1997 Donruss Limited
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Contents |
Description
1997 Donruss Limited is a 200-card base set and was released in the July of that year. One of the most bizarrely structured base sets ever, this chrome-stock set is divided into four unique subsets: Counterparts, Double Team, Star Factor and Unlimited. The Counterparts subset features 100 double-sided cards two star players from different teams who happen to play the same position. The Double Team subset displays two star teammates back-to-back on 40 double-sided cards. The Star Factor subset highlights 40 superstars with a different photo of the same player on each side of the card plus unique player statistics. The Unlimited subset features 20 cards matching up of a veteran and a rookie.
Only the "front" side of each card (usually the side featuring the "better" player) was printed on chromium stock. The "back" side (where the card number and legal mumbo-jumbo is printed) is on glossy paper.
According to a press release from Donruss, only 1100 copies of each Star Factor card was produced -- although they are not serial-numbered. And while the exact pack insertion ratios were never issued; judging from dealers who broke cases of '97 Donruss Limited the odds appear to be as follows: Double Team 1:6, Star Factor 1:24 and Unlimited Potential/Talent 1:36.
Distribution
Wax: 24 packs per box; five cards per pack (MSRP: $4.99)
Reviews
Insertion Ratios
| Cards | Total Cards | Limited To | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 200 | - | ? |
| Counterparts | 100 | - | ? |
| Double Team | 40 | 4400 | 1:6 |
| Star Factor | 40 | 1100 | 1:24 |
| Unlimited | 20 | 1467 | 1:36 |
| Limited Exposure | 200 | varies | ? |
| Fabric of the Game | 69 | varies | 1:20 |
Checklist
Base Set
The base set is fractured into the following subsets:
- C = "Counterparts"
- DT = "Double Team" (1:6/packs, calculated production run of 4400 copies)
- SF = "Star Factor" (1:24/packs, announced production run of 1100 copies)
- U = "Unlimited" (1:36/packs, calculated production run of 1467 copies)
1 Ken Griffey, Jr. C
2 Greg Maddux / David Cone C
3 Gary Sheffield / Moises Alou DT
4 Frank Thomas SF
5 Cal Ripken, Jr/ / Kevin Orie C
6 Vladimir Guerrero / Barry Bonds U
7 Eddie Murray / Reggie Jefferson C
8 Manny Ramirez / Marquis Grissom DT
9 Mike Piazza SF
10 Barry Larkin / Rey Ordonez C
11 Jeff Bagwell / Eric Karros C
12 Chuck Knoblauch / Ray Durham C
13 Alex Rodriguez / Edgar Renteria C
14 Matt Williams / Vinny Castilla C
15 Todd Hollandsworth / Bob Abreu C
16 John Smoltz / Pedro Martinez C
17 Jose Canseco / Chili Davis C
18 Jose Cruz, Jr. / Ken Griffey, Jr. U
19 Ken Griffey, Jr. SF
20 Paul Molitor / John Olerud C
21 Roberto White / Luis Castillo C
22 Derek Jeter / Lou Collier C
23 Chipper Jones / Robin Ventura C
24 Gary Sheffield / Ron Gant C
25 Ramon Martinez / Bobby Jones C
26 Mike Piazza / Raul Mondesi DT
27 Jeff Bagwell / Darin Erstad U
28 Ivan Rodriguez SF
29 J.T. Snow / Kevin Young C
30 Ryne Sandberg / Julio Franco C
31 Travis Clark / Chris Snopek C
32 Wade Boggs / Russ Davis C
33 Brooks Kieschnick / Marty Cordova C
34 Andy Pettitte / Denny Neagle C
35 Paul Molitor / Matt Lawton DT
36 Scott Rolen / Cal Ripken, Jr. U
37 Cal Ripken, Jr. SF
38 Jim Thome / Dave Nilsson C
39 Tony Womack RC / Carlos Baerga C
40 Nomar Garciaparra / Mark Grudzielanek C
41 Todd Greene / Chris Widger C
42 Deion Sanders / Bernard Gilkey C
43 Hideo Nomo / Charles Nagy C
44 Ivan Rodriguez / Rusty Greer DT
45 Todd Walker / Chipper Jones U
46 Greg Maddux SF
47 Mo Vaughn / Cecil Fielder C
48 Craig Biggio / Scott Spiezio C
49 Pokey Reese / Jeff Blauser C
50 Ken Caminiti / Joe Randa C
51 Albert Belle / Shawn Green C
52 Randy Johnson / Jason Dickson C
