The 1989 Donruss baseball card set is well known among collectors for the various errors that appeared across the checklist of cards. While errors of some kind tend to show up in most major sets produced each year, the 1989 Donruss set stood out for having an unusually high number of mistakes spanning different categories. From typos and stat inaccuracies to missing photos and template mix-ups, a wide variety of errors crept into the printing and production process for this particular set.
One of the more common errors collectors seek out from the 1989 Donruss checklist are typos found on certain players’ cards. For example, the card for Chicago Cubs pitcher Les Lancaster mistakenly lists his last name as “Lanscaster.” Montreal Expos third baseman Tim Wallach also fell victim to a typo, with his card showing his position printed as “3rd bsaeman” instead of the correct “3rd baseman.” A humorous typo appeared on Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe’s card as well – it lists one of his achievements as the 1984 “Cuyb” World Series champion instead of “Cubs.”
Stat inaccuracies were another frequent production error seen throughout the 1989 Donruss set. For instance, Dodgers reliever Jay Howell’s card lists his 1988 saves total as 14 when it was actually 23. Seattle Mariners pitcher Scott Bankhead’s stats were completely wrong, showing made up numbers that didn’t match any of his actual career stats up to that point. Chicago White Sox starter Jack McDowell also had multiple stats printed incorrectly on his ’89 Donruss issue. While small, these statistical mistakes can diminish the authenticity and value of the cards from a collector’s standpoint.
Perhaps the most visually jarring errors in the 1989 Donruss set stem from missing or swapped player photos on certain cards. Texas Rangers pitcher Bobby Witt had someone else’s photo on his issue, believed to be that of then-minor leaguer Jeff Russell. Phillies pitcher Pat Combs is shown on his card without any photo at all, just a blank white space where the image should be. Chicago Cubs outfielder Dwight Smith also had a missing photo error on his issue. Meanwhile, the images on the cards of Brewers hurlers Chuck Crim and Juan Nieves were accidentally swapped, so each player was depicted on the other’s card. Missing and mismatched photos made for some of the set’s most obvious production mix-ups.
Template errors where the wrong player design or style was used also plagued the 1989 Donruss checklist. Seattle Mariners pitcher Mike Moore had the design layout intended for a position player on his card instead of a pitcher template. Cleveland Indians pitcher Scott Bailes was shown with the wrong team logo attached to his template design. Cincinnati Reds reliever John Franco’s issue featured an error where the layout style was for a rookie card when Franco was in his 7th MLB season at that point. Template mistakes changed up the expected uniform look and design of certain players’ 1989 Donruss cards.
Perhaps the rarest and most elusive error from the set involves Toronto Blue Jays slugger George Bell’s card. Only a small number of his ’89 Donruss issues are reported to exist without the correct team name printed under his photo. Instead of saying “Toronto Blue Jays,” the space is left blank. This minor typo makes the card a true unicorn for hungry error collectors. Other highly sought errors include Philadelphia Phillies starter Bruce Ruffin’s card having a stat category labeled “Homeruns” misspelled as “Homeruns,” and Oakland Athletics pitcher Bob Welch’s issue missing the word “Pitcher” beneath his photo.
While production snafus are bound to occur in large sports card print runs, the 1989 Donruss baseball set seemed particularly plagued by typos, stat errors, photo mistakes, template mix-ups, and other glaring production flaws across its base checklist. Even cards of star players were not immune from containing some kind of error. Over 30 years later, the multitude of reporting printing errors still make the 1989 Donruss set a favorite of collector researchers seeking one-of-a-kind misprints to add to their growing error collections. Whether major or minor, finding that needle-in-the-haystack error card from the flawed but fascinating 1989 Donruss set remains a cherished quest for dedicated sports card hobbyists.
