As far as modern sets go, 1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball has emerged as one of the biggest. Between its out-there designs, tough inserts and strong checklist, there are plenty of reasons why. But the biggest might be in the form of parallels — the landmark Precious Metal Gems.
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Base Set Basics
The base set isn’t a huge one, boasting just 125 cards. However, it does come at a time when Michael Jordan was back, Kobe Bryant was in the early stages of his career and several hobby-favorites were still active. And while the Rookie Cards aren’t plentiful by number, there are a couple of notable ones in Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady.
Where 1997-98 Metal Universe really starts to stand out is with its look. Fleer brought Metal to the sport in 1995-96. And while the etched foil was there, it wasn’t quite as over-the-top as Metal Universe took it. Here, it shifts towards something more abstract or out of a comic book rather than just strictly basketball-related.
As the product’s popularity has risen, prices even for star base cards have hit levels seldom seen. The regular Michael Jordan card tops $100 raw and significantly higher for high-end graded copies. The Tim Duncan RC, which was once readily available for under $5 has soared far past that since his retirement.
1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems
The biggest cards in the product are the Precious Metal Gems. In fact, outside of autographs, these are some of the most coveted post-war sports cards, period.
Parallels of the first 123 cards (the two checklists at the end don’t have them), PMGs have radiant solid-color backgrounds that pop like few cards ever have. It’s a bright look that might not be for everybody but historical sales show there are people out there willing to spend huge amounts on them.
Each Precious Metal Gems parallel has 100 total copies. But it’s slightly more complicated than that as they come in two different colors. The first ten are Green. The remaining 90 are Red.
Understandably, the Green PMGs garner the highest prices but all are considered holy grails on the basketball card market. In February, 2019, a PMG Green Michael Jordan sold at auction for $350,000. And while authentic, PSA noted that the card had been altered. The following month, a PMG Red Michael Jordan graded PSA 6.5 topped $63,000.
PMGs are extremely condition sensitive due to their edges, which make some of the massive prices stand out even more. Star players beyond Jordan regularly net thousands even when they do have signs of wear. Expect to pay hundreds even for commons.
The allure of 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems isn’t just their appearance. They are exceptionally rare with most firmly entrenched in personal collections.
Inserts
It’s not just the base cards that go the eccentric route in 1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball. The insert lineup brings plenty of that as well. Many are tough to find today as well.
One insert set that isn’t rare are the Reebok Chase cards. Landing one per pack, these highlight 16 players who wore Reebok sneakers. In many ways, these are essentially parallels with the fronts and backs looking pretty much the same. The Reebok logo is added to the reverse along with the company’s website. Every Reebok Chase insert has Bronze, Silver and Gold versions.
Silver Slams (20 cards, 1:6 packs) get their name for the color treatment given to the featured players. Backgrounds on these take a neon approach.
Landing approximately one per box, Planet Metal is where things start to get a little more tough. All 15 cards in the set, which consist of several top-tier stars, have a metallic foil backdrop that looks kind of like a storm pattern on a weather map.
Titanium (20 cards, 1:72 packs) is a hobby-exclusive that mixes acetate stock, some patterned foil highlights and die-cut shape. These rank as some of the most valuable cards in 1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball with several stars netting hundreds.
The checklist has a retail-only insert set as well with Gold Planet (ten cards, 1:120 packs). Etched-foil is the design theme here.
Finally, there’s Platinum Portraits. At 1:288 packs, these are the toughest inserts in the product. Using something called matrix etching, the players’ faces are formed through several tiny holes. This ranks as one of the highest priced Michael Jordan inserts, selling for thousands of dollars. Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen and Allen Iverson are among the players that can bring sales of several hundreds or more.
Autographs
Autographs can be found in Metal Universe packs. They’re part of the cross-brand Autographics (1:96 packs) that spread across all 1997-98 Fleer/SkyBox products. A checklist for all the year’s Autographics cards is available in the Beckett database.
