1998 Flair Showcase

File:1998flairbox.jpg

1998 Flair Showcase box

Description

1998 Flair Showcase is a 480-card fractured set released by Fleer in July of that year that was similar in structure to [1997 Flair Showcase|the previous year's release]. Each of the 120 players in the set were again featured on different levels/"Rows", which each Row featuring a unique front design:

• Row 3: "Flair" design
• Row 2: "Style" design
• Row 1: "Grace" design
• Row 0: "Showcase" design

The Row 3 cards were easiest to find, while the Row 0 cards were the toughest.

Each "Row" was then sub-divided into four, 30-card sub-sections featuring a different cardback design and banner:

• Showtime: Team-colored headshot design, light-blue banner text
• Showstopper: Torso picture design, golden-yellow banner text
• Showdown: Torso picture and nameplate design, red banner text
• Showpiece: Glowing, full-body picture design, white banner text

Each of the 120 players in the set had one card in each of the four rows, with a specifically assigned cardback design per Row, meaning each player had 4 base cards total. The "Seat" number on back represented the card number in the set.

Distribution

24 packs per box, five cards plus one Diamond Ink point card per pack (MSRP: $4.99)

Reviews

Old School Breaks: 1998 Flair Showcase Baseball

Insertion Ratios

Cards	Showtime	Showstopper	Showdown	Showpiece
Flair (Row 3)	1-30 (1:0.9)	31-60 (1:1.1)	61-90 (1:1.5)	91-120 (1:2)
Style (Row 2)	31-60 (1:2.5)	1-30 (1:2)	91-120 (1:3.5)	61-90 (1:4)
Grace (Row 1)	61-90 (1:6)	91-120 (1:10)	1-30 (1:16)	31-60 (1:24)
Showcase (Row 0)	91-120 (serial-numbered to 2000)	61-90 (serial-numbered to 1000)	31-60 (serial-numbered to 500)	1-30 (serial-numbered to 250)

Although the odds are not listed on the box, a typical 24-pack Hobby box should yield two Showcase Showtime cards, one Showcase Showstopper and either a Showcase Showdown or Showcase Showpiece card.

Cards	Total Cards	Numbered To	Odds
Legacy Collection	480	100	?
Masterpiece	480	one-of-one	?
Wave of the Future	12	-	1:20
Perfect 10	10	10	?
Diamond Ink	10	-	one-per-pack

Checklist

Promos

File:1998flairpromo.jpgFile:1998flairpromob.jpg

Fleer distributed a four-card strip to dealers and The Hobby media a few months prior to the release of 1998 Flair Showcase. The strip contained the four Cal Ripken, Jr base cards later issued in packs and featured "PROMOTIONAL SAMPLE" text diagonally across the front and back.

P8 Cal Ripken, Jr.

Base Set

• Row 3 (Flair front; Showtime back)

• Row 2 (Style front; Showpiece back)

• Row 1 (Grace front; Showdown back)

• Row 0 (Showcase front; Showstopper back)

For brevity's sake, only one "Row" is listed below as the checklist for all four Rows is identical. The production figures listed below are for the Row 0 cards. Also note that only Row 3 cards are considered "true" rookie cards for those players. All base cards are labeled "Section 2" on the back, distinguishing them from the parallel sets, which were labeled either "Section 0" (Masterpieces) or "Section 1" (Legacy) on the back.

• 1 Ken Griffey, Jr. 250
• 2 Travis Lee 250
• 3 Frank Thomas 250
• 4 Ben Grieve 250
• 5 Nomar Garciaparra 250
• 6 Jose Cruz, Jr. 250
• 7 Alex Rodriguez 250
• 8 Cal Ripken, Jr. 250
• 9 Mark McGwire 250
• 10 Chipper Jones 250
• 11 Paul Konerko 250
• 12 Todd Helton 250
• 13 Greg Maddux 250
• 14 Derek Jeter 250
• 15 Jaret Wright 250
• 16 Livan Hernandez 250
• 17 Mike Piazza 250
• 18 Juan Encarnacion 250
• 19 Tony Gwynn 250
• 20 Scott Rolen 250
• 21 Roger Clemens 250
• 22 Tony Clark 250
• 23 Albert Belle 250
• 24 Mo Vaughn 250
• 25 Andruw Jones 250
• 26 Jason Dickson 250
• 27 Fernando Tatis 250
• 28 Ivan Rodriguez 250
• 29 Ricky Ledee 250
• 30 Darin Erstad 250
• 31 Brian Rose 500
• 32 Magglio Ordonez 500
• 33 Larry Walker 500
• 34 Bob Higginson 500
• 35 Chili Davis 500
• 36 Barry Bonds 500
• 37 Vladimir Guerrero 500
• 38 Jeff Bagwell 500
• 39 Kenny Lofton 500
• 40 Ryan Klesko 500
• 41 Mike Cameron 500
• 42 Charles Johnson 500
• 43 Andy Pettitte 500
• 44 Juan Gonzalez 500
• 45 Tim Salmon 500
• 46 Hideki Irabu 500
• 47 Paul Molitor 500
• 48 Edgar Renteria 500
• 49 Manny Ramirez 500
• 50 Jim Edmonds 500
• 51 Bernie Williams 500
• 52 Roberto Alomar 500
• 53 Dave Justice 500
• 54 Rey Ordonez 500
• 55 Ken Caminiti 500
• 56 Jose Guillen 500
• 57 Randy Johnson 500
• 58 Brady Anderson 500
• 59 Hideo Nomo 500
• 60 Tino Martinez 500
• 61 John Smoltz 1000
• 62 Joe Carter 1000
• 63 Matt Williams 1000
• 64 Robin Ventura 1000
• 65 Barry Larkin 1000
• 66 Dante Bichette 1000
• 67 Travis Fryman 1000
• 68 Gary Sheffield 1000
• 69 Eric Karros 1000
• 70 Matt Stairs 1000
• 71 Al Martin 1000
• 72 Jay Buhner 1000
• 73 Ray Lankford 1000
• 74 Carlos Delgado 1000
• 75 Edgardo Alfonzo 1000
• 76 Rondell White 1000
• 77 Chuck Knoblauch 1000
• 78 Raul Mondesi 1000
• 79 Johnny Damon 1000
• 80 Matt Morris 1000
• 81 Tom Glavine 1000
• 82 Kevin Brown 1000
• 83 Garret Anderson 1000
• 84 Mike Mussina 1000
• 85 Pedro Martinez 1000
• 86 Craig Biggio 1000
• 87 Darryl Kile 1000
• 88 Rafael Palmeiro 1000
• 89 Jim Thome 1000
• 90 Andres Galarraga 1000
• 91 Sammy Sosa 2000
• 92 Willie Greene 2000
• 93 Vinny Castilla 2000
• 94 Justin Thompson 2000
• 95 Jeff King 2000
• 96 Jeff Cirillo 2000
• 97 Mark Grudzielanek 2000
• 98 Brad Radke 2000
• 99 John Olerud 2000
• 100 Curt Schilling 2000
• 101 Steve Finley 2000
• 102 J.T. Snow 2000
• 103 Edgar Martinez 2000
• 104 Wilson Alvarez 2000
• 105 Rusty Greer 2000
• 106 Pat Hentgen 2000
• 107 David Cone 2000
• 108 Fred McGriff 2000
• 109 Jason Giambi 2000
• 110 Tony Womack 2000
• 111 Bernard Gilkey 2000
• 112 Alan Benes 2000
• 113 Mark Grace 2000
• 114 Reggie Sanders 2000
• 115 Moises Alou 2000
• 116 John Jaha 2000
• 117 Henry Rodriguez 2000
• 118 Dean Palmer 2000
• 119 Mike Lieberthal 2000
• 120 Shawn Estes 2000

