The 1990 Score brand of baseball trading cards was another great set produced during the height of the modern baseball card boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Score was renowned for their innovative designs, cutting edge photography, inclusion of minor league players, and general sense of what fans wanted to see in a modern baseball card set.
The 1990 Score set featured 792 total cards and included all major and minor league teams at the time. One of the design highlights was the return of classic team logo designs depicted within a diamond shape on the bottom front of each card. These logos paid tribute to the historic identities and uniforms of each franchise. Unlike many other sets of the era which only featured the player’s headshot or upper body, Score cards depicted the entire player including their uniform down to their shoes. This allowed for more detailed photography and showed each player in their natural baseball environment.
Rookie cards of future stars like Barry Larkin, Gregg Jefferies, Billy Ripken, Juan Gonzalez, and Gary Sheffield were all present in the 1990 set. The true rookie card gems were those of Javy Lopez, Cliff Floyd, Darren Daulton, Moises Alou, and Tim Salmon. While not considered superstars on the level of Griffey, Bonds, or Clemens rookie cards, these players all had solid major league careers and their rookie cards from Score are still sought after by collectors today.
The 1990 Score set also included the final cards produced for stars whose careers were winding down like Steve Garvey, Bruce Sutter, Ron Guidry, and Jim Rice. For players entering what would be their final seasons, these Score cards taken in spring training provide a nice retrospective look at where they were at that stage of their career. Its also interesting to see the progression of a players appearance from their early rookie cards compared to how they look near retirement.
In addition to major and minor leaguers, the 1990 Score set also included former players cards under the “Alumnis” subset. These retired greats included names like Tom Seaver, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, and Bob Gibson. While not considered true “parts of the set” in collector terms, these alumnis cards provide a fun historical connection between the legends of past eras and the current players of 1990. They also add value and appeal for anyone collecting players across their entire careers rather than just a single season.
Organizationally, the 1990 Score set was also a glimpse at where each franchise was at that point. The Oakland A’s cards spotlighted the final season of the Bash Brothers era with Canseco and McGwire in the lineup. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves cards showed a young franchise on the rise with names like David Justice, Sid Bream, and the Smoltz-Glavine-Avery pitching trio. Cincinnati cards that year depicted players like Barry Larkin and Chris Sabo leading a Reds renaissance. Other notable quirks were brief Cardinals cards of 22-year old Ozzie Smith in the midst of breaking the stolen base record and the Yankees cards highlighting a post-Winfield/Mattingly era before the arrival of Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter.
In terms of sheer production numbers, the 1990 Score set was one of the biggest of its era with over 760 million total cards printed according to the Sporting News. While huge print runs lowered individual card values compared to slimmer produced sets, it also meant the vast majority of 1990 Score cards remained readily available and affordable to collectors for years afterward. With its iconic designs, fun and nostalgic player photography, and capturing of where each major league franchise was at in 1990, Score cards remain a must-have for anyone collecting the late 80s/early 90s basketball card boom era. Even today, 1990 Score cards can still be acquired relatively cheaply and bring collectors back to experience the fun and nostalgia of that time in baseball history.
The 1990 Score baseball card set was a true product of its era that captured star players, future hall of famers, and each franchise during one of the most exciting periods of growth for the sport of baseball card collecting. Between its iconic logos, detailed full body photography, inclusion of both major and minor leaguers as well as alumni cards, 1990 Score cards continue to be appreciated and collected to this day for representing a snapshot in time of the players and teams of that season.
