The 1997 Donruss baseball card set was released at the height of the 1990s baseball card boom. Like many sets from this era, it featured glossy photography, player autographs and memorabilia cards inserted randomly in packs. The set had 396 total cards and included rookie cards for future stars such as Nomar Garciaparra, Todd Helton, and Brian Giles.

Donruss was one of the “Big Three” card companies along with Topps and Fleer during the baseball card boom of the late 80s and 90s. In 1997, they sought to one-up their competitors with flashier photography, more insert sets, and bigger rookie card chase names. The base card design was clean and simple, featuring a headshot of the player on a white background with team logo and stats on the bottom. As was common for the time, most cards had horizontal or vertical orientation depending on the photo used.

Some of the top rookies and prospects featured in the 1997 Donruss set included:

Nomar Garciaparra, Boston Red Sox (#302): Garciaparra’s rookie card is one of the most iconic and valuable from the late 90s. He would go on to win the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1997 and become a perennial All-Star. PSA 10 examples of his card now sell for over $1000.

Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies (#321): Another highly sought after rookie, Helton had a long and productive career with the Rockies that included several All-Star appearances and a batting title. His card remains among the most valuable from the set.

Brian Giles, San Diego Padres (#353): Giles broke out with the Padres in 1997 and his rookie card captured the beginning of what became a solid big league career spanning 16 seasons.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox (#354): “Big Hurt” Konerko went on to have a long and productive career, mostly with the White Sox, that included over 400 home runs and a World Series title.

Jason Kendall, Pittsburgh Pirates (#355): Kendall had a nice career as an offensive catcher that included a batting title in 1996. His rookie card remains one of the more sought after non-rookie cards from the set.

Scott Rolen, Philadelphia Phillies (#356): Rolen became a perennial Gold Glove third baseman who played in the postseason several times over a 17-year career mostly with the Phillies and Cardinals.

Lance Berkman, Houston Astros (#357): “Big Puma” Berkman was the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year and had a productive career mostly with the Astros that included over 300 home runs and six All-Star appearances.

In addition to the base set, Donruss also included several highly sought after insert sets in 1997 packs:

Diamond Kings Autographs: This was one of the premier autograph insert sets of the 1990s, featuring 1/1 game-used memorabilia cards autographed by stars. Players included Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr., and Sammy Sosa. Examples can sell for thousands today.

Diamond Icons: A parallel version of the base set featuring refractor technology that caused colors to “flip” depending on the light. Highly collectible parallel.

Diamond Cutters: Another parallel set featuring intricate die-cuts in the shape of diamonds around the player photos. Very eye-catching design.

Diamond Anniversary: Commemorated the 30-year anniversary of Donruss cards with retro design and players from the 1960s.

Diamond Jubilee: Honored the 75th anniversary of the MLB with vintage-style photos and design elements from different eras.

Diamond Stars: Short print parallel featuring borderless photos of the game’s biggest names like Griffey, Bagwell, and Maddux.

Diamond Diadems: Super-short print parallel inserted one per case featuring foil-embossed player photos surrounded by diamond-cut borders.

While production quality and inserts were high, the 1997 Donruss set is perhaps most memorable today for capturing the rookie cards of future stars like Nomar, Helton, and Berkman at the beginning of Hall of Fame careers. Combined with coveted autograph and parallel inserts, it remains a highly collectible set from the peak of the modern baseball card boom era. Prices have risen steadily for key rookie cards and short prints in high grades over the past 20+ years since release. For collectors of 1990s cardboard, the 1997 Donruss set endures as a true classic deserving of its place among the all-time greats.