2001 Topps HD Images of Excellence

Set Size:

Design Notes: A really thick card. The background is obscured by an opaque overlay of the insert set's name. The photo really stands out in this product, printed in high resolution. This set carries a 2000 copyright, as it was released in December.

Parallels and Similars: An aluminum version parallels this regular insert set, and is about four times as rare.

Distribution: Inserted 1 in 8 packs of 2001 Topps HD.

Thoughts: I really think Topps should have done without the invasive background text on this set, and instead kept it to a small logo or bit of type in a corner. The Topps HD concept was meant to showcase high quality images. However, even with the background, Tom Seaver's photo seems to be bright and fresh, if a little blue. I've always campaigned for sets with high quality photography, and this set came pretty close. Unfortunately, the thick (50-pt) plastic card stock and high price ($3.99/pack of four) probably drove away many collectors. Plus, Topps' Gold Label and Stadium Club products also featured high quality photography at the time.

2001 Fleer Premium A Time for Heroes

Set size: 20 cards

Front Design: A clock face contains the team logo, with the set, player, and team names beneath. The player's photo is placed beside the design, with a background pattern that resembles what one might see looking at dirty linoleum tile while intoxicated.

Back Design: The backs repeat the design elements from the front with an explanation of how the player shown is a hero.

Parallels and Similars: None known.

Distribution: Cards were inserted into packs of 2001 Fleer Premium at a rate of 1:20.

Thoughts: I like the use of a clock, since it's not seen on baseball cards as a design element too frequently. I'm not sure what the idea was behind the background, which really does look like a blurry picture of someone's kitchen floor or dated wallpaper.

2001 Fleer Premium Star Ruby

Set size: 230 cards

Front Design: A parallel of the 2001 Fleer Premium set, the player's photo stands out over a foil background, while a white border around three sides of the photo have the player's name (top), team name and position (side), and set name (bottom), all in a ruby red foil. The cards have an additional black border.

Back Design: The backs contain player's vital information, recent and total statistics, and a second color photo. The cards contain a serial number in the lower right, and the card number in the top right has an "SR" prefix.

Parallels and Similars: This set is a partial parallel of the 2001 Fleer Premium set, with the SR prefix, serial numbering, and foil color being the easy distinguishing characteristics. There are no other parallels in the set. Cards 231-235 are the only ones to not appear in this parallel, having been available through redemption.

Distribution: Cards were printed to 125 serial-numbered copies and randomly inserted into packs of 2001 Fleer Premium.

Thoughts: The Fleer Premium set isn't one of my favorites, mainly because of the foil background and excessive use of border space. The backs are laid out well, though, with an attractive but readable font. Some collectors would prefer full career statistics, but five years works well enough for this issue - I believe Fleer issued at least one other set that year that contained full statistics. I appreciate the fact that there is only one parallel in this issue, and it's limited to a challenging quantity. 125 cards isn't that much, making it a tough but not impossible acquisition for player collectors. For set builders looking for a real challenge, an edition of only 125 makes for a real difficulty.

2001 Upper Deck Home Run Derby Heroes

Set size: 10 cards

Front Design: The fronts feature action photos surrounded by a gold foil border and a blue-tinted border. The bottom of the card contains a gold foil and red logo, the player's name and team.

Back Design: The blue border is repeated around a description of the player's success in a particular home run derby.

Parallels and Similars: None.

Distribution: Cards were inserted 1:36 packs of 2001 Upper Deck, making it one of the most difficult non-relic/auto pulls in the release.

Thoughts: If this wasn't such a difficult set to obtain, it would be perfect for use in my Home Run Derby winner collection. However, as you can see from the Belle card, the winner isn't always pictured. Albert Belle came in second in 1995, but never won a Derby. Other than the "logo" for the set name being difficult to read due to the foil, the design is acceptable.