1998 Pinnacle Performers
Swing For The Fences Upgrade
How's this for a surprise? I thought I knew what the "upgrade" was for this issue - in fact, we all did. The guides were pretty clear about this sweepstakes program. Then this card hit the auction block.

1998 Pinnacle Performers Swing For The Fences "Mirror" • #4 of 12
Unknown Type. Possibly Mail-In Upgrade, Ultimate Upgrade, In-House Production Sample, etc.

Base or "Blue" SFTF Pack-Inserted Sweepstakes Cards #22 of 50

"Frosted" SFTF, a.k.a. Dealer 'Shop Exchange' Cards Not numbered

Okay, A quick recap. The SFTF card sweepstakes worked like this: 50 players from both leagues were printed on thin cardstock (aka 'blue' version) who were, based on past performance, likely to end up as their leagues HR Champion. Randomly inserted throughout the Performers issue were "point cards" which represented "home runs". Now, if you were able to gather the correct point card which matched the home run total of the home run leaders in either league - you won. Got that? So let's say Albert Belle cranked 48 homers, leading the American League in HRs. If you were able to collect Belle's Blue SFTF + the point card that had number 48 - you were then entitled to win an SFTF Upgrade Set or other prizes. (see Beckett Almanac or SCD Standard Catalog for more info)

Now, this is where known history and speculative history part ways.

Following the bankruptcy in July/August '98 - upgrade sets began filtering throughout the hobby. You've seen them - the same cards with a 'frosted' finish. But there were tons and tons of these sets available as many dealers were sent fully packaged upgrade sets in anticipation of collectors heading to their shops to exchange their winning cards. The guides have them listed as "Shop Exchanges". Now, the questions.

Looking at the "mirror" version above: Were these 'shop exchanges' intended as the actual upgrades - or - were they a lower-tier insert and a 'higher' version (mirror) created for randomly selected redemptions/collectors? Were the shop exchanges only intended to be traded to collectors who walked-in their winning cards and the mirror intended for mail-in redemptions. Or were the shop exchanges meant for collectors who purchased boxes/packs of Pinnacle products as a separate promotion? I dunno, but I can recall that my own dealer had several of these frosted upgrade packs at her store. In case you were wondering: I did ask her not too long after I obtained the mirror version in hand. Her response, "You're serious? You actually expect me to remember something like that from 10 years ago?!" She barked a laugh. Wasn't quite the answer I had hoped for. <laughing> :-D

Anyway, it wasn't too long after they hit the market that the frosted/shop exchanges soon became relegated to the 'commons' category. Despite the fact these were likely produced in smaller numbers, player collectors (usually the only people who follow these types of cards) had quickly checked-off their upgraded player and moved on. Me too. Then ten years later Chris Kurdelski (a Griffey specialist), who is famous for locating many of these rare unissued beauties, put this up for sale.

What was the intention behind their creation? Were these mirror variants "ultimate" upgrades? Were they the actual mail-in upgrades as intended for the sweepstakes and therefore different than the versions sent to dealers? Was it an in-house/staff sample that was printed for internal use but not selected for production? How many were printed? Why? Who knows. I don't. <g>

But I do know this: This is the first time in a decade I've ever heard, much less seen, any different examples/types from this issue. And that's a fact.

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