The 1998 Pacific trading card set was one of the most highly anticipated baseball card releases of the late 1990s. Pacific was looking to make a splash in the baseball card industry at a time when the sport was as popular as ever following the home run chase of 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

Some key things to know about the 1998 Pacific baseball card set:

Size: The main set contained 330 cards total. This was larger than sets from the two biggest companies at the time, Topps and Fleer. The size gave Pacific room to include more rookie cards and parallel insert sets.

Design: Pacific went with a clean and simple design that showed a headshot of the player on the front along with their team logo and stats on the back. Colors were team specific to make the cards visually appealing when grouped by club. The design was praised by collectors as classic and timeless compared to some of the flashier styles used by competitors.

Rarity: Pacific made printing rarity a focal point with short print versions of stars and parallels that were even harder to find. The main short prints were #250 Luke Appling and #330 Juan Gonzalez. Popular parallels included Florescent, Refractor, and Spectrum inserts that added challenge to the set.

Rookies: The class of rookies in 1998 was one of the strongest ever and Pacific showcased them prominently. Big name rookies like Robb Nen, Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Beltran all had base rookie cards in the set that remain popular to this day.

Inserts: In addition to parallel cards, Pacific included timely and popular inserts like Home Run Kings highlighting McGwire and Sosa, Record Breakers for career milestones, and Turn Back the Clock throwback photo variations. Insert sets added value and collecting opportunities.

Autographs: For the first time, Pacific included autographed cards randomly inserted in factory-sealed packs. Hits included retired stars like Willie Mays and Nolan Ryan along with current players. Autos immediately added value and excitement to the brand.

Availability: Pacific distribution was much wider than previous years, found in mainstream retailers like Walmart alongside the usual hobby shops. Wider distribution made the set accessible while also driving up initial demand and sales.

While Topps and Fleer remained the biggest brands, 1998 was Pacific’s breakout year. Stronger distribution combined with the insert-heavy design and plentiful rookie cards made it a popular and valuable set upon release. Two decades later, many of the key cards from 1998 Pacific retain significant collector demand and secondary market prices remain high considering the relatively short time the brand was producing baseball cards.

Some stars and key rookie cards from the 1998 Pacific set that hold up well today include:

Nomar Garciaparra rookie card – His base rookie is among the most iconic and valuable from the set, often topping $100 PSA 10.

Sammy Sosa – As one of the home run leaders that year, Sosa’s base card remains popular and can reach $50 raw.

Mark McGwire – Another stalwart from ’98, McGwire’s Pacific base in high grade still trades in the $30-50 range.

Kerry Wood rookie card – Wood’s memorable 20-strikeout game rookie made his 1998 Pacific base card one of the hottest rookies in the set, valued near $150 PSA 10.

Carlos Beltran rookie card – Considered one of the best players of his generation, Beltran’s rookie card routinely trades for $75-100 in top condition.

Derek Jeter – As a fan favorite and brand ambassador, Jeter’s 1998 Pacific commands over $50 in high grade despite several other popular card issues over the years.

Nomar Garciaparra autograph – His autos from 1998 Pacific remain some of the most desirable, recently selling for over $1,000 in modern auctions.

While it was only around for a few years before being acquired by Upper Deck, 1998 Pacific left an indelible mark on the baseball card collecting world. Strong design elements, a robust rookie class, and autograph inserts gave the brand instant cache and made many of the cards iconic staples of collections even after two decades. For capturing the essence of 1990s baseball better than any other, 1998 Pacific remains one of the most commemorated and collected sets from the sport’s peak era of popularity.