1996 Part 8 Pinnacle

Pinnacle

Pinnacle started in 1992 as a premium set. The first two years the cards were black bordered. In 1994, the set had full bleed printing. From 1995 through 1997, the cards featured a massive amount of gold foil. The 1998 set was more modest. After 1998, Pinnacle Brands went bankrupt, taking Score and Donruss down with it.

1996 Pinnacle was released in two 200-card series. A pack cost $2.49. Some cards are horizontal with the gold foil on the left side. I only have a handful of cards from this set. There were two subsets (as far as I know). Hardball Heroes and The Naturals.

Pinnacle Starburst
This is a parallel set inserted 1:7 packs. The front of the card was printed on a foil background. I paid $1.48 for this card in October 2003.

Pinnacle Starburst Artist's Proof
Another foil parallel, inserted at 1:47. The only difference with the regular Starburst is that the words "Artist's Proof" are engraved in the foil background.

Pinnacle Christie Brinkley Collection
This was an insert set (1:23 in Series 2) featuring photographs by that noted sports photographer, Christie Brinkley. I've never been able to decide if Maddux is holding that massive frame up by sheer arm strength or if its propped up on something. I acquired this on eBay in January 2003 and it is the first individual card I purchased on eBay. Prior to that, I had only bought hobby boxes of product.

Pinnacle Power
A 20 card insert (1:35 in Series 1). The card features gold foil for all the printing on the front. The player background is a refractive foil. The player figure is raised. I paid $0.15 for this in a hobby shop in May 2003.

Pinnacle Project Stardom
More foil printing on this 18-card insert set (1:35). This set features young players. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are the best cards.

Pinnacle Slugfest
Pinnacle was really into the foil printing in 1996. This was an 18-card set inserted in Series 2 at 1:35. I paid $4.99 for this card in February 2003.

Pinnacle Team Pinnacle
A 9-card insert set (1:72 in Series 1) featuring a different player in each side, pairing an American League and a National League player. The front was foil printed. I paid $2.64 for this on eBay in September 2004. This card books for $20.

There are several other inserts for this set available: Pinnacle Foil (another parallel), Pinnacle Essence of the Game, Pinnacle First Rate, Pinnacle Skylines, Pinnacle Team Spirit, and Pinnacle Team Tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have some of these to show later in the year.