Difference between revisions of "1998 Zenith"

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=Description=
 
=Description=
  
1998 Zenith is a 100-card set released by Pinnacle Brands in May 1998.  Dubbed the "Dare to Tear" set, each pack three 5" x 7" cards each with one 2 1/2" X 3 1/2" standard-sized card embedded inside. In one of the stupidest gimmicks ever conceived, collectors were faced with the dilemma of having to choose to keep their jumbo 5" by 7" card in-tact, or to tear open (and thus physically destroying) the jumbo card to get to the standard-sized card.  Ultimately, collectors by and large chose to carefully slice the back of the jumbo cards and remove the small card.
+
1998 Zenith was a 100-card set released by Pinnacle Brands in May, 1998.  Dubbed the "Dare to Tear" set, each pack had three 5" X 7" jumbo-sized cards with one 2.5" X 3.5" standard-sized card embedded inside. In one of the stupidest gimmicks ever conceived, collectors were faced with the dilemma of having to choose to keep their jumbo 5" X 7" card intact, or tear open (and thus physically destroying) the jumbo card to see and obtain the standard-sized card.  Ultimately, collectors by and large chose to perform "Cardboard Caesarians" by slicing the backs of the jumbo cards with a razor blade to remove the smaller card - when opening, it is recommended to slice along the edges to avoid damaging the card inside.
  
Based on reports from collectors who opened large amounts of '98 Zenith packs, the middle jumbo card in each pack usually has a standard-sized insert embedded in it.
+
Each card featured an off-white, black, and team-colored border and gold-foil accents on the logo and nameplate.
 +
 
 +
The standard-sized insert was usually embedded in the middle/second jumbo-sized card in each pack.
  
 
=Distribution=
 
=Distribution=
  
12 packs per box, three 5" X 7" cards with 2 1/2" X 3 1/2" cards embedded inside per pack (MSRP: $5.99)
+
12 packs per box, three 5" X 7" jumbo-sized cards with one 2.5" X 3.5" card embedded inside per pack (MSRP: $5.99)
 
 
=Reviews=
 
  
 
=Insertion Ratios=
 
=Insertion Ratios=
Line 55: Line 55:
  
 
===5 X 7===
 
===5 X 7===
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---5x7---Sample/Z4/Frank-Thomas.jpg?id=db168bc0-e14c-4464-95d3-a6ddda1b1e84&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---5x7---Sample/Z4/Frank-Thomas.jpg?id=db168bc0-e14c-4464-95d3-a6ddda1b1e84&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
Z1 Nomar Garciaparra
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 
+
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Zenith Samples Large');
Z3 Greg Maddux
+
</sql2wiki>
 
 
Z4 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
Z9 Andruw Jones
 
 
 
Z15 Derek Jeter
 
 
 
Z21 Mike Piazza
 
 
 
Z22 Tony Gwynn
 
 
 
Z35 Ivan Rodriguez
 
 
 
Z40 Ken Griffey Jr.
 
  
 
===Standard-sized===
 
===Standard-sized===
  
2 Ken Griffey Jr.
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base---Samples/2/Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=af7af088-fbd2-4c96-ab6f-1060f1026391&size=original&side=front.jpg
 
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base---Samples/2/Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=af7af088-fbd2-4c96-ab6f-1060f1026391&size=original&side=back&.jpg
12 Greg Maddux
 
  
14 Mike Piazza
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 
+
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Zenith Samples Small')
17 Derek Jeter
+
ORDER BY num +0 ASC;
 
+
</sql2wiki>
18 Nomar Garciaparra
 
 
 
19 Ivan Rodriguez
 
  
 
==Base Set==
 
==Base Set==
  
 
===5 X 7===
 
===5 X 7===
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---5x7---Unripped/Z25/Tim-Salmon.jpg?id=2b506c20-c0de-47ee-9b01-47320543f4c6&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---5x7---Unripped/Z25/Tim-Salmon.jpg?id=2b506c20-c0de-47ee-9b01-47320543f4c6&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
1 Nomar Garciaparra
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 
+
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Zenith 5 X 7');
2 Andres Galarraga
+
</sql2wiki>
 
 
3 Greg Maddux
 
 
 
4 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
5 Mark McGwire
 
 
 
6 Rafael Palmeiro
 
 
 
7 John Smoltz
 
 
 
8 Jeff Bagwell
 
 
 
9 Andruw Jones
 
 
 
10 Rusty Greer
 
 
 
11 Paul Molitor
 
 
 
12 Bernie Williams
 
 
 
13 Kenny Lofton
 
 
 
14 Alex Rodriguez
 
 
 
15 Derek Jeter
 
 
 
