• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Wander Franco Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Modern Sports Card News / In 1997 Upper Deck Ushered in Iconic SP Authentic Football with Solid RCs, Stunning Autos

In 1997 Upper Deck Ushered in Iconic SP Authentic Football with Solid RCs, Stunning Autos

February 8, 2022 By Tony Reid

 

The arrival of 1997 SP Authentic Football is significant in its release as it was the debut of the wildly popular brand for Upper Deck in the football card market.

The premium 198-card, all foil base set is generally considered to be a very attractive product, even by modern day collecting standards. As we know with foil, condition sensitivity issues arise and that is very prevalent with this set.


The packaging for the product was high-end. The five card per pack, 24 pack hobby boxes are foil themselves, featuring the SP Authentic logo with all of the contents found listed underneath. The imagery featured is Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman. There’s even a sticker on the box noting his special insert set. (We’ll get to that later). The pack wrappers themselves are also high-end for the time.  Packs had an SRP of $4.99.

The rookie class is not as strong as others in some of the key skill positions like quarterback and running back but it holds its own in some of the less glamorous positions on the gridiron.

Rookies

The base set opens with the 30-card Future Watch rookie subset. The cards offer a photo shoot picture or in-action shot of each player with the words Future Watch found in big bold letters. The backdrop of the card shows the players jersey number surrounded by circles with the card covered in foil. The SP Authentic logo is found in the lower left corner.


The number one overall pick in the draft that year was massive Ohio State lineman and future Hall of Famer Orlando Pace. Future Hall of Fame lineman Walter Jones was a high draft pick and featured prominently in the set as well. We do find the most significant rookie cards of Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, Tampa Bay running back Warrick Dunn, and running running back Corey Dillon, who fashioned a solid career in the league.

Some of the best rookie cards are found outside of the Future Watch subset at the beginning of the base set. Key rookie cards of Tiki and Ronde Barber and Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame linebacker Jason Taylor were found later in the base set. It should be noted that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer is prominently featured and that card was as hot as any in the set when he was competing at the highest level. ‘Jake The Snake’ had his moment in the Arizona sun, for sure.

SP Authentic gained even more traction in recent years as some initial afterthought rookies such as Taylor, Barber and others became Hall of Famers and potential future Hall of Famers.

Regular Base Set

The photo choice for Vikings’ QB Randall Cunningham was an interesting one.

Following the initial Future Watch subset, the base set begins. The design features a full color photo of the player with the background being, again, completely foil with a square and triangular somewhat frosted design. The team’s name is found in the upper left-hand corner in gold and the SP Authentic logo and players name is found in the lower right hand corner. The cards are very aesthetically pleasing as Upper Deck continued to try to push the premium envelope.

Inserts and Autographs

The insert sets and autograph offerings ramp up a bit with 1997 SP Authentic. Back when Upper Deck had a football license and was producing high quality hits like they did in this product, they offered many, if not all, on card autographs. That fact may be hard to believe for new and younger collectors.


The Marks of a Legend autographs include on card signatures of some of the all-time greats including Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Roger Staubach, Franco Harris and more. The card offers a large action photo with a smaller, miniature shot of the player with the cursive text of Mark of a Legend running up the left hand side of the card.  The autograph appears in a designed box at the bottom of the card. These can be found one in every 168 packs.


The ProFiles insert features in an action shot of the player with the NFL shield in the background. The SP Authentic logo, the word ProFiles and the player’s name are found at the bottom basically inside a half football. There are a few parallels of this insert including Level 2 Die Cuts found 1 in 12 packs and Level 3 Die Cuts that are serial numbered to 100, making that insert one of the first sports card releases featuring such low production runs.


The Sign of the Times insert mirrors the Marks of Legend as far as design but futures current NFL stars as opposed to the legends found in the other insert set. You’ll find on-card autographs of stars like Dan Marino, Troy Aikman, Jerry Rice and Marshall Faulk. It’s another quality set from Upper Deck when the company was in its heyday.


Tradition dual autographs was an autograph insert set found one in every 1,444 packs. The cards feature a horizontal design featuring two teammates or players that once played for the same team. The checklist includes Jerry Rice/Joe Montana, Roger Staubach/Troy Aikman, and Tony Dorsett/Emmit Smith. Heck, all six cards in the set could be highlighted as standouts. 

An interesting insert set in this product is the Troy Aikman Power Deck audio set. This unique three card insert set are shaped like and can be played like a CD to reveal exclusive audio content. Again, Upper Deck was trying to push the envelope as it married standard trading cards with what was relatively new technology.

There are also a few redemption sets including Authentics signed memorabilia and Authentics Collection signed memorabilia checklists. The redemptions are found one in every 289 packs and the first offering has redemptions for Dan Marino helmets and jerseys and the second offering gives redemptions for Troy Aikman, Joe Montana and Dan Marino signed memorabilia. That’s it. That’s the end of the checklist. Imagine that in today’s card market.

Pricing

SP Authentic is a reasonably priced set, thanks to the absence of high cost rookie cards.  Complete 198-card base sets can usually be found for $75-$100.  Hobby boxes typically start at around $400.  The Jones, Taylor, Gonzalez and Pace rookie cards are the most valuable non-autographed cards in the set. Many of the Sign of The Times autographs–even some of the Hall of Famers– can be had for very reasonable prices.

Although 1997 SP Authentic Football didn’t offer a huge rookie crop, it continued a growing tradition of Upper Deck producing higher quality cards with enough big name autographs and inserts that kept the wrappers flying.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Recalling Kurt Warner’s Sudden Stardom and a Card Company’s Efforts to Chronicle It John Madden Left His Mark On Collecting 1989 Score Football: Debut Set Loaded with Great Rookies Cris Dishman Q&A: Collecting Cards as a Kid, Raiders Fandom and Signing Autographs at Astrodome Forgotten 1992 GameDay Football Card Set Becoming a Favorite for TTM Collectors 1993 SP Premium Cards Tell a Tale of Two Rookies 1987 Aloha Bowl UCLA jersey Troy AikmanWhen it Was Aikman vs Emmitt: Troy’s Aloha Bowl Jersey Coming to Auction 1998 Charles Woodson Bowman rookieCharles Woodson Rookie Cards Date to Last Century

About Tony Reid

From the time he was a little kid, Tony has been a huge sports fan. If he could play sports, watch sports and talk about sports it was a great day. From as early as he was drawn to sports, Tony was drawn to collecting sports cards. Not much has changed over the years. He collects RCs of star players in baseball, basketball and football. He also has a soft spot for first autographs of MMA stars. If you want to talk to Tony about the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey, Jr. you can reach him at [email protected] and @tonyreidwrites on social media.

Filed Under: Modern Sports Card News Tagged With: 1990s football cards, 1997 SP Authentic, Tony Gonzalez, Troy Aikman

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card Auctions
  • Graded Rookie Cards opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Sterling Sports Auctions of Vintage Cards & More Auction – Ending June 22, 2023
  • PWCC Marketplace June Premier Auction Ends June 22, 2023
  • REA Encore Auction of Cards, Memorabilia and More Ends June 18, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window