1997-98 was the second year that Fleer produced their Metal cards, but it was the first year that “Universe” was appended to the brand name. With universe, they allowed a lot more exploration in creative, artistic designs on etched foil. The design is so important to this set that they even list the artists on the back of the card. So if you really like the design of a certain card, you can compare the penciler and CGI artist and look for others by the same pair. The set, found in eight-card packs, was a lot more compact this year, only 125 cards including two checklists. But only if you view the 100-card Metal Universe Championship as a separate set!
The timing of these releases basically made 1997-98 Metal Universe a Series I and Metal Universe Championship a Series II. But I think that these should clearly be viewed as two separate sets. They are numbered individually, starting at 1 and both had distinct designs and insert sets. It was just the timing of the releases that makes Championship Series a “Series II.” The other reason that some people might refer to Metal Universe Championship as a Series II is that after the copyright in Metal Universe you see “METAL/1/’97-98”, while Metal Universe Championship has a “2” instead of the “1”.
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