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball cards at a glance:
Cards per pack: Hobby – 8
Packs per box: Hobby – 24
Boxes per case: Hobby – 6, 12 and 30
Set size: 125 cards
Release date: November 5, 1997
Check 1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball values in the Beckett Price Guide.
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Checklist
Base
Base Set Checklist
125 cards.
Buy on:
1 Charles Barkley
2 Dell Curry
3 Derek Fisher
4 Derek Harper
5 Avery Johnson
6 Steve Smith
7 Alonzo Mourning
8 Rod Strickland
9 Chris Mullin
10 Rony Seikaly
11 Vin Baker
12 Austin Croshere RC
13 Vinny Del Negro
14 Sherman Douglas
15 Priest Lauderdale
16 Cedric Ceballos
17 LaPhonso Ellis
18 Luc Longley
19 Brian Grant
20 Allen Iverson
21 Anthony Mason
22 Bryant Reeves
23 Michael Jordan
24 Dale Ellis
25 Terrell Brandon
26 Patrick Ewing
27 Allan Houston
28 Damon Stoudamire
29 Loy Vaught
30 Walt Williams
31 Shareef Abdur-Rahim
32 Mario Elie
33 Juwan Howard
34 Tom Gugliotta
35 Glen Rice
36 Isaiah Rider
37 Arvydas Sabonis
38 Derrick Coleman
39 Kevin Willis
40 Kendall Gill
41 John Wallace
42 Tracy McGrady RC
43 Travis Best
44 Malik Rose
45 Anfernee Hardaway
46 Roy Rogers
47 Kerry Kittles
48 Matt Maloney
49 Antonio McDyess
50 Shaquille O’Neal
51 George McCloud
52 Wesley Person
53 Shawn Bradley
54 Antonio Davis
55 P.J. Brown
56 Joe Dumars
57 Horace Grant
58 Steve Kerr
59 Hakeem Olajuwon
60 Tim Hardaway
61 Toni Kukoc
62 Ron Mercer RC
63 Gary Payton
64 Grant Hill
65 Detlef Schrempf
66 Tim Duncan RC
67 Shawn Kemp
68 Voshon Lenard
69 Othella Harrington
70 Hersey Hawkins
71 Lindsey Hunter
72 Antoine Walker
73 Jamal Mashburn
74 Kenny Anderson
75 Todd Day
76 Todd Fuller
77 Jermaine O’Neal
78 David Robinson
79 Erick Dampier
80 Keith Van Horn RC
81 Kobe Bryant
82 Chris Childs
83 Scottie Pippen
84 Marcus Camby
85 Danny Ferry
86 Jeff Hornacek
87 Bo Outlaw
88 Larry Johnson
89 Tony Delk
90 Stephon Marbury
91 Robert Pack
92 Chris Webber
93 Clyde Drexler
94 Eddie Jones
95 Jerry Stackhouse
96 Tyrone Hill
97 Karl Malone
98 Reggie Miller
99 Bryon Russell
100 Dale Davis
101 Steve Nash
102 Vitaly Potapenko
103 Nick Anderson
104 Ray Allen
105 Sean Elliott
106 Dikembe Mutombo
107 Dennis Rodman
108 Lorenzen Wright
109 Kevin Garnett
110 Christian Laettner
111 Mitch Richmond
112 Joe Smith
113 Jason Kidd
114 Glenn Robinson
115 Mark Price
116 Mark Jackson
117 Bobby Phills
118 John Starks
119 John Stockton
120 Mookie Blaylock
121 Dean Garrett
122 Olden Polynice
123 Latrell Sprewell
124 Checklist
125 Checklist
Precious Metal Gems
123 cards.
/100, 90 copies
All PMGs are numbered to 100. The first ten of each card are the Emerald version. The remaining 90 are the red.
Buy on:
Parallels:
- Emerald (/100, 10 copies)
Checklists (#124-125) do not have PMGs.
Inserts
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Inserts Checklists
Gold Universe Checklist
10 cards.
