1998 Donruss Signature Series

Description

1998 Donruss Signature Series is a 140-card set released under a temporary license by Playoff, Inc., in January 1999. Like in previous years, each pack contained one on-card autograph.

This product was originally intended for release in October, 1998, but was delayed due to the bankruptcy of Pinnacle Brands. As part of Pinnacle's agreement with the Players Association, those players who signed for this product would NOT be paid for their signatures until AFTER the set's release. To ensure that their members would get paid for their services, MLB and the MLBPA granted Playoff (who had bought the rights to Pinnacle's name and inventory in bankruptcy) a temporary license that allowed them to release Signature Series and 1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars.

Distribution

Four cards plus one autograph per pack (MSRP: $14.99)

Insertion Ratios

Cards	Total Cards	Numbered To	Hobby Odds
Base	140	-	?
Proof	140	150	?
Autographs	98	varies	1:1
Significant Signatures	23	2000	?
Signing Bonus	32	varies	?

Checklist

Parallels

All 140 base cards are also available as a "Proof" parallel. Proofs are limited (but not serial-numbered) to 150 copies.

Autographs & Game-Used

Autographs

Inserted one per pack, this 98-card set features color action player images on a red foil background with the player's autograph in the lower portion of the card. The numbers following the player's name in our checklist indicate how many cards that player signed.

The first 100 cards signed by each player have a blue and are designated as "Century Marks." The next 1000 signed have a green background and designated as "Millennium Marks." It should be noted that for those players who signed less than 1100 cards, not Red "base" autograph exists.

Significant Signatures

This 18-card set features autographs of some of baseball's all-time great players. Only 2000 sets were produced and each card is serial-numbered.

Sandy Koufax was on the original checklist but his cards were not returned in time for the pack out. Thus, officials at Donruss made the Billy Williams card an exchange card. Each collector that pulled a Billy Williams card could send it in to Donruss for a Koufax card. In addition, the signed Williams card was sent back too.

Special exchange cards were created for Nolan Ryan and Ozzie Smith. The cards were randomly seeded into packs and then redeemed to Donruss for the real autograph cards. The exchange deadline for cards R1-R3 was December 31st, 1999. All three "R-Series" exchange cards (Ryan, Koufax and Smith) feature refractive, shiny fronts whereas the other cards seeded in packs are printed on basic foilboard.

At some point in time after the product's release, non-refractive versions of the Koufax (#'d of 2000), Ozzie (#'[d of 2000) and Ryan (#'d of 1000) cards made their way into the secondary market. Each card features a different card front image than the Refractor versions (most notably with Koufax wearing a Brooklyn cap). Representatives at Donruss-Playoff were unable to provide us with information on this matter given that the company was technically owned by Pinnacle in 1998 and then purchased out of bankruptcy in 2001 by the new Donruss-Playoff Corporation.

The Catfish Hunter card was signed in either blue or blank ink. Only 1,000 serial #'d copies of Phil Rizzuto's card were produced.

Signing Bonus

This 32-card set features redemption cards that could be redeemed for an autographed baseball signed by player. The baseballs were laser burned with a Donruss stamp to ensure authenticity. Every ball, except for Ben Grieve's, is serial numbered. The blank-backed exchange cards are serial numbered in gold foil on front, but are unnumbered within the context of a complete set and therefore checklisted in alphabetical order. These exchange cards carried an expiration date of December 31st, 1999.