The 1988 Topps baseball card set is one of the most widely collected issues in the modern era. While the base cards do not carry immense individual values today, the set is particularly intriguing to error card collectors due to several significant production mistakes made during printing. Some of the more notable 1988 Topps baseball error cards possess values far surpassing even the priciest regular issue cards from that year.
One of the most famous errors from 1988 Topps involves Cardinals slugger Jack Clark’s card #91. Instead of Clark’s photo, the card mistakenly features the image of pitching legend Fergie Jenkins, who did not even play for St. Louis that season. Due to the visual mismatch between the image and written information, these “Fergie Jenkins/Jack Clark” errors have become quite coveted over the years. In high grade, recent sales of this mix-up have reached upwards of $1,000.
Cards #91 are not the only ones afflicted by photo swaps in the ’88 set, as a Robinson Cano image was incorrectly placed on the back of fellow Yankee prospect Jesse Levis’s #628 card. These “Jesse Levis/Robinson Cano” dual-player errors have achieved prices surrounding the $500 range when near-mint. Another noteworthy photo misplacement saw Cubs farmhand Dwight Smith’s facial shot end up on Cubs prospect Mark Grace’s #410 card. Graded examples of this “Mark Grace/Dwight Smith” mistake have crossed the auction block for as much as $700.
Various problems arose during the address printing process as well. A small number of cards had the entire address fields left completely blank on the back. Considered among the rarest errors from the 1988 Topps issue, pristine specimens of address-less cards have exceeded twelve hundred dollars in value. Separately, some pieces had address details specific to one player mistakenly carried over to another’s card back. The scarcest of these address bleed-through blunders often fetch prices close to a thousand dollars or higher.
In at least one circumstance, an error saw details combine from two different players’ intended cards. Red Sox hurler Oil Can Boyd’s #82 card ended up incorporating statistics and info meant for Rangers first baseman/DH Pete Incaviglia’s planned card. Known as “Oil Can Boyd/Pete Incaviglia” hybrids due to mixing elements of both athletes, pristine samples of these rare conjoined errors have crossed the $1,500 mark at auction.
Beyond photo and textual mix-ups, scattering and alignment mishaps additionally troubled 1988 Topps production. Heralded sluggers like Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Will Clark had card issues where their photos sat significantly off-center. Graded specimens showing such severe centering errors often achieve sums ranging from $150 up to near $400. Elsewhere, shortstops Walt Weiss and Dick Schofield had cards published with partial back sets scattered onto the fronts, creating eye-catching “partial back” miscuts valued at $250-$600 depending on condition.
Among the most legendary of all 1988 Topps aberrations exists a small population of “bubble gum” error cards. Due to a glitch at the plant, a minuscule number of packets contained individual cards stuck partially to the interior wrapping containing bubble gum residues. Viewed as one of the set’s true anomalies alongside attributes like the OTB stamp, top graded examples command prices reaching four digits or more today. For serious error collectors, locating high quality samples of 1987 Topps’ production peculiarities provides an alluring challenge.
The extensive variety of mistakes evident within the 1988 Topps baseball issue have made it a favorite amongst error card aficionados. While not required to sell for enormous sums, examples exhibiting noticeable photographic, textual or formatting flaws hold far greater significance and investment upside versus standard mint condition cards. For collectors seeking a combination of affordable vintage cardboard along with potential high rewards, hunting errors from this popular but mistake-ridden release offers an intriguing pursuit.
