1998 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice Baseball was split into two releases, both with 265-card checklists. Series 2 has two subsets in the base set. Golden Jubilee cards feature a design in homage to the 1948 Leaf release while Rookie Class cards are pretty self-explanatory. Only two cards in the Rookie Class subset, Dave Dellucci and Rich Butler, are considered Rookie Cards. 

Series 2 includes a Starquest insert in every pack. While most of those will be Singles, they are also available in three parallels, Double, Triple and Home Run, each with increasing rarity. Starquest Double parallels are found once in every 21 packs, Triples are just one in every 71 packs, while Home Run parallels are extremely tough, limited to just 100 copies each. 

This set also featured the exchangeable You Crash the Game insert cards. No word on how many of those actually got redeemed, though. 

1998 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice Series 2 Baseball Box Break

Cards per pack: 12
Packs per box: 36
Price paid: $45

Shop for 1998 Collector’s Choice Series 2 Baseball boxes on eBay.

Pack 1 highlights:

Steve Finley, Bruce Chen, David Justice, Frank Thomas Starquest (one per pack), John Valentin & Mark McGwire Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs)

Back in the day I definitely had a few of these Mini Bobbing Heads inserts assembled on a shelf.

Pack 2:

Mo Vaughn, Greg Vaughn, Jim Thome & Roger Clemens Starquest

Pack 3:

Mark Langston, Kenny Lofton, Nomar Garciaparra & Cal Ripken Jr. Starquest

Pack 4:

John Olerud, Wally Joyner, Sandy Alomar, Jr., Jose Cruz, Jr. Starquest, Barry Bonds Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs) & Jeff Bagwell You Crash the Game (1:5 packs)

You Crash the Game cards featured a range of dates on the front. If the player pictured hit a home run during those dates you could send the card in and receive a Winner card in exchange. 

Bagwell did go deep on August 30. I think I am just a bit too late to exchange this one, though.

Pack 5:

Paul O’Neill, Barry Larkin, Derrek Lee, Carl Pavano, Pedro Martinez & Ken Griffey Jr. Starquest

Pack 6:

Another O’Nell, dupe Sammy Sosas & Travis Lee Starquest

Pack 7:

Jason Giambi, Moises Alou, A.J. Hinch, Pedro Martinez, Todd Helton Starquest & Ken Griffey, Jr. Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs)

Pack 8:

Jose Canseco, Scott Rolen, Greg Maddux Starquest & Derek Jeter Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs)

Pack 9:

Barry Larkin, Derek Bell, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi & Gary Sheffield Starquest

Pack 10:

Rafael Palmeiro, Mo Vaughn, Sandy Alomar, Jr., Jaret Wright Starquest & Manny Ramirez You Crash the Game (1:5 packs)

Manny also hit one long ball during the dates pictured.

Pack 11:

Jason Giambi, a jump-roping Jeff Conine, Tino Martinez Starquest & Mike Piazza Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs)

Pack 12:

Ron Gant, Brian Jordan, Bob Abreu, Fred McGriff, Tino Martinez, Mike Piazza Starquest & Tino Martinez You Crash the Game (1:5 packs)

Tino homered one day late, on the 17th, and would not have been eligible to exchange.

 

Pack 13:

Mike Cameron, Sean Casey, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Johnny Damon & Tony Gwynn Starquest

Pack 14:

Greg Vaughn, Alex Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez Starquest & Vladimir Guerrero Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs)

Pack 15:

Jason Kendall, Luis Gonzalez, Dwight Gooden, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds & Jeff Bagwell Starquest

Pack 16:

Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, Tom Glavine & Chipper Jones Starquest

Pack 17:

Double Omar Vizquel cards, Cliff Floyd, Kevin Brown, Alex Gonzalez Prime Choice Reserve (080/500), Mike Piazza You Crash the Game (1:5 packs) & Tony Gwynn Starquest Double (1:21 packs)

Piazza homered against Baltimore on June 24. I am 3-for-4 so far.

Pack 18:

Orel Hershiser, Tony Gwynn, Tim Salmon & Barry Bonds Starquest

Pack 19:

Matt Williams & Larry Walker Starquest

Pack 20:

Mike Cameron, Mark Langston, Travis Lee, Rickey Henderson, Greg Maddux & Pedro Martinez Starquest

Pack 21:

Wally Joyner, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Kenny Lofton Starquest & Alex Rodriguez You Crash the Game (1:5 packs)

A-Rod homered in two different games, August 6 and August 9.

Pack 22:

Will Clark, Ben Grieve Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs), Matt Clement, Curt Schilling & Mark McGwire Starquest

Pack 23:

Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Andres Galarraga & Vladimir Guerrero Starquest

Pack 24:

Dante Bichette, Bernie Williams, Dwight Gooden, Roberto Alomar, Hideo Nomo & Andruw Jones Starquest

Pack 25:

Scott Rolen Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs), David Cone & Derek Jeter Starquest Double (1:21 packs)

Pack 26:

Jeff Bagwell, Mike Mussina, Alex Rodriguez Starquest & Jose Cruz, Jr. You Crash the Game (1:5 packs)

Cruz went homerless during this span.

 

Pack 27:

Larry Walker, Brady Anderson & Derek Jeter Starquest

Pack 28:

Will Clark, Mike Piazza, Travis Lee Starquest, Tony Clark Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs) & Juan Gonzalez You Crash the Game (1:5 packs)

Juan-Gone hit a solo shot against Boston on August 6.

Pack 29:

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens & Todd Helton Starquest

Pack 30:

Joe Carter, Roger Clemens, Andruw Jones & Gary Sheffield Starquest

Pack 31:

Jim Edmonds, Alex Gonzalez, Tino Martinez, Jaret Wright Starquest & Edgar Renteria Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs)

Pack 32:

Shawn Green, angling Andy Ashby, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr. & Paul Konerko Starquest

Pack 33:

Cecil Fielder, Nomar Garciaparra, Juan Gonzalez, Nomar Starquest & Chipper Jones You Crash the Game (1:5 packs)

Chipper didn’t homer during the four-game St. Louis series. 

Pack 34:

Cliff Floyd, Juan-Gone, Scott Rolen Starquest & Jeff Bagwell Mini Bobbing Heads (1:3 packs)

Pack 35:

Paul O’Neill, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra & Ben Grieve Starquest

Pack 36:

Moises Alou, Andruw Jones, Ken Griffey, Jr. & Mo Vaughn Starquest

Lastly, the Alou card back. 

I would’ve gone five for eight with You Crash the Game cards in this box, which would have been good back in 1998.

I didn’t find any of the tougher pulls in this one but the two Starquest Double cards pulled, Gwynn and Jeter, are great names.

Shop for 1998 Collector’s Choice Baseball cards on:

• Beckett Marketplace
• eBay

Want more installments of Shane Salmonson’s Cheap Wax Wednesday? Check out his other breaks in the archives.