16 Scott Rolen
 
 
 
17 Albert Belle
 
 
 
18 Mo Vaughn
 
 
 
19 Chipper Jones
 
 
 
20 Chuck Knoblauch
 
 
 
21 Mike Piazza
 
 
 
22 Tony Gwynn
 
 
 
23 Juan Gonzalez
 
 
 
24 Andy Pettitte
 
 
 
25 Tim Salmon
 
 
 
26 Brady Anderson
 
 
 
27 Mike Mussina
 
 
 
28 Edgar Martinez
 
 
 
29 Jose Guillen
 
 
 
30 Hideo Nomo
 
 
 
31 Jim Thome
 
 
 
32 Mark Grace
 
 
 
33 Darin Erstad
 
 
 
34 Bobby Higginson
 
 
 
35 Ivan Rodriguez
 
 
 
36 Todd Hundley
 
 
 
37 Sandy Alomar Jr.
 
 
 
38 Gary Sheffield
 
 
 
39 David Justice
 
 
 
40 Ken Griffey Jr.
 
 
 
41 Vladimir Guerrero
 
 
 
42 Larry Walker
 
 
 
43 Barry Bonds
 
 
 
44 Randy Johnson
 
 
 
45 Roger Clemens
 
 
 
46 Raul Mondesi
 
 
 
47 Tino Martinez
 
 
 
48 Jason Giambi
 
 
 
49 Matt Williams
 
 
 
50 Cal Ripken
 
 
 
51 Barry Larkin
 
 
 
52 Jim Edmonds
 
 
 
53 Ken Caminiti
 
 
 
54 Sammy Sosa
 
 
 
55 Tony Clark
 
 
 
56 Manny Ramirez
 
 
 
57 Bernard Gilkey
 
 
 
58 Jose Cruz Jr.
 
 
 
59 Brian Jordan
 
 
 
60 Kevin Brown
 
 
 
61 Craig Biggio
 
 
 
62 Javier Lopez
 
 
 
63 Jay Buhner
 
 
 
64 Roberto Alomar
 
 
 
65 Justin Thompson
 
 
 
66 Todd Helton
 
 
 
67 Travis Lee
 
 
 
68 Paul Konerko
 
 
 
69 Jaret Wright
 
 
 
70 Ben Grieve
 
 
 
71 Juan Encarnacion
 
 
 
72 Ryan McGuire
 
 
 
73 Derrek Lee
 
 
 
74 Abraham Nunez
 
 
 
75 Richard Hidalgo
 
 
 
76 Miguel Tejada
 
 
 
77 Jacob Cruz
 
 
 
78 Homer Bush
 
 
 
79 Jeff Abbott
 
 
 
80 Lou Collier
 
  
 
===Standard-Sized===
 
===Standard-Sized===
  
1 Larry Walker
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base/79/Mark-Kotsay.jpg?id=ae8b6f44-b3cd-471e-bd36-812e0cd745e6&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base/79/Mark-Kotsay.jpg?id=ae8b6f44-b3cd-471e-bd36-812e0cd745e6&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
2 Ken Griffey Jr.
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Zenith')
 +
ORDER BY num +0 ASC;
 +
</sql2wiki>
  
3 Cal Ripken
+
==Parallels==
  
4 Sammy Sosa
+
===5 X 7 Impulse===
  
5 Andruw Jones
+
All 80 5 X 7 jumbo-sized cards were available in the following parallels:
  
6 Frank Thomas
+
* '''Impulse''': Impulse parallels featured a thicker card border than the base design that was dichotomized into the player's team colors and a silver background.  "Impulse" was printed vertically down the right side of the cardfront.
  
7 Tony Gwynn
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---5x7---Impulse/Z3/Greg-Maddux.jpg?id=d5750c3c-3652-4f05-a93f-d31e9a703298&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---5x7---Impulse/Z3/Greg-Maddux.jpg?id=d5750c3c-3652-4f05-a93f-d31e9a703298&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
8 Rafael Palmeiro
+
* '''Gold Impulse''' (serial numbered to 100): Gold Impulse parallels featured the same design as the "base" Impulse design but featured a gold background.  "Gold Impulse" was printed vertically down the right side of the cardfront.
  
