1998 Pinnacle

2025-03-21T01:18:50Z

Raw5060: /* Insertion Ratios */

=Description=

1998 Pinnacle was a 200-card set released in February 1998 and was the last offering of the flagship brand before the Donruss/Leaf/Pinnacle parent brand went bankrupt in July/August 1998. This final product offering marked the end of a 7-year run where the "premium" brand began in the early-1990s, peaked with collector popularity in the mid-1990s, and fell by the late-1990s. Responsible for some of the Hobby's most recognized card and card design innovations like pack-inserting [[Press_Plate|Press Plates]] and [[Dufex|Dufex card technology]], respectively, the demise of the parent brand was viewed sadly by Hobby and is still fondly remembered today.

Each base card featured a borderless color photo with a holographic foil nameplate and team logo on the front. For cards 1-157, there were 3 card back variations each featuring Full, Home, or Away career stats and were all produced in equal quantities.

There were 3 subsets and Checklists at the end of the set:
* Rookies
* Field of Vision
* Goin' Jake

There were no notable Rookie Cards in the set.

=Distribution=

Hobby/Retail: 18 packs per box, ten cards per pack (MSRP: $2.99)

Power Packs: 12 packs per box, 20 cards plus one oversized card per pack (MSRP: $4.99)

=Insertion Ratios=

{| class="ratio"
!Cards
!Total Cards
!Numbered To
!Wax Odds
!Power Pack Odds
|-
|[[#Base_Set|Base]]||200||-||?||?
|-
|Museum Collection||100||-||1:9||1:3
|-
|Artist's Proof||100||-||1:39||1:17
|-
|Power Pack Jumbos||24||-||N/A||1:1
|-
|Press Plates||284*||one-of-one**||1:1250||1:1250
|-
|Epix||24||-||1:21||1:9
|-
|Hit it Here||10||?||1:19||1:9
|-
|Spellbound||50||-||1:17||1:7
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Includes both the base set and all non-parallel inserts.
<nowiki>**</nowiki> Eight Press Plates for each card: 4 for front of card (C,M,Y,K colors), 4 for back of card (C,M,Y,K colors).

=Checklist=

==Base Set==

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/1/Tony-Gwynn.jpg?id=cdfaf009-0d67-48cc-aae9-9a2b8d437495&size=original&side=front&.jpg

'''NOTE:''' The first 157 base cards were available in three different variations: Home stats, Away stats, and Full stats. One-third of the base cards produced had the full career stats on the back, one-third had career stats at the player's home ballpark, and one-third had career stats of the player away from his home ballpark. (Yes, this is the kind of gimmickry Pinnacle Brands was stooping to at the end.)

A set is considered complete with any card.

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/1/Tony-Gwynn.jpg?id=90cb8816-1e4f-432f-8d5d-5ae34274b083&size=original&side=back&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/1/Tony-Gwynn.jpg?id=a54c6a2a-675e-4873-8fc2-b65feb3ed521&size=original&side=back&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/1/Tony-Gwynn.jpg?id=cdfaf009-0d67-48cc-aae9-9a2b8d437495&size=original&side=back&.jpg

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle') AND (num < 158)
ORDER BY num +0 ASC;
</sql2wiki>
===Rookies===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/178/Bartolo-Colon.jpg?id=01fe3639-70f4-43e3-9cdf-572b51394768&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/178/Bartolo-Colon.jpg?id=01fe3639-70f4-43e3-9cdf-572b51394768&size=original&side=back&.jpg

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle') AND (num BETWEEN 158 AND 181)
ORDER BY num +0 ASC;
</sql2wiki>
===Field of Vision===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/182/Alex-Rodriguez.jpg?id=fb567673-131b-42b7-be2a-64cb5f7bb9f1&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/182/Alex-Rodriguez.jpg?id=fb567673-131b-42b7-be2a-64cb5f7bb9f1&size=original&side=back&.jpg

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle') AND (num BETWEEN 182 AND 187)
ORDER BY num +0 ASC;
</sql2wiki>
===Goin' Jake===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/188/Mark-McGwire.jpg?id=52174696-8de6-4f2f-a0d7-437f698a9bf3&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/188/Mark-McGwire.jpg?id=52174696-8de6-4f2f-a0d7-437f698a9bf3&size=original&side=back&.jpg

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle') AND (num BETWEEN 188 AND 197)
ORDER BY num +0 ASC;
</sql2wiki>
===Checklists===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/200/Checklist.jpg?id=9d896a20-19ca-42cf-85c2-b000fc5082a2&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base/200/Checklist.jpg?id=9d896a20-19ca-42cf-85c2-b000fc5082a2&size=original&side=back&.jpg

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle') AND (num > 197)
ORDER BY num +0 ASC;
</sql2wiki>

==Parallels==
There were 5 different parallels that varied in size (both number of cards and physical measurement):
* Museum Collection (100 cards)
* Artist's Proof (100 cards)
* Power Pack Jumbos (24 cards)
* Press Plate (200 cards)
* Uncut (6 cards)

===Museum Collection===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base---Museum-Collection/PP23/Barry-Bonds.jpg?id=804b08b5-7669-4f6a-a587-020ae8991d4d&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base---Museum-Collection/PP23/Barry-Bonds.jpg?id=804b08b5-7669-4f6a-a587-020ae8991d4d&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Museum Collection was a 100-card, partial-parallel that utilized the same photo and design as the base set but featured a silver wave [[Dufex]] finish.