1:120 retail packs.
Buy on:
1 Damon Stoudamire
2 Shawn Kemp
3 John Stockton
4 Jerry Stackhouse
5 John Wallace
6 Juwan Howard
7 David Robinson
8 Gary Payton
9 Joe Smith
10 Charles Barkley
Planet Metal Checklist
15 cards.
1:24 packs.
Buy on:
1 Michael Jordan
2 Allen Iverson
3 Kobe Bryant
4 Shaquille O’Neal
5 Stephon Marbury
6 Marcus Camby
7 Anfernee Hardaway
8 Kevin Garnett
9 Shareef Abdur-Rahim
10 Dennis Rodman
11 Grant Hill
12 Hakeem Olajuwon
13 David Robinson
14 Charles Barkley
15 Gary Payton
Platinum Portraits Checklist
15 cards.
1:288 packs.
Buy on:
1 Michael Jordan
2 Allen Iverson
3 Kobe Bryant
4 Shaquille O’Neal
5 Stephon Marbury
6 Marcus Camby
7 Anfernee Hardaway
8 Kevin Garnett
9 Shareef Abdur-Rahim
10 Dennis Rodman
11 Ray Allen
12 Grant Hill
13 Kerry Kittles
14 Antoine Walker
15 Scottie Pippen
Reebok Chase Bronze Checklist
16 cards.
1 per pack.
Buy on:
Parallels:
- Silver
- Gold
5 Avery Johnson
6 Steve Smith
13 Vinny Del Negro
16 Cedric Ceballos
20 Allen Iverson
32 Mario Elie
50 Shaquille O’Neal
67 Shawn Kemp
68 Voshon Lenard
74 Kenny Anderson
91 Robert Pack
93 Clyde Drexler
96 Tyrone Hill
114 Glenn Robinson
116 Mark Jackson
Silver Slams Checklist
20 cards.
1:6 packs.
Buy on:
1 Ray Allen
2 Kerry Kittles
3 Antoine Walker
4 Scottie Pippen
5 Damon Stoudamire
6 Shawn Kemp
7 Jerry Stackhouse
8 John Wallace
9 Juwan Howard
10 Gary Payton
11 Joe Smith
12 Terrell Brandon
13 Hakeem Olajuwon
14 Tom Gugliotta
15 Glen Rice
16 Charles Barkley
17 David Robinson
18 Patrick Ewing
19 Christian Laettner
20 Chris Webber
Titanium Checklist
20 cards.
1:72 hobby packs.
Buy on:
1 Michael Jordan
2 Allen Iverson
3 Kobe Bryant
4 Shaquille O’Neal
5 Stephon Marbury
6 Marcus Camby
7 Anfernee Hardaway
8 Kevin Garnett
9 Shareef Abdur-Rahim
10 Dennis Rodman
11 Ray Allen
12 Grant Hill
13 Kerry Kittles
14 Antoine Walker
15 Scottie Pippen
16 Damon Stoudamire
17 Shawn Kemp
18 Hakeem Olajuwon
19 Jerry Stackhouse
20 Juwan Howard
Team Sets
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Team Set Checklists
Want to know what cards your favorite team has in 1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball? Here’s the checklist broken down by team. Scroll through or click below to go directly to that team.
Please note that parallels are not included here. Please check the main checklist in the other tab for parallel specifics and insertion rates.
