The 1997 Topps baseball card set was the 76th year of production for Topps and featured cards of Major League Baseball players and managers. Some key things to know about the 1997 Topps set include:
Set Details:
Size: 752 cards
Manufacturer: The Topps Company, Inc.
Initial Release Date: March 1997
Card Design: Photos on front, player stats and career highlights on back
Insert Cards: Topps Heritage rookie re-prints (65 cards), All-Star inserts (30 cards)
Rookie Cards: Some of the notable rookies featured included Pat Burrell (Phillies), Vinny Castilla (Rockies), Nomar Garciaparra (Red Sox), Brian Roberts (Orioles) and Vladimir Guerrero (Expos). Garciaparra’s rookie card is one of the most coveted and valuable from the 1990s.
Active Players: Players still active when the set was released included Cal Ripken Jr., Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, Trevor Hoffman and Randy Johnson. Barry Bonds’ card during his record-setting season was also included.
Star Players: Other star players whose cards were highly collected included Juan Gonzalez, Jeff Bagwell, Mark McGwire, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Sammy Sosa. This was during the peak of the steroid era in baseball which led to record home run seasons.
insert Rookies: Topps Heritage offered updated rookie cards for players drafted from 1986-1990, including Tom Glavine, David Justice, Darren Daulton and B.J. Surhoff. These reprint inserts allowed collectors a second chance at rookie cards they may have missed.
Hall of Famers: Veterans who would eventually be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame included Tony Gwynn, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith, Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount. This was the final card issued for Yount before his retirement.
Chase Cards: Highly sought after “chase” cards included Griffey’s #1 card, Ripken’s #300 card (his quest to break Gehrig’s consecutive games streak was front page news), and collectors searched packs hoping for McGuire, Sosa or Bonds autographs or special parallel versions of their cards.
Insert Sets: Topps issued 30 All-Star Game cards highlighting players selected for the Midsummer Classic that year. Other inserts included Topps Titanium and Embossed parallels with shinier cardstock and foil surfaces.
Design Features: Each player’s photo was shown in full color across the front. The card backs displayed career stats and highlights. Managers cards included Don Baylor of the Diamondbacks and Tom Kelly of the Twins among others. The design had a clean, simple look and color scheme popular in the 1990s.
Secondary Market: Due to the stars, rookies and parallel inserts, the 1997 Topps set remains a popular and collectible vintage issue in the modern trading card hobby. Cards of star players from the steroid era continue to attract buyers. Rookies like Garciaparra and key rookie reprints maintain strong resale values as well.
The 1997 Topps baseball card set provides collectors with cards highlighting the major players and storylines from that MLB season. The stars, rookies, hall of famers and insert chase cards have ensured it remains a desirable vintage set over 25 years later for collectors and investors in the growing baseball memorabilia market. The simplicity and photography of this issue make it an iconic representation of 1990s baseball card design.
