1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Box Breaks

Over the last two or three weeks I've randomly picked up a hobby box of 1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice here and there - a combined total of maybe three.

As you would expect from three boxes I pulled a ton of cardboard; the majority were common doubles, several expired 'You Crash The Game' redemption cards and a few Stick'Ums.

At the risk of boring your pants off with every card that I added to my collection - I decided to just share my favorite cards from the breaks.

Pierre Turgeon / StarQuest Double Star #SQ56 - Two star tier cards come randomly inserted at approximately 1:58 packs.  I pulled this Turgeon inside the same pack as a quadruple star tier card, which you'll find out if you decide to keep reading.  I know, a two star tier card isn't much but after endlessly breaking one star cards anything above feels like a breath of fresh air.

Owen Nolan / StarQuest Triple Star #SQ78 -  1997 was the year when Nolan would dazzle the crowd in his own barn at the NHL All-Star Game by capping off a hat-trick with a 'called shot' on Dominik Hasek.  I remember watching it live on television, I was 13.

Brendan Shanahan / StarQuest Triple Star #SQ74 - I love these StarQuest cards, so much nostalgic value - I have never seen most of these before until I actually pull them so after more than 12 years there's still an "aww" factor when I so happen to find one.  Anyway Shanahan here is a triple star tier card, inserted 1:198 packs.

Keith Tkachuk / StarQuest Quadruple Star #SQ87 - The quad star tier cards are randomly inserted at a rate of 1:406 packs.  They have a special effect to them, as the backgrounds are darker and as well as the bottom borders.  The players seem to have a dark glow surrounding them as well, making them standout against the card.  Love these expansion era Coyotes jerseys; as a kid though I never knew what the logo actually was.  Pulled this Tkachuk card along with the Turgeon in the same pack.

Eric Lindros / StarQuest Quadruple Star #SQ88 - My favorite card from the box breaks was this Lindros quad star card.  Like the Tkachuk card, the effects and simple design make these cards eye candy worthy in my opinion.  Sadly during a quick visit to Indigo, I couldn't find Lindros worthy enough to be listed under this subset in the latest issue of Beckett.   Not just that card, but in general a lot of Lindros cards were missing their value.  Which got me thinking about the whole Lindros Hockey Hall of Fame debate.  One of the most dominating players of the 1990s will probably never gain the respect of the Hall due to his kicking and screaming entry into the league, his dramatic departure from Philadelphia and a career shortened by injuries.   Lindros was one of the most marketable players in hockey at one time and sometimes we forget just how good a player he was before he was robbed of his career by concussions.

Favorite Cards: 1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice StarQuest

As I was flipping through my binders recently I came across my collection of 1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice StarQuest sheets that I saved.  This 90-card, four-tier insert set features color photos of some of the top NHL Superstars printed using the hobby's top technology at the time.  The 45 cards in Tier One were randomly inserted one in every pack; the 20 cards in Tier Two were randomly inserted one in every 21 packs;  the 15 cards of Tier Three were randomly inserted one in every 71 packs; the 10 cards of Tier Four were randomly inserted one in every 145 packs.

I collected 35/45 Tier One cards, 2/20 cards from Tier Two and just 1/15 of the cards from Tier Three.  I never did pull a card from Tier Four.  I still enjoy these cards and like them much more than the StarQuest cards released in the 1998-99 Collector's Choice set and the parallel system used.

After I complete my 96-97 Score Sudden Death Project I think I'll start attempting to put this StarQuest set together.  If any of you guys have any of these for trade that aren't included in the scans, let me know!  I've included scans of all the cards I have in my collection under the cut.