In 1996, Pinnacle took over the Denny’s baseball card promotion from Upper Deck and produced the final two years of the seven year Denny’s run.
The 28 card set included one player from each MLB team, and a ten card “Grand Slam” insert set provided an additional chase. The insert set also had an “Artist’s Proof” parallel bringing the total insert count to 20. There was also an instructional card which was unnumbered and provided directions on how to best view your full motion hologram. Customers could purchase 2 packs with the purchase of a meal, and each pack only contained 1 card. The pack odds indicated the Grand Slam inserts would fall 1:56 packs and the Artist’s Proof parallel would only be found in 1:360 packs. That’s a lot of meals if you wanted to build the master set from packs!
There are no shortage of sealed packs available, and multiple listings exist to buy them for .25 to .50 per pack on eBay. Complete base sets sell for around $10, Grand Slam sets for around the same, and the Artist’s Proof parallel set for around $30. Base singles can be picked up for .18 each plus shipping on Sportlots.
The Denny’s Upper Deck sets from 1991-1995 all utilized hologram technology, and Pinnacle picked right up with “full-motion holograms” taking up about three quarters of the front of the card. A traditional player photo was used on the far right side. As with most of the holograms of the day, some were more striking than others. In the set I have, many of the holograms are difficult to see, but some have images that really pop. Getting the angle right is the challenge.
The base checklist is pretty much what you’d expect from a mid-90’s set with only one player from each team. Ripken, Sandberg, Puckett, and Boggs were all found along with some other names who didn’t hold up quite so well over the years. TIm Salmon, Kevin Appier, and Jason Isringhausen a few of the names who have a hobby following, but are no longer viewed as the main attraction of their team when we look back a couple decades later. Mike Piazza and Sammy Sosa were two players who were found in the Grand Slam insert set, but not in the base set.
I added this base set to my collection via a big collection I purchased. Even though I love oddball and promo sets, this is the kind of thing I probably wouldn’t have sought out on on my own. The relative low value of these sets keeps them out of many shops and show tables, however, many “junk wax” collections on Craigslist and Facebook are full of this stuff. In this case, I’m glad I found it, and it is now a cherished piece of my PC!
Here is a side by side view of the front and back of the cards.
Checklist:
Base Set:
Greg Maddux
Frank Thomas
Albert Belle
Mo Vaughn
Jeff Bagwell
Jay Buhner
Barry Bonds
Ryne Sandberg
Hideo Nomo
Kirby Puckett
Gary Sheffield
Barry Larkin
Wade Boggs
Tony Gwynn
Tim Salmon
Jason Isringhausen
Cecil Fielder
Dante Bichette
Ozzie Smith
Ivan Rodriguez
Kevin Appier
Joe Carter
Moises Alou
Mark McGwire
Kevin Seitzer
Darren Dalton
Jay Bell
Grand Slam
Cal Ripken Jr.
Frank Thomas
Mike Piazza
Tony Gwynn
Barry Bonds
Jeff Bagwell
Albert Belle
Mo Vaughn
Kirby Puckett