The 1989 Topps Big Baseball card series 3 was the third and final group of oversized baseball cards released by Topps as part of their “Big” set in 1989. Continuing the theme of the previous two series which featured modern players on “giant-size” 3.5″ by 5″ cardboard cards, series 3 showcased another 66 MLB stars from that season.

Some key details about the 1989 Topps Big Baseball card series 3 include:

Players featured were all active players from the 1988-1989 seasons, including rookie cards for players who debuted in 1988 like Gregg Olson and Frank Viola. No retired players were included in this high-gloss, oversized format which focused only on current big leaguers.

There was no parallel numbering system with the standard Topps Traded and Update sets of that year. The cards in series 3 had their own numbering from 301-366 independent of the standard 1989 Topps card numbers.

In total there were 3 series spanning 198 cards for the complete Topps Big set, split into 66 card increments for a total of 198 unique cardboard cards larger than standard size. The other two series spanned cards 1-66 and 67-132 respectively.

Design-wise, each player’s name and team were prominently displayed at the top with a large color photo taking up much of the card. Stats were listed on the bottom along with the series and card numbering.

Distribution was aimed more at hobby shops, card shows and collectors rather than the mass retail market that standard card sets targeted. Packs containing 3-4 cards retailed for around $1 each.

Chase cards included stars like Nolan Ryan (card #304), Roger Clemens (#305), Wade Boggs (#306) and Ozzie Smith (#307) who were among the most coveted and valuable in the set at the time.

Rarer variation parallels also existed much like the standard issues that year. These included signet lettering, camo border, glossy stock and red foil lettering variants among others.

Some notable rookies and players included in the 1989 Topps Big Baseball card series 3 included:

Ben McDonald (card #301), then-pitching prospect for the Baltimore Orioles who would go on to have an 11 year MLB career.

Gregg Olson (card #302), closer for the Orioles who won AL Rookie of the Year in 1988 and went on to save over 200 games in his career.

Frank Viola (card #303), then-ace for the Minnesota Twins coming off a World Series title and Cy Young award.

Nolan Ryan (card #304), all-time strikeout king still pitching effectively for the Texas Rangers at age 42.

Roger Clemens (card #305), Rocket in the midst of winning a record 7 Cy Young awards including back-to-back in 1986-1987.

Wade Boggs (card #306), hitter extraordinaire and soon-to-be member of the 3,000 hit club with the Boston Red Sox.

Ozzie Smith (card #307), Wizard of Oz and perennial Gold Glove winner who was in his prime with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ken Griffey Sr. (card #310), veteran outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds and father of soon-to-be superstar Ken Griffey Jr.

Kevin Maas (card #311), then-promising power hitting rookie with the New York Yankees who ultimately did not live up to expectations.

Mike Boddicker (card #312), journeyman starter who had his best career years including an AL Cy Young award in 1983.

Cal Ripken Jr. (card #326), Iron Man of Baltimorealready over 800 games played without missing one at shortstop for the Orioles.

Rickey Henderson (card #332), irreplaceable leadoff hitter and base stealer in the prime of his career with the Oakland A’s.

Mark McGwire (card #333), burgeoning slugger with the A’s coming off his first 30+ home run season before steroids altered his career trajectory.

Dwight Gooden (card #346), still in his prime as the 24 year old NL Cy Young award winner from 1985 with the New York Mets.

Upon release in 1989, series 3 of Topps Big Baseball was highly anticipated and remains a popular subset with collectors today. While not as iconic as the flagship Topps issues, these oversized cards captured a snapshot of MLB’s biggest stars at the end of decade. Condition sensitive due to their large size, graded gem mint examples of chase players continue to attract solid prices among enthusiasts of 1980s and predating steroid era cardboard.