the sixth participant with 55 residence runs (56), 125 runs, and 125 RBIs (an MLB-best 147) in a single season.
Junior led all AL hitters in slugging proportion (.646) and WAR (9.1) en route to simply the ninth unanimous MVP award in Junior Circuit historical past.
“I simply actually do not know what to say or find out how to say or react,” a bewildered Griffey stated. “This award means rather a lot.”
Griffey had a number of attention-grabbing and amusing playing cards through the Nineteen Nineties and that is definitely one among them.
1997 Higher Deck #20 Cal Ripken Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
For the fifteenth and ultimate time in 1997, Cal Ripken Jr. performed each recreation of the Baltimore Orioles’ common season slate.
(And a few postseason video games, too.)
It was removed from the 36-year-old’s finest particular person effort.
Completely moved over to 3rd base to make room for free-agent shortstop Mike Bordick, Ripken slashed .270/.331/.402 with 17 residence runs, 30 doubles, 79 runs, and 84 RBIs in 686 plate appearances (611 at-bats).
His 1.8 WAR was the worst of his profession up to now, and his 93 OPS+ made him a below-average MLB hitter.
No matter Ripken’s season-long swoon, a stacked O’s roster outlasted the sphere to win the AL East and earn home-field benefit on the AL aspect of the bracket.
Baltimore completed two wins shy of a Sequence look, falling in six to the Cleveland Indians within the ALCS.
Ripken was stellar in 10 playoff contests, main the workforce in batting common (.385) and on-base proportion (.467).
1997 Higher Deck #105 Kirby Puckett
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
There is a world the place Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett would have performed the 1997 MLB season, and his march in direction of 3,000 hits would have been in overdrive.
As an alternative, we had been robbed of the later years of Puckett’s profession and left to surprise what might have been.
Puckett was the jovial point of interest of the golden age of Minnesota Twins baseball.
The Twins gained two World Sequence titles with the Corridor-of-Famer in tow (1987, 1991, the one two championships of the franchise’s Minnesota period to at the present time.
Puckett led the league in hits 4 instances throughout his twelve years as a Massive Leaguer and gained the 1989 AL batting title with an MLB-best .339 common.
That is to not point out his six Gold Gloves.
Sadly, the sudden onset of glaucoma and interference of imaginative and prescient in his proper eye minimize Puckett’s profession quick earlier than the 1996 season.
If that hadn’t occurred, Puckett might have completed his age-37 marketing campaign in ’97 just some hundred hits shy of the hallowed 3,000 Hit Membership.
1997 Higher Deck #424 Ken Griffey Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
The “Ken Griffey Jr.’s Sizzling Listing” subset featured ten of the preferred stars of the day with a particular foil marking on the floor.
These particular playing cards with names like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas and the person himself provided collectors a good higher-quality approach to expertise their favourite gamers.
That’s, in the event you had been fortunate sufficient to search out them.
Higher Deck printed fewer examples to fabricate shortage into the playing cards and construct collector curiosity.
By doing so, this marked one of many first instances in pastime historical past that an organization deliberately short-printed playing cards as a chase mechanism.
They is probably not “uncommon” by any means, however the intent was clear.
And this subset was one more instance of how the 1997 Higher Deck set general sought to alter the sport.
1997 Higher Deck #440 Derek Jeter
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
From 1996 to 2000, the New York Yankees constructed one more dynasty in a franchise historical past filled with them.
The Bronx Bombers gained 4 titles over these 5 years.
The one yr they did not deliver residence the Commissioner’s Trophy throughout that half-decade was 1997.
It was a maddening yr for everybody, together with new-and-future franchise icon Derek Jeter.
The Yankees shortstop’s sophomore yr was a letdown.
Jeter hit .291 with a .775 OPS in an MLB-high 748 at-bats, including as much as a just-above-league-average 103 OPS+.
The 23-year-old was reliable but not exemplary, hitting for his worst common till 2010.
Essentially the most disappointing a part of all of it was the ultimate consequence.
