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1999 Ultimate Victory is another excellent installment by the folks at Upper Deck. I was out of the hobby when this product came out so I didn’t encounter it until at least 2003. While it had taken off in popularity by that time, since then, it’s notoriety has grown richer. This set is popular among 1990s-era collectors.
Those of us that collect high profile players I.e., Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., or Cal Ripken Jr., may be faced with the somewhat difficult and likely expensive task of tracking down the 1 of 1. For the top stars in the set, I’ve seen high asking prices (perceived value) for the first parallel up from the base. I have lots of respect for collectors who player collect high profile players but I certainly don’t envy them on the premise of cost alone. It’s gotta to be financially stressful to collect superstars with ultra high marquee value.
If you collect anyone that made it into the 1999 Ultimate Victory set, and are looking to complete the parallel run, here’s what to expect:
- Base: This is the standard card in the release. It features a flat-foil finish.
- Parallel: This is the next parallel up from the base. These feature linear holofoil technology and were inserted into packs at a rate of 1:12.
- Parallel 100: This is the next hardest parallel to find. These feature silver circular wave technology and have a stated print run of 100 copies.
- Parallel 1 of 1: For the obvious reason, this is the hardest one to find.These feature silver circular wave technology with a gold frame and have a stated print run of just 1 copy. Replacement copies exist that look identical to these parallels but don’t have the serial number printed on them. While not confirmed, these replacement copies are believed to be 1/1s as well.
It took me a few years to pull together my players 4-card run. These days, if one can lock down 3 out of the 4 in a similar run, I consider it a win. The 1 of 1 parallel is a true feat but much like other high-end rainbows from the 1990s, the 1/1s are nearly impossible to find. If you’re feelin’ lucky or just wanna rip into some excellent wax, try a box of 1999 Ultimate Victory.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory, click here.
Set Information:
| Important Date(s) | |
|---|---|
| Late 1999 | Release Date |
| Set | Total Cards | Print Run(s) | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 180 | – | 5:1 121-180: 1:4 |
| Parallel | 180 | – | 1:12 |
| Parallel 100 | 180 | 100 | – |
| Parallel 1 of 1 | 180 | 1 | – |
| Bleacher Reachers | 11 | – | 1:23 |
| Fame-Used Memorabilia | 5 | 350; Combo /99 | – |
| Frozen Ropes | 10 | – | 1:23 |
| STATure | 15 | – | 1:6 |
| Tribute 1999 | 4 | – | 1:11 |
| Ultimate Competitors | 12 | – | 1:23 |
| Ultimate Hit Men | 8 | – | 1:23 |
Base Set Checklist:
1999 Ultimate Victory is a 180-card set issued in 5-card packs with an SRP of $2.99. Boxes contain 24 packs. Cards 121-150 feature rookie-year cards, and cards 151-180 all feature Mark McGwire in a subset called, “McGwire’s Magic.” Cards 121-180 were inserted into packs at a rate of 1:4. Parallel(s): Parallel, Parallel 100 /100, and Parallel 1 of 1 /1. Key RCs: Rick Ankiel, Josh Beckett, Pat Burrell, Tim Hudson, and Alfonso Soriano.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory, click here.
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Troy Glaus | 91 | Ray Lankford |
| 2 | Tim Salmon | 92 | Eric Davis |
| 3 | Mo Vaughn | 93 | Tony Gwynn |
| 4 | Garret Anderson | 94 | Reggie Sanders |
| 5 | Darin Erstad | 95 | Wally Joyner |
| 6 | Randy Johnson | 96 | Trevor Hoffman |
| 7 | Matt Williams | 97 | Robb Nen |
| 8 | Travis Lee | 98 | Barry Bonds |
| 9 | Jay Bell | 99 | Jeff Kent |
| 10 | Steve Finley | 100 | J.T. Snow |
| 11 | Luis Gonzalez | 101 | Ellis Burks |
| 12 | Greg Maddux | 102 | Ken Griffey Jr. |
| 13 | Chipper Jones | 103 | Alex Rodriguez |
| 14 | Javy Lopez | 104 | Jay Buhner |
| 15 | Tom Glavine | 105 | Edgar Martinez |
| 16 | John Smoltz | 106 | David Bell |
| 17 | Cal Ripken Jr. | 107 | Bobby Smith |
| 18 | Charles Johnson | 108 | Wade Boggs |
| 19 | Albert Belle | 109 | Fred McGriff |
| 20 | Mike Mussina | 110 | Rolando Arrojo |
| 21 | Pedro Martinez | 111 | Jose Canseco |
| 22 | Nomar Garciaparra | 112 | Ivan Rodriguez |