53 Hideo Nomo / Chan Ho Park DT
54 Scott Spiezio / Chuck Knoblauch U
55 Chipper Jones SF
56 Tino Martinez / Ryan McGuire C
57 Eric Young / Wilton Guerrero C
58 Ron Coomer / Dave Hollins C
59 Sammy Sosa / Angel Echevarria C
60 Dennis Reyes RC / Jimmy Key C
61 Barry Larkin / Deion Sanders DT
62 Wilton Guerrero / Roberto Alomar U
63 Albert Belle SF
64 Mark McGwire / Andres Galarraga C
65 Edgar Martinez / Todd Walker C
66 Steve Finley / Rich Becker C
67 Tom Glavine / Andy Ashby C
68 Sammy Sosa / Ryne Sandberg DT
69 Nomar Garciaparra / Alex Rodriguez U
70 Jeff Bagwell SF
71 Darin Erstad / Mark Grace C
72 Scott Rolen / Edgardo Alfonzo C
73 Kenny Lofton / Lance Johnson C
74 Joey Hamilton / Brett Tomko C
75 Eddie Murray / Tim Salmon DT
76 Dmitri Young / Mo Vaughn U
77 Juan Gonzalez SF
78 Frank Thomas / Tony Clark C
79 Shannon Stewart / Bip Roberts C
80 Shawn Estes / Alex Fernandez C
81 John Smoltz / Javy Lopez DT
82 Todd Greene / Mike Piazza U
83 Derek Jeter SF
84 Dmitri Young / Antone Williamson C
85 Rickey Henderson / Darryl Hamilton C
86 Billy Wagner / Dennis Eckersley C
87 Larry Walker / Eric Young DT
88 Mark Kotsay RC / Juan Gonzalez U
89 Barry Bonds SF
90 Will Clark / Jeff Conine C
91 Tony Gwynn / Brett Butler C
92 John Wetteland / Rod Beck C
93 Bernie Williams / Tino Martinez DT
94 Andruw Jones / Kenny Lofton U
95 Mo Vaughn SF
96 Joe Carter / Derrek Lee C
97 John Mabry / F.P. Santangelo C
98 Esteban Loaiza / Wilson Alvarez C
99 Matt Williams / Dave Justice DT
100 Derrek Lee / Frank Thomas U
101 Mark McGwire SF
102 Fred McGriff / Paul Sorrento C
103 Jermaine Allensworth / Bernie Williams C
104 Ismael Valdes / Chris Holt C
105 Fred McGriff / Ryan Klesko DT
106 Tony Clark / Mark McGwire U
107 Tony Gwynn SF
108 Jeffrey Hammonds / Ellis Burks C
109 Shane Reynolds / Andy Benes C
110 Roger Clemens / Carlos Delgado DT
111 Karim Garcia / Albert Belle U
112 Paul Molitor SF
113 Trey Beamon / Eric Owens C
114 Curt Schilling / Darryl Kile C
115 Tom Glavine / Michael Tucker DT
116 Pokey Reese / Derek Jeter U
117 Manny Ramirez SF
118 Juan Gonzalez / Brant Brown C
119 Juan Guzman / Francisco Cordova C
120 Randy Johnson / Edgar Martinez DT
121 Hideki Irabu / Greg Maddux U
122 Alex Rodriguez SF
123 Barry Bonds / Quinton McCracken C
124 Roger Clemens / Alan Benes C
125 Wade Boggs / Paul O'Neill DT
126 Mike Cameron / Larry Walker U
127 Gary Sheffield SF
128 Andruw Jones / Raul Mondesi C
129 Brian Anderson / Terrell Wade C
130 Brady Anderson / Rafael Palmeiro DT
131 Neifi Perez / Barry Larkin U
132 Ken Caminiti SF
133 Larry Walker / Rusty Greer C
134 Mariano Rivera / Mark Wohlers C
135 Hideki Irabu RC / Andy Pettitte DT
136 Jose Guillen / Tony Gwynn U
137 Hideo Nomo SF
138 Vladimir Guerrero / Jim Edmonds C
139 Jason Thompson / Dwight Gooden C
140 Andres Galarraga / Dante Bichette DT
141 Kenny Lofton SF
142 Tim Salmon / Manny Ramirez C
143 Kevin Brown / Matt Morris C
144 Craig Biggio / Bob Abreu DT
145 Roberto Alomar SF
146 Jose Guillen / Brian Jordan C
147 Bartolo Colon / Kevin Appier C
148 Ray Lankford / Brian Jordan DT
149 Chuck Knoblauch SF
150 Henry Rodriguez / Ray Lankford C
151 Jaret Wright RC / Ben McDonald C
152 Bobby Bonilla / Kevin Brown DT
153 Barry Larkin SF
154 Dave Justice / Reggie Sanders C
155 Mike Mussina / Ken Hill C
156 Mark Grace / Brooks Kieschnick DT
157 Jim Thome SF
158 Michael Tucker / Curtis Goodwin C
159 Jeff Suppan / Jeff Fassero C
160 Mike Mussina / Jeffrey Hammonds DT
161 John Smoltz SF
162 Moises Alou / Eric Davis C
163 Sandy Alomar, Jr. / Dan Wilson C
164 Rondell White / Henry Rodriguez DT
165 Roger Clemens SF
166 Brady Anderson / Al Martin C
167 Jason Kendall / Charles Johnson C
168 Jason Giambi / Jose Canseco DT
169 Larry Walker SF
170 Jay Buhner / Geronimo Berroa C
