2008 Stadium Club

Set Size: 184 cards (50 SPs and 35 autographs)

Design Notes: In traditional Stadium Club manner, the fronts contain full-bleed photos. Team colors are used at the bottom where the player's name, team, and position appear in a horizontal banner. Backs are vertical with biographical information, statistics, and a highlight paragraph.

Parallels and Similars: Photographers Proofs in blue, gold, and platinum were issued for all of the cards except for the autographed rookies (variations exist for the short prints in Proof version). The short printed cards all have photo variations where the photo on the front does not match the photo on the back. First Day Issue parallels were issued on regular stock (retail) and/or foam stock (hobby). Additionally, printing plates are available for all cards.

Distribution: Card #1-100, divisible by three (3, 6, 9, 12, ..., 99) are serial numbered to 999.

Thoughts: Stadium Club had disappeared for five years before it came back in 2008. Unfortunately, it is one of the most-confusing releases ever, with short prints, divide-by-three short prints, variations, autographed base cards, and some strange way of determining two different types of the same parallel set. The hobby boxes, with one autograph per pack, cost over $200 each. While the base set photography is pretty solid, the cost and confusion turned collectors off pretty quick. I miss Stadium Club, but Topps should bring it back with a more traditional pack format.

I am trying to build a franken-set of this issue, using the retail First Day Issue cards in place of the #/999 divisible-by-three base cards in many cases. If you have anything on my want list (near the bottom of this page), I'd love to work out a trade. Know that I am currently living in Japan and don't have a lot of options when it comes to trade bait...

1998 Stadium Club One of a Kind

Set size: 400 cards

Front Design: The cards parallel the 1998 Stadium Club set. A high-quality full-bleed color photo is interrupted only by the player's name in the bottom left corner, and a small Stadium Club "One of a Kind" baseball seam design in the lower right corner. The cards have a metalized foil finish.

Back Design: The backs are identical to the 1998 Stadium Club set, with another color photo filling most of the card. The player's name and card number is in the upper right corner and a baseball seam design fades most of the photo in one of the lower corners. A triangle with arced corners holds the player's vitals, statistics, and a short biography (the amount of information varies by player). On veteran players, a career highlight appears at the bottom of the card, aptly named "The Bottom Line." Cards are serial numbered in the upper-right corner.

Parallels and Similars: This set is a parallel of the 1998 Stadium Club set. There are two other serial numbered parallels in this issue; First Day Issue had a 200-card print run, and printing plates.

Distribution: Cards in this set had a 150-card print run. Cards were randomly inserted into hobby packs at 1:21 to 1:24 odds, and HTA packs at 1:13 to 1:14 odds.

Thoughts: I'm not sure why Topps felt the need to include a second parallel so closely numbered to the traditional First Day Issue set. I'm also not sure why a set called "One of a Kind" isn't a one of a kind issue (thus numbered 1/1). For a set that features some of the best photography seen from year to year, the foil treatment detracts from the card image.

Additional Images:

1998 Stadium Club In The Wings

Set size: 15 cards

Front Design: A radiating-circle holofoil design is on the sides and bottom of a color photo. The bottom of the card contains the set name and the player's name.

Back Design: The vertical backs have another photo at the top. The player's name, position, team, vitals, and prior year statistics are in the center of the card, with a short biography at the bottom. The radiating circles repeat as a background behind the text.

Parallels and Similars: None.

Distribution: Cards were inserted 1:36 first series Stadium Club packs, and 1:12 HTA first series Stadium Club packs.

Thoughts: The backs look more like a minor league release than an insert. The checklist is fairly impressive for a rookie-based set. The foil design is typical late-90's Topps, but it's a solid design.

1998 Stadium Club Royal Court (All hail King Chipper)

Set size: 15 cards

Front Design: "Uniluster" technology (whatever that is) was used to create the detailed, royal scrolling shield and border pattern surrounding a color photo. A foil banner at the top identifies the player as a member of the Royal Court, and his name is in a banner at the bottom.

Back Design: A second color photo is on the left, and a banner across the top and right identifies the player and whether he is a "king" or "prince" of some trait. Between the photo and banner is the player's team, vitals, and a writeup related to his trait.

Parallels and Similars: None.

Distribution: Cards were inserted into most types of second series packs at a rate of 1:36, and HTA packs at 1:12. Ten of the cards feature "kings" and the remaining five cards in the set are rookie "princes." There is no distinction in print run between the two groups.

Thoughts: The foil shield or scroll that surrounds the front photo has a great shine to it, and the whole card feels like foil overload in typical Topps turn-of-the-century fashion. If you're a fan of cards with intricate foil designs, you'll love this set like I do. If you're a traditionalist who hates anything but Topps Heritage and other throwback sets, you probably stopped reading this post a long time ago. I'm somewhat disappointed that I didn't already have a card from this set, because it would have been great to add this to my Chipper Jones PC.