1998 Pinnacle Performers
Description
1998 Pinnacle Performers was a 150 card set that, like most Pinnacle Brands releases of the era, following the same formula of many of their other mid-level prince-point products. The set contains 120 veterans, 17 "Rookies," a ten-card Far and Away subset and three Checklists. It was released in July, 1998 and was Pinnacle Brands' penultimate baseball card product.
Performers replaced the similarly structured Pinnacle X-Press, and like '97 X-Press, each pack contained a "Swing for the Fences" game card.
There are no rookie cards in this set.
Distribution
Wax: 24 packs per box; eight cards per pack (MSRP: $1.99)
Reviews
Insertion Ratios
| Cards | Total Cards | Numbered To | Hobby Odds | Retail Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 150 | - | 8:1 | ? |
| Peak Performers Parallel | 150 | - | 1:7 | ? |
| Swing for the Fences | 50 | - | 1:2 | ? |
| Launching Pad | 20 | - | 1:9 | ? |
| Power Trip | 10 | 10,000 | 1:21 | ? |
| Big Bang | 20 | 2500 | 1:45 | ? |
| Big Bang Seasonal Outburst | 20 | varies | ? | ? |
Checklist
Base Set
- 1 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 2 Frank Thomas
- 3 Cal Ripken, Jr.
- 4 Alex Rodriguez
- 5 Greg Maddux
- 6 Mike Piazza
- 7 Chipper Jones
- 8 Tony Gwynn
- 9 Derek Jeter
- 10 Jeff Bagwell
- 11 Juan Gonzalez
- 12 Nomar Garciaparra
- 13 Andruw Jones
- 14 Hideo Nomo
- 15 Roger Clemens
- 16 Mark McGwire
- 17 Scott Rolen
- 18 Vladimir Guerrero
- 19 Barry Bonds
- 20 Darin Erstad
- 21 Albert Belle
- 22 Kenny Lofton
- 23 Mo Vaughn
- 24 Tony Clark
- 25 Ivan Rodriguez
- 26 Jose Cruz, Jr.
- 27 Larry Walker
- 28 Jaret Wright
- 29 Andy Pettitte
- 30 Roberto Alomar
- 31 Randy Johnson
- 32 Manny Ramirez
- 33 Paul Molitor
- 34 Mike Mussina
- 35 Jim Thome
- 36 Tino Martinez
- 37 Gary Sheffield
- 38 Chuck Knoblauch
- 39 Bernie Williams
- 40 Tim Salmon
- 41 Sammy Sosa
- 42 Wade Boggs
- 43 Will Clark
- 44 Andres Galarraga
- 45 Raul Mondesi
- 46 Rickey Henderson
- 47 Jose Canseco
- 48 Pedro Martinez
- 49 Jay Buhner
- 50 Ryan Klesko
- 51 Barry Larkin
- 52 Charles Johnson
- 53 Tom Glavine
- 54 Edgar Martinez
- 55 Fred McGriff
- 56 Moises Alou
- 57 Dante Bichette
- 58 Jim Edmonds
- 59 Mark Grace
- 60 Chan Ho Park
- 61 Justin Thompson
- 62 John Smoltz
- 63 Craig Biggio
- 64 Ken Caminiti
- 65 Richard Hidalgo
- 66 Carlos Delgado
- 67 Dave Justice
- 68 J.T. Snow
- 69 Jason Giambi
- 70 Garret Anderson
- 71 Rondell White
- 72 Matt Williams
- 73 Brady Anderson
- 74 Eric Karros
- 75 Javy Lopez
- 76 Pat Hentgen
- 77 Todd Hundley
- 78 Ray Lankford
- 79 Denny Neagle
- 80 Sandy Alomar
- 81 Jason Kendall
- 82 Omar Vizquel
- 83 Kevin Brown
- 84 Kevin Appier
- 85 Al Martin
- 86 Rusty Greer
- 87 Bobby Bonilla
- 88 Shawn Estes
- 89 Rafael Palmeiro
- 90 Edgar Renteria
- 91 Alan Benes
- 92 Bob Higginson
- 93 Mark Grudzielanek
- 94 Jose Guillen
- 95 Neifi Perez
- 96 Jeff Abbott
- 97 Todd Walker
- 98 Eric Young
- 99 Brett Tomko
- 100 Mike Cameron
- 101 Karim Garcia
- 102 Brian Jordan
- 103 Jeff Suppan
- 104 Robin Ventura
- 105 Henry Rodriguez
- 106 Shannon Stewart
- 107 Kevin Orie