9 Tim Salmon
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---5x7---Gold-Impulse/Z37/Sandy-Alomar-Jr.jpg?id=bb0ab05f-be4e-40e1-8c1b-cbc7a59072b3&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---5x7---Gold-Impulse/Z37/Sandy-Alomar-Jr.jpg?id=bb0ab05f-be4e-40e1-8c1b-cbc7a59072b3&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
10 Randy Johnson
+
===Z===
 
 
11 Juan Gonzalez
 
 
 
12 Greg Maddux
 
 
 
13 Vladimir Guerrero
 
 
 
14 Mike Piazza
 
 
 
15 Andres Galarraga
 
 
 
16 Alex Rodriguez
 
 
 
17 Derek Jeter
 
 
 
18 Nomar Garciaparra
 
 
 
19 Ivan Rodriguez
 
 
 
20 Chipper Jones
 
 
 
21 Barry Larkin
 
 
 
22 Mo Vaughn
 
 
 
23 Albert Belle
 
 
 
24 Scott Rolen
 
 
 
25 Sandy Alomar Jr.
 
  
26 Roberto Alomar
+
Each of the 100 standard-sized cards were available in the following parallels:
  
27 Andy Pettitte
+
* '''Z-Silver''': Each Z-Silver parallel had the same design as the base card but had a silver background, a silver foil finish on the card front, and the "Z-Silver" text above the nameplate.
  
28 Chuck Knoblauch
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base---Z-Silver/31/Fred-McGriff.jpg?id=e48a9c85-40bb-451b-9c06-e6ae371d9990&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base---Z-Silver/31/Fred-McGriff.jpg?id=e48a9c85-40bb-451b-9c06-e6ae371d9990&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
29 Jeff Bagwell
+
* '''Z-Gold''' (serial-numbered to 100): Each Z-Gold parallel had the same design as the base card but had a gold background, a gold foil finish on the card front, and the "Z-Gold" text above the nameplate.
  
30 Mike Mussina
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base---Z-Gold/38/Kenny-Lofton.jpg?id=343092bf-bcf6-4205-9796-ae1b57f97ea4&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base---Z-Gold/38/Kenny-Lofton.jpg?id=343092bf-bcf6-4205-9796-ae1b57f97ea4&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
31 Fred McGriff
+
'''NOTE:''' There are unnumbered versions of the Z-Gold parallels available on the secondary market
  
32 Roger Clemens
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base---Z-Gold-Non-Numbered/49/Dante-Bichette.jpg?id=2dd1a5df-51ca-4921-84a2-021e8906036a&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Base---Z-Gold-Non-Numbered/49/Dante-Bichette.jpg?id=2dd1a5df-51ca-4921-84a2-021e8906036a&size=original&side=back&.jpg
33 Rusty Greer
 
 
 
34 Edgar Martinez
 
 
 
35 Paul Molitor
 
 
 
36 Mark Grace
 
 
 
37 Darin Erstad
 
 
 
38 Kenny Lofton
 
 
 
39 Tom Glavine
 
 
 
40 Javier Lopez
 
 
 
41 Will Clark
 
 
 
42 Tino Martinez
 
 
 
43 Raul Mondesi
 
 
 
44 Brady Anderson
 
 
 
45 Chan Ho Park
 
 
 
46 Jason Giambi
 
 
 
47 Manny Ramirez
 
 
 
48 Jay Buhner
 
 
 
49 Dante Bichette
 
 
 
50 Jose Cruz Jr.
 
 
 
51 Charles Johnson
 
 
 
52 Bernard Gilkey
 
 
 
53 Johnny Damon
 
 
 
54 David Justice
 
 
 
55 Justin Thompson
 
 
 
56 Bobby Higginson
 
 
 
57 Todd Hundley
 
 
 
58 Gary Sheffield
 
 
 
59 Barry Bonds
 
 
 
60 Mark McGwire
 
 
 
61 John Smoltz
 
 
 
62 Tony Clark
 
 
 
63 Brian Jordan
 
 
 
64 Jason Kendall
 
 
 
65 Mariano Rivera
 
 
 
66 Pedro Martinez
 
 
 
67 Jim Thome
 
 
 
68 Neifi Perez
 
 
 
69 Kevin Brown
 
 
 
70 Hideo Nomo
 
 
 
71 Craig Biggio
 
 
 
72 Bernie Williams
 
 
 
73 Jose Guillen
 
 
 
74 Ken Caminiti
 
 
 
75 Livan Hernandez
 
 
 
76 Ray Lankford
 
 
 
77 Jim Edmonds
 
 
 
78 Matt Williams
 
 
 
79 Mark Kotsay
 
 
 
80 Moises Alou
 
 
 
81 Antone Williamson
 
 
 
82 Jaret Wright
 
 
 
83 Jacob Cruz
 
 
 
84 Abraham Nunez
 
 
 
85 Raul Ibanez
 
 
 
86 Miguel Tejada
 
 
 
87 Derrek Lee
 
 
 
88 Juan Encarnacion
 
 
 
89 Todd Helton
 
 
 
90 Travis Lee
 
 
 
91 Ben Grieve
 
 
 
92 Ryan McGuire
 
 
 
93 Richard Hidalgo
 
 
 
94 Paul Konerko
 
 
 
95 Shannon Stewart
 
 
 
96 Homer Bush
 
 
 
97 Lou Collier
 
 
 
98 Jeff Abbott
 
 
 
99 Brett Tomko
 
 
 
100 Fernando Tatis
 
 
 
==Parallels==
 
 
 
===5 X 7 Impluse===
 
 
 
All 80 5 X 7 cards are available in the following Impulse parallels.
 