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Museum Collection');
</sql2wiki>

===Artist's Proof===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base---Artist-Proof/PP48/Sammy-Sosa.jpg?id=3ba3e1f6-871c-4247-aad1-87cc76da39d3&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base---Artist-Proof/PP48/Sammy-Sosa.jpg?id=3ba3e1f6-871c-4247-aad1-87cc76da39d3&size=original&side=back&.jpg

All cards in the Museum Collection set also had an Artist's Proof parallel which featured the a gold, concentric circle [[Dufex]] finish and an Artist's Proof stamp on the front.

===Power Pack Jumbos===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Jumbo/12/Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=e87ae737-58b6-4c59-b8e5-ac4ecfb6a00b&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Jumbo/12/Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg?id=e87ae737-58b6-4c59-b8e5-ac4ecfb6a00b&size=original&side=back&.jpg

This 24-card, over-sized (3 1/2" X 5") set partially-paralleled the ''Field of Vision'' and ''Goin' Jake'' subsets. For further distinction, these cards differed from their base card counterparts by featuring an "X of 24" sequential numbering on back. This set was inserted at a rate of one per special Pinnacle "Power Pack", which were released about a month after the regular wax packs.

To promote this set, promo cards of each player in the parallel were issued to dealers and retail wholesalers and were identical to the regular Power Pack Jumbos, but featured the word "SAMPLE" printed diagonally on the front.

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Power Pack Jumbos');
</sql2wiki>
===Press Plates===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base---Press-Plate-Yellow/BJSU/BJ-Surhoff.jpg?id=fb7ed10f-4dad-4c0d-8ae1-2ebd5d58ab7c&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Base---Press-Plate-Yellow/BJSU/BJ-Surhoff.jpg?id=fb7ed10f-4dad-4c0d-8ae1-2ebd5d58ab7c&size=original&side=back&.jpg

Similar to the [[1997 New Pinnacle|previous year]], the actual press plates used in the manufacturing of the 1998 Pinnacle set were randomly inserted into packs. Each plate displayed an authentication seal on the back and was marked "1 of 1"; unlike last year however, and for distinction, these Press Plates were ''not'' autographed by Pinnacle Chairman and CEO, Jerry Meyer. There were Press Plate parallels of all 200 base cards and all 3 insert sets and thus, a total of 2272 Press Plates were inserted into packs. Every card (base and insert) in the set had 8 press plates - four "front" plates of different colors and four "back" plates of different colors:

* Front '''Cyan'''
* Front '''Magenta'''
* Front '''Yellow'''
* Front '''Black'''

* Back '''Cyan'''
* Back '''Magenta'''
* Back '''Yellow'''
* Back '''Black'''

===Uncut===

This 6-card, jumbo-sized partial parallel measures approximately 13 5/16" by 18 11/16" and is a very large [[Dufex]]-foil version of the Field of Vision subset (cards numbered from 182 to 187). Cards were distributed in mass-retail chains in one-card packs with a SRP of $9.99.

A version of the Frank Thomas Uncut card was issued to dealers as a promo.

==Inserts==

===Epix===

''See [[1998 Pinnacle Epix]].''

Press Plate versions of all cards in this insert set (front and back) exist.

===Hit It Here===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Hit-it-Here/4/Frank-Thomas.jpg?id=3b19f58a-ae92-4235-b580-368fa85317b8&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Hit-it-Here/4/Frank-Thomas.jpg?id=3b19f58a-ae92-4235-b580-368fa85317b8&size=original&side=back&.jpg

This ten-card set featured some of the top sluggers in the game on a red foil background with a silver etched-foil design. Each card in the set had a unique serial-number on the back which was used for a contest: If any of the ten players in the set hit for the cycle on Opening Day 1998, Pinnacle would draw a number at random and if a person owned the Hit It Here card of that player that hit for the cycle ''with'' the serial number that matched the drawn number, he/she would win $1,000,000. No player hit for the cycle on Opening Day 1998 and thus, there was no winner.

While the cards are serial-numbered, Pinnacle never fully disclosed the production run for the set. Some collectors speculate that 20,000 Hit It Here cards were produced.

To preview this set, promo cards from this insert were inserted into dealer sell sheets and were identical to the regular pack-inserted cards, but featured the word "SAMPLE" printed diagonally on the front and back.

Press Plate versions of all cards in this insert set (front and back) exist.

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Hit It Here');
</sql2wiki>

====Hit It Here Gold====

In 2018, a gold version of Ken Griffey, Jr's Hit It Here insert surfaced on the market. While regular Hit It Here inserts featured a red-colored foil front design, this version had clear and distinct gold-colored foil instead (i.e., was not a printing error/shading issue). The back of the Griffey has the same appearance as regular HIH inserts and is serially numbered 02680.

Only the Griffey has emerged on the secondary market as gold versions of the other 9 players in the set have not surfaced nor are known to exist. However, considering the card making process that usually involves 100-card sheets featuring all players in a set or insert set together consecutively, there is speculation that gold versions of the other 9 players also exist.

It is not known why a parallel gold version exists.

===Spellbound===

https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Spellbound/10/Roger-Clemens.jpg?id=dc077cb3-46d7-4551-8f18-9f0235b92180&size=original&side=front&.jpg
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1998/Pinnacle---Spellbound/10/Roger-Clemens.jpg?id=dc077cb3-46d7-4551-8f18-9f0235b92180&size=original&side=back&.jpg

For the second consecutive year, this 50-card set highlighted some of the most recognizable names in the game on a a silver etched-foil card that featured the player superimposed over one of the letters of the player's name or nickname. A completed set for each player could be put together side-by-side to spell out both the player's name/nickname.

Press Plate versions of all cards in this insert set (front and back) exist.

<sql2wiki database="carddb">
SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1998) AND (setname = 'Pinnacle Spellbound');
</sql2wiki>
{{Pinnacle}}
[[Category:1998]]
[[Category:Pinnacle]]

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1998 Pinnacle