| 23 | Jose Offerman | 113 | Juan Gonzalez |
| 24 | Sammy Sosa | 114 | Rafael Palmeiro |
| 25 | Mark Grace | 115 | Rusty Greer |
| 26 | Kerry Wood | 116 | Todd Zeile |
| 27 | Frank Thomas | 117 | Jose Cruz Jr. |
| 28 | Ray Durham | 118 | Carlos Delgado |
| 29 | Paul Konerko | 119 | Shawn Green |
| 30 | Pete Harnisch | 120 | David Wells |
| 31 | Greg Vaughn | 121 | Eric Munson SP RC |
| 32 | Sean Casey | 122 | Lance Berkman SP |
| 33 | Manny Ramirez | 123 | Ed Yarnall SP |
| 34 | Jim Thome | 124 | Jacque Jones SP |
| 35 | Sandy Alomar Jr. | 125 | Kyle Farnsworth SP RC |
| 36 | Roberto Alomar | 126 | Ryan Rupe SP RC |
| 37 | Travis Fryman | 127 | Jeff Weaver SP RC |
| 38 | Kenny Lofton | 128 | Gabe Kapler SP |
| 39 | Omar Vizquel | 129 | Alex Gonzalez SP |
| 40 | Larry Walker | 130 | Randy Wolf SP |
| 41 | Todd Helton | 131 | Ben Davis SP |
| 42 | Vinny Castilla | 132 | Carlso Beltran SP |
| 43 | Tony Clark | 133 | Jim Morris SP RC |
| 44 | Juan Encarnacion | 134 | Jeff Zimmerman SP RC |
| 45 | Dean Palmer | 135 | Bruce Aven SP |
| 46 | Damion Easley | 136 | Alfonso Soriano SP RC |
| 47 | Mark Kotsay | 137 | Tim Hudson SP RC |
| 48 | Cliff Floyd | 138 | Josh Beckett SP RC |
| 49 | Jeff Bagwell | 139 | Michael Barrett SP |
| 50 | Ken Caminiti | 140 | Eric Chavez SP |
| 51 | Craig Biggio | 141 | Pat Burrell SP RC |
| 52 | Moises Alou | 142 | Kris Benson SP |
| 53 | Johnny Damon | 143 | J.D. Drew SP |
| 54 | Larry Sutton | 144 | Matt Clement SP |
| 55 | Kevin Brown | 145 | Rick Ankiel SP RC |
| 56 | Adrian Beltre | 146 | Vernon Wells SP |
| 57 | Raul Mondesi | 147 | Ruben Mateo SP UER |
| 58 | Gary Sheffield | 148 | Roy Halladay SP |
| 59 | Jeromy Burnitz | 149 | Joe McEwing SP RC |
| 60 | Sean Berry | 150 | Freddy Garcia SP RC |
| 61 | Jeff Cirillo | 151 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 62 | Brad Radke | 152 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 63 | Todd Walker | 153 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 64 | Matt Lawton | 154 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 65 | Vladimir Guerrero | 155 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 66 | Rondell White | 156 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 67 | Dustin Hermanson | 157 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 68 | Mike Piazza | 158 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 69 | Rickey Henderson | 159 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 70 | Robin Ventura | 160 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 71 | John Olerud | 161 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 72 | Derek Jeter | 162 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 73 | Roger Clemens | 163 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 74 | Orlando Hernandez | 164 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 75 | Paul O’Neill | 165 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 76 | Bernie Williams | 166 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 77 | Chuck Knoblauch | 167 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 78 | Tino Martinez | 168 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 79 | Jason Giambi | 169 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 80 | Ben Grieve | 170 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 81 | Matt Stairs | 171 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 82 | Scott Rolen | 172 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 83 | Ron Gant | 173 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 84 | Bobby Abreu | 174 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 85 | Curt Schilling | 175 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 86 | Brian Giles | 176 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 87 | Jason Kendall | 177 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 88 | Kevin Young | 178 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 89 | Mark McGwire | 179 | Mark McGwire MM |
| 90 | Fernando Tatis | 180 | Mark McGwire MM |
Bleacher Reachers:
Inserted into packs at a rate of 1:23, 1999 Ultimate Victory Bleacher Reachers is an 11-card set that features some of baseball’s best hitters.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory Bleacher Reachers, click here.