 
 
* Impulse
 
 
 
* Gold Impulse (serial numbered to 100 copies)
 
 
 
===Z===
 
 
 
Each of the 100 standard-sized cards are available in the following "Z" parallels.
 
 
 
* Z-Silver (1:7/packs)
 
 
 
* Z-Gold (serial-numbered to 100 copies)
 
  
 
==Inserts==
 
==Inserts==
Line 476: Line 131:
 
===Epix===
 
===Epix===
  
See [[1998 Pinnacle Epix]]
+
See ''[[1998 Pinnacle Epix]]''
  
 
===Raising the Bar===
 
===Raising the Bar===
  
This 15-card, standard-sized, set features players with only a couple of years of big-league experience.  
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Raising-the-Bar/13/Jeff-Bagwell.jpg?id=0aa202fc-2eb4-4326-85ec-bbfc83194d2e&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Raising-the-Bar/13/Jeff-Bagwell.jpg?id=0aa202fc-2eb4-4326-85ec-bbfc83194d2e&size=original&side=back&.jpg
1 Ken Griffey Jr.
 
 
 
2 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
3 Alex Rodriguez
 
 
 
4 Tony Gwynn
 
 
 
5 Mike Piazza
 
 
 
6 Ivan Rodriguez
 
 
 
7 Cal Ripken
 
 
 
8 Greg Maddux
 
 
 
9 Hideo Nomo
 
 
 
10 Mark McGwire
 
 
 
11 Juan Gonzalez
 
 
 
12 Andruw Jones
 
 
 
13 Jeff Bagwell
 
  
14 Chipper Jones
+
This 15-card, standard-sized set featured star players that elevated the standard of performance for their respective teams on a black and gold holofoil cardfront.
  
15 Nomar Garciaparra
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Zenith Raising The Bar');
 +
</sql2wiki>
  
 
===Rookie Thrills===
 
===Rookie Thrills===
  
This standard-sized set has 15 of the top rookies from the 1998 season.
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Rookie-Thrills/12/Richard-Hidalgo.jpg?id=4953e29d-8715-473e-a160-06af7c53c82d&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Rookie-Thrills/12/Richard-Hidalgo.jpg?id=4953e29d-8715-473e-a160-06af7c53c82d&size=original&side=back&.jpg
1 Travis Lee
 
 
 
2 Juan Encarnacion
 
 
 
3 Derrek Lee
 
 
 
4 Raul Ibanez
 
 
 
5 Ryan McGuire
 
 
 
6 Todd Helton
 
 
 
7 Jacob Cruz
 
 
 
8 Abraham Nunez
 
 
 
9 Paul Konerko
 
 
 
10 Ben Grieve
 
 
 
11 Jeff Abbott
 
 
 
12 Richard Hidalgo
 
 
 
13 Jaret Wright
 
  
14 Lou Collier
+
This 15-card, standard-sized set featured some of the top rookies from the 1998 season on a silver and black holofoil front with green accents on the nameplate and insert title background.
  
15 Miguel Tejada
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Zenith Rookie Thrills');
 +
</sql2wiki>
  
 
===Z-Team===
 
===Z-Team===
  
Z-Team is an 18-card set featuring nine of the top players (cards #1-9), and nine of the top rookies (10-18). The odds of finding a 5 X 7 card with a standard-sized Z-Team embedded inside of it are 1:35/packs for the veterans and 1:58/packs for the rookies. The standard-size cards are also available as a Gold parallel. The odds of finding a 5 X 7 card with a Gold Z-Team card embedded inside of it ate 1:175/packs.
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Z-Team/3/Mike-Piazza.jpg?id=05facf7c-f1f5-4992-b524-584caa7e26d0&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Z-Team/3/Mike-Piazza.jpg?id=05facf7c-f1f5-4992-b524-584caa7e26d0&size=original&side=back&.jpg
The first nine cards are also available in the 5" X 7" format.
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Z-Team/10/Ben-Grieve.jpg?id=a1ae8562-c23f-4657-8f11-ed4d325196a8&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Z-Team/10/Ben-Grieve.jpg?id=a1ae8562-c23f-4657-8f11-ed4d325196a8&size=original&side=back&.jpg
1 Frank Thomas
 
