1997 Upper Deck SPX Kobe Bryant RC - Gold Parallel Question

[ngnichols]

Ok, this is something I have noticed about this particular card - there is a purple and a blue variant of this card with the purple being the more rare of the two.

Why is there no distinction made by BGS on their population reports for this obvious variation of a parallel?

Anyone know what the breakdown might be on how much more rare the purple is than the blue?

[ngnichols]

I even asked my rep at BGS about this and he didn't know about it until I showed him pictures of the two different versions. He was a grader for 15 years so he knows his stuff. Anyone else got any idea on this?

[JMarchand1981]

You sure that the year was 1997? 1997 spx was the year where the cards were horizontal with an "x" die cut. The ony variations that I knew of with these were the golds. Also, Beckett does not consider these to be rookies for some very odd reason (I have long suspected the reason to be that they were calendar year dates and not season dated but I just don't low that to be accurate).

1998 had the blue, gold, and copper variants. These cards were portrait oriented, had the rounded tops and bottoms and were the Tim Duncan/t-Mac draft class rookies.

[ngnichols]

You sure that the year was 1997? 1997 spx was the year where the cards were horizontal with an "x" die cut. The ony variations that I knew of with these were the golds. Also, Beckett does not consider these to be rookies for some very odd reason (I have long suspected the reason to be that they were calendar year dates and not season dated but I just don't low that to be accurate).

1998 had the blue, gold, and copper variants. These cards were portrait oriented, had the rounded tops and bottoms and were the Tim Duncan/t-Mac draft class rookies.

This is the card in question:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/Nzc4WDEwNDc=/z/Zw8AAOSwBahVY9eN/$_57.JPG

There is also a purple name-plate variant instead of the dark blue.

This is considered a rookie card of his and sells quite well as a BGS 9.5

Obviously it's pretty hard to get a 9.5 given how easily these cards can get damaged on the points. I had a 9.5 about 2 years ago. Just bought another one, but was curious if anyone else had seen this variation.

[JMarchand1981]

This is the card in question:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/Nzc4WDEwNDc=/z/Zw8AAOSwBahVY9eN/$_57.JPG

There is also a purple name-plate variant instead of the dark blue.

This is considered a rookie card of his and sells quite well as a BGS 9.5

Obviously it's pretty hard to get a 9.5 given how easily these cards can get damaged on the points. I had a 9.5 about 2 years ago. Just bought another one, but was curious if anyone else had seen this variation.

I am not sure what color version I have. I have never really looked for the different variations either.

[ngnichols]

I am not sure what color version I have. I have never really looked for the different variations either.

I've only seen like 3-4 purples, ever.

Not sure if this was a prototype deal or whatever, but they do exist.

[Andy5]

All I'm aware of is the regular and gold versions seen here:

3 RARE Kobe Bryant 1997 SPx 22 Gold Rookie Cards 2010 Hoopla 026 100 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-RARE-KOBE-BRYANT-1997-SPx-22-GOLD-ROOKIE-CARDS-2010-Hoopla-026-100-/221777643294?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a2fa471e&nma=true&si=8zxb9zCiJhfb9d9aRDw81QzeIBM%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557)

I can see the differences in the colour around the names of various golds but I'm not sure if they were an actual parallel? could be a printing issue.

[SK40]

2 Purples in this lot.

10 1996 Kobe Bryant UD SPx Gold Die Cut Rookie RC 22 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-1996-KOBE-BRYANT-UD-SPx-GOLD-DIE-CUT-ROOKIE-RC-22/151016999738?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D30424%26meid%3Dba1ccda746de44808d15ac756e358e5c%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D221777643294)

[Andy5]

2 Purples in this lot.

10 1996 Kobe Bryant UD SPx Gold Die Cut Rookie RC 22 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-1996-KOBE-BRYANT-UD-SPx-GOLD-DIE-CUT-ROOKIE-RC-22/151016999738?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D30424%26meid%3Dba1ccda746de44808d15ac756e358e5c%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D221777643294)

Ah yeah I see now. Hopefully someone has some more info on these.

[UltimateDeron]

I'd say it is just a printing error.

[AbraCalabro]

It's not a parallel, it's just a variant of the printing process. One color is not worth more/less than the other. If you see any auctions on eBay featuring a card in purple / blue with the seller calling it rare, etc... it's bogus. Nothing special about it, not part of any promotion, not an insert and not a parallel as mentioned.

[vto47]

Yeah... this was the 1996 upper deck SPX and I'm with you guys on this. If they had made a variation on purpose for Kobe, I expect they would have done the same for Iverson since he was clearly the ROY that year. (unless UD was that good predicting the future at the time)

Other than that, this is just a printing issue I would say. How about the other Laker players? And the Raptors as well? Do they have the same variation maybe?

[vto47]

Yeah... this was the 1996 upper deck SPX and I'm with you guys on this. If they had made a variation on purpose for Kobe, I expect they would have done the same for Iverson since he was clearly the ROY that year. (unless UD was that good predicting the future at the time)

Other than that, this is just a printing issue I would say. How about the other Laker players? And the Raptors as well? Do they have the same variation maybe?

[ngnichols]

Yeah... this was the 1996 upper deck SPX and I'm with you guys on this. If they had made a variation on purpose for Kobe, I expect they would have done the same for Iverson since he was clearly the ROY that year. (unless UD was that good predicting the future at the time)

Other than that, this is just a printing issue I would say. How about the other Laker players? And the Raptors as well? Do they have the same variation maybe?

The picture I posted above is 1997 UD SPX, not 1996.

THIS is 1996 UD SPX:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTI0NFg4ODk=/z/2DMAAOSwU9xUSVxT/$_57.JPG

[xavieronly1]

There were many printing errors in UD products. I once pulled a pack of 1996-97 Upper Deck that all cards had the wrong players in the back of the cards