1998 Select
Description
1998 Select was a 250-card fractured set based on what Pinnacle called the "Quasar System" and was similar to how 1997-1999 Flair Showcase was structured. It was intended for release in September, 1998 but the product was never officially released due to Pinnacle Brands' bankruptcy in July/August 1998. In fact, a bankruptcy judge ordered all unissued trading cards (including cards from this product) to be destroyed; yet, similar to 1998 Pinnacle Certified, Donruss Limited, and high-numbered Donruss Crusade cards, some players had base cards, parallels, or inserts surface since the bankruptcy and were likely "backdoored". The only cards from this set that were authorized for release were a 10-card promo set of the Selected insert and occurred before the bankruptcy filing.
In October of 2017, a collection of base, parallel, and insert cards from this set surfaced on the secondary market, dubbed by some as the "Pinnacle Bankruptcy Find" (PBF). This find marked the largest emergence of cards from this set from the same source, at the same time. It also marked the first time copies of certain players were confirmed to exist.
Over the years, one collector has diligently documented cards that have surfaced from this set and can be seen here:
https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-mFZz6/
Insertion Ratios
| Cards | Total Cards | Numbered To | Hobby Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 250 | - | varies |
| One-Star | 100 | - | 3 per pack |
| Two-Star | 75 | - | 2 per pack |
| Three-Star | 50 | - | 1:7 |
| Four-Star | 25 | - | 1:23 |
| Jersey Number Parallel | 250 | varies | |
| Five-Star Bonus | 5 | 50 | ? |
| Diamond Dominance | 10 | - | 1:23 |
| Selected | 10 | - | 1:23 |
| Rare Form | 10 | - | 1:99 |
| Select Numbers | 20 | varies | ? |
Checklist
1998 Select was a 250-card base set that represented the "Quasar System", which was the slogan used to describe the set for advertising and promotion prior to its intended release.
The base set was fractured into 4 categories (1-Star to 4-Star) that differed in rarity (1-Star was most common and 4-Star was hardest to find within the base set).
To distinguish between the Quasar System levels/categories, each of the base "Star" levels (1-4) had a different card design, photo, and label on the back:
- 1-Star (1-100): rectangular design
- 2-Star (101-175): circular design
- 3-Star (176-225): triangular design
- 4-Star (226-250): diamond design
Below is the complete checklist as set forth on the product sell sheet. Since Pinnacle's bankruptcy in July/August 1998, many cards from this set have emerged on the secondary market and all were confirmed to exist after the PBF of 2017. Some have estimated that less than 20 copies of each card made their way into the open market.
1-Star
Cards 1-100 in the base set were printed on silver foil stock with a rectangular background design. These were the most commonly available cards in the base set. All 1-Star base cards are confirmed to exist and at least one copy of each player from this level has surfaced on the secondary market.
