Card Review: 8.1 I like the '95 Pinnacle set. The baseball stitching gold stamping at the bottom of the card has always looked good to me, and the photo quality is well above average. The Wallach photo is also unique. It's the only card I can think of that (1) shows him in a Dodger windbreaker, and (2) shows him wearing a flap less helmet. This is the 3rd variation of the Wallach Pinnacle put out in '95 and it's my least favorite of the three. It's not just the scan that makes the gold stamping at the bottom of the card appear dark, it looks that way in person too. Lined up side by side, this Artist Proof is much darker than the base card and museum collection variant.
Fun Facts:
*In 1983 MLB made it mandatory that batting helmets have at least one ear flap. Current players were grandfathered in and could continue to use a flap less helmet. Wallach is often listed as one of the last players to wear a flap less helmet along with Ozzie Smith, Gary Gaetti, and Tim Raines. He's even listed in the wikipedia article on the subject.
I don't ever recall watching Wallach bat with a flap less helmet. This 1995 Pinnacle is the only card or picture I've ever seen of him wearing a flap less helmet. I suspect that this picture is from batting practice and not a game. It doesn't even look like Wallach is wearing a jersey under the windbreaker. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Wallach was never a regular user of the flap less helmet, or that he ever used one in a game at all.
Number of this card in my collection: 1
2013 update: 2