 
 
2 Ken Griffey Jr.
 
 
 
3 Mike Piazza
 
 
 
4 Cal Ripken
 
 
 
5 Alex Rodriguez
 
 
 
6 Greg Maddux
 
 
 
7 Derek Jeter
 
 
 
8 Chipper Jones
 
 
 
9 Roger Clemens
 
 
 
10 Ben Grieve
 
 
 
11 Derrek Lee
 
  
12 Jose Cruz Jr.
+
Z-Team was an 18-card set and the brand's most recognizable insert that featured nine of the top veterans (cards #1-9), and nine of the top young stars (#10-18) in the game at the time.  Veteran players featured a full foil cardfront finish with a large black and red "Z" in the background; young stars also featured a full foil cardfront finish, but with a large black and blue "Z" in the background.
  
13 Nomar Garciaparra
+
====5 X 7 Z-Team====
  
14 Travis Lee
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Z-Team-5x7/8/Chipper-Jones.jpg?id=419dc1af-f487-4e74-b644-c7726dea8104&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Z-Team-5x7/8/Chipper-Jones.jpg?id=419dc1af-f487-4e74-b644-c7726dea8104&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
15 Todd Helton
+
The first 9 cards in the set (i.e. veterans) were also available in a jumbo-sized 5" X 7".  These had a slightly different design as there was no foil finish and the border on the front was thicker than the standard-sized design.
  
16 Paul Konerko
+
====Z-Team Gold====
  
17 Miguel Tejada
+
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Z-Team---Gold/7/Derek-Jeter.jpg?id=6956d31d-3268-4f01-a35e-d75fb81e5f6d&size=original&side=front&.jpg
 +
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle-Zenith---Z-Team---Gold/7/Derek-Jeter.jpg?id=6956d31d-3268-4f01-a35e-d75fb81e5f6d&size=original&side=back&.jpg
  
18 Scott Rolen
+
All 18 standard-sized Z-Team cards were also available as in a Gold parallel that featured a gold foil finish and a large black and gold "Z" in the background.  These cards were not serially-numbered.
  
[[Category:Pinnacle]]
+
<sql2wiki database="carddb">
 +
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Zenith Z-Team');
 +
</sql2wiki>
 +
{{Zenith}}
 +
[[Category:Pinnacle Brands]]
 
[[Category:1998]]
 
[[Category:1998]]

Revision as of 17:25, 27 April 2020


Description

1998 Zenith was a 100-card set released by Pinnacle Brands in May, 1998. Dubbed the "Dare to Tear" set, each pack had three 5" X 7" jumbo-sized cards with one 2.5" X 3.5" standard-sized card embedded inside. In one of the stupidest gimmicks ever conceived, collectors were faced with the dilemma of having to choose to keep their jumbo 5" X 7" card intact, or tear open (and thus physically destroying) the jumbo card to see and obtain the standard-sized card. Ultimately, collectors by and large chose to perform "Cardboard Caesarians" by slicing the backs of the jumbo cards with a razor blade to remove the smaller card - when opening, it is recommended to slice along the edges to avoid damaging the card inside.

Each card featured an off-white, black, and team-colored border and gold-foil accents on the logo and nameplate.

The standard-sized insert was usually embedded in the middle/second jumbo-sized card in each pack.

Distribution

12 packs per box, three 5" X 7" jumbo-sized cards with one 2.5" X 3.5" card embedded inside per pack (MSRP: $5.99)

Insertion Ratios

Cards Total Cards Numbered To Odds
Base 100 -
5 X 7 80 - 3:1
Z-Silver 100 - ?
Z-Gold 100 100 ?
5 X 7 Impulse 80 - ?
5 X 7 Gold Impulse 80 100 ?
Epix 24 - 1:11
Raising the Bar 15 - 1:25
Rookie Thrills 15 - 1:25
Z-Team (1-9) 9 - 1:35
Z-Team (10-18) 9 - 1:58
Z-Team Gold 18 - 1:175
Z-Team 5 X 7 9 - 1:35

Checklist

Promos

Nine 5" X 7" samples was inserted into dealer order forms to preview the upcoming 1998 Zenith baseball release. Each large sample card also has one of six standard-sized sample cards embedded inside. The cards were sent out around April, 1998, and are identical to regular issue large Zenith cards except for the bold "SAMPLE" text running diagonally across the back of the card.

