Welcome to the most comprehensive all-in-one resource for 1998 Donruss Crusade baseball cards.

In a previous blog post, I discussed 1998 Donruss Crusade baseball cards from a hobby popularity standpoint. To respect the historical significance of that post, this resource is provided as an addendum on 1998 Donruss Crusade baseball cards and covers all known facts and images.

Table of Contents (Click-to-Scroll):

Please Note: We do not own most of the images featured in this resource. Those we own feature our branded watermark. For everything else, they were collected from various sources over time and are used here strictly for the purposes of education and general reference. If you see something here that’s yours and would like it removed or credited back to you, send us proof of ownership and we’ll be happy to accommodate your request. Also, if you have images of something not shown here, we’d love to update this resource with your contributions. With your help, we can continue to detail the completeness of this valuable resource.*

Database Organization:

This 1998 Donruss Crusade baseball cards database is organized by:

• Types: Pack Issued, Replacements, Executive Master Set Editions, and Unreleased
• Image Galleries: For each of the three colors – Green, Purple, and Red
• Cumulative Checklists: For each of the four types
• The database concludes with a small section for Errors

Release Formats:

It’s important here to note that the pack issued variety is the only type that was meant for public consumption and had an official release date complete with a marketing budget. All other types – Replacements, Executive Master Set Editions, and Unreleased – weren’t meant for public consumption but likely made their way into the secondary market through employee backdooring during the Pinnacle bankruptcy.

To view the current eBay auctions for 1998 Donruss Crusades, click here.

Pack Issued

The 1998 Donruss Crusade baseball set consists of 130 cards of which come in three different color parallels – Green, Purple, and Red – with each color accompanied by a unique print run. The first 100 cards in the set depict veteran stars while the remaining 30 feature young hopefuls.

1998 Donruss Crusade is a multi-product release; the first 100 cards were randomly inserted into three products: 1998 Donruss (40), 1998 Leaf (30), and 1998 Donruss Update (30). All “Call to Arms” (CTA) subset cards were mistakenly printed without card numbers. Cards 101-130 were inserted into packs of 1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars.

Pack Issued | Green /250

Pack Issued | Purple /100

Pack Issued | Red /25

To view the current eBay auctions for 1998 Donruss Crusades, click here.

To view the current eBay auctions for 1998 Donruss Crusades, click here.

Replacements

While not known for certain, it’s believed that replacement examples were produced for every parallel of pack issued 1998 Donruss Crusade cards. Other than not possessing serial numbers, they are identical in every way to their pack issued counterparts. These replacements are exceedingly rare and very few have been found.

Replacements | Green (No Serial Number)

Replacements | Purple (No Serial Number)

Replacements | Red (No Serial Number)

To view the current eBay auctions for 1998 Donruss Crusades, click here.

Executive Master Set Editions

While it’s unknown if these were made for 1998 Leaf Rookie and Stars Crusade Update cards (#101-130), it’s believed that examples of each of the first 100 cards in the pack issued 1998 Donruss Crusade set can be found with X’s in the numerator position of the serial numbers. These are called Executive Master Set Editions a.k.a. Executive Proofs. They were printed for final review before the product went into official production and release.

While print runs aren’t confirmed, it’s likely every card of this version regardless of color was printed in the same quantity. That said, however, it’s believed that that particular quantity is exceptionally small, possibly less than 10. Again, there’s no way to confirm this other than assumptions from sales observations over time. If you’re chasing a specific player in the set, this stuff makes for excellent additions to the PC.

To view the current eBay auctions for 1998 Donruss Crusades, click here.

Executive Master Set Editions | Green (XXX/250)

Executive Master Set Editions | Purple (XXX/100)

Executive Master Set Editions | Red (XX/25)

To view the current eBay auctions for 1998 Donruss Crusades, click here.

Unreleased

The 1998 Donruss Crusade set was initially intended to be a two-part series, the latter of which was never officially released due to the Pinnacle bankruptcy. Had this second wave been released, the full set would’ve been much bigger. The second wave features flipped designs i.e., cards of players depicted on the Call to Arms (CTA) design in the first wave are depicted on the standard 1998 Donruss Crusade design in the second wave, and vice versa. Unlike the pack issued CTAs, the unreleased CTAs possess card numbers and the card backs are flipped vertically.

Because this second wave was never officially released, the cards in it aren’t found in any database or price guide, which makes them that much more mysterious. This stuff is incredibly rare and expensive.

Unreleased | Green (No Serial Number)

Unreleased | Purple (No Serial Number)

Unreleased | Red (No Serial Number)

To view the current eBay auctions for 1998 Donruss Crusades, click here.

Errors

So far, this is the only error I’ve found in the 1998 Donruss Crusade set.

As you can see, the 1998 Donruss Crusade baseball card set is one of the most complex runs of its era if not in history. The multiple versions and colors puts teeth on an already difficult and expensive run and can have even the most financially nutrient and severely dedicated collectors giving up on putting a run together. Regardless however, the 1998 Donruss Crusade set is one of the most collected in the hobby for two reasons: It’s a beautiful set aesthetically, and presents enough challenge to satisfy even those with deep pockets and Lamborghini taste.

Free Checklist Download:

Summary:

The 1998 Donruss Crusade baseball set is one of the most aggregate releases of the 1990s. Its intrigue is captured by stunning design qualities, complex albeit mysterious release formats, and a polished player roster. Given its comprehensive nature, I knew from the start this was going to be one of the most aggressive projects I’d ever tackle.

What you see here is well over 300 hours of technical labor and several years of content collection. The scope of this project was highly ambitious and required over 6 months of work, proficient technical competency, and a careful attention to detail. I’m quite proud of the final result and hope you enjoy it as much as I do. This is the 1998 Donruss Crusade Baseball Master Resource.

Acknowledgments:

• Special thanks to Rodney Vallejo for his diligent efforts in sourcing some of the images in the various galleries and working with the owner of most of the images in the Unreleased galleries, and for his general feedback.
• Big thanks to the owner of most of the images in the Unreleased galleries.
• Thanks to all those who contributed images to help improve record accuracy and completeness.

Have an image of something missing? We’d love to add it. Please send it over via our Contact Us page.

To view the current eBay auctions for 1998 Donruss Crusades, click here.