The 1990 Score baseball card set is notable among collectors for containing several rare production mistakes and variations that make certain cards very valuable. While errors are almost inevitable given the massive scale of modern card production runs, the ’90 Score set stands out for the number and prominence of issues that occurred. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most significant errors collectors search for from that year.
One of the highest profile errors involves star slugger Ken Griffey Jr’s rookie card. The standard version of the Griffey rookie has him pictured in a Mariners uniform as he began his legendary career in Seattle that year. A small number of cards were accidentally printed with Junior pictured wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform instead. The Reds had dealt Griffey to the Mariners the previous year, so this photo mixup was clearly a mistake. Only a handful are believed to exist today, making the Reds version of Griffey’s rookie one of the most valuable cards in the modern era, potentially worth well over $100,000 in pristine condition to serious collectors.
Another highly valuable error is a printing mistake that resulted in some cards missing the standard white borders that frame the photos on ’90 Score cards. Known as “missing border” variations, these are considered cut-signature errors where the die cutting machine failed to completely cut the borders off. The most popular missing border cards tend to feature star players like Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, and Nolan Ryan. Virtually any player could potentially have the error. Grading services verify authenticity and these incomplete cut varieties often sell for thousands depending on the player featured.
In addition to cuttingissues, ’90 Score had problems with some color schemes being incorrectly printed. The most popular of these “color switch” errors is a card showing Tigers pitcher Jack Morris with the photo in reversed colors – brown where it should be blue and vice versa. Morris had one of his best seasons in 1990 and this striking anomaly makes his card very collectible even for non-Tigers fans. Other players reported with color reversals include Hall of Famer George Brett and Reds first baseman Nick Esasky, though they are far more rare finds.
Short prints are another type of error collectors hunt. These occur when certain cards are accidentally printed in much lower quantities than usual, making them essentially scarce “variations.” The ’90 Score set had two major short prints – Red Sox hurler Derek Lilliquist and Reds first baseman Chris Sabo. In near-gem mint or better condition, their cards routinely sell for multiple times the value of regular versions. Adding to the rarity, the Lilliquist short print is also known to exist with the missing border mistake described earlier, creating an extremely elusive double variant.
Besides individual player cards, errors also occurred on basic set components like puzzle cards, checklists, and factory set cards. Among the most intriguing is an incomplete puzzle card error lacking one of the prescribed pieces, instead containing a duplicate. As puzzles required collectors to trade pieces needed to complete them, these anomalies went against the core concept. At least one checklist card is reported with a reversed image – showing the players’ statistics on the front instead of the back where they usually appear.
Beyond production mistakes, there are also ’90 Score card anomalies arising from legitimate but obscure game-worn uniform variations. A famous example is Mark McGwire’s early season Cardinals card showing him with a larger than usual team logo on his jersey. This reflected a short-lived Cardinals uniform update that saw far less usage than the standard design before being scrapped. McGwire collectors prize this early season photo variation card. Other examples exist of player uniform changes within the ’90 season not accurately reflected on their cards.
The 1990 Score baseball card set stands out among collectors as a true “error card” treasure trove. While stars like Griffey and big leaguers like Lilliquist draw the most focus, virtually any player’s card from that year could potentially contain an elusive variation. For modern era card enthusiasts, hunting examples with missing borders, color swaps, short prints, incomplete puzzles and other mistakes is part of the thrill of collecting from Score’s problematic but historically important ’90 release. Three decades later, these errors still excite and enrich the hobby for many collectors.