171 Ivan Rodriguez / Mike Sweeney C
172 Kevin Appier / Jose Rosado DT
173 Bernie Williams SF
174 Brian Giles RC / Todd Dunwoody C
175 Javy Lopez / Scott Hatteberg C
176 John Jaha / Jeff Cirillo DT
177 Andy Pettitte SF
178 Dante Bichette / Butch Huskey C
179 Raul Casanova / Todd Hundley C
180 Jim Edmonds / Garret Anderson DT
181 Deion Sanders SF
182 Ryan Klesko / Paul O'Neill C
183 Joe Carter / Pat Hentgen DT
184 Brady Anderson SF
185 Carlos Delgado / Wally Joyner C
186 Jermaine Dye / Johnny Damon DT
187 Randy Johnson SF
188 Todd Hundley / Carlos Baerga DT
189 Tom Glavine SF
190 Damon Mashore / Jason McDonald DT
191 Wade Boggs SF
192 Al Martin / Jason Kendall DT
193 Matt Williams SF
194 Will Clark / Dean Palmer DT
195 Sammy Sosa SF
196 Jose Cruz, Jr. RC / J. Buhner DT
197 Eddie Murray SF
198 Darin Erstad / Jason Dickson DT
199 Fred McGriff SF
200 Bubba Trammell RC / Bob Higginson DT
Parallels
Limited Exposure
Printed using what Donruss called "Holographic Poly-Chromium Technology" on both sides, Limited Exposure is, for all intents and purposes, a Finest Refractor knock-off. The backs of each card have the words "Limited Exposure" printed beneath the card number.
Like the base set, the Counterparts are the easiest to find, and Unlimited the toughest. According to Donruss, only 40 copies of each Star Factor Limited Exposure exist -- although they are not serial-numbered.
It is believed that a large number of Limited Exposures (especially Counterparts Limited Exposures) may have been "backdoored" after the 1998 Pinnacle Brands bankruptcy.
Limited Exposure Non-Glossy
This 100-card set partially parallels the Counterparts subset. The cards were actually the result of an error at the printing plant whereby the "Holographic Poly-Chromium Technology" of the normal exposure was left off; but the words "Limited Exposure" still appear underneath the card number.
Inserts
Fabric of the Game
This 69-card multi-fractured "Materials" insert uses cards printed on three different non-paper substances: Canvas, Leather, and Wood. Five level of tiers cross the three materials and are serial-numbered to the following:
- ML = "Major League Material" (serial-numbered to 1000 copies)
- S = "Star Material" (serial-numbered to 750 copies)
- SS = "Superstar Material" (serial-numbered to 500 copies)
- HF = "Hall of Fame Material" (serial-numbered to 250 copies)
- L = "Legendary Material" (serial-numbered to 100 copies)
1 Cal Ripken, Jr. HF
2 Tony Gwynn SS
3 Ivan Rodriguez S
4 Rickey Henderson L
5 Ken Griffey, Jr. SS
6 Chipper Jones ML
7 Sammy Sosa S
8 Wade Boggs HF
9 Manny Ramirez ML
10 Barry Bonds HF
11 Mike Piazza S
12 Rondell White ML
13 Albert Belle S
14 Tony Clark ML
15 Edgar Martinez SS
16 Deion Sanders S
17 Juan Gonzalez SS
18 Nomar Garciaparra ML
19 Rafael Palmeiro SS
20 Dave Justice S
21 Bob Abreu ML
22 Paul Molitor L
23 Vladimir Guerrero ML
24 Chuck Knoblauch SS
25 Tony Gwynn HF
26 Darin Erstad ML
27 Mark McGwire HF
28 Larry Walker S
29 Gary Sheffield S
30 Jose Cruz, Jr. ML
31 Kenny Lofton HF
32 Andres Galarraga SS
33 Raul Mondesi ML
34 Eddie Murray L
35 Tino Martinez ML
36 Todd Walker ML
37 Frank Thomas SS
38 Ken Caminiti S
39 Pokey Reese ML
40 Barry Bonds HF
41 Barry Larkin SS
42 Bernie Williams S
43 Cal Ripken, Jr. HF
44 Bobby Bonilla SS
45 Ken Griffey, Jr. S
46 Tim Salmon S
47 Ryne Sandberg HF
48 Rusty Greer ML
49 Matt Williams SS
50 Eric Young S
51 Andruw Jones ML
52 Jeff Bagwell S
53 Wilton Guerrero ML
54 Fred McGriff HF
55 Jose Guillen ML
56 Brady Anderson SS
57 Mo Vaughn S
58 Craig Biggio SS
59 Dmitri Young ML
60 Frank Thomas S
61 Derek Jeter ML
62 Albert Belle SS
63 Scott Rolen ML
64 Roberto Alomar HF
65 Jeff Bagwell S
66 Mark Grace SS
67 Gary Sheffield S
68 Joe Carter HF
69 Jim Thome ML