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BR1 | Ken Griffey Jr. | BR7 | Jose Canseco |
| BR2 | Mark McGwire | BR8 | Manny Ramirez |
| BR3 | Sammy Sosa | BR9 | Mike Piazza |
| BR4 | Barry Bonds | BR10 | Jeff Bagwell |
| BR5 | Nomar Garciaparra | BR11 | Alex Rodriguez |
| BR6 | Juan Gonzalez |
Fame-Used Memorabilia:
1999 Ultimate Victory Fame-Used Memorabilia is a 5-card set that features bat chunks used by four 1999 Hall of Fame inductees. Single player cards have print runs of approximately 350 each, while the combo card has a print run of 99.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory Fame-Used Memorabilia, click here.
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB | George Brett /350 | RY | Robin Yount /350 |
| NR | Nolan Ryan /350 | HOF | N.Ryan/G.Brett/R.Yount/O.Cepeda /99 |
| OC | Orlando Cepeda /350 |
Frozen Ropes:
Inserted into packs at a rate of 1:23, 1999 Ultimate Victory Frozen Ropes is an 10-card set that features some of baseball’s consistently best players.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory Frozen Ropes, click here.
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Ken Griffey Jr. | F6 | Nomar Garciaparra |
| F2 | Mark McGwire | F7 | Alex Rodriguez |
| F3 | Sammy Sosa | F8 | Mike Piazza |
| F4 | Derek Jeter | F9 | Mo Vaughn |
| F5 | Tony Gwynn | F10 | Craig Biggio |
STATure:
Inserted into packs at a rate of 1:6, 1999 Ultimate Victory STATure is an 15-card set that features some of baseball’s statistical leaders.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory STATure, click here.
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | Ken Griffey Jr. | S9 | Juan Gonzalez |
| S2 | Mark McGwire | S10 | Manny Ramirez |
| S3 | Sammy Sosa | S11 | Mike Piazza |
| S4 | Nomar Garciaparra | S12 | Tony Gwynn |
| S5 | Roger Clemens | S13 | Chipper Jones |
| S6 | Greg Maddux | S14 | Pedro Martinez |
| S7 | Alex Rodriguez | S15 | Frank Thomas |
| S8 | Derek Jeter |
Tribute 1999:
Inserted into packs at a rate of 1:11, 1999 Ultimate Victory Tribute 1999 is a 4-card set that honors the four baseball players who were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory Tribute 1999, click here.
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Nolan Ryan | T3 | George Brett |
| T2 | Robin Yount | T4 | Orlando Cepeda |
Ultimate Competitors:
Inserted into packs at a rate of 1:23, 1999 Ultimate Victory Ultimate Competitors is a 12-card set that features players who display winning attitudes.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory Ultimate Competitors, click here.
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | Ken Griffey Jr. | U7 | Randy Johnson |
| U2 | Roger Clemens | U8 | Cal Ripken Jr. |
| U3 | Scott Rolen | U9 | Craig Biggio |
| U4 | Greg Maddux | U10 | Kevin Brown |
| U5 | Mark McGwire | U11 | Chipper Jones |
| U6 | Derek Jeter | U12 | Vladimir Guerrero |
Ultimate Hit Men:
Inserted into packs at a rate of 1:23, 1999 Ultimate Victory Ultimate Hit Men is an 8-card set that features players who are candidates for winning 1999 batting titles in their respective leagues.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1999 Ultimate Victory Ultimate Hit Men, click here.
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | Tony Gwynn | H5 | Alex Rodriguez |
| H2 | Cal Ripken Jr. | H6 | Derek Jeter |
| H3 | Wade Boggs | H7 | Ivan Rodriguez |
| H4 | Larry Walker | H8 | Ken Griffey Jr. |
The parallels all have names, they are as follows:
Victory Collection (1:12)
Ultimate Collection (/100)
Ultimate Victory (1/1)
All of the guides fail to name them correctly these days and most collector’s don’t even know the proper parallel names. 1999 was the last year I was collecting before my (8 year) break from the hobby.
edit to add: PSA and BGS also name the parallels incorrectly on their flips.
Wow! Thanks for clarifying. Upon further review, it looks like the Standard Catalog has identified these correctly.
Ultimate Victory is one of my favorite sets, and it has some really well designed inserts (although without any parallels). I was able to complete the 2000 UV 90 card base set and pull some inserts all from one hobby box.
It’s too bad Ultimate Victory only lasted 2 years…
Very nice! 🙂
I am assembling the 1/1 rookie subset. I have 10 of the 30. If anyone is out there and has one please contact me at [email address redacted] or Instagram ultimatevictory9900 ….I will pay top money and only collect these rookies. No one will pay more than I will.