5 X 7

Frank-Thomas.jpg?id=db168bc0-e14c-4464-95d3-a6ddda1b1e84&size=original&side=front&.jpg Frank-Thomas.jpg?id=db168bc0-e14c-4464-95d3-a6ddda1b1e84&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • Z1 Nomar Garciaparra
  • Z3 Greg Maddux
  • Z4 Frank Thomas
  • Z9 Andruw Jones
  • Z15 Derek Jeter
  • Z21 Mike Piazza
  • Z22 Tony Gwynn
  • Z35 Ivan Rodriguez
  • Z40 Ken Griffey, Jr.

Standard-sized

Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=af7af088-fbd2-4c96-ab6f-1060f1026391&size=original&side=front.jpg Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=af7af088-fbd2-4c96-ab6f-1060f1026391&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • 2 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 12 Greg Maddux
  • 14 Mike Piazza
  • 17 Derek Jeter
  • 18 Nomar Garciaparra
  • 19 Ivan Rodriguez

Base Set

5 X 7

Tim-Salmon.jpg?id=2b506c20-c0de-47ee-9b01-47320543f4c6&size=original&side=front&.jpg Tim-Salmon.jpg?id=2b506c20-c0de-47ee-9b01-47320543f4c6&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • 1 Nomar Garciaparra
  • 2 Andres Galarraga
  • 3 Greg Maddux
  • 4 Frank Thomas
  • 5 Mark McGwire
  • 6 Rafael Palmeiro
  • 7 John Smoltz
  • 8 Jeff Bagwell
  • 9 Andruw Jones
  • 10 Rusty Greer
  • 11 Paul Molitor
  • 12 Bernie Williams
  • 13 Kenny Lofton
  • 14 Alex Rodriguez
  • 15 Derek Jeter
  • 16 Scott Rolen
  • 17 Albert Belle
  • 18 Mo Vaughn
  • 19 Chipper Jones
  • 20 Chuck Knoblauch
  • 21 Mike Piazza
  • 22 Tony Gwynn
  • 23 Juan Gonzalez
  • 24 Andy Pettitte
  • 25 Tim Salmon
  • 26 Brady Anderson
  • 27 Mike Mussina
  • 28 Edgar Martinez
  • 29 Jose Guillen
  • 30 Hideo Nomo
  • 31 Jim Thome
  • 32 Mark Grace
  • 33 Darin Erstad
  • 34 Bob Higginson
  • 35 Ivan Rodriguez
  • 36 Todd Hundley
  • 37 Sandy Alomar
  • 38 Gary Sheffield
  • 39 Dave Justice
  • 40 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 41 Vladimir Guerrero
  • 42 Larry Walker
  • 43 Barry Bonds
  • 44 Randy Johnson
  • 45 Roger Clemens
  • 46 Raul Mondesi
  • 47 Tino Martinez
  • 48 Jason Giambi
  • 49 Matt Williams
  • 50 Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • 51 Barry Larkin
  • 52 Jim Edmonds
  • 53 Ken Caminiti
  • 54 Sammy Sosa
  • 55 Tony Clark
  • 56 Manny Ramirez
  • 57 Bernard Gilkey
  • 58 Jose Cruz, Jr.
  • 59 Brian Jordan
  • 60 Kevin Brown
  • 61 Craig Biggio
  • 62 Javy Lopez
  • 63 Jay Buhner
  • 64 Roberto Alomar
  • 65 Justin Thompson
  • 66 Todd Helton
  • 67 Travis Lee
  • 68 Paul Konerko
  • 69 Jaret Wright
  • 70 Ben Grieve
  • 71 Juan Encarnacion
  • 72 Ryan McGuire
  • 73 Derrek Lee
  • 74 Abraham Nunez
  • 75 Richard Hidalgo
  • 76 Miguel Tejada
  • 77 Jacob Cruz
  • 78 Homer Bush
  • 79 Jeff Abbott
  • 80 Lou Collier

