1998 Flair Showcase
Description
1998 Flair Showcase is a 480-card fractured set released by Fleer in July of that year that was similar in structure to [1997 Flair Showcase|the previous year's release]. Each of the 120 players in the set were again featured on different levels/"Rows", which each Row featuring a unique front design:
- Row 3: "Flair" design
- Row 2: "Style" design
- Row 1: "Grace" design
- Row 0: "Showcase" design
The Row 3 cards were easiest to find, while the Row 0 cards were the toughest.
Each "Row" was then sub-divided into four, 30-card sub-sections featuring a different cardback design and banner:
- Showtime: Team-colored headshot design, light-blue banner text
- Showstopper: Torso picture design, golden-yellow banner text
- Showdown: Torso picture and nameplate design, red banner text
- Showpiece: Glowing, full-body picture design, white banner text
Each of the 120 players in the set had one card in each of the four rows, with a specifically assigned cardback design per Row, meaning each player had 4 base cards total. The "Seat" number on back represented the card number in the set.
Distribution
24 packs per box, five cards plus one Diamond Ink point card per pack (MSRP: $4.99)
Reviews
Old School Breaks: 1998 Flair Showcase Baseball
Insertion Ratios
| Cards | Showtime | Showstopper | Showdown | Showpiece |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flair (Row 3) | 1-30 (1:0.9) | 31-60 (1:1.1) | 61-90 (1:1.5) | 91-120 (1:2) |
| Style (Row 2) | 31-60 (1:2.5) | 1-30 (1:2) | 91-120 (1:3.5) | 61-90 (1:4) |
| Grace (Row 1) | 61-90 (1:6) | 91-120 (1:10) | 1-30 (1:16) | 31-60 (1:24) |
| Showcase (Row 0) | 91-120 (serial-numbered to 2000) | 61-90 (serial-numbered to 1000) | 31-60 (serial-numbered to 500) | 1-30 (serial-numbered to 250) |
Although the odds are not listed on the box, a typical 24-pack Hobby box should yield two Showcase Showtime cards, one Showcase Showstopper and either a Showcase Showdown or Showcase Showpiece card.
| Cards | Total Cards | Numbered To | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy Collection | 480 | 100 | ? |
| Masterpiece | 480 | one-of-one | ? |
| Wave of the Future | 12 | - | 1:20 |
| Perfect 10 | 10 | 10 | ? |
| Diamond Ink | 10 | - | one-per-pack |
Checklist
Promos
File:1998flairpromo.jpgFile:1998flairpromob.jpg
Fleer distributed a four-card strip to dealers and The Hobby media a few months prior to the release of 1998 Flair Showcase. The strip contained the four Cal Ripken, Jr base cards later issued in packs and featured "PROMOTIONAL SAMPLE" text diagonally across the front and back.
P8 Cal Ripken, Jr.
Base Set
- Row 3 (Flair front; Showtime back)
- Row 2 (Style front; Showpiece back)
- Row 1 (Grace front; Showdown back)
- Row 0 (Showcase front; Showstopper back)
For brevity's sake, only one "Row" is listed below as the checklist for all four Rows is identical. Also note that only Row 3 cards are considered "true" rookie cards for those players. All base cards are labeled "Section 2" on the back, distinguishing them from the parallel sets, which were labeled either "Section 0" (Masterpieces) or "Section 1" (Legacy) on the back.
- 1 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 2 Travis Lee
- 3 Frank Thomas
- 4 Ben Grieve
- 5 Nomar Garciaparra
- 6 Jose Cruz, Jr.
- 7 Alex Rodriguez
- 8 Cal Ripken, Jr.
- 9 Mark McGwire
- 10 Chipper Jones
- 11 Paul Konerko
- 12 Todd Helton
- 13 Greg Maddux
- 14 Derek Jeter
- 15 Jaret Wright
- 16 Livan Hernandez
- 17 Mike Piazza
- 18 Juan Encarnacion
- 19 Tony Gwynn
- 20 Scott Rolen
- 21 Roger Clemens
- 22 Tony Clark
- 23 Albert Belle
- 24 Mo Vaughn
- 25 Andruw Jones
- 26 Jason Dickson
- 27 Fernando Tatis
- 28 Ivan Rodriguez
- 29 Ricky Ledee
- 30 Darin Erstad
- 31 Brian Rose
- 32 Magglio Ordonez RC
- 33 Larry Walker
- 34 Bob Higginson
- 35 Chili Davis
- 36 Barry Bonds
- 37 Vladimir Guerrero
- 38 Jeff Bagwell
- 39 Kenny Lofton
- 40 Ryan Klesko
- 41 Mike Cameron
- 42 Charles Johnson
- 43 Andy Pettitte
- 44 Juan Gonzalez
- 45 Tim Salmon
- 46 Hideki Irabu
- 47 Paul Molitor
- 48 Edgar Renteria
- 49 Manny Ramirez
- 50 Jim Edmonds
- 51 Bernie Williams
- 52 Roberto Alomar
- 53 Dave Justice
- 54 Rey Ordonez
- 55 Ken Caminiti
- 56 Jose Guillen
- 57 Randy Johnson
- 58 Brady Anderson
- 59 Hideo Nomo
- 60 Tino Martinez
- 61 John Smoltz
- 62 Joe Carter
- 63 Matt Williams
- 64 Robin Ventura
- 65 Barry Larkin
- 66 Dante Bichette
- 67 Travis Fryman
- 68 Gary Sheffield
- 69 Eric Karros
- 70 Matt Stairs
- 71 Al Martin
- 72 Jay Buhner
- 73 Ray Lankford
- 74 Carlos Delgado
- 75 Edgardo Alfonzo
- 76 Rondell White
- 77 Chuck Knoblauch
- 78 Raul Mondesi
- 79 Johnny Damon
- 80 Matt Morris
- 81 Tom Glavine
- 82 Kevin Brown
- 83 Garret Anderson
- 84 Mike Mussina
- 85 Pedro Martinez
- 86 Craig Biggio
- 87 Darryl Kile
- 88 Rafael Palmeiro
- 89 Jim Thome
- 90 Andres Galarraga
- 91 Sammy Sosa
- 92 Willie Greene
- 93 Vinny Castilla
- 94 Justin Thompson
- 95 Jeff King
- 96 Jeff Cirillo
- 97 Mark Grudzielanek
- 98 Brad Radke
- 99 John Olerud
- 100 Curt Schilling
- 101 Steve Finley
- 102 J.T. Snow
- 103 Edgar Martinez
- 104 Wilson Alvarez
- 105 Rusty Greer
- 106 Pat Hentgen
- 107 David Cone
- 108 Fred McGriff
- 109 Jason Giambi
- 110 Tony Womack
- 111 Bernard Gilkey
- 112 Alan Benes
- 113 Mark Grace
- 114 Reggie Sanders
- 115 Moises Alou
- 116 John Jaha
- 117 Henry Rodriguez
- 118 Dean Palmer
- 119 Mike Lieberthal
- 120 Shawn Estes
Parallels
All 480 base cards (120 players from all four "Rows") are available in a Legacy or Masterpiece parallel. These parallels are distinctive from the base cards as both feature a black and white background and are either labeled "Section 1" or "Section 0" on the cardback, differing from all base cards which are labeled "Section 2".