1 Jose Cruz, Jr.
2 Greg Maddux
3 Nomar Garciaparra
4 Mark McGwire
5 Juan Gonzalez
6 Barry Bonds
7 Cal Ripken, Jr.
8 Andruw Jones
9 Tony Gwynn
10 Frank Thomas
11 Scott Rolen
12 Travis Lee
13 Hideo Nomo
14 Alex Rodriguez
15 Kenny Lofton
16 Ken Griffey, Jr.
17 Jeff Bagwell
18 Vladimir Guerrero
19 Ivan Rodriguez
20 Mo Vaughn
21 Chipper Jones
22 Ben Grieve
23 Roger Clemens
24 Derek Jeter
25 Mike Piazza
26 Tony Clark
27 Larry Walker
28 Juan Encarnacion
29 Barry Larkin
30 Chuck Knoblauch
31 Albert Belle
32 Randy Johnson
33 Brad Fullmer
34 Manny Ramirez
35 Wade Boggs
36 Jim Thome
37 Todd Helton
38 Roberto Alomar
39 Paul Konerko
40 Chan Ho Park
41 Craig Biggio
42 Ken Caminiti
43 David Justice
44 Andy Pettitte
45 Bernie Williams
46 Mike Mussina
47 Darin Erstad
48 Andres Galarraga
49 Raul Mondesi
50 Pedro Martinez
51 Todd Greene
52 Matt Williams
53 Rondell White
54 Brady Anderson
55 Tim Salmon
56 Edgar Martinez
57 Jose Guillen
58 Richard Hidalgo
59 Gary Sheffield
60 Paul Molitor
61 Livan Hernandez
62 Jaret Wright
63 Fernando Tatis
64 Fred McGriff
65 Will Clark
66 John Smoltz
67 Rafael Palmeiro
68 Sammy Sosa
69 Tino Martinez
70 Jim Edmonds
71 Travis Fryman
72 Ryan Klesko
73 Magglio Ordonez
74 Bobby Bonilla
75 Todd Hundley
76 Javy Lopez
77 Vinny Castilla
78 Carl Pavano
79 Jay Buhner
80 Matt Clement
81 Kevin Orie
82 Tom Glavine
83 Mark Kotsay
84 Todd Walker
85 Bobby Higginson
86 Sean Casey
87 Frank Catalanotto
88 Neifi Perez
89 Derrek Lee
90 David Ortiz
91 Kevin Millwood
92 Moises Alou
93 Brian Rose
94 Miguel Tejada
95 Kerry Wood
96 Mark Grace
97 Bobby Estalella
98 Jason Kendall
99 Rusty Greer
100 Charles Johnson
2-Star
Cards 101-175 in the base set were printed on silver holographic foil stock with a circular background design. These were the second-hardest cards in the base set to obtain. All 2-Star base cards are confirmed to exist and at least one copy of each player from this level has surfaced on the secondary market.
101 Jose Cruz, Jr.
102 Greg Maddux
103 Nomar Garciaparra
104 Mark McGwire
105 Juan Gonzalez
106 Barry Bonds
107 Cal Ripken, Jr.
108 Andruw Jones
109 Tony Gwynn
110 Frank Thomas
111 Scott Rolen
112 Travis Lee
113 Hideo Nomo
114 Alex Rodriguez
115 Kenny Lofton
116 Ken Griffey, Jr.
117 Jeff Bagwell
118 Vladimir Guerrero
119 Ivan Rodriguez
120 Mo Vaughn
121 Chipper Jones
122 Ben Grieve
123 Roger Clemens
124 Derek Jeter
125 Mike Piazza
126 Tony Clark
127 Larry Walker
128 Juan Encarnacion
129 Barry Larkin
130 Chuck Knoblauch
131 Albert Belle
132 Randy Johnson
133 Brad Fullmer
134 Manny Ramirez
135 Wade Boggs
136 Jim Thome
137 Todd Helton
138 Roberto Alomar
139 Paul Konerko
140 Chan Ho Park
141 Craig Biggio
142 Ken Caminiti
143 David Justice
144 Andy Pettitte
145 Bernie Williams
146 Mike Mussina
147 Darin Erstad
148 Andres Galarraga
149 Raul Mondesi
150 Pedro Martinez
151 Todd Greene
152 Matt Williams
153 Rondell White
154 Brady Anderson
155 Tim Salmon
156 Edgar Martinez
157 Jose Guillen
158 Richard Hidalgo
159 Gary Sheffield
160 Paul Molitor
161 Livan Hernandez
162 Jaret Wright
163 Fernando Tatis
164 Fred McGriff
165 Will Clark
166 John Smoltz
167 Rafael Palmeiro
168 Sammy Sosa
169 Tino Martinez
170 Jim Edmonds
171 Travis Fryman
172 Ryan Klesko
173 Magglio Ordonez
174 Bobby Bonilla
175 Todd Hundley
3-Star
Cards 176-225 in the base set were printed on silver prismatic foil stock with a triangular background design. These were the third-hardest cards in the base set to obtain. Unlike the other Quasar levels, no 3-Star base cards are confirmed to exist as no copies of any player from this level have surfaced on the secondary market.
