The 1998 Upper Deck baseball card set was a highly anticipated release that did not disappoint collectors. Upper Deck was the dominant brand in the late 1990s having risen to prominence just a few years prior. Their innovative style and focus on quality photography set the standard that other companies tried to match.
The 1998 set featured traded players from both the American and National Leagues as well as all 30 major league teams. A total of 792 cards made up the base set including parallel “Ultra” and lettered parallels that added to the excitement of each pack. Beyond the base set, Upper Deck also issued several insert sets focusing on special accomplishments and milestones from the previous season.
Perhaps the biggest draws in the 1998 Upper Deck set were the rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Chipper Jones, Pedro Martinez, and Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey’s record-setting home run chase the previous season made his rookie card one of the most iconic and valuable in the entire set. Many collectors at the time predicted he had a chance to break the all-time home run record held by Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.
Pedro Martinez also showed flashes of dominance in 1997 after being called up late in the season. His blazing fastball and incredible control hinted at a potential Cy Young caliber career. His Upper Deck rookie in 1998 has proven to be one of the best investments as Martinez went on to win three Cy Young awards and helped the Boston Red Sox break their World Series curse.
Chipper Jones remained one of the most consistent hitters throughout the 1990s and 2000s while manning third base for the Atlanta Braves. As the number one overall pick in the 1990 MLB draft, expectations were high. Jones’ rookie card remains a staple in virtually every Braves collector’s collection and is still very popular on the secondary market today.
In addition to star rookies, the 1998 Upper Deck set featured photography and write-ups on established All-Stars like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Cal Ripken Jr., Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and many others. Bonds’ chase of the single season home run record dominated baseball storylines throughout the summer and added excitement to collecting his cards.
Upper Deck managed to secure rare autographed rookie cards from superstars like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Nomar Garciaparra for extremely limited insert sets. These have become some of the most valuable modern baseball cards ever produced due to the unprecedented success and fame achieved by each player.
Beyond the players, Upper Deck produced popular inserts focusing on certain seasons, records, milestones and accomplishments. The “20 Seasons” insert highlighted the 20th anniversary of legendary teams and players from the 1970s and 1980s. “Century Club” paid tribute to the 24 players who hit over 300 home runs in their careers up to that point. Other inserts like “Fan Favorites”, “Diamond Kings”, and “MVP Threads” gave collectors exciting parallels and variations to chase after in each pack.
While production totals and checklists vary across the different sources, most agree the 1998 Upper Deck baseball set included 792 cards in its base checklist. Population reports show several hundred thousand of each base card were printed. Parallel and autographed insert cards often have populations under 1000 copies. This scarcity combined with strong long term demand has made many of the premium 1998 Upper Deck cards extraordinarily valuable today.
In the ensuing years,Upper Deck managed to maintain its position as the top brand in baseball cards through the late 1990s. The collectibles industry began experiencing serious turmoil and decline starting in the early 2000s. Overproduction, lack of quality control and industry restructuring damaged baseball cards’ appeal to both collectors and investors.
While Upper Deck is no longer the dominant force it once was, their incredible designs and photography from the 1990s remain iconic. The 1998 set specifically captured lightning in a bottle by featuring such legendary rookies and following arguably the most exciting home run chase in history. Today, graded gem mint examples of Chipper Jones, Pedro Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr rookies routinely sell for thousands of dollars – a true testament to the enduring iconic status of 1998 Upper Deck in the memories of collectors everywhere.