After knocking out the Atlanta Braves in ’96 for the franchise’s first championship in eighteen years, the Yankees bowed out to the division rival Orioles in a tense, five-game ALDS.
Jeter was robust in defeat, going 7-for-21 with two residence runs and 6 runs scored.
1997 Higher Deck #492 Tony Gwynn
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
The 1997 season was when the true greatness of Tony Gwynn got here into statistical focus.
Whereas the San Diego Padres took a step again from playoff contributors to Nationwide League also-rans, Gwynn was as sharp a hitter as ever.
The 37-year-old proper fielder was more healthy than he’d been for the reason that Nineteen Eighties, showing in additional video games (149) than every other season through the decade.
Gwynn’s sudden sturdiness padded his shat sheet properly.
The long run Corridor-of-Famer led the Majors in hits for the third time in 4 seasons with a career-best 220 base knocks.
The Padres had been a mediocre bunch in any other case (76-86), but Gwynn was a veteran grasp of his craft, dinking and dunking singles and doubles wherever there was a spot of inexperienced grass to be discovered.
All of these hits added up.
Gwynn gained his eighth batting title with a .372 common, tying Honus Wagner’s Nationwide League report.
He additionally turned the primary NL participant since Rogers Hornsby (1920-25) to win a minimum of 4 consecutive batting titles.
1997 Higher Deck #494 Rickey Henderson
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
The primary two instances Rickey Henderson was traded through the center of the season, he gained a World Sequence together with his new workforce.
The Yankees traded him to the eventual World Sequence champion Oakland A’s halfway by means of the 1989 season, and Oakland later traded him to Toronto, the place he helped the Blue Jays beat Philly within the 1993 World Sequence.
In 1997, the Anaheim Angels tried their luck with the rent-a-Rickey technique.
The Anaheim Angels had been in competition within the AL West however down a leadoff hitter after Tony Phillips confronted fees of felony cocaine possession.
And a yr after successful the NL West, San Diego was 9.5 video games behind the San Francisco Giants.
So, on August 13, 1997, Anaheim despatched three prospects to San Diego for a much-needed spark on the high of the order.
Nonetheless, issues did not work out as effectively for Anaheim as they’d for Oakland and Toronto.
Henderson hit simply .183 with a .343 OBP, among the worst numbers of his profession.
Anaheim completed six video games behind the AL West champion Seattle Mariners.
And Rickey could be again in Oakland for a fourth stint with the A’s in 1998.
1997 Higher Deck #10 Chipper Jones
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $35
Together with his “large brother,” David Justice, off to Cleveland in a large offseason commerce, Chipper Jones bought his first style of being the indeniable face of the Atlanta Braves in 1997.
The Chipper Period of Braves baseball began off effectively sufficient.
Though Jones did not hit at an MVP degree, he was nonetheless the engine for an Atlanta workforce that chugged its approach to a 3rd of 11 consecutive division titles.
Jones slashed .295/.371/.479 for the 101-win Braves with 21 residence runs, 41 doubles, 100 runs, and 111 RBIs in 157 video games.
The 25-year-old additionally swiped 20 bases to compile the primary of two 20/20 seasons in three years.
Even with out former workforce leaders Justice and Marquis Grissom in tow, Atlanta rode a balanced offense and an elite pitching workers to a different October showcase.
It was the proper approach to minimize the rope on the franchise’s new stadium, Turner Subject, though it ended with a six-game NLCS loss to an upstart Florida Marlins squad.
1997 Higher Deck #40 Frank Thomas
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $35
“The Massive Harm” wasn’t a prototypical Steroid Period slugger.
He was legitimately one of the vital expert and deft hitters of the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s.
Within the 1997 marketing campaign, Thomas already had an MLB residence run title (1992) and two AL MVPs (1993, 1994).
The 29-year-old Chicago White Sox first baseman additionally posted two 30-home-run years and three 40-bomb campaigns within the earlier six seasons, rising as one of the vital harmful longball threats of an period chock filled with them.
Thomas wasn’t a one-trick pony, although.
