The Montreal Expos were Canada’s Major League Baseball team from 1969 to 2004. While the franchise no longer exists, Expos baseball cards remain a beloved collectible for many fans who cherish the team’s history. This article will provide an in-depth overview of Expos cards issued during the franchise’s tenure, including key sets, standout rookie cards, stars of the era and more.
One of the earliest and most iconic Expos card sets is the 1969 Topps issue. As an expansion team, the Expos received limited card allotments in the brand’s flagship release that year. Still, it was a momentous occasion as the first cards to feature the Expos on the front. Notable rookie cards included Mike Jorgensen, Manny Mota, and reliever Dan McGinn. Topps would remain the MLB’s exclusive card maker through 1981, issuing annual Expos sets each year the team was in Montreal.
In the 1970s, the Expos rose from expansion doormat to consistent contender. Stars like Rusty Staub, Steve Rogers, and Andre Dawson’s rookie card in the 1977 Topps set highlighted this era. The team’s success was reflected in higher card counts, including the beloved design of the 1975 and 1976 Topps issues. Montreal also received subsets in larger sets like Topps’ Traded series beginning in 1975, spotlighting offseason transactions. The Expos remained a staple in the annual Topps checklist through the decade.
The early 1980s saw the rise of new card companies Donruss and Fleer challenging Topps’ monopoly. Both brands included the Expos in their inaugural MLB sets in 1981. This began an annual tradition with both manufacturers that lasted into the 1990s. Notable Expos cards from this period included Tim Raines’ rookie card in the 1981 Donruss set and the Fleer Sticker subset that was very popular with collectors. The 1982 Donruss Reggie Smith card also captured one of the franchise’s best-known uniforms on the design.
Andre Dawson emerged as the face of the franchise in the mid-1980s, appearing on many premium and oddball card issues of the time in addition to the standard Topps, Donruss and Fleer sets. Cards from this era like the 1986 Donruss Update and Fleer Update subsets spotlighted Dawson’s 1986 MVP season. Rookies like Marquis Grissom and Delino DeShields also had their debuts captured in the late 1980s flagship releases from the major brands.
In the early 1990s, the baseball card boom was in full swing. This led to record print runs of sets that heavily featured the Expos stars of the era like Larry Walker, Moises Alou, and Marquis Grissom. The franchise also began to receive inserts in oddball and premium sets from brands like Score, Leaf, and Upper Deck. Examples include the 1990 Upper Deck Ken Hill rookie card and 1992 Leaf Gold Signature Larry Walker autograph. Montreal’s dominance of the NL East in the strike-shortened 1994 season was reflected well in that year’s card issues too.
As the Expos attendance dwindled in their later Montreal years, card representations downsized somewhat from the mega-productions of the early 90s boom. Standouts like the 1996 Upper Deck Minors Prospects Pedro Martinez rookie made Expos cards just as coveted by collectors. When the franchise relocated to Washington D.C. after the 2004 season, cards switched to a “Nationals” designation but Montreal Expos cards remain a beloved niche in the hobby.
In summary, Expos baseball cards from the team’s 1969-2004 Montreal tenure provide a visual history of the franchise for collectors today. Rookie cards, star players, iconic uniforms, and the rise and fall of on-field success are all chronicled in the annual card issues from the Topps, Donruss, and Fleer brands of the 1970s-90s era. While the Expos no longer exist, their baseball cards preserve the memories of the team for generations of Canadian and international fans. Whether a complete set or single standout rookie, Expos cards remain a valued piece of sports collectibles history.