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Jersey Nets
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Seattle Supersonics
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Vancouver Grizzlies
Washington Wizards
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Atlanta Hawks Checklist
6 Steve Smith
15 Priest Lauderdale
106 Dikembe Mutombo
110 Christian Laettner
120 Mookie Blaylock
Reebok Chase Bronze
6 Steve Smith
Silver Slams
19 Christian Laettner
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Boston Celtics Checklist
62 Ron Mercer RC
72 Antoine Walker
75 Todd Day
Platinum Portraits
14 Antoine Walker
Silver Slams
3 Antoine Walker
Titanium
14 Antoine Walker
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Charlotte Hornets Checklist
2 Dell Curry
21 Anthony Mason
35 Glen Rice
44 Malik Rose
89 Tony Delk
Silver Slams
15 Glen Rice
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Chicago Bulls Checklist
18 Luc Longley
23 Michael Jordan
58 Steve Kerr
61 Toni Kukoc
83 Scottie Pippen
107 Dennis Rodman
Planet Metal
1 Michael Jordan
10 Dennis Rodman
Platinum Portraits
1 Michael Jordan
10 Dennis Rodman
15 Scottie Pippen
Silver Slams
4 Scottie Pippen
Titanium
1 Michael Jordan
10 Dennis Rodman
15 Scottie Pippen
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Cleveland Cavaliers Checklist
25 Terrell Brandon
85 Danny Ferry
96 Tyrone Hill
102 Vitaly Potapenko
117 Bobby Phills
Reebok Chase Bronze
96 Tyrone Hill
Silver Slams
12 Terrell Brandon
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Dallas Mavericks Checklist
4 Derek Harper
53 Shawn Bradley
91 Robert Pack
Reebok Chase Bronze
91 Robert Pack
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Denver Nuggets Checklist
17 LaPhonso Ellis
24 Dale Ellis
49 Antonio McDyess
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Detroit Pistons Checklist
56 Joe Dumars
64 Grant Hill
71 Lindsey Hunter
Planet Metal
11 Grant Hill
Platinum Portraits
12 Grant Hill
Titanium
12 Grant Hill
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Golden State Warriors Checklist
9 Chris Mullin
76 Todd Fuller
112 Joe Smith
115 Mark Price
123 Latrell Sprewell
Gold Universe
9 Joe Smith
Silver Slams
11 Joe Smith
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Houston Rockets Checklist
1 Charles Barkley
32 Mario Elie
39 Kevin Willis
48 Matt Maloney
59 Hakeem Olajuwon
69 Othella Harrington
93 Clyde Drexler
Gold Universe
10 Charles Barkley
Planet Metal
12 Hakeem Olajuwon
14 Charles Barkley
Reebok Chase Bronze
32 Mario Elie
93 Clyde Drexler
Silver Slams
13 Hakeem Olajuwon
16 Charles Barkley
Titanium
18 Hakeem Olajuwon
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Indiana Pacers Checklist
12 Austin Croshere RC
43 Travis Best
54 Antonio Davis
79 Erick Dampier
98 Reggie Miller
100 Dale Davis
116 Mark Jackson
Reebok Chase Bronze
116 Mark Jackson
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Los Angeles Clippers Checklist
29 Loy Vaught
87 Bo Outlaw
108 Lorenzen Wright
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Los Angeles Lakers Checklist
3 Derek Fisher
50 Shaquille O’Neal
51 George McCloud
81 Kobe Bryant
94 Eddie Jones
Planet Metal
3 Kobe Bryant
4 Shaquille O’Neal
Platinum Portraits
3 Kobe Bryant
4 Shaquille O’Neal
Reebok Chase Bronze
50 Shaquille O’Neal
Titanium
3 Kobe Bryant
4 Shaquille O’Neal
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Miami Heat Checklist
