1998 Finest The Man Baseball Cards

Frank Thomas 1998 Finest The Man #TM3 /500
Frank Thomas 1998 Finest The Man #TM3 /500

While 1997 was the inaugural year for 1/1s (cards with a print run of just 1), 1998 was the year that popularized low pop serial numbering. In this context, ‘low’ can be defined as anything printed in less than 100 copies. In the late 1990s, anything serial numbered <1000 was still very tough to pull. This means that anything <100 was extraordinarily rare and odds were astronomical.

1998 Finest produced some highly coveted and difficult insert sets which include “Centurion” and “The Man.” 1998 Finest The Man is a 20 card insert set featuring the biggest names of the year, guys like Griffey, Ripken, Piazza and, of course, Frank Thomas. The cards are printed on standard Finest grade card stock with a colorful metallic foil rainbow background that looks incredible under the light.

Product and Cost:

Last I checked a box of 1998 Finest series 2 can be had for around $25 while a case containing 6 boxes runs for $110. A box contains 24 packs which means that a single pack costs roughly $1.

Insertion Ratio:

1998 Finest The Man cards were inserted into packs of 1998 Finest series 2 at the following rates:

  • The Man /500: 1:119
  • The Man Refractor /75: 1:793

Statistics:

Base: In order to pull a base “The Man” insert, you would have to buy 119 packs of ’98 Finest series 2. This equates to roughly 5 (4.96 to be exact) boxes which will set you back a good $125 on average. Heck, may as well get a case at $110 and call it a day! Okay so fair enough. I have to buy a case of this stuff in order to pull one of these cards. What if I wanted to pull the Thomas? Given that there are 20 cards in the set, you would have to bust 2,380 packs of ’98 Finest in order to be guaranteed a Thomas base “The Man” insert! That equates to 99.2, or 100 boxes or 16.7, or 17 cases. Cost for 17 cases = $1,870! That’s just for the base Thomas card!

Frank Thomas 1998 Finest The Man #TM3 Refractor /75
Frank Thomas 1998 Finest The Man #TM3 Refractor /75

Refractor: This is where it get’s ugly. In order to pull a refractor “The Man” insert, you would have to buy 793 packs. This equates to roughly 33 (33.04 to be exact) boxes or 5.5 cases (5 cases and 3 single boxes), which will cost you $625 on average. Okay, great. I broke the bank and only pulled the Bonds, who cares!?! I wanted the Thomas, what will it take for me to be guaranteed the Thomas The Man refractor? Given that there are 20 cards in the set, I would have to bust 15,860 packs of ’98 Finest series 2. This equates to 660.8, or 661 boxes or 110.2, or 110 cases. Cost = $12,100! I would have to open 15,860 packs and spend $12,100 just to pull the Thomas “The Man” refractor. For a card serial #d to 75, that’s plain silly. Let’s have a little fun with this as long as we’re on topic. Let’s say that I wanted to pull all of the 75 available Thomas “The Man” refractors (assuming that none had been pulled). I would have to open 1,189,500 packs or 49,562.5 boxes or 8,260.4 cases. Cost comes to $908,675! Interesting perspective. Something to think about in the unlikely chance that you happen to stumble across a 1998 Finest The Man refractor.

Question of the Day:

If you’re a collector, share your last big pull.

To see what’s currently on eBay from 1998 Finest The Man, click here.


Set Information:

SetTotal CardsPrint Run(s)Odds
Base205001:119
Refractor20751:793
1998 Finest The Man

Checklist:

Card #Player(s)Card #Player(s)
TM1Ken Griffey Jr.TM11Jose Cruz Jr.
TM2Barry BondsTM12Larry Walker
TM3Frank ThomasTM13Jeff Bagwell
TM4Chipper JonesTM14Tony Gwynn
TM5Cal Ripken Jr.TM15Travis Lee
TM6Nomar GarciaparraTM16Juan Gonzalez
TM7Mark McGwireTM17Scott Rolen
TM8Mike PiazzaTM18Randy Johnson
TM9Derek JeterTM19Roger Clemens
TM10Alex RodriguezTM20Greg Maddux
1998 Finest The Man

To see what’s currently on eBay from 1998 Finest The Man, click here.

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