He was an clever hitter who exhibited A-level endurance and used the entire area to his benefit.
Getting into ’97, the longer term Corridor-of-Famer had already led the American League 3 times in on-base proportion and 4 in walks.
Then, Thomas one-upped himself, simply clearing his AL rivals to turn out to be the tallest and heaviest participant to win a batting title (.347) in MLB historical past.
“I do not particularly care in regards to the residence run title,” Thomas stated. “I would relatively have the hitting title. Guys my dimension aren’t speculated to win that.”
1997 Higher Deck #229 Scott Rolen
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $35
The seeds of the Philadelphia Phillies’ return to relevance had been sown over a decade earlier than they gained the 2008 World Sequence.
In 1997, former second-round choose Scott Rolen made his full-time debut because the Phillies’ on a regular basis third baseman.
No person knew then that he’d go on to be the pillar of Philadelphia’s first championship workforce in practically 30 years.
Nonetheless, that is to not say he wasn’t a standout instantly.
On a Phillies workforce filled with underperformers and veterans on the finish of their rope, Rolen shined, pushing previous pitchers Matt Morris and Livan Hernandez for a unanimous NL Rookie-of-the-Yr choice.
Rolen led Nationwide League rookies in practically each related offensive class, slashing .283/.377/.469 for the 68-win Phils with 21 residence runs, 35 doubles, 16 stolen bases, 93 runs, and 92 RBIs in 156 video games performed.
His 4.5 WAR positioned simply exterior the highest ten of NL place gamers.
1997 Higher Deck #271 Vladimir Guerrero
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $35
Vladimir Guerrero’s rookie yr was a household affair.
Tabbed as a middle-of-the-order centerpiece in Montreal, Guerrero took a while to regulate to the MLB and Canadian life.
The prized Dominican Republic prospect battled homesickness all through his minor-league journey, and it was the identical story when he took over Montreal’s full-time proper fielder position in 1997.
Struggling by means of two DL stints and being caught behind a language barrier, Guerrero did his finest to remain engaged and put his finest foot ahead.
The 22-year-old carried out admirably below the circumstances.
Guerrero completed sixth in NL Rookie-of-the-Yr voting for the fourth-place Expos, slashing .302/.350/.483 with 11 residence runs, 22 doubles, and 40 RBIs in 90 video games.
His pure hitting prowess was straightforward to identify. Nonetheless, he nonetheless regarded adrift for lengthy parts of the season.
That is the place his mother got here in.
Guerrero flew her over to Montreal through the season, and her cooking and steerage turned central to his eventual All-Star breakout on the finish of the last decade.
1997 Higher Deck #385 Ken Griffey Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $35
Playing cards #370 – 387 comprised the “Seize the Flag” subset.
That includes distinctive designs, these playing cards showcased gamers from a number of groups who had been in competition for a given pennant chase through the 1996 season.
The reverse of the playing cards have quick blurbs that point out every participant’s accomplishment and contribution in direction of his workforce’s efficiency.
And division standings are additionally proven to place into perspective the place every workforce was throughout that race to first.
Subsets are typically an effective way to construct collector curiosity by showcasing star gamers and their distinctive talents.
Nonetheless, the “Seize the Flag” subset took issues a bit additional by offering further context for vital moments from the 1996 race to the playoffs.
1997 Higher Deck #170 Barry Bonds
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
Upon his arrival in San Francisco in 1993, Barry Bonds was a two-time MVP with a wealth of playoff expertise from his time because the centerpiece of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Bonds gained his third MVP award in his first yr with the Giants.
Nonetheless, it took him a half-decade to return to October.
The long run residence run king’s long-awaited playoff return was delayed by top-heavy rosters unsuited for competition.
In 1997, the Giants lastly bought the equation proper, piecing collectively the workforce’s first division title since successful the pennant in 1989.
Bonds excelled for the resurgent San Francisco membership, inserting fifth for NL MVP with a .291/.446/.585 slash line, 40 residence runs, 123 runs, 101 RBIs, and an MLB-best 145 walks in 159 video games.
