For the second year in a row, Topps took their regular Topps brand set, applied their Chromium technology, and produced Topps Chrome. Some of the regular Topps insert sets were reproduced in Chrome versions as well including this Season’s Best insert set. Season’s Best was a 30-card set featuring 25 veterans with powerful showings in particular stats as well as five rookies. But in producing Chrome versions of these cards, Topps forgot to make a Chrome version of the #8 Latrell Sprewell card! So make note that the Chrome set is only 29-cards in size because of this oversight. Within these thirty cards, or twenty-nine for Topps Chrome, are six different subsets: Pressure Points, Key Masters, Power Core, Shooting Stars, Frontcourt Finesse and Hot Shots. Pressure Points is where the point guards are found, including this #5 Damon Stoudamire card.
The fact that Chrome is basically a big parallel of the regular Topps set, and that Chrome has its own parallel refractors makes value and rarity a bit ambiguous for insert sets like this. The regular ’97-98 Topps Season’s Best cards were found 1:16 packs while the Topps Chrome Season’s Best were 1:8 packs making the regular ones a bit harder to find in terms of odds. There’s not too much value difference between the two, so don’t assume the Chrome version is automatically more valuable. It would probably come down to market availability at the moment. Also, the regular Season’s Best are printed on “prismatic foilboard” and they really shine and sparkle. The Chrome versions lack this sparkle meaning the design is actually a bit more minimal and to the point. So there’s a big difference in appearance that comes down to personal preference. The Topps Chrome Season’s Best Refractors were 1:24 packs, so they stand out as the most valuable, obviously.
Finally, we need to talk about Chromium cards turning green yet again! If you’re curious about this phenomenon, we’ve addressed it a lot on this channel. We looked at a 1993-94 Finest Abdul-Rauf card that is green and there’s a link in that video showing packs being opened already green from that set. And we looked at a variety of 1995-96 Finest cards that are turning green. But it’s important to address it again because here we are in 1997-98 Chrome, and we’re not out of the woods yet! They’re still turning green! Topps was working hard on innovating card construction with their Chromium technology and patents, giving the cards a unique, metallic shine and a strong reputation. But sometimes something really innovative only shows effects years later and now we have “greening” or “Hulking” for a touch of humor. Unfortunately, there’s not too much we can say that’s conclusive. What have we heard? One half of a set turned green while the other didn’t. Cards turning green while in BGS and PSA slabs. Cards that avoided greening for 15-18 years and then suddenly, one day, they begin to turn. There are people who swear that if humidity and light are avoided at all costs, there is no change. And there are also people who seem 100% confident that the fate of all early Chromium cards is to turn green at some point in time. So what can we say for sure? First, it never hurts to avoid best practices and avoid humidity and sunlight when storing cards, whether this is the solution to greening or not. Many factors probably contribute, but there seems to be a reaction between the ink and other materials in the cards causing the greening. Changes were made and cards produced after 1998 don’t seem to be affected by this phenomenon. It is upsetting and it is affecting value in the market.
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