The 1999 Topps baseball card set was released at the end of the 1990s and marked the beginning of a new era in baseball cards. As the 20th century drew to a close, Topps continued its tradition of producing high quality trading cards for baseball fans and collectors. The 1999 set contained a vast array of rookie cards, stars of the past and present, highly sought after parallel and insert cards, and commemorated some significant baseball milestones from the late 90s.
The base set totaled 728 cards and featured every Major League Baseball player from the 1998 season. This included many legendary names as well as some future Hall of Famers who were still in their prime such as Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Craig Biggio. Rookie cards in the set included future stars Albert Pujols, C.C. Sabathia, Lance Berkman, and Mark Teixeira. Notable retired players who were included based on their playing careers were Nolan Ryan, Johnny Bench, Dave Winfield, and Carl Yastrzemski.
Some of the insert sets in 1999 Topps paid tribute to historical events and milestones from the 1998 season. The All-Century Team insert set honored the 100 greatest MLB players as voted on by fans to commemorate the beginning of the new millennium. There was also a Home Run Kings subset that featured career home run leaders Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Barry Bonds. Mark McGwire’s pursuit of Roger Maris’ single season home run record was recognized with a HR Record Watch parallel card showing his progress.
Rookie phenom Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game for the Cubs on May 6, 1998 was immortalized in the Legendary Numbers parallel insert set. Another parallel insert set was the All-Star Code where codes on the back correlated to statistics from that year’s All-Star game. For collectors who enjoyed parallels and variations, 1999 Topps had plenty to offer including Silver Pack, Clear, Gold, and Red foil versions of cards at different rarities. Perhaps the most popular and valuable insert set was the Futures Game subset highlighting Top prospects.
The photography and design themes in 1999 Topps focused on various celebrations and traditions of America’s pastime. Things like victory dances rounding the bases, players interacting in the dugout, and iconic ballpark imagery conveyed the passion and excitement of baseball. Select cards also featured patriotic themes with border designs incorporating the American flag. As the last Topps set of the decade, it acted as a retrospective on the major stories and eras that defined baseball throughout the 1990s.
Issues of the 1999 Topps set were produced in Series 1 and Series 2 variants containing the standard base cards and inserts. There were also factory sets, mini-boxes, and special commemorative tins issued containing all the main cards. In the decades since, the set has become highly regarded by collectors not just for its comprehensive rookie class but also for celebrating an end of an era in baseball history before new millennium began. Prices have risen steadily for sought after parallels, stars of the day like Chipper Jones and Pedro Martinez, as well as any card featuring MLB’s home run king Mark McGwire during his record setting 1998 season.
The 1999 Topps baseball card set provides a wealth of nostalgia and historical value for enthusiasts of America’s pastime. As a retrospective on baseball in the late 90s before entering a new era, it succeeded in capturing the mood, excitement and iconic moments from that time in a visually stunning collectible format. With its wide ranging checklist of rookies, stars and legends coupled with classic inserts and parallel variations, the 1999 issue remains a highly coveted release amongst serious traders and investors decades after its initial release.