It did not quantity to a lot within the postseason, nevertheless, as Bonds hit simply .250 with no residence runs and a .647 OPS in a shocking three-and-out NLDS loss to the growth Florida Marlins.
1997 Higher Deck #325 Ryne Sandberg
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
Ryne Sandberg did not let declining manufacturing pressure him out of the sport.
As an alternative, he learn the tea leaves and known as it a day earlier than anybody might pull the set off for him.
Sandberg retired initially earlier than the 1995 season, weighed down by a disintegrating marriage and different private points.
He returned in 1996, placing collectively a productive but missing yr for a mediocre Cubs workforce needing a PR jolt.
The eventual Corridor-of-Famer gave it yet one more go in 1997, however the numbers by no means got here round.
Sandberg hit .264 in 135 video games with a career-low 0.8 WAR.
It was obvious that the 37-year-old second baseman was on his means out, and he did not waste time accepting it.
On August 2nd, 1997, Sandberg introduced his retirement, culminating in Ryne Sandberg Day on September twentieth of that very same yr.
“I really lived my area of desires proper right here at Wrigley Subject,” Sandberg stated throughout his emotional retirement speech.
1997 Higher Deck #450 Mark McGwire
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
The St. Louis Cardinals weren’t doing a lot of something heading into the 1997 MLB commerce deadline.
After which, they altered the course of their franchise with one blockbuster commerce.
Sitting a number of video games below .500 and off the fringes of the playoff chase, the Cardinals pulled off a shocker, buying Oakland A’s slugger Mark McGwire in a four-player deal.
It was an odd commerce, contemplating that the Cardinals had been out of the postseason hunt and appeared destined to lose the upcoming free agent after the season.
It seems the Cardinals entrance workplace knew one thing we did not.
After hitting 34 residence runs for the bottom-feeding A’s within the yr’s first half, McGwire hit 24 with St. Louis to complete three shy of Roger Maris’ single-season report.
He ended the yr slashing .274/.393/.646 with 58 whole bombs, 101 walks, and 123 RBIs in 156 video games.
Opposite to what many assumed, McGwire re-signed with St. Louis in mid-September, inking an extension by means of 2000 price practically $30 million.
1997 Higher Deck Baseball Playing cards In Overview
The pastime wasn’t in its biggest spot through the mid-90s because it was nonetheless coping with the fallout of the 1994 MLB Strike and the pastime bubble burst.
So, Higher Deck and different producers needed to get inventive to construct collector curiosity and regain the joy of the late 80s and early 90s.
And Higher Deck answered the decision maybe higher than any firm throughout that point by introducing game-used materials and different revolutionary methods.
Certain, not one of the playing cards within the 550-card guidelines stand out as pastime icons.
However the pastime owes rather a lot to the set as a complete.
The distribution of the set additionally featured some quirks.
Whereas Sequence One (#1 – 240) and Sequence Two (#271 – 520) could possibly be present in normal packs, collectors needed to ship in wrappers to redeem the “Updates” to Sequence One (#241 – 270) and Sequence Two (#521 – 550).
As standard, there have been a number of completely different subsets, together with:
- Strike Drive (#64 – 72)
- Defensive Gems (#136 – 153)
- World Affect (#181 – 207)
- Star Rookies (#223 – 243; #268 – 288)
- Postseason/World Sequence Highlights (#244 – 267)
- Season Highlights/Crew Checklists (#214 – 222; #316 – 324)
- Seize the Flag (#370 – 387)
- Ken Griffey Jr.’s Sizzling Listing (#415 – 424)
- Diamond Debuts (#469 – 483)
- Main League Debut (all through guidelines)
- Closing Tribute (all through guidelines)
On the floor, it might be straightforward to miss this set.
As I discussed within the opener, the appear and feel of the playing cards would make you suppose they had been only a common Higher Deck set.
However the pastime milestones that it introduced had been way over regular achievements.
For that cause, this set has its personal place in pastime historical past.
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