The 1989 Topps baseball card set is well known among collectors for containing a number of notable errors. While errors of some sort are common in most annual sets released by the major baseball card manufacturers, the 1989 Topps issues seemed to have more than usual. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most significant mistakes found in the 792-card base set.
Perhaps the most famous error from the 1989 Topps checklist is card #168 featuring pitcher Bob Milacki of the Baltimore Orioles. On Milacki’s card, his first name is incorrectly spelled “Bod” instead of the proper “Bob”. It’s believed this misspelling slipped through multiple levels of quality control at Topps. The “Bod Milacki” error is highly sought after by collectors and can fetch prices well above typical for the card number.
Another eye-catching mistake appears on card #353 showing Dodgers pitcher Tim Leary. The photo used is actually of a different player, Montreal Expos pitcher Pascual Perez, though the card still identifies Leary correctly. Some speculate Topps may have simply run out of proper photos for Leary late in the production process. Like the Milacki flub, card collectors prize the mismatched photo error card.
Card #397 features Indians outfielder Candy Maldonado. The player pictured is definitely not Maldonado. It appears to be an unknown minor leaguer instead. Topps seems to have pulled a totally wrong photo for Maldonado’s card somehow. Again, due to its bizarre nature, this error finds a premium price in the trading card marketplace.
A more mundane yet still notable glitch happens on card #495 portraying Yankees pitcher Tim Leary. The mound in the background photo depicts Leary as a left-handed pitcher, which is incorrect since he pitched exclusively from the right side. A small but unusual mistake that keen-eyed fans would spot.
Later in the alphabet, card #614 was issued for then-Padres pitcher Eric Show. Oddly, Show’s first name is completely missing from the card – it just reads “Show San Diego Padres”. How such an obvious omission made it to the final printed product remains a mystery. Collectors value this missing-name error highly.
Another odd absent name occurs on card #687 meant for Mariners outfielder Greg Briley. Here, Briley’s last name is missing, so the card states only “Greg Seattle Mariners”. Like the Show card, Briley’s name being partly left off is quite a head-scratching error to encounter.
Moving to the higher numbers, card #750 depicts Cubs outfielder Dwight Smith. On Smith’s image, his uniform number is erroneously listed as “9” when he in fact wore “#28” that season. A small mistake perhaps, but noteworthy as uniform numbers normally match the player pictured.
The final 1989 Topps error to highlight is card #792, the set’s “final card”. This one features pitcher Mark Thurmond of the Astros pictured in the generic gray batter’s box backdrop used by Topps for many players. Oddly, Thurmond’s last name is misspelled as “Thurman” directly on the image. A real shame such an obvious typo made it all the way to the coveted last card of the set.
In total, it’s estimated over a dozen evident mistakes pollute the 1989 Topps checklist, many of which have become quite valuable to error card collectors. Why this particular year’s production ran into so many glaring issues remains open to debate. But these errors help preserve the set’s legacy among baseball memorabilia aficionados decades later. For enduring fascination and hunting uncommon variants, the aberrations remain a big part of the 1989 Topps card popularity.