Standard-Sized

Mark-Kotsay.jpg?id=ae8b6f44-b3cd-471e-bd36-812e0cd745e6&size=original&side=front&.jpg Mark-Kotsay.jpg?id=ae8b6f44-b3cd-471e-bd36-812e0cd745e6&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • 1 Larry Walker
  • 2 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 3 Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • 4 Sammy Sosa
  • 5 Andruw Jones
  • 6 Frank Thomas
  • 7 Tony Gwynn
  • 8 Rafael Palmeiro
  • 9 Tim Salmon
  • 10 Randy Johnson
  • 11 Juan Gonzalez
  • 12 Greg Maddux
  • 13 Vladimir Guerrero
  • 14 Mike Piazza
  • 15 Andres Galarraga
  • 16 Alex Rodriguez
  • 17 Derek Jeter
  • 18 Nomar Garciaparra
  • 19 Ivan Rodriguez
  • 20 Chipper Jones
  • 21 Barry Larkin
  • 22 Mo Vaughn
  • 23 Albert Belle
  • 24 Scott Rolen
  • 25 Sandy Alomar, Jr.
  • 26 Roberto Alomar
  • 27 Andy Pettitte
  • 28 Chuck Knoblauch
  • 29 Jeff Bagwell
  • 30 Mike Mussina
  • 31 Fred McGriff
  • 32 Roger Clemens
  • 33 Rusty Greer
  • 34 Edgar Martinez
  • 35 Paul Molitor
  • 36 Mark Grace
  • 37 Darin Erstad
  • 38 Kenny Lofton
  • 39 Tom Glavine
  • 40 Javy Lopez
  • 41 Will Clark
  • 42 Tino Martinez
  • 43 Raul Mondesi
  • 44 Brady Anderson
  • 45 Chan Ho Park
  • 46 Jason Giambi
  • 47 Manny Ramirez
  • 48 Jay Buhner
  • 49 Dante Bichette
  • 50 Jose Cruz, Jr.
  • 51 Charles Johnson
  • 52 Bernard Gilkey
  • 53 Johnny Damon
  • 54 Dave Justice
  • 55 Justin Thompson
  • 56 Bob Higginson
  • 57 Todd Hundley
  • 58 Gary Sheffield
  • 59 Barry Bonds
  • 60 Mark McGwire
  • 61 John Smoltz
  • 62 Tony Clark
  • 63 Brian Jordan
  • 64 Jason Kendall
  • 65 Mariano Rivera
  • 66 Pedro Martinez
  • 67 Jim Thome
  • 68 Neifi Perez
  • 69 Kevin Brown
  • 70 Hideo Nomo
  • 71 Craig Biggio
  • 72 Bernie Williams
  • 73 Jose Guillen
  • 74 Ken Caminiti
  • 75 Livan Hernandez
  • 76 Ray Lankford
  • 77 Jim Edmonds
  • 78 Matt Williams
  • 79 Mark Kotsay
  • 80 Moises Alou
  • 81 Antone Williamson
  • 82 Jaret Wright
  • 83 Jacob Cruz
  • 84 Abraham Nunez
  • 85 Raul Ibanez
  • 86 Miguel Tejada
  • 87 Derrek Lee
  • 88 Juan Encarnacion
  • 89 Todd Helton
  • 90 Travis Lee
  • 91 Ben Grieve
  • 92 Ryan McGuire
  • 93 Richard Hidalgo
  • 94 Paul Konerko
  • 95 Shannon Stewart
  • 96 Homer Bush
  • 97 Lou Collier
  • 98 Jeff Abbott
  • 99 Brett Tomko
  • 100 Fernando Tatis

Parallels

5 X 7 Impulse

All 80 5 X 7 jumbo-sized cards were available in the following parallels:

  • Impulse: Impulse parallels featured a thicker card border than the base design that was dichotomized into the player's team colors and a silver background. "Impulse" was printed vertically down the right side of the cardfront.

Greg-Maddux.jpg?id=d5750c3c-3652-4f05-a93f-d31e9a703298&size=original&side=front&.jpg Greg-Maddux.jpg?id=d5750c3c-3652-4f05-a93f-d31e9a703298&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • Gold Impulse (serial numbered to 100): Gold Impulse parallels featured the same design as the "base" Impulse design but featured a gold background. "Gold Impulse" was printed vertically down the right side of the cardfront.

Sandy-Alomar-Jr.jpg?id=bb0ab05f-be4e-40e1-8c1b-cbc7a59072b3&size=original&side=front&.jpg Sandy-Alomar-Jr.jpg?id=bb0ab05f-be4e-40e1-8c1b-cbc7a59072b3&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Z

Each of the 100 standard-sized cards were available in the following parallels:

  • Z-Silver: Each Z-Silver parallel had the same design as the base card but had a silver background, a silver foil finish on the card front, and the "Z-Silver" text above the nameplate.

Fred-McGriff.jpg?id=e48a9c85-40bb-451b-9c06-e6ae371d9990&size=original&side=front&.jpg Fred-McGriff.jpg?id=e48a9c85-40bb-451b-9c06-e6ae371d9990&size=original&side=back&.jpg

  • Z-Gold (serial-numbered to 100): Each Z-Gold parallel had the same design as the base card but had a gold background, a gold foil finish on the card front, and the "Z-Gold" text above the nameplate.

