1998 Pinnacle Performers Swing for the Fences Baseball Cards

1998 Pinnacle Performers Swing for the Fences is an interesting 3-card run. The base set is somewhat flimsy and common, which can be deceiving. While the Shop Exchange is rarer, given how many hobby shops existed in the late ’90s, enough of them were made to go around. The Upgrades got caught up in Pinnacle’s bankruptcy in late ’98 and as such had minimal marketing. It’s because of this that the Upgrades pose serious acquisition challenges for collectors.

Given the minimal amount of marketing for the Upgrade set, they’re not as well-known. Since the other two cards in the run aren’t considered terribly rare, some sellers may move the Upgrades with the same level of enthusiasm. What this means is that sometimes these guys can be found in unexpected places. I found the Mike Piazza in a $1 box at a show and later won the Cal Ripken Jr. for a few bucks in an auction. I also know of one collector who found the Frank Thomas in a lot he purchased online for a few bucks. If you’re willing to work, deals can be found.

Since the Upgrade was the last one I needed to complete the Frank Thomas run, I looked everywhere for many years for a reasonable opportunity before I finally found one. What I’ve learned about eBay listings for Upgrades is that some sellers use them to market their other listings but have no intention of ever selling them. Here’s how they do this:

Sellers with Upgrades will list them with incredibly unrealistic asking prices. So for example if a card in reality is worth $550, they’ll ask $10,000. What this does (in addition to inflate perceived market values) is draw attention in an effort to get people to look at the rest of their inventory, which may or may not also be laughably overpriced. Unless you’re willing to drastically overpay, I would avoid these listings. Patience is key with this set. These aren’t 1/1s and there’s no need to overpay for them. They’re the rarest of the batch but they’re not impossible to find.

To see what’s currently on eBay from 1998 Pinnacle Performers Swing for the Fences, click here.

Set Information:

Base:

The base set of 1998 Pinnacle Performers Swing for the Fences consists of 50 cards and was printed on thin card stock. The cards were intended to be part of an exchange program associated with the AL and NL home run leaders of 1998. However, the program was scrapped due to Pinnacle’s bankruptcy in Fall of 1998. The base set includes a rare exchange card for a baseball signed by Juan Gonzalez and while they were issued, none were ever exchanged due to the bankruptcy.

Upgrade:

The 1998 Pinnacle Performers Swing for the Fences Upgrade set consists of 12 cards and features an oval prism matrix background; they’re as beautiful as they are rare and valuable. These made they’re way to market via employee backdoor or asset selloff, and given the small amount of marketing associated with this set, they’re sometimes found in bargain bins. Online listings are often way overpriced.

Shop Exchange:

The 1998 Pinnacle Performers Swing for the Fences Shop Exchange set also consists of 12 cards but were produced as a promotion for hobby shop owners. The set initially debuted at the 1998 All-Star game on July 8, 1998 but was later distributed to shop owners in 10-card packs. From there, collectors could exchange three 1998 Pinnacle Performers wrappers for one of the cards, or get an entire 10-card pack with the purchase of a box of 1998 Pinnacle Performers. The cards are printed on 20pt card stock with a silver cloud prism matrix background but they have no card numbers.

To see what’s currently on eBay from 1998 Pinnacle Performers Swing for the Fences, click here.