1997 | Sports Card Info

Product Highlight: 1997 Topps Genuine Issue Tiger Woods Photos

Posted on March 1, 2021 by sportscardinfo

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.

Filed under: Product Highlight | Tagged: 1997, genuine, highlight, issue, photos, product, tiger, topps, woods | Leave a comment »

Product Highlight: 1997 Pinnacle Denny’s

Posted on February 3, 2021 by sportscardinfo

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?

Filed under: Product Highlight | Tagged: 1997, denny's, highlight, pinnacle, product | Leave a comment »