7 Alonzo Mourning
55 P.J. Brown
60 Tim Hardaway
68 Voshon Lenard
73 Jamal Mashburn
Reebok Chase Bronze
68 Voshon Lenard
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Milwaukee Bucks Checklist
11 Vin Baker
14 Sherman Douglas
104 Ray Allen
114 Glenn Robinson
Platinum Portraits
11 Ray Allen
Reebok Chase Bronze
114 Glenn Robinson
Silver Slams
1 Ray Allen
Titanium
11 Ray Allen
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Minnesota Timberwolves Checklist
34 Tom Gugliotta
90 Stephon Marbury
109 Kevin Garnett
121 Dean Garrett
Planet Metal
5 Stephon Marbury
8 Kevin Garnett
Platinum Portraits
5 Stephon Marbury
8 Kevin Garnett
Silver Slams
14 Tom Gugliotta
Titanium
5 Stephon Marbury
8 Kevin Garnett
New Jersey Nets Checklist
40 Kendall Gill
47 Kerry Kittles
80 Keith Van Horn RC
Platinum Portraits
13 Kerry Kittles
Silver Slams
2 Kerry Kittles
Titanium
13 Kerry Kittles
New York Knicks Checklist
26 Patrick Ewing
27 Allan Houston
41 John Wallace
82 Chris Childs
88 Larry Johnson
118 John Starks
Gold Universe
5 John Wallace
Silver Slams
8 John Wallace
18 Patrick Ewing
Orlando Magic Checklist
10 Rony Seikaly
45 Anfernee Hardaway
57 Horace Grant
103 Nick Anderson
Planet Metal
7 Anfernee Hardaway
Platinum Portraits
7 Anfernee Hardaway
Titanium
7 Anfernee Hardaway
Philadelphia 76ers Checklist
20 Allen Iverson
38 Derrick Coleman
95 Jerry Stackhouse
Gold Universe
4 Jerry Stackhouse
Planet Metal
2 Allen Iverson
Platinum Portraits
2 Allen Iverson
Reebok Chase Bronze
20 Allen Iverson
Silver Slams
7 Jerry Stackhouse
Titanium
2 Allen Iverson
19 Jerry Stackhouse
Phoenix Suns Checklist
16 Cedric Ceballos
52 Wesley Person
101 Steve Nash
113 Jason Kidd
Reebok Chase Bronze
16 Cedric Ceballos
Portland Trail Blazers Checklist
36 Isaiah Rider
37 Arvydas Sabonis
74 Kenny Anderson
77 Jermaine O’Neal
Reebok Chase Bronze
74 Kenny Anderson
Sacramento Kings Checklist
19 Brian Grant
111 Mitch Richmond
122 Olden Polynice
San Antonio Spurs Checklist
5 Avery Johnson
13 Vinny Del Negro
66 Tim Duncan RC
78 David Robinson
105 Sean Elliott
Gold Universe
7 David Robinson
Planet Metal
13 David Robinson
Reebok Chase Bronze
5 Avery Johnson
13 Vinny Del Negro
Silver Slams
17 David Robinson
Seattle Supersonics Checklist
63 Gary Payton
65 Detlef Schrempf
67 Shawn Kemp
70 Hersey Hawkins
Gold Universe
2 Shawn Kemp
8 Gary Payton
Planet Metal
15 Gary Payton
Reebok Chase Bronze
67 Shawn Kemp
Silver Slams
6 Shawn Kemp
10 Gary Payton
Titanium
17 Shawn Kemp
Toronto Raptors Checklist
28 Damon Stoudamire
30 Walt Williams
42 Tracy McGrady RC
84 Marcus Camby
Gold Universe
1 Damon Stoudamire
Planet Metal
6 Marcus Camby
Platinum Portraits
6 Marcus Camby
Silver Slams
5 Damon Stoudamire
Titanium
6 Marcus Camby
16 Damon Stoudamire
Utah Jazz Checklist
86 Jeff Hornacek
97 Karl Malone
99 Bryon Russell
119 John Stockton
Gold Universe
3 John Stockton
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Vancouver Grizzlies Checklist
22 Bryant Reeves
31 Shareef Abdur-Rahim
46 Roy Rogers
Planet Metal
9 Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Platinum Portraits
9 Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Titanium
9 Shareef Abdur-Rahim
1997-98 Metal Universe Basketball Washington Wizards Checklist
8 Rod Strickland
33 Juwan Howard
92 Chris Webber
Gold Universe
6 Juwan Howard
Silver Slams
9 Juwan Howard
20 Chris Webber
Titanium
20 Juwan Howard
Back when inserts were actually interesting.
Love, Love This set!!