The 1999 Topps baseball card set was the 68th year for Topps to produce baseball cards and marked the conclusion of the 20th century of Major League Baseball. Some key things to know about the complete 660 card set include:
The front of each standard card featured a color photo of the player in action along with their name, team, and stats from the 1998 season. On the rear was additional stats and highlights from their career. For rookie cards, a short biography was also included on the back. The design featured a thick gray border around the photo with the team logo and set title stamped at the bottom in classic Topps style.
Some notable rookie cards found in the 1999 set included Francisco Rodriguez, Brad Lidge, Ben Sheets, Rocco Baldelli, and Geovany Soto. Future Hall of Famers with cards in the set included Ken Griffey Jr., Tony Gwynn, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Gary Sheffield. The Alex Rodriguez card was also a popular one to collect as he was just starting to emerge as a superstar.
Insert cards in the 1999 Topps flagship set included All-Stars, Turn Back The Clock, Diamond Kings, Ink-Splattered Leaders, Super Veterans and Topps Tek. The Tek cards featured an authentic MLB stadium photo on the front and stat enhancements detailing a specific game or season accomplishment on the back. This insert added a nostalgic retro flair to the traditional cardboard.
In addition to the standard 660 card base set, Topps also produced three factory sets with additional inserts. The Finest Collection factory set included a parallel image of each base card in an embossed silver foil treatment. The Diamond Anniversary factory set celebrated baseball’s 125th anniversary with throwback diamond imagery on additional insert cards not found in packs.
The hardest cards to find within the 1999 Topps set were usually the short print variations, which had lower print runs inserted into packs at random. Some examples were SP versions of Ivan Rodriguez, Carlos Delgado and Sammy Sosa. error cards were also extremely rare, such as Vladimir Guerrero’s card featuring the name “Wilfredo” printed in error on the front.
The design was a continuation of the clean and classic 1990s Topps aesthetic while still feeling fresh. Bright team colors popped against the uniform gray borders, creating a crisp and nostalgic throwback look. The card stock had just the right thickness – not too flimsy or stiff. It was a solid year for Topps’ flagship baseball offerings both in terms of visual design and star power featured on the cards.
In mint condition, some of the more valuable cards that have held or increased in value from a 1999 Topps complete set include the Alex Rodriguez rookie, Nomar Garciaparra rookie, Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Pedro Martinez rookies. While still attainable today at a reasonable price, a mint and complete 660-card 1999 Topps baseball set in factory sealed condition could fetch $300-$500 online due to its anniversary year, star players, and nostalgia for 1990s cardboard.
For collectors and fans growing up during that era, the 1999 Topps set holds a special nostalgia. It was the cards that captured MLB during their childhood discovery of the game. For those not around in 1999, it provides a fun window into the stars and teams of that time period. The retro design also gives the cards an old-school baseball card aesthetic that remains pleasing to the eye decades later. It was among Topps strongest offerings of the 1990s and remains a coveted complete set for collectors to this day.
