1998 Pinnacle Brands Bankruptcy Issues

1998 Select #110 - Never Issued

1998 Select, 1998 Pinnacle Certified, and 1998 Pinnacle Collector's Club Team Pinnacle** were the final issues from Pinnacle Brands just prior to their collapse. The assets were seized by the bankruptcy court and later ordered destroyed. How these Frank Thomas cards, along with other star and semi-star players, found their way into the secondary market isn't clear.

I've heard several stories, but the one that makes the most sense is: One or more of the soon-to-be-laid-off-employees, not knowing if they were going to be paid by their bankrupted employers, Pinnacle Brands, took the unreleased/unfinished product as backdoor compensation. I located who I believe the original buyers were - but they were not willing to discuss who they purchased the cards from or what cards were involved in the sale.

It's also possible that these were legally obtained after Playoff Corp. (later Donruss-Playoff) purchased the rights to the brand names and content left after the bankruptcy.

Suffice to say, no one really knows how many of these cards exist. I suspect that the original buyers, mentioned above, have a pretty good idea but they're not talking.

Educated estimates put the range between 20-30 per base card and a touch less for the inserts. Some might be unique 1-of-1 examples as longtime dealers and collectors have only seen single specimens of certain cards. Also note that because these were likely taken out the backdoor, or fished out of the dumpster, there's no consistency in the player-to-card ratios. In other words, some players seem to have more issues out there, others players less - with no real way of measuring which are the "most tough". And you can't base the amount of cards based on a player's popularity. It seems likely that card ratios are based on what cards happened to be 'handy' when they were taken from the printing facility. Regardless, it can safely be said that no matter which player you collect or which issue you are focused on, there are very few of these badboys out there.

There were several proposed insert sets that went along with the base set. The most valuable of these appears to be the "Jersey Numbers" inserts, the so-called "top tier" insert would have been the Jersey Number Quasar Level 4. However to the best of my knowledge only the Griffey Jr. from this chase issue was ever produced and it appears that many more than 24 (his jersey number) were printed, thus negating the whole point of the insert. Over the past couple of years I counted over a dozen sales on eBay & Yahoo for this Griffey card, suggesting that production of these Jersey Number prototypes were not limited to his jersey number.

UPDATE (9/04/04): Since first typing in the above text in 2001 several different Frank Thomas, and other star player cards, have surfaced on eBay and other auction sites from this compelling issue. Including most (all?) of the Quasar Levels, Jersey Number Promos, and Numbers Chase Insert from 1998 Select. And most, if not all, the Pinnacle Collector's Club cards also came to light.** Also seen were a small handful of the 1998 Pinnacle Certified cards and their Mirror insert counterparts - Mirror Red, Mirror Blue, and Mirror Gold.

Almost every card sold during the various auctions exceeded their reserve prices. Most notable were the Jersery Number Promos for Cal Ripken Jr. All three of his cards sold for more than $350.00 each. Quite a tidy sum considering there were 4 versions, making a grand total of $1,500 to the winning bidder. (yikes) Also notable were the Pinnacle Certified Mirror Red, Silver, and Gold issues from various star players - each and every one sold far above their reserves. (The Jeter Mirror Gold went for a bid north of $255) Although it's likely that other cards from these 'bankruptcy issues' exist, the print runs are likely to be, as mentioned above, extremely low.

Update 12.8.07: I would like to add that in 2001, when I first wrote the content for this page, not many collectors had heard about these issues. Now, some seven years later, in my opinion if these cards were to be put up on the auction block today - those "tidy sums" I mentioned back '04 would be chicken-feed today. I know of one Ripken collector who has publicly put a 'bounty' on these Bankruptcy Cards - three times what the original buyer paid!

Update 4.21.08: In regards to 1998 Pinnacle Totally Certified - for which there are known examples of players like Griffey Jr. and others - I've never seen an example of a Thomas. It may be that they exist - but again, I've never seen a picture/image/scan.