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1999 Upper Deck Forte baseball cards makeup a very colorful run. That is, of course, if you can find all four pieces for any one player in the set. The full 4-card run is kindof a monster in terms of rarity and difficulty. This 30-card set was randomly inserted into Series 2 packs of 1999 Upper Deck Baseball. If you’re new to this achievement, here’s what to expect:
- Single: This is the blue version. It’s the base card. These were inserted at a rate of 1:23. These are not serial numbered.
- Double: This is the green version. They are serial numbered to 2000.
- Triple: This is the red version. They are serial numbered to 100. For cards with print runs of 100, these are surprisingly tough to find. The other three versions hold the expected levels of rarity for their respective print runs (or lack thereof) but this one for some reason, is much harder to find than one might expect for a card serial numbered to 100.
- Quadruple: This is the purple version. They are serial numbered to 10. The Quadruple Thomas parallel shown here is the only one I’ve ever seen. Granted, I’m not surprised. For a card printed to just 10 copies, I don’t expect to find another one anytime soon.
Despite what one might think, the Triple parallel was the last card I needed to complete this somewhat mythical rainbow. I just love the design with these cards. The standard flagship release of 1999 Upper Deck Baseball was an excellent release in that it hosted a variety of interesting insert sets, many of which with a 4-tier parallel structure. It’s times like these that I’m glad I only player collect one guy. Any more than one, especially of similar caliber, would make things really difficult to enjoy. It’s hard enough tracking down ultra rare cards of one guy, much less two.
This probably goes without saying but I figured what the heck – If you collect a player featured in this set, especially one of minimal (yes, you read that right – minimal) notable significance, the Triple and Quadruple parallels may prove to be exceptionally difficult to find. The beauty of these cards, however, is that in my experience, they can sometimes be found in bargain bins. This is more the case with the Doubles and Triples than with the Quadruples, of course, but it’s nice to know that these are sometimes considered lackluster by some dealers. In a way, it’s encouraging.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Upper Deck Forte, click here.
Set Information:
| Set | Total Cards | Print Run(s) | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 30 | – | 1:23 S2 |
| Double | 30 | 2000 | S2 |
| Triple | 30 | 100 | S2 |
| Quadruple | 30 | 10 | S2 |
Checklist:
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Darin Erstad | F16 | Mike Piazza |
| F2 | Troy Glaus | F17 | Derek Jeter |
| F3 | Mo Vaughn | F18 | Ben Grieve |
| F4 | Greg Maddux | F19 | Eric Chavez |
| F5 | Andres Galarraga | F20 | Scott Rolen |
| F6 | Chipper Jones | F21 | Mark McGwire |
| F7 | Cal Ripken Jr. | F22 | J.D. Drew |
| F8 | Albert Belle | F23 | Tony Gwynn |
| F9 | Nomar Garciaparra | F24 | Barry Bonds |
| F10 | Sammy Sosa | F25 | Alex Rodriguez |
| F11 | Kerry Wood | F26 | Ken Griffey Jr. |
| F12 | Frank Thomas | F27 | Ivan Rodriguez |
| F13 | Jim Thome | F28 | Juan Gonzalez |
| F14 | Jeff Bagwell | F29 | Roger Clemens |
| F15 | Vladimir Guerrero | F30 | Andruw Jones |
Bold indicates image gallery needs
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Upper Deck Forte, click here.
Awesome looking insert set. I had not heard of this one before, and now I’ll have to track some down. I’d be interested in your thoughts of the backs of cards when you find it to be worthwhile. It is interesting that the /10 parallel is known as “Quadruples” and not “Home Runs”
Thanks, Brian. I love this set. 1999 Upper Deck Baseball is one heck of a cool product. Two of the insert sets, Forte, and View to a Thrill both feature the tier structure as: Base, Double, Triple, and Quadruple, and neither of which have a 1/1 parallel. In contrast, the other insert sets, 10th Anniversary Team, Immaculate Perception, and Wonder Years all feature the tire structure as: Base, Double, Triple, and Home Run, and all of which have a 1/1 parallel. I’ll show a card back in a blog post when something on it specifically relates to the content being discussed.