The 1998 Pinnacle brand baseball card set featured some of the biggest names in the game during the late 90s. Among the notable rookies included in the set were Nomar Garciaparra, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Kerry Wood, David Wells, and Randy Johnson. The high-profile players and rookie cards made the 1998 Pinnacle set popular among collectors. Over 25 years later, many of the cards from that year still hold value today.
The top rookie card in the 1998 Pinnacle set is generally considered to be Nomar Garciaparra’s. As the American League Rookie of the Year in 1997, Garciaparra had already established himself as one of baseball’s rising young stars going into the 1998 season. His rookie Pinnacle card, found in Series 1 packs, is one of the most sought after from the set. In gem mint condition, a Garciaparra rookie Pinnacle currently sells for around $150-200. Even well-worn near-mint copies can fetch $30-50 due to the star power of the player depicted.
Another prized rookie in the 1998 Pinnacle set was Mark McGwire. After back-to-back 49 and 52 home run seasons in 1996 and 1997 respectively, McGwire was poised for superstardom in 1998. Of course, that’s the year he would famously shatter the single season home run record, blasting 70 longballs. Naturally, his Pinnacle rookie card from that year is highly valued by collectors today. Near-mint McGwire rookies sell in the $75-100 range, while mint condition copies can demand up to $250-300.
Jason Giambi also had a stellar rookie year in 1998, batting .242 with 20 HR and 66 RBI for the Oakland A’s. While not quite as prolific a player as McGwire or Garciaparra ended up being, Giambi still enjoyed a long and productive career in the majors. His rookie Pinnacle nevertheless remains a sought after and valuable card from the 1998 set. Near-mint Giambi rookies sell in the $40-60 range.
In addition to star position players like McGwire, Garciaparra, and Giambi, the 1998 Pinnacle set featured prized rookie pitching cards as well. Kerry Wood’s explosive 20 strikeout debut game made him one of the most hyped rookie hurlers of the late 90s. Today, a mint Wood rookie from ’98 Pinnacle can sell for around $75-100. Another future Hall of Fame arm, Randy Johnson, also had his rookie card in the 1998 Pinnacle set as he entered his third full season in the bigs with the Seattle Mariners. Well-preserved Johnson rookies sell for $30-50.
Veteran stars of the late 90s are also represented in the 1998 Pinnacle set with cards holding value today. Cards of Cal Ripken Jr., Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, and Pedro Martinez remain popular with collectors. In gem mint condition, their base rookie/star cards can sell in the $20-40 range. Key update and parallel rookie/stars cards from Insert and Parallel subsets like Base Parallel Gold Foil, Embossed, and Sheet Metal parallel cards command higher prices due to their rarer print runs.
While most prominent cards from the 1998 Pinnacle set have maintained or increased in value over the past 25 years, there are still plenty of affordable player collections to be made from the set for budget-minded collectors. Cards of solid veteran players or rookie pitchers and position players who did not achieve superstar status can often be acquired in near-mint condition for $5-10. For teams sets, many common player cards can be found for under $1.
The 1998 Pinnacle baseball card set remains a popular and financially sound set for collectors over two decades later. Headlined by star rookies like Nomar Garciaparra and Mark McGwire, the set introduced collectors to future Hall of Famers and produced cards that hold value today. While top rookie and star cards carrying mint grades command three-figure prices, there is also value to be had by building complete team and player collections with more reasonably priced common cards from the extensive 762-card flagship set.