176 Jose Cruz, Jr.
177 Greg Maddux
178 Nomar Garciaparra
179 Mark McGwire
180 Juan Gonzalez
181 Barry Bonds
182 Cal Ripken, Jr.
183 Andruw Jones
184 Tony Gwynn
185 Frank Thomas
186 Scott Rolen
187 Travis Lee
188 Hideo Nomo
189 Alex Rodriguez
190 Kenny Lofton
191 Ken Griffey, Jr.
192 Jeff Bagwell
193 Vladimir Guerrero
194 Ivan Rodriguez
195 Mo Vaughn
196 Chipper Jones
197 Ben Grieve
198 Roger Clemens
199 Derek Jeter
200 Mike Piazza
201 Tony Clark
202 Larry Walker
203 Juan Encarnacion
204 Barry Larkin
205 Chuck Knoblauch
206 Albert Belle
207 Randy Johnson
208 Brad Fullmer
209 Manny Ramirez
210 Wade Boggs
211 Jim Thome
212 Todd Helton
213 Roberto Alomar
214 Paul Konerko
215 Chan Ho Park
216 Craig Biggio
217 Ken Caminiti
218 David Justice
219 Andy Pettitte
220 Bernie Williams
221 Mike Mussina
222 Darin Erstad
223 Andres Galarraga
224 Raul Mondesi
225 Pedro Martinez
4-Star
Cards 226-250 in the base set were printed on silver dot matrix hologram stock with a diamond background design. These were the hardest cards in the base set to obtain. All 4-Star base cards are confirmed to exist and at least one copy of each player from this level has surfaced on the secondary market.
226 Jose Cruz, Jr.
227 Greg Maddux
228 Nomar Garciaparra
229 Mark McGwire
230 Juan Gonzalez
231 Barry Bonds
232 Cal Ripken, Jr.
233 Andruw Jones
234 Tony Gwynn
235 Frank Thomas
236 Scott Rolen
237 Travis Lee
238 Hideo Nomo
239 Alex Rodriguez
240 Kenny Lofton
241 Ken Griffey, Jr.
242 Jeff Bagwell
243 Vladimir Guerrero
244 Ivan Rodriguez
245 Mo Vaughn
246 Chipper Jones
247 Ben Grieve
248 Roger Clemens
249 Derek Jeter
250 Mike Piazza
Parallels
Jersey Number
All 250 cards in the base set had a Jersey Number parallel that was to be numbered to the player's uniform number. For example, Ken Griffey, Jr. was featured four times in the base set as he appeared once in each of the 4 Quasar levels (1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star, and 4-Star). Therefore, he also had four Jersey Number parallels, all of which were supposed to be numbered to 24. Thus, the number of Jersey Number parallels each player had depended on how many Quasar levels he was featured in.
Jersey Number parallels had "Jersey Number" printed vertically along the lower left edge of the card and looked different from the base set:
- 1-Star Jersey Numbers: printed on gold foil stock
- 2-Star Jersey Numbers: printed on gold holographic foil
- 3-Star Jersey Numbers: printed on gold prismatic foil
- 4-Star Jersey Numbers: printed on gold dot matrix hologram foil
It is not known if these parallels were intended to be serially numbered but no Jersey Number parallels have surfaced with a serial number stamped to that respective player's uniform number. However, some Jersey Number parallels are stamped, "00/00" on the back, but the majority are not. Others have surfaced that have been hand-numbered on the back (e.g., __/24 for Ken Griffey Jr.) but some believe hand-numbered versions were numbered by unscrupulous owners to deceive.
Not all 250 Jersey Number parallels have been confirmed to exist. Interestingly, 3-Star Jersey Number parallels have been confirmed to exist even though no 3-Star base of any player has ever surfaced. However, parallels of players in the 1, 2, and 4-Star categories have emerged.
