Cheap Wax Wednesday Box Breaks: 2013 Pinnacle Baseball
Debuting in 1992, Pinnacle Baseball became a ’90s mainstay, becoming especially popular after they unveiled Dufex in the sport in 1995. By that point Pinnacle was known for their difficult-to-pull inserts and parallels. Unfortunately, the brand disappeared following Pinnacle’s 1998 bankruptcy.
Panini brought Pinnacle Baseball back in 2013. In addition to a 200-card base set, 2013 Pinnacle Baseball boasts 18 different insert sets. A lot of those inserts, like Team Pinnacle, Aces and Museum Collection, all originated back in the original run. And while not exactly the same as before, 2013 Pinnacle Baseball also has Dufex on several parts of its checklist.
2013 Pinnacle Baseball Box Break
Cards per pack: 8
Packs per box: 24
Price paid: $50
Shop for 2013 Pinnacle Baseball hobby boxes on eBay.
Pack 1 highlights:
Jose Reyes, Anthony Rizzo, Trevor Bauer & Josh Hamilton Slug Fest (1:12 packs)
Pack 2:
Carlos Beltran, Buster Posey, Joe Mauer & Bryce Harper Pinnacle of Success (1:8 packs)
Pack 3:
Alex Rodriguez, Justin Verlander, Thomas Neal Museum Collection (1:8 packs) & Ivan Rodriguez Awaiting the Call (1:6 packs). Pudge Rodriguez received his call to the hall in 2017.
Pack 4:
Chris Sale, Yasiel Puig RC, Mike Trout/Ken Griffey, Jr. Team Pinnacle (1:12 packs) & Evan Longoria Essence of the Game. Team Pinnacle was a mainstay in Pinnacle sets from 1992-1997. The double-sided insert always had tough odds, and were typically found just once in every three or four boxes.
Griffey appears on the backside of the insert.
Pack 5:
Jose Bautista, Derek Jeter, Starling Marte Museum Collection (1:8 packs) & Prince Fielder Behind the Numbers (1:24 packs)
Pack 6:
Bryce Harper, Manny Machado RC, Lance Berkman & Albert Pujols Position Powers (1:12 packs)
Pack 7:
David Price & Tim Raines Awaiting the Call (1:6 packs). Raines also received his Hall of Fame call in 2017.
Pack 8:
Alex Gordon & Yoenis Cespedes Team 2020 (1:8 packs)
Pack 9:
Bo Jackson, Bryce Harper Looking Back & Ryan Braun Clear Vision
Pack 10:
Joey Votto, Jackie Bradley Jr. RC, Ryne Sandberg & Bryce Harper Team 2020 (1:8 packs). With teams already reporting to spring training, Jackie Bradley, Jr. is still looking for a place to play this season.
Pack 11:
Adam Jones, Andy Pettitte & Justin Upton Clear Vision
Pack 12:
Freddie “MVFree” Freeman, Ken Griffey, Jr. & Aramis Ramirez Swing For the Fences (1:12 packs)
Pack 13:
Adrian Beltre, Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder Slug Fest (1:12 packs) & Tim Raines Awaiting the Call Die Cut. In the ten-card Awaiting the Call insert set, just one former player is still waiting for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Fred McGriff.
Pack 14:
Johan Santana, Jose Fernandez RC, Yu Darvish Team 2020 (1:8 packs) & David Lough Rookie Autograph
Pack 15:
Jose Altuve, Yadier Molina & Frank Thomas Awaiting the Call. Frank didn’t have to wait long as he was inducted in 2014, his first time on the ballot.
Pack 16:
Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols/Frank Thomas Team Pinnacle (1:12 packs) & David Price Aces (1:24 packs)
Here’s Frank’s side of the Team Pinnacle card.
Pack 17:
Evan Gattis RC, J.D. Martinez, Craig Kimbrel & Mike Trout Artist’s Proof (1:12 packs)
Pack 18:
Stephen Strasburg, Paul Goldschmidt, Alex Rios Position Powers (1:12 packs) & Omar Infante Pinnacle Autograph
Pack 19:
Cal Ripken, Jr., Robinson Cano, Chase Headley Museum Collection (1:8 packs) & Jose Bautista Clear Vision
Pack 20:
David Ortiz, Nolan Ryan, Hyun-Jin Ryu RC & Randy Johnson Awaiting the Call (1:6 packs). The Big Unit gained induction in his first year on the ballot, receiving 97.3% of the vote in 2015.
Pack 21:
David Wright, Josh Hamilton & Derek Jeter Pinnacle of Success (1:8 packs)
Pack 22:
Albert Pujols, Didi Gregorious RC & Felix Hernandez Clear Vision
Pack 23:
George Brett, Dustin Pedroia & Ryan Braun Pinnacle of Success (1:8 packs)
Pack 24:
Gerrit Cole RC & Reggie Jackson Swing For the Fences (1:12 packs)
Lastly, the Cal Ripken, Jr. card back. They opted to only show the career total stat line here. Ripken’s 21 seasons could have really filled up that card back.
I miss ’90s Pinnacle sets. This was definitely a throwback for me, especially when pulling some cards featuring Dufex. The pictures just don’t do justice to the Dufex. For some reason Panini only released this set just this one time as a standalone release.
Unopened box prices have gone crazy lately. I grabbed this box in July and boxes can still sometimes be found around $60.
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Want more installments of Shane Salmonson’s Cheap Wax Wednesday? Check out his other breaks in the archives.
Great box for $50!