1998 Donruss Limited

Description

File:1998 Donruss Limited Sell Sheet 1.jpeg File:1998 Donruss Limited Sell Sheet 2.jpeg

1998 Donruss Limited was a proposed a 200-card release limited to less than 1,000 total sets and intended for release in October, 1998. The product was never released due to Pinnacle Brands' bankruptcy.

Unlike other Pinnacle Brands bankruptcy issues (i.e. 1998 Select and 1998 Pinnacle Certified), none of the cards from this set have surfaced on the secondary market -- and it is assumed that they were never printed.

A Frank Thomas promo card [1] issued along with the sell sheets (pictured above) are the only reminders of this product's existence.

Insertion Ratios

Cards	Total Cards	Numbered To	Hobby Odds
Base	200	-	?
Double Play	100	-	?
Double Team	40	-	?
Star Factor	40	< 1000	?
Double Vision	20	-	?
Limited Exposure Double Play	100	-	?
Limited Exposure Double Team	40	-	?
Limited Exposure Star Factor	40	< 40	?
Limited Exposure Double Vision	20	-	?
Double Switch	200	15	?
Fabric of the Game	?	varies	?
Fabric of the Game Die-Cut	?	varies	?

Checklist

Base Set

A checklist for the base set was never released. However, the base set was supposed to feature 200 double-sided cards printed with Donruss's "exclusive Spectra-tech technology" and was to be divided into 4 subsets: Double Play, Double Team, Star Factor, and Double Vision. Additionally, each subset was to be inserted at a different rate, creating various shortprints throughout the base set. The subsets were:

Double Play

100 cards featuring players with similar styles of play or position. Two different players were to be featured on one card (one front, other on the back). According to the sell sheet, the following card was confirmed for this subset:

Wade Boggs/Kevin Orie

Double Team

40 cards featuring teammates that were paired together (one on front, other on the back). According to the sell sheet, the following card was confirmed for this subset:

Kenny Lofton/Jaret Wright

Star Factor

40 cards featuring the top stars on both sides. Unlike the other subsets, Star Factor cards only featured one player on both sides of the card. Less than 1,000 of each base Star Factor was to be printed. According to the sell sheet, the following players were confirmed for this subset:

Ken Griffey, Jr.

Frank Thomas

Double Vision

20 cards featuring top rookies matched with a top veteran whom they resemble. According to the sell sheet, the following card was confirmed for this subset:

Frank Thomas/Travis Lee

Parallels

Limited Exposure

Limited Exposure was to have been a parallel of the entire base set printed on "holographic Spectra-Tech technology" (i.e. Refractor rip-off). Like the base set, the Limited Exposures were to have been fractured with the Star Factor cards limited to only 40 copies.

Double Switch

Double Switch was to have been a die-cut parallel of the base set in which the front of one card was to have been "switched" with the back of another. Each card was to have been printed on "holographic Spectra-Tech technology" and serial-numbered to only 15 copies.

It is unclear if only one Double Switch of each "front" was to have been produced, or if Donruss was attempting to pair each card with all possible 199 different backs.

Inserts

Fabric of the Game

Fabric of the Game was to have been a fractured "materials" insert printed on cards made of leather, wood, or nylon. There were five tiers to the set and each card would have been designated either...

• Major League Material (serial-numbered to 1000 copies)

• Star Material (serial-numbered to 750 copies)

• Super Star Material (serial-numbered to 500 copies)

• Hall of Fame Material (serial-numbered to 250 copies)

• Legendary Material (serial-numbered to 100 copies)

In addition, the first cards produced were to have been die-cut and serial-numbered to the player's respective uniform number.