Kenny-Lofton.jpg?id=343092bf-bcf6-4205-9796-ae1b57f97ea4&size=original&side=front&.jpg Kenny-Lofton.jpg?id=343092bf-bcf6-4205-9796-ae1b57f97ea4&size=original&side=back&.jpg

NOTE: There are unnumbered versions of the Z-Gold parallels available on the secondary market

Dante-Bichette.jpg?id=2dd1a5df-51ca-4921-84a2-021e8906036a&size=original&side=front&.jpg Dante-Bichette.jpg?id=2dd1a5df-51ca-4921-84a2-021e8906036a&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Inserts

Epix

See 1998 Pinnacle Epix

Raising the Bar

Jeff-Bagwell.jpg?id=0aa202fc-2eb4-4326-85ec-bbfc83194d2e&size=original&side=front&.jpg Jeff-Bagwell.jpg?id=0aa202fc-2eb4-4326-85ec-bbfc83194d2e&size=original&side=back&.jpg

This 15-card, standard-sized set featured star players that elevated the standard of performance for their respective teams on a black and gold holofoil cardfront.

  • 1 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 2 Frank Thomas
  • 3 Alex Rodriguez
  • 4 Tony Gwynn
  • 5 Mike Piazza
  • 6 Ivan Rodriguez
  • 7 Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • 8 Greg Maddux
  • 9 Hideo Nomo
  • 10 Mark McGwire
  • 11 Juan Gonzalez
  • 12 Andruw Jones
  • 13 Jeff Bagwell
  • 14 Chipper Jones
  • 15 Nomar Garciaparra

Rookie Thrills

Richard-Hidalgo.jpg?id=4953e29d-8715-473e-a160-06af7c53c82d&size=original&side=front&.jpg Richard-Hidalgo.jpg?id=4953e29d-8715-473e-a160-06af7c53c82d&size=original&side=back&.jpg

This 15-card, standard-sized set featured some of the top rookies from the 1998 season on a silver and black holofoil front with green accents on the nameplate and insert title background.

  • 1 Travis Lee
  • 2 Juan Encarnacion
  • 3 Derrek Lee
  • 4 Raul Ibanez
  • 5 Ryan McGuire
  • 6 Todd Helton
  • 7 Jacob Cruz
  • 8 Abraham Nunez
  • 9 Paul Konerko
  • 10 Ben Grieve
  • 11 Jeff Abbott
  • 12 Richard Hidalgo
  • 13 Jaret Wright
  • 14 Lou Collier
  • 15 Miguel Tejada

Z-Team

Mike-Piazza.jpg?id=05facf7c-f1f5-4992-b524-584caa7e26d0&size=original&side=front&.jpg Mike-Piazza.jpg?id=05facf7c-f1f5-4992-b524-584caa7e26d0&size=original&side=back&.jpg Ben-Grieve.jpg?id=a1ae8562-c23f-4657-8f11-ed4d325196a8&size=original&side=front&.jpg Ben-Grieve.jpg?id=a1ae8562-c23f-4657-8f11-ed4d325196a8&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Z-Team was an 18-card set and the brand's most recognizable insert that featured nine of the top veterans (cards #1-9), and nine of the top young stars (#10-18) in the game at the time. Veteran players featured a full foil cardfront finish with a large black and red "Z" in the background; young stars also featured a full foil cardfront finish, but with a large black and blue "Z" in the background.

5 X 7 Z-Team

Chipper-Jones.jpg?id=419dc1af-f487-4e74-b644-c7726dea8104&size=original&side=front&.jpg Chipper-Jones.jpg?id=419dc1af-f487-4e74-b644-c7726dea8104&size=original&side=back&.jpg

The first 9 cards in the set (i.e. veterans) were also available in a jumbo-sized 5" X 7". These had a slightly different design as there was no foil finish and the border on the front was thicker than the standard-sized design.

Z-Team Gold

Derek-Jeter.jpg?id=6956d31d-3268-4f01-a35e-d75fb81e5f6d&size=original&side=front&.jpg Derek-Jeter.jpg?id=6956d31d-3268-4f01-a35e-d75fb81e5f6d&size=original&side=back&.jpg

All 18 standard-sized Z-Team cards were also available as in a Gold parallel that featured a gold foil finish and a large black and gold "Z" in the background. These cards were not serially-numbered.

  • 1 Frank Thomas
  • 2 Ken Griffey, Jr.
  • 3 Mike Piazza
  • 4 Cal Ripken, Jr.
  • 5 Alex Rodriguez
  • 6 Greg Maddux
  • 7 Derek Jeter
  • 8 Chipper Jones
  • 9 Roger Clemens
  • 10 Ben Grieve
  • 11 Derrek Lee
  • 12 Jose Cruz, Jr.
  • 13 Nomar Garciaparra
  • 14 Travis Lee
  • 15 Todd Helton
  • 16 Paul Konerko