- 108 Bartolo Colon
- 109 Bob Abreu
- 110 Vinny Castilla
- 111 Livan Hernandez
- 112 Derrek Lee
- 113 Mark Kotsay
- 114 Todd Greene
- 115 Edgardo Alfonzo
- 116 A.J. Hinch
- 117 Paul Konerko
- 118 Todd Helton
- 119 Miguel Tejada
- 120 Fernando Tatis
Rookies
- 121 Ben Grieve
- 122 Travis Lee
- 123 Kerry Wood
- 124 Eli Marrero
- 125 David Ortiz
- 126 Juan Encarnacion
- 127 Brad Fullmer
- 128 Richie Sexson
- 129 Aaron Boone
- 130 Enrique Wilson
- 131 Javier Valentin
- 132 Abraham Nunez
- 133 Ricky Ledee
- 134 Carl Pavano
- 135 Bobby Estalella
- 136 Homer Bush
- 137 Brian Rose
Far & Away
- 138 Ken Griffey, Jr. FA
- 139 Frank Thomas FA
- 140 Cal Ripken, Jr. FA
- 141 Alex Rodriguez FA
- 142 Greg Maddux FA
- 143 Chipper Jones FA
- 144 Mike Piazza FA
- 145 Tony Gwynn FA
- 146 Derek Jeter FA
- 147 Jeff Bagwell FA
Checklists
- 148 Checklist
- 149 Checklist
- 150 Checklist
Parallels
Peak Performers
Peak Performers is the sole parallel, and reprints all 150 base set cards. Each card is printed on foil-board with the words "PEAK PERFORMERS" running down the right side of the photo.
Inserts
Big Bang
Each card is serial-numbered to 2500 copies. Promotional samples of this set were distributed within wholesale dealer order forms prior to the products release (one card per order). The Samples parallel the regular Big Bang inserts except for the bold "SAMPLE" text running diagonally across the back of the card. In addition, Sample cards are NOT serial-numbered.
Seasonal Outburst
Seasonal Outburst is a red-foiled parallel of the Big Bang set. Each card is serial-numbered to the player's 1997 home run total (noted below). However, a number of non-numbered cards have emerged on the market; which may have been "backdoored" after Pinnacle Brands' 1998 bankruptcy. It is believed that there are more non-numbered Seasonal Outburst cards in circulation than there are serial-numbered ones.
- 1 Ken Griffey, Jr. 56
- 2 Frank Thomas 35
- 3 Mike Piazza 40
- 4 Chipper Jones 21
- 5 Alex Rodriguez 23
- 6 Nomar Garciaparra 30
- 7 Jeff Bagwell 43
- 8 Cal Ripken, Jr. 17
- 9 Albert Belle 30
- 10 Mark McGwire 58
- 11 Juan Gonzalez 42
- 12 Larry Walker 49
- 13 Tino Martinez 44
- 14 Jim Thome 40
- 15 Manny Ramirez 26
- 16 Barry Bonds 40
- 17 Mo Vaughn 35
- 18 Jose Cruz, Jr. 26
- 19 Tony Clark 32
- 20 Andruw Jones 18
Launching Pad
- 1 Ben Grieve
- 2 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 3 Derek Jeter
- 4 Frank Thomas
- 5 Travis Lee
- 6 Vladimir Guerrero
- 7 Tony Gwynn
- 8 Jose Cruz, Jr.
- 9 Cal Ripken, Jr.
- 10 Chipper Jones
- 11 Scott Rolen
- 12 Andruw Jones
- 13 Ivan Rodriguez
- 14 Todd Helton
- 15 Nomar Garciaparra
- 16 Mark McGwire
- 17 Gary Sheffield
- 18 Bernie Williams
- 19 Alex Rodriguez
- 20 Mike Piazza
Power Trip
Each card is serial-numbered to 10,000 copies. Just like with the Big Bang Seasonal Outburst cards (see above), a number of un-numbered cards have emerged on the market; which may have been "backdoored" after Pinnacle Brands' 1998 bankruptcy.
- 1 Frank Thomas
- 2 Alex Rodriguez
- 3 Nomar Garciaparra
- 4 Jeff Bagwell
- 5 Cal Ripken, Jr.
