1997 Skybox Premium Rubies Progress!

88horsepower · 10-20-2025, 08:09 PM

FINALLY!!!

About 15 years ago, when I was a pre-licensed intern, fresh out of grad school, I had a handful of 1997 Skybox Premium Rubies. 6-7 of them if I recall. One of those cards was former Eagles RB Duce Staley. Because I was still an intern, I didn't think it was financially likely I would ever work on the 1997 Skybox Premium Rubies set and decided to sell the cards I had in favor of another, less expensive project. Fast forward a few years into the future, I became a licensed therapist with a successful practice and decided to try my hand at the 40-card rookie portion of the 1997 Skybox Premium Rubies set and slowly began working on the set one card at a time. The one card of the several I used to own that I could never find was the Staley RC.

Over the last two years, a few have popped up but I was either outbid or missed out on a BIN that quickly got snatched up before I had a chance at grabbing it. I had just about given up on the set, 37 cards deep into the project, when I missed on my 3rd consecutive Staley, getting outbid every single time. The Staley has been heavily sought after by Philly collectors, including one gentleman I know who has two of the three cards I missed on. Well, I guess the fourth time was the charm because I finally won a Staley Ruby. Elated would be the adjective I would use to describe how it felt when I found out my final bid was the winning one. This leaves me missing just two cards from the set - former Cowboys WR Macey Brooks and former Atlanta Falcons RB Byron Hanspard.

I've seen the Macey Brooks a couple of times, so I know at some point I'll get one when it next pops up. The Hanspard is a different story. I've never once, having done extensive searches for past auctions using every auction tracker out there. Never once have I seen visual evidence of the Hanspard ever having been put up for auction. Not once. Supposedly, there are 50 copies out there, but I'm skeptical. There was an article on Fanatics about the set and how it seems strange that even the most popular superstar players have very, very few graded in the PSA population report and scarcely in raw condition. We're talking the biggest star players in the set, which would lead me to believe they would come up for auction more often. Hopefully, they are out there somewhere but it's really odd that a Hanspard simply hasn't popped up at all, ever.

caulaflour · 10-20-2025, 08:40 PM

Amazing chase! Glad (as an Eagles fan!) you got the Duce and I hope the others turn up!

pejc300 · 10-21-2025, 05:15 PM

Absolutely incredible. You were so ahead of the game on so many of these sets.

longhornjunkie · 10-21-2025, 07:11 PM

Awesome stuff... If you ever get a lead on a Mike Adams let me know.

88horsepower · 10-22-2025, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caulaflour

Amazing chase! Glad (as an Eagles fan!) you got the Duce and I hope the others turn up!

Thanks, man! Lots of Staley collectors out there, apparently. I had no idea he was so popular with Eagles fans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pejc300

Absolutely incredible. You were so ahead of the game on so many of these sets.

Thanks, yeah, I feel super lucky to have gotten most of the cards in my set long before they escalated in price. I can't even imagine what I'd pay for my Tony Gonzalez now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by longhornjunkie

Awesome stuff... If you ever get a lead on a
Mike Adams let me know.

You bet. I keep an eye out for all of them, so I will keep you in the loop if I see one. IIRC, the one I have was the only one I've ever seen. I just sent that one, along with 29 others, to PSA for encapsulation.

10-20-2025, 08:09 PM	#1
88horsepower Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Somewhere In Time Posts: 23,674	1997 Skybox Premium Rubies Progress! FINALLY!!! About 15 years ago, when I was a pre-licensed intern, fresh out of grad school, I had a handful of 1997 Skybox Premium Rubies. 6-7 of them if I recall. One of those cards was former Eagles RB Duce Staley. Because I was still an intern, I didn't think it was financially likely I would ever work on the 1997 Skybox Premium Rubies set and decided to sell the cards I had in favor of another, less expensive project. Fast forward a few years into the future, I became a licensed therapist with a successful practice and decided to try my hand at the 40-card rookie portion of the 1997 Skybox Premium Rubies set and slowly began working on the set one card at a time. The one card of the several I used to own that I could never find was the Staley RC. Over the last two years, a few have popped up but I was either outbid or missed out on a BIN that quickly got snatched up before I had a chance at grabbing it. I had just about given up on the set, 37 cards deep into the project, when I missed on my 3rd consecutive Staley, getting outbid every single time. The Staley has been heavily sought after by Philly collectors, including one gentleman I know who has two of the three cards I missed on. Well, I guess the fourth time was the charm because I finally won a Staley Ruby. Elated would be the adjective I would use to describe how it felt when I found out my final bid was the winning one. This leaves me missing just two cards from the set - former Cowboys WR Macey Brooks and former Atlanta Falcons RB Byron Hanspard. I've seen the Macey Brooks a couple of times, so I know at some point I'll get one when it next pops up. The Hanspard is a different story. I've never once, having done extensive searches for past auctions using every auction tracker out there. Never once have I seen visual evidence of the Hanspard ever having been put up for auction. Not once. Supposedly, there are 50 copies out there, but I'm skeptical. There was an article on Fanatics about the set and how it seems strange that even the most popular superstar players have very, very few graded in the PSA population report and scarcely in raw condition. We're talking the biggest star players in the set, which would lead me to believe they would come up for auction more often. Hopefully, they are out there somewhere but it's really odd that a Hanspard simply hasn't popped up at all, ever.

10-20-2025, 08:40 PM	#2
caulaflour Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,294	Amazing chase! Glad (as an Eagles fan!) you got the Duce and I hope the others turn up! __________________ I only buy and sell (no trading) and I only ship to USA. Thanks.

10-21-2025, 07:11 PM	#4
longhornjunkie Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Rowlett, TX Posts: 4,592 longhornjunkie	Awesome stuff... If you ever get a lead on a Mike Adams let me know. __________________ Collecting Longhorns RCs 1999-2005 FB/BKB https://sites.google.com/view/longhornjunkie/home Running Card Show (Cards FS) - http://bit.ly/longhornjunkie

10-21-2025, 05:15 PM	#3
pejc300 Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 10,717	Absolutely incredible. You were so ahead of the game on so many of these sets.