The 1990 Bowman baseball card set is one of the more notable issues from the company’s history due to the number of errors and variations that were produced. While errors are certainly not unique to the 1990 set, the variety and quantities of mistakes made it one of the most imperfect releases from the time period. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most significant printing errors and variations that can be found among the 660 total cards in the base 1990 Bowman set.
One of the highest profile mistakes involves the printing of Sammy Sosa’s rookie card. Sosa debuted in 1989 and his rookie card rights belonged to Topps, so Bowman had to use an action photo instead of a standard front-facing portrait. Somewhere around the 200th card in the checklist, Sosa’s action shot was replaced by his true rookie card image wearing a Cubs uniform that was actually from his 1992 Topps Traded issue. Only a small number of the variation Sosa cards are believed to exist, making it one of the most valuable mistakes from 1990 Bowman.
Another noteworthy error involves Yankees star Don Mattingly. His primary card shows him in a Yankees uniform as normal, but a very small subset of the print run mistakenly features him in a Dodgers uniform instead. As Mattingly had been traded from the Dodgers to the Yankees before the 1989 season, this variation card stands out significantly from the majority printing. Only a tiny number are known to exist relative to the full 660 card print run.
Perhaps the strangest mistake impacts Reds pitcher Jack Armstrong. Most versions of his card correctly list his height as 6’3, but somewhere between 1 in 100 to 1 in 1000 copies erroneously state his height as 63 inches instead of feet and inches. At just over 5 feet tall, this incorrect stat made for one of the oddest numerical mistakes found in the set.
Moving beyond specific player variations, one of the most spread out errors involves the copyright year printed on the bottom corner of each card front. The overwhelming majority correctly state “1990 Bowman” but a portion mistakenly say “1989 Bowman” instead. Estimates indicate somewhere around 1 in 20 cards could contain the wrong copyright year. This is particularly notable as it is such a ubiquitous mistake across the entire set checklist.
Beyond printing variations, the 1990 Bowman set also had issues with different facings of the same photo being used on cards. For example, Reds rookie Chris Sabo has his head turned facing slightly left on one version but facing more forward on another. The same type of facing difference can be found comparing variations of cards for players like Kevin Young and Frank Tanana as well. While not true “errors,” these photo inconsistency instances certainly add to the set’s imperfections.
Perhaps the most famous error card from 1990 Bowman belongs to Dodgers pitcher Jerry Reuss. His regular issue card shows him in a Dodgers uniform as you’d expect. Somewhere between 1 in 500 to 1 in 1,000 copies mistakenly feature Reuss in an Expos uniform instead, depicting him with his old Montreal team rather than his current Dodgers. This stands out as one of the most striking mistakes since it places the player with the completely wrong franchise team.
Pack pull rates for errors are difficult to quantify exactly given the set size and time passed. Experts generally estimate the odds of finding any significant variation or mistake in a 1990 Bowman pack would fall somewhere between 1 in 100 to 1 in 1000 packs. While long odds, the potential reward of a valuable error makes 1990 Bowman a set still eagerly sought after by error collectors decades later. When combined with the numerous photo inconsistencies and uniform/stat mistakes that occurred, it truly was one of the most imperfect issues in the modern card era.
Between the highest impact errors like the Sammy Sosa and Don Mattingly switches to the more generic but still noticeable copyright date mistakes found across hundreds of cards, there exists a wonderful array of collecting opportunities for 1990 Bowman enthusiasts. Even relatively “common” errors hold value due to the massive size of the set’s original print run. And for find that truly one-of-a-kind impact mistake like the Jerry Reuss Expos error, the rewards can be quite sizable for those patient and dedicated enough to add it to their collection. Three decades later, the 1990 Bowman set remains a true hobby favorite for its numerous imperfections and opportunities for rediscovery.
