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1997 Topps Stars All-Stars: WTF?

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cardcop05

New member
Nov 15, 2018
64
0
NYC
I loved this set, years later, because of the RC Reprint Autos in it. Was it the 97 or 98 that had the super tough Richie Ashburn autograph?

(Topps sent them to Ashburn for signing, but he died before he could sign them all and send them back. A few made their way to the secondary market)

Yep, the Topps Reprint Autograph inserts drove this set in the late 1990's. They were one per box if I remember correctly and each player signed 2,000-3,000 cards. I wish I would have bought more of the Reprint Autographs then- they all were $10-$12 each back then (including Ashburn until the word got out). The prices now are at least 2X+ what you can find 2001 Topps Archives autos of the same players for.

I do know that Topps stopped using the north NJ company for high gloss and foil stamping because of employee thefts in huge numbers. So by 1994 they were looking for a new company to do their high gloss & foil stamping, they obviously went with a new company for 1997-1998 because I noticed a few products with high gloss/foil stamping that smelled quite a bit like chemicals in those years. Having cards with possible caustic chemical smells on them for a "kids" hobby (as non-collectors thought) was incredibly ignorant at the time.
Topps stayed away from using Great Western Inc. in Dallas like most other card companies until the 2000's.

The only thing I didn't like about the 1997 Topps Stars BB autos is that most players tried to find a spot so they didn't sign over their pictures on the 1951 style reprints; therefore causing autos to be small and scrunched up (this was player's first big introduction to what it must be like to sign those stupid sticker autos by 2001 from Playoff).

Collectors who made a complete set of the 1997 Topps Stars baseball Certified Autographs early on have a very highly sought after set now! The 1997 Topps Stars Football autographs were even better!
 
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banjar

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2015
2,540
883
Lafayette, Colorado
Well, I finally found one. The 1997 Topps Stars All-Stars Robbie Alomar. It was on COMC so I don't have it yet, but attached are the pics. I've never even seen an image of this one before, so it was quite a surprise when it popped up this evening....for under 9 bucks. I even updated the first post of my Alomar collector's thread, where I posted a most-wanted 90's insert list, to mark this card as [now have!].

Looking good Billy Ray!

Feeling good Louis!

1997 topps stars all stars front.jpg
1997 topps stars all stars back.jpg
 
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banjar

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2015
2,540
883
Lafayette, Colorado
Correct, you are not the only one. I agree entirely. So that means there's at least two of us :)

I'm infinitely more interested in seeing a $1 card that a collector is excited to get than a $1,000 gem mint chrome refractor prospect auto investment some BIG BALLER picked up. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
 

bstanwood

Well-known member
Sep 24, 2016
3,666
332
Mystic, CT
I love minor league ball, but I hate what card prospecting has done to the hobby. I'll almost always be way more excited to find the obscure release to fill a hole rather than add a current year pick up.
I've been able to land some really cool Wakefield stuff in the past couple years with his new releases but none of them even come close to the day I saw the 1999 fleer starting 9 listed on eBay. I found a regional release for craig biggio last year that I had been chasing for a few years and that high lasted like a full week, cost me $5.50 shipped!
 

banjar

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2015
2,540
883
Lafayette, Colorado
So what's that oddball Biggio? Post a pic!

I love minor league ball, but I hate what card prospecting has done to the hobby. I'll almost always be way more excited to find the obscure release to fill a hole rather than add a current year pick up.
I've been able to land some really cool Wakefield stuff in the past couple years with his new releases but none of them even come close to the day I saw the 1999 fleer starting 9 listed on eBay. I found a regional release for craig biggio last year that I had been chasing for a few years and that high lasted like a full week, cost me $5.50 shipped!
 

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