Legacy Collection (Section 1)
Legacy Collection parallels are recognizable for the use of a distinctive and reflective-blue foil on the player's nameplate (front and back of card), Flair Showcase logo (front), "Legacy Collection" logo (front), and serial-number stamp (back). However, the player photos, Row design, and holographic finish were the same as the base versions. All Legacy Collections were serial-numbered to 100 copies and were labeled "Section 1" on the cardback.
Masterpiece (Section 0)
Masterpiece parallels are recognizable for the use of a distinctive and reflective-purple foil on the player's nameplate (front and back of card), Flair Showcase logo (front), "Legacy Collection" logo (front), and serial-number stamp (back). However, the player photos, Row design, and holographic finish were the same as the base versions. All Masterpieces were stamped: "The Only 1 of 1 Masterpiece" on the back and were labeled "Section 0" on the cardback.
Proofs & Counterfeits
A number of incomplete prints of Legacy Collections and Masterpieces emerged on the secondary market after Fleer's bankruptcy in the summer of 2005. These "proofs" featured a complete/finished cardfront (nameplate, blue Legacy or purple Masterpiece foil) but an incomplete/unfinished cardback (no serial-number stamping and/or no colored-foil nameplate).
Collectors have rumored that uncut sheets of Legacy Collections and Masterpieces were either stolen from the factory or were backdoored during the time of Fleer's bankruptcy; whatever the case may be, these incomplete prints are plentiful in the secondary market and it is important to be aware of these and know how to spot them.
While the exact list of players and Rows with unfinished Legacy or Masterpiece cards is unknown, Row 0 Legacy Collections and Row 3 Masterpieces have been the most common that have surfaced. Of those that have surfaced, there are multiple versions that are either legitimate or altered/counterfeited - see this Griffey Row 0 Legacy for reference:
- Pack-issued: Legitimate. Blue-foil nameplate and vertical blue-foil serial number stamp in correct location (bottom-left corner of cardback)
- Proof: Legitimate. Missing blue-foil nameplate and blue-foil serial-number stamp:
- Unstamped Proof: Legitimate. Blue-foil nameplate but incomplete serial-number stamp:
File:1998legacyrealincstamp.jpg
Further, unscrupulous fraudsters have counterfeit serial-number the cards themselves; however, a dead giveaway is that the "O" in "OF in the serial-number (i.e. "014 0F 100") is replaced with a zero. If the O in the OF looks like the zero in the serial-number, it's likely an unfinished card.
- All Legacy Collection cards are, as part of the "Ticket" numbering scheme of this product, designated as "SEC 1," and Masterpieces "SEC 0" (Base cards are "SEC 2."). However, a number of "SEC 0" Legacy Collections do exist. These cards ARE legitimate and are the result of a printing error by Fleer's subcontractor.
Inserts
Wave of the Future
This 12-card insert featured thick plastic cards filled with vegetable oil and sparkles in an attempt to mimic ocean waters. 1998 was the last year that this staple, future stars-themed insert was featured in the 90's decade.
- 1 WF Travis Lee
- 2 WF Todd Helton
- 3 WF Ben Grieve
- 4 WF Juan Encarnacion
- 5 WF Brad Fullmer
- 6 WF Ruben Rivera
- 7 WF Paul Konerko
- 8 WF Derrek Lee
- 9 WF Mike Lowell
- 10 WF Magglio Ordonez
- 11 WF Rich Butler
- 12 WF Eli Marrero
Perfect 10
File:1998P10.jpgFile:1998P10b.jpg
This 10-card insert featured color player photography using silk-screen technology. Only 10 hand-numbered copies of each card were produced, making it one of the scarcest, non-parallel inserts of the era.
- 1 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 2 Cal Ripken, Jr.
- 3 Frank Thomas
- 4 Mike Piazza
- 5 Greg Maddux
- 6 Nomar Garciaparra
- 7 Mark McGwire
- 8 Scott Rolen
- 9 Alex Rodriguez
- 10 Roger Clemens