Manufacturer: Fleer (Ultra)
Set Size: Base Set: 553 Cards
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Set Notes: The 1997 Fleer Ultra baseball card set had an overall high-end design with full player photography that bleeds all the way to the edge of the card. The players name was designed in a cool script font with glowing color and foil. The backs of the cards feature stats and another player image with a full background duotone image. The cards both front and back have a high gloss finish.
Key Rookies From 1997 Ultra: | 516 – Shigetoshi Hasegawa | 518 – David Arias (Ortiz)
Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
(–) : No Pricing Data Available | ($) USD Price Value | (¢) USD Price Under $1
1997 Fleer Ultra Baseball Rookie Card Prices
| Rookie | Card # | Raw | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Munoz | 42 | 50¢ | - | - | - |
| Ramiro Mendoza | 101 | 50¢ | - | - | - |
| Damon Mashore | 113 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Pedro Valdes | 172 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Marc Wilkins | 267 | 50¢ | - | - | - |
| Bill Mueller | 297 | 50¢ | - | - | - |
| Brian Giles | 354 | 50¢ | - | - | - |
| Ricky Ledee | 458 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Emil Brown | 486 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Orlando Cabrera | 491 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Tony Womack | 492 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| T.J. Staton | 497 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Carlos Castillo | 503 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Randall Simon | 508 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Wady Almonte | 510 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Deivi Cruz | 512 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Felix Heredia | 514 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Shigetoshi Hasegawa | 516 | $1 | - | - | - |
| David Arias (Ortiz) | 518 | $40 | $100 | $340 | $1,200 |
| Brady Raggio | 519 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Bubba Trammell | 527 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Brent Brede | 528 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Joe Borowski | 530 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Marc Sagmoen | 537 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Fernando Tatis | 538 | $1 | - | - | - |
| Justin Towle | 543 | 25¢ | - | - | - |
| Jose Cruz, Jr. | 551 | $1 | - | - | - |
| Hideki Irabu | 553 | 50¢ | - | - | - |
| Data Updated: April 2026 | |||||
Overview of 1997 Ultra Baseball Cards
The 1997 Fleer Ultra baseball card set is a product of the mid-90s “premium” card era, known for its high-quality production and distinctive design elements.
Premium Look and Feel: Ultra cards from this period were characterized by their high-quality photography and glossy finish. The base cards typically featured full-bleed photography, meaning the image extended all the way to the card edges, which was intended to enhance visual appeal.
Set Size: The complete base set consists of 553 cards, released in two series (Series 1 with 300 cards and Series 2 with 253 cards).
Parallel and Insert Sets: A major part of the Fleer Ultra brand was its variety of insert and parallel cards, which added chase elements for collectors. Below is a list of the parallels and inserts found in 1997 Ultra baseball.
- Gold Medallion Parallel: This popular parallel version of the base set is known for having a different photograph from the regular base card, along with a gold foil tint behind the nameplate.
- Platinum Medallion Parallel: This is a much rarer parallel of the base set, often featuring a numbered print run.
- Rookie Reflections
- Double Trouble
- RBI Kings
- Power Plus
- Home Run Kings (Hobby Exclusive)
- Fielder’s Choice
- Diamond Producers
(Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
The Key Rookie Card: The most significant and highly sought-after rookie card (RC) from the 1997 Fleer Ultra set is the David Ortiz rookie card #518.
David Ortiz’s card is notable because he is listed under his birth name, David Arias, as he was known early in his career with the Minnesota Twins. This card is considered one of his true rookie cards and holds good value, especially in high-grade or parallel versions (like the Gold Medallion).
Popular Baseball Rookie Cards From 1997
