The 1998 Donruss Preferred baseball card set was released at the height of the baseball card boom in the late 1990s by Donruss, one of the biggest names in the trading card industry. With high production values, unique parallel sets, and some of the most popular players in the game featured on the cards, the 1998 Donruss Preferred set became a highly collectible and desirable release.
Some key things to know about the 1998 Donruss Preferred set include that it contained 384 total cards and featured current MLB players as well as retired legends of the game. The base card design was very clean and classic looking, with a white border surrounding each player’s photo on a colored background that matched their team’s uniform colors. Statistics, career highlights, and fun facts about each player were included on the back of the cards.
Some of the top rookie and star players featured in the 1998 Donruss Preferred set included Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Cal Ripken Jr., Greg Maddux, Tony Gwynn, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Derek Jeter. Collectors loved being able to find these current superstars and future Hall of Famers in the set during the peak of their careers.
In addition to the base card set, Donruss also released several parallel insert sets to add to the excitement and chase for collectors. Among the most coveted were the Super Special parallel cards, which featured blue lettering and numbering on a silver/grey background. Only 15 copies of each Super Special card were produced, making them extremely scarce and valuable. Another rare parallel was the Titanium Refractor parallel cards, which featured a colorful orange/reddish prismatic foil effect on the fronts. The Gold Signature parallel cards featured gold foil signatures of the players.
In order to maximize the number of chase cards for collectors, Donruss created many subset series within the 1998 Preferred release. Some of the most popular were the All-Century Team subset, which paid tribute to the greatest players from the 20th century; the Record Breakers subset, honoring notable single-season achievements; the Leaders subset profiling team captains and franchise stars; and rookie subsets highlighting top rookie prospects. Exclusive autograph and memorabilia cards of star players were also inserted randomly in packs at low production numbers.
One of the biggest highlights and most valuable cards in the 1998 Donruss Preferred set was the Ken Griffey Jr. Titanium Refractor parallel card. Only 10 copies of this ultra-rare parallel insert were made, making it highly coveted by Griffey collectors. In gem mint condition, examples have since sold at auction for over $15,000 due to its extreme scarcity and Griffey’s legendary playing career. Many consider the 1998 Donruss Preferred Griffey Titanium to be the “crown jewel” among all of the brand’s releases during the 1990s trading card boom.
Despite being released towards the end of the robust trading card market of the 1990s, the 1998 Donruss Preferred set is still considered one of the premier baseball releases from that era. With so many popular inserts, parallels, rookie cards, and star players included, it captured the excitement of the sport during baseball’s peak popularity period. In the years since, as today’s collectors have become nostalgic for the cards of their childhoods, the 1998 Donruss Preferred set has grown in both desirability and value on the secondary market. Twenty-five years later, mint condition examples of Topps rookiestars and star player parallels continue to trade hands at auction for thousands of dollars. Its iconic designs, plentiful chasing cards, and historical context in the industry cement the 1998 Donruss Preferredrelease as one of the elite sports card sets ever created.
The 1998 Donruss Preferred baseball card set distinguished itself among the many releases during boom years of the 1990s baseball card market. With great photography and designs, star players in their primes, fun parallel and insert sets at limited numbers, and an emphasis on both current season standouts and baseball legends of the past, it captured the excitement of the sport during a peak period for its popularity. Today it remains a nostalgic favorite for collectors, with covetedrookie cards and chasing cards still retaining and gaining value for enthusiasts decades later. The 1998 Donruss Preferred set earns its place among the most iconic and desirable sports card sets ever produced.
