SP Authentic is arguably one of the most innovative sports card brands in the industry. Starting in 1987, SP Authentic introduced some revolutionary ideas that changed the collector hobby permanently. Let’s take a deeper look at the history and impact of this iconic brand.
In the mid-1980s, the sports card market was dominated by the big two brands – Topps and Donruss. While these companies produced quality products, there was little innovation happening. Two brothers, Joel and Barry Shulman, thought there was an opportunity to break into the market with a fresh approach. In 1987, they launched Sportflics as a joint venture with ProSet, hoping to shake things up.
Sportflics cards had a unique design with one large photo taking up most of the front of the card. Background colors and designs helped separate different sets within each year. Perhaps most significantly, Sportflics cards were manufactured on thicker, higher quality card stock. This gave the cards a remarkable premium feel over the thin, paper-like offerings from Topps and Donruss at the time.
While Sportflics made an impression visually, one of its boldest moves was including statistical information directly on the back of each card. Detailed player stats, career highlights, salary data and more were now easily accessible to fans. This set a new standard that competitors quickly adopted. Sportflics also took serial numbering to another level, with elaborate numbering systems that kept chasers excited opening packs.
Despite attracting collectors with its innovative approaches, Sportflics had trouble gaining retail shelf space necessary to truly compete against the industry titans. After two successful years, ProSet restructured and discontinued the Sportflics brand in 1989. The Shulman brothers still believed in their vision and saw opportunity for growth.
In 1991, they launched SP, short for Select Premier, as their new branded sports card product. SP picked up right where Sportflics left off, continuing to push creative boundaries. Its logo and brand identity had a modern, sleek look. Card designs evolved further with larger action photos, colorful graphics and team-specific borders.
Perhaps SP’s most groundbreaking release was 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier, the first English-and-French bilingual baseball card set ever produced. With Franco-Canadian collectors in mind, these cards blended the rich history of the Montreal-based O-Pee-Chee brand with SP’s cutting-edge presentation. Premier parallels and short prints added collecting complexity.
In 1993, SP released arguably the most sought-after modern sports card set ever – SP Authentic. With exquisite photography, premium foil stamping, and serially numbered parallels inserted at ultra-low rates, these cards immediately attained iconic status. Raw rookies of stars like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Randy Johnson command huge sums to this day.
Throughout the 1990s, SP pushed the limits with innovative releases annually. Insert sets like SP Signature, SPx and SP Legendary Cuts took autographed and memorabilia cards to new heights. Serial numbering grew ridiculously extensive. The brand delivered premier, high-end products accompanied by glossy collector magazines.
While their exclusivity attracted avid collectors, SP’s limited distribution hurt mainstream popularity. After a decade of leading innovation and design, the Shulman brothers sold the brand. Ownership changed hands a few times over the 2000s while SP releases became less frequent. Their influence had permanently changed the collector’s hobby.
Features like serial numbering, inserts, parallels, autographs and more are now standard across the industry – all elements SP Authentic helped pioneer. Those iconic ’93s remain the standard that sets are routinely compared against three decades later. While the brand has evolved, the SP legacy lives on as one of the most influential forces to ever enter the modern trading card market. Its initial risks shaped sports cards into the complex chasing game enjoyed by collectors worldwide today.