- 6 Mike Piazza
- 7 Chipper Jones
- 8 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 9 Mark McGwire
- 10 Juan Gonzalez
Swing for the Fences
Similar to the promotion in 1997 Pinnacle X-Press, Swing for the Fences was a 75-card game, consisting of 50 players and 25 "point" cards. Collectors who found the player cards of the 1998 AL and NL home run champs, and collected enough point cards to match their respective player's league-leading HR total could then exchange their cards and receive a special 10-pack of "upgraded" Swing for the Fences cards. Unlike the previous year's set, the upgraded Swing cards were supposed to have been distributed directly to Hobby dealers -- collectors need not send in their winning cards directly to Pinnacle. However, Pinnacle went out of business before the end of the 1998 season and the cards were never distributed.
The first 1000 entries would also receive a special autographed Swing for the Fences Upgrade card of Texas Rangers star Juan Gonzalez. All winners would also be entered into a drawing for a trip for two to the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston.
Pinnacle Brands' bankruptcy in the Fall of 1998 wiped away the contest, and many of the Upgraded cards (which were printed on a matrix holographic-foil background) began to flood the secondary market. It does not appear that any of the Juan Gonzalez Autographed Upgrades were produced.
- 1 Brady Anderson
- 2 Albert Belle
- 3 Jay Buhner
- 4 Jose Canseco
- 5 Tony Clark
- 6 Jose Cruz, Jr.
- 7 Jim Edmonds
- 8 Cecil Fielder
- 9 Travis Fryman
- 10 Nomar Garciaparra
- 11 Juan Gonzalez
- 12 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 13 Dave Justice
- 14 Travis Lee
- 15 Edgar Martinez
- 16 Tino Martinez
- 17 Rafael Palmeiro
- 18 Manny Ramirez
- 19 Cal Ripken, Jr.
- 20 Alex Rodriguez
- 21 Tim Salmon
- 22 Frank Thomas
- 23 Jim Thome
- 24 Mo Vaughn
- 25 Bernie Williams
- 26 Fred McGriff
- 27 Jeff Bagwell
- 28 Dante Bichette
- 29 Barry Bonds
- 30 Ellis Burks
- 31 Ken Caminiti
- 32 Vinny Castilla
- 33 Andres Galarraga
- 34 Vladimir Guerrero
- 35 Todd Helton
- 36 Todd Hundley
- 37 Andruw Jones
- 38 Chipper Jones
- 39 Eric Karros
- 40 Ryan Klesko
- 41 Ray Lankford
- 42 Mark McGwire
- 43 Raul Mondesi
- 44 Mike Piazza
- 45 Scott Rolen
- 46 Gary Sheffield
- 47 Sammy Sosa
- 48 Larry Walker
- 49 Matt Williams
- 50 Wild Card
Swing for the Fences Shop Exchange Cards
This 12-card set was created as a promotional tie-in for hobby shop owners, and was first released at the 1998 All-Star Game FanFest (which was sponsored by Pinnacle). Cards were subsequently distributed to shop owners, nationwide, in 10-card packs.
Collectors who purchased three packs of 1998 Pinnacle Performers could take the wrappers to their local participating Hobby store and receive a card. Those who purchased an entire box would get a 10-card cello pack. The cards parallel the standard Swing for the Fences inserts found in packs, except for the upgraded 20 pt. stock, silver "Matrix foil" background (similar to that year's Epix inserts) and lack of numbering on the card back.
The Matrix foil used is similar to the Swing for the Fences Upgraded cards. For help in properly identifying the Shop Exchange and the Upgraded cards, the website "Frank Thomas Collector" has compiled this visual guide.
- Jeff Bagwell
- Barry Bonds
- Nomar Garciaparra
- Juan Gonzalez
- Ken Griffey, Jr.
- Chipper Jones
- Mark McGwire
- Mike Piazza
- Cal Ripken, Jr.
- Alex Rodriguez
- Scott Rolen
- Frank Thomas
Autographs & Game-Used
Juan Gonzalez Swing for the Fences Autographed Ball
Randomly inserted into packs, in lieu of a Swing for the Fences card, was a coupon good for a Major League Baseball autographed by Texas Rangers star Juan Gonzalez. Due to the Pinnacle Brands bankruptcy later that summer, the Juan Gonzalez balls were never redeemed. It is unclear is Gonzalez ever signed any baseballs for this promotion.
- Juan Gonzalez EXCH