Card of the Day: Barry Bonds 1997 Topps Hobby Masters #16

Card of the Day: Bobby Bonilla 1997 Fleer #536

Card of the Day: Jay Buhner 1997 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice Big Shots #17

Product Highlight: 1997 Topps ProShooters Photo Marbles

Now this is one of those times you really don’t want to lose your marbles. Especially once you see how crazy collectors go for these tiny little orbs.

One of the most sought after Topps test-issued products from the 90s are the ProShooters Photo Marbles released in 1997. Collectors in Canada and Northeast U.S. had the opportunity to buy these before they disappeared off of store shelves.

Packaged inside each box are (24) packs. Inside each pack are (2) marbles and (1) of (2) checklist cards. That’s a total of (48) marbles and (24) checklist cards per box.

Much like a baseball card, each marble houses a picture of a Major League Baseball player. There are (60) total marbles in the set. Guys like Ken Griffey, Jr., Chipper Jones, Hideo Nomo, Roberto Alomar, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa all have marbles made. Many other popular players of the time are also included.

The marbles themselves are difficult to pin down. Only a small handful ever appear on eBay. What is really hard to find are the (2) checklists. Each checklist has (30) player marbles pictured on it. Player collectors go nuts for these because very few surface. Most checklists were likely thrown out by those who opened the packs.

Product Highlight: 1997 Topps Genuine Issue Tiger Woods Photos

In case you haven’t heard, Tiger Woods was involved in a bad car accident. Luckily it sounds like he’s going to be ok. Whether or not he’ll play professional golf again is totally undecided. Its way too early to tell, and by the look of what is left of the SUV he was driving we’re just lucky that he’s still alive. This is Tiger Woods we’re talking about here. A comeback isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. We’ve seen it happen before. He surprised the world when he came back and won the Masters Tournament in 2019. Anything is possible.

When it comes to cards of Tiger Woods the first company that comes to mind is Upper Deck. That makes perfect sense since he’s had an exclusive deal with them going all the way back to 2001. But that wasn’t always the case. Prior to 2001 he didn’t have a dedicated place you could go for his cards. They were kinda hit or miss, and all over the place. Two cards from this time that stick out to me the most would be his 1997-99 Grand Slam Ventures Masters Collection, and 1996 Sports Illustrated for Kids.

A product that I believe is drastically overlooked is the 1997 Topps Genuine Issue Tiger Woods Photos.  That’s correct.  Four years prior to his Upper Deck exclusive, Topps issued this small Tiger Woods-themed set after he won the Masters in 1997.

Its strange to see Tiger Woods pictured on a Topps product.  Topps isn’t known for their rich history with golfers. This set consists of six 8″ x 10″ photos. 10,000 sets were produced.  Each pack has the same six pictures.  There are no autographs and/or relics.

Here is the checklist:

• #1 1996 US Amateur
• #2 1997 USPGA Championship
• #3 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open
• #4 1997 USPGA Championship
• #5 1997 Masters
• #6 1997 US Open

With the recent amplified interest in sports cards and memorabilia over the last year, packs of these photos have seen a big jump in price. Sealed packs now sell for $100-$200.

None of the photos have any type of design to them.  No borders and/or fancy coloring. In a strange way it gives us a glimpse as to what a golf-focused Stadium Club set might look like.

Product Highlight: 1997 Pinnacle Denny’s

Denny’s distributed their final baseball card set in 1997. Upper Deck printed the cards between 1991 and 1995. Pinnacle got the job in 1996 and 1997.

There are (30) cards when it comes to the 1997 Pinnacle Denny’s set.  You’ll find a star player from each MLB team.  Card backs contain a hologram, small amount of stats, and key facts about that specific player. The front utilizes a lenticular 3D picture.

Two cards commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the desegregation of baseball.  One of them is of Jackie Robinson #29, which was distributed along with all the other cards.  The other is of Larry Doby.  His card was only available in Cleveland, which at the time made it more difficult to obtain. It was a promo made for the All-Star Game FanFest, and the National Sports Collectors Convention both of which were held in Cleveland that year. Its also possible that the Larry Doby card was available at certain Cleveland-based Denny’s restaurants.

If you look at the card number on Larry Doby it says “Denny’s 1 of 1”.  Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking this is a true one-of-one.  There are plenty to go around. I don’t know why they didn’t make it card #30. When looking at the checklist you’ll see two card #1’s. Tim Salmon being the other.

Purchasing an entree and non-alcoholic beverage allowed you to buy a single card for only $0.59. Most of the money went to Denny’s national charity, Save The Children.

I didn’t even know Denny’s served alcohol. Apparently certain locations do. Can you imagine a couple of drunk idiots just being fascinated with the moving image on these cards?

Card of the Day: Rusty Greer 1997 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice #239

Card of the Day: Orlando Pace 1997 Upper Deck Star Rookie #1

Card of the Day: Lisa Leslie 1997 Pinnacle Inside WNBA #1

Card of the Day: Joe Montana 1997 Upper Deck Legends #178