Parallels

All 480 base cards (120 players from all four "Rows") are available in a Legacy or Masterpiece parallel. These parallels are distinctive from the base cards as both feature a black and white background and are either labeled "Section 1" or "Section 0" on the cardback, differing from all base cards which are labeled "Section 2".

Legacy Collection (Section 1)

Legacy Collection parallels are recognizable for the use of a distinctive and reflective-blue foil on the player's nameplate (front and back of card), Flair Showcase logo (front), "Legacy Collection" logo (front), and serial-number stamp (back). However, the player photos, Row design, and holographic finish were the same as the base versions. All Legacy Collections were serial-numbered to 100 copies and were labeled "Section 1" on the cardback.

Masterpiece (Section 0)

Masterpiece parallels are recognizable for the use of a distinctive and reflective-purple foil on the player's nameplate (front and back of card), Flair Showcase logo (front), "Legacy Collection" logo (front), and serial-number stamp (back). However, the player photos, Row design, and holographic finish were the same as the base versions. All Masterpieces were stamped: "The Only 1 of 1 Masterpiece" on the back and were labeled "Section 0" on the cardback.

Counterfeits

A number of "unfinished" Legacy Collections were backdoored and emerged on the secondary market in two forms:

• Unstamped
• Counterfeit stamped

The same photo, Row design, and even colored foil stamping are identical to the packed-out, "finished" versions; however, the issue is with the backs. Neither the player's name nor the serial-number are stamped on the back. A number of unscrupulous fraudsters have attempted to serial-number the cards themselves; however, a dead giveaway is that the "O" in "OF in the serial-number (i.e. "014 0F 100") is replaced with a zero. If the O in the OF looks like the zero in the serial-number, it's likely an unfinished card.

• All Legacy Collection cards are, as part of the "Ticket" numbering scheme of this product, designated as "SEC 1," and Masterpieces "SEC 0" (Base cards are "SEC 2."). However, a number of "SEC 0" Legacy Collections do exist. These cards ARE legitimate and are the result of a printing error by Fleer's subcontractor.

Inserts

Wave of the Future

This 12-card insert featured thick plastic cards filled with vegetable oil and sparkles in an attempt to mimic ocean waters. 1998 was the last year that this staple, future stars-themed insert was featured in the 90's decade.

• 1 WF Travis Lee
• 2 WF Todd Helton
• 3 WF Ben Grieve
• 4 WF Juan Encarnacion
• 5 WF Brad Fullmer
• 6 WF Ruben Rivera
• 7 WF Paul Konerko
• 8 WF Derrek Lee
• 9 WF Mike Lowell
• 10 WF Magglio Ordonez
• 11 WF Rich Butler
• 12 WF Eli Marrero

Perfect 10

File:1998P10.jpgFile:1998P10b.jpg

This 10-card insert featured color player photography using silk-screen technology. Only 10 hand-numbered copies of each card were produced, making it one of the scarcest, non-parallel inserts of the era.

• 1 Ken Griffey, Jr.
• 2 Cal Ripken, Jr.
• 3 Frank Thomas
• 4 Mike Piazza
• 5 Greg Maddux
• 6 Nomar Garciaparra
• 7 Mark McGwire
• 8 Scott Rolen
• 9 Alex Rodriguez
• 10 Roger Clemens

Autographs & Game Used

See 1998 Fleer Diamond Ink