Score Big Head baseball cards were a unique series of oversized baseball cards produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s that stood out from traditional card designs due to their large player headshots and in-depth career statistics and insights on the back of each card. These innovative cards captured the attention of many young baseball fans at the time and have developed a cult following among collectors in recent decades.
Score Trading Card Company saw an opportunity to revolutionize the baseball card market and create a new collectible experience for fans with their big head baseball card sets. The first Score Big Head card set was released in 1988 featuring oversized 3.5″ x 5″ cardboard cards with enormous 2.25″ x 3″ color headshots dominating about half the front of each card. Below the headshot was a small blurb with the player’s name, team, position, and batting or pitching stats.
On the back of each Score Big Head card, fans were treated to a significant amount of informative text recapping each featured player’s career highlights and statistics through that current season. Detailed stats tables covered traditional numbers like batting average, home runs, RBI as well as advanced sabermetric stats that were rarely seen on baseball cards at that time like on-base percentage, slugging percentage, ERA, WHIP, wins, saves and more. additionally, a lengthy career overview provided fans biographical information on each player along with injury histories and season recaps.
One of the most innovative aspects of Score’s big head card sets was their exhaustive statistical coverage. In addition to multi-year seasonal statistics that spanned each player’s entire career to that point, cumulative postseason stats were also included on legendary playoff performers. And for star players with long careers, their stats were broken down into various phases like “Early Career”, “Prime Years”, and “Later Career” with specific insights into how their production changed over the course of their time in the major leagues.
Score’s innovative Big Head card designs were an instant hit with collectors. The oversized cards stood out in young collectors’ binders compared to the more traditional baseball card sizes. The vibrant headshot photos drew the eye, while the treasure trove of stats and analysis on the back provided valuable reference material that fueled many spirited baseball debates among card collecting friends. Big rookies, stars, and Hall of Famers graced the fronts of Score sets throughout the late 80s and early 90s.
In 1988, Score released two Big Head card sets – “Baseball Greats” and “Topps”. The Baseball Greats set focused on legendary players from past eras like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, while Topps covered the top current players and rookies from that season like Ozzie Smith, Andre Dawson, Mark McGwire. In 1989, Score continued with their popular Big Head format for the “Diamond Kings” set featuring the best players of that year like Rickey Henderson, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens. And in 1990, their “All-Time Heroes” paid tribute to some of baseball immortals up to that point.
Score’s Big Head cards also provided greater context to a player’s career with inclusion of award histories, postseason performance details, career milestones and achievements right on the back of the card. This extra layer of depth helped broadened fans’ understanding and appreciation for the players. For example, Mike Schmidt’s 1983 Big Head card highlighted his 10 Gold Glove awards as well as his 1980 NL MVP season where he batted .286 with 48 home runs and 121 RBI. Or Nolan Ryan’s 1990 card discussed how he was the career leader in strikeouts with over 5,700 at that point in addition to his record seven no-hitters.
The unique Big Head design allowed for even more visual flourishes compared to standard baseball cards. Background graphics and patterns filled the wide empty spaces around the large central headshot on each card front. And illustrations, team logos, fun facts and factoids were creatively incorporated into the dense statistical text on the back to keep information visually interesting for readers. These added design elements made Score’s big head cards stand out as true collectible works of art celebrating the greatest players in the game.
While Score’s oversized Big Head card sets were a popular niche product in the late 80s/early 90s, they faded from the spotlight as the baseball card market contracted in the mid-90s during the industry’s “Junk Wax Era” of overproduction. However, Score Big Head cards have developed a strong cult following in the ensuing decades thanks to their innovative large format designs and treasure trove of meticulously detailed statistical and career analysis content on each card.
For dedicated baseball fans and researchers, Score’s Big Head cards remain an invaluable reference library right at their fingertips. And collectors still prize intact sets in high grade for their displayability and historically significant place in the evolution of baseball memorabilia during the late 20th century. Whether collected and admired today for their artistic design, nostalgic fun factor or in-depth player data, Score’s pioneering Big Head baseball cards stand out as one of the most unique and beloved specialty collections from the 1980s and 90s sportscard boom years.