1-Star Jersey Number
The following 1-Star Jersey Number parallels below have been confirmed to exist as at least one copy has surfaced on the secondary market:
2 Greg Maddux
4 Mark McGwire
5 Juan Gonzalez
6 Barry Bonds
7 Cal Ripken Jr.
8 Andruw Jones
9 Tony Gwynn
10 Frank Thomas
14 Alex Rodriguez
16 Ken Griffey Jr.
17 Jeff Bagwell
21 Chipper Jones
23 Roger Clemens
24 Derek Jeter
25 Mike Piazza
29 Barry Larkin
31 Albert Belle
37 Todd Helton
45 Bernie Williams
47 Darin Erstad
48 Andres Galarraga
49 Raul Mondesi
50 Pedro Martinez
52 Matt Williams
57 Jose Guillen
64 Fred McGriff
65 Will Clark
71 Travis Fryman
96 Mark Grace
2-Star Jersey Number
The following 2-Star Jersey Number parallels below have been confirmed to exist as at least one copy has surfaced on the secondary market:
102 Greg Maddux
104 Mark McGwire
105 Juan Gonzalez
106 Barry Bonds
107 Cal Ripken Jr.
108 Andruw Jones
109 Tony Gwynn
110 Frank Thomas
113 Hideo Nomo
114 Alex Rodriguez
116 Ken Griffey Jr.
117 Jeff Bagwell
121 Chipper Jones
123 Roger Clemens
124 Derek Jeter
125 Mike Piazza
129 Barry Larkin
131 Albert Belle
137 Todd Helton
145 Bernie Williams
147 Darrin Erstad
150 Pedro Martinez
164 Fred McGriff
165 Will Clark
171 Travis Fryman
173 Magglio Ordonez
3-Star Jersey Number
The following 3-Star Jersey Number parallels below have been confirmed to exist as at least one copy has surfaced on the secondary market:
176 Jose Cruz, Jr.
177 Greg Maddux
179 Mark McGwire
180 Juan Gonzalez
181 Barry Bonds
182 Cal Ripken Jr.
183 Andruw Jones
184 Tony Gwynn
185 Frank Thomas
188 Hideo Nomo
189 Alex Rodriguez
191 Ken Griffey Jr.
192 Jeff Bagwell
196 Chipper Jones
197 Ben Grieve
198 Roger Clemens
199 Derek Jeter
200 Mike Piazza
204 Barry Larkin
206 Albert Belle
212 Todd Helton
220 Bernie Williams
222 Darrin Erstad
225 Pedro Martinez
4-Star Jersey Number
The following 4-Star Jersey Number parallels below have been confirmed to exist as at least one copy has surfaced on the secondary market:
227 Greg Maddux
229 Mark McGwire
230 Juan Gonzalez
231 Barry Bonds
232 Cal Ripken Jr.
233 Andruw Jones
234 Tony Gwynn
235 Frank Thomas
238 Hideo Nomo
239 Alex Rodriguez
241 Ken Griffey Jr.
242 Jeff Bagwell
246 Chipper Jones
247 Ben Grieve
248 Roger Clemens
249 Derek Jeter
250 Mike Piazza
Inserts
Five-Star Bonus
Five-Star Bonus was a 5-card insert that was a quasi-extension of the base set. The look is similar to the base set as each card is printed on silver, dot matrix hologram stock but with a star-design background. There is no Jersey Number parallel of these inserts.
Each card is serially numbered to 50. Given that cards of different players with low, medium, and high serial numbers (e.g., 4/50, 24/50, 47/50) have all surfaced, many believe that all 50 sets of all 5 players in the set were produced and serially numbered.
Further, each of the five players in the set have multiple copies that have emerged on the secondary market since the bankruptcy in 1998 and in early 2007, a number of these cards were sold (as complete 5-card sets with matching serial-numbers) on eBay. Before then, singles from this insert set were incredibly rare.
Originally, Mike Piazza was slated to be card #5 in this set, but was replaced by Derek Jeter. The players in the set are:
1 Ken Griffey Jr.
2 Frank Thomas
3 Cal Ripken Jr.
4 Greg Maddux
5 Derek Jeter
Diamond Dominance
Diamond Dominance was a 10-card insert set featuring players that "dominated" on the field. They had a purple design with a holographic silver finish on triangular sections of the cardfront. Before the PBF of October 2017, the only cards from the set confirmed to exist were of Andruw Jones, Tony Clark, and Darin Erstad. However, all cards from this set have been confirmed to exist as at least one copy has surfaced on the secondary market.
1 Darin Erstad
2 Paul Molitor
3 Andruw Jones
4 Barry Larkin
5 Manny Ramirez
6 Mo Vaughn
7 Barry Bonds
8 Albert Belle
9 Ivan Rodriguez
10 Tony Clark
Selected
Selected was a 10-card set featuring future stars of the game that had amazing "natural talent" and was printed on silver holographic stock.
Sample versions of each card in the set were the only cards from the 1998 Select that were officially released before the Pinnacle Brands bankruptcy. A pack of two cards were released to Hobby dealers along with the sell sheets. The word "SAMPLE" was printed on the back of each card.
However, non-sample cards from this set slowly emerged after the bankruptcy and after the PBF of 2017, all cards were confirmed to exist as at least one copy has surfaced on the secondary market.
1 Vladimir Guerrero
2 Nomar Garciaparra
3 Ben Grieve
4 Travis Lee
5 Jose Cruz, Jr.
6 Alex Rodriguez
7 Todd Helton
8 Derek Jeter
9 Scott Rolen
10 Jaret Wright
Rare Form
Rare Form was a 10-card insert set featuring those who "played the game with unequaled style" and was had a unique dot matrix holographic finish. Prior to 2017, no cards from this insert set had ever been seen before and many believed that this set was never produced. However, the PBF of 2017 included at least two copies (some players had three copies) of every player, confirming the existence of all cards in the set.
1 Ken Griffey, Jr.
2 Roger Clemens
3 Cal Ripken, Jr.
4 Juan Gonzalez
5 Nomar Garciaparra
6 Alex Rodriguez
7 Chipper Jones
8 Mike Piazza
9 Greg Maddux
10 Frank Thomas
Select Numbers
Select Numbers was a 20-card insert set, serial numbered to a player's statistic across one of 4 categories:
- Batting Average
- On Base Percentage
- Home Runs
- Strikeouts
For example, Tony Gwynn hit .372 in 1997 and thus his Select Numbers card was to be serial numbered to 372. These were printed on a silver dot matrix hologram stock with a concentric pattern of numbers in the background and tinted to the player's team colors.
Prior to 2017, only 12 of the 20 cards from this insert set surfaced but were not serial-numbered. However, the PBF of 2017 contained at least two copies of every player, confirming the existence of all cards in the set. However, none of the cards in this collection were serially-numbered either. The information in the parentheses indicates the statistic and number the card was supposed to be serially numbered to:
1 Mark McGwire (HRs - 58)
2 Juan Gonzalez (HRs - 42)
3 Ken Griffey, Jr. (HRs - 56)
4 Jeff Bagwell (HRs - 43)
5 Andres Galarraga (HRs - 41)
6 Frank Thomas (AVG - 347)
7 Mike Piazza (AVG - 362)
8 Tony Gwynn (AVG - 372)
9 Larry Walker (AVG - 366)
10 Kenny Lofton (AVG - 333)
11 Barry Bonds (OBP - 446)
12 Chuck Knoblauch (OBP - 390)
13 Derek Jeter (OBP - 370)
14 Nomar Garciaparra (OBP - 342)
15 Chipper Jones (OBP - 371)
16 Pedro Martinez (Ks - 305)
17 Hideo Nomo (Ks - 233)
18 Randy Johnson (Ks - 291)
19 Roger Clemens (Ks - 292)
20 Greg Maddux (Ks - 177)