The 1989 Topps Big Baseball card series was one of the most iconic and popular modern baseball card releases of all time. While the flagship Topps set that year contained the traditional 5.5×3 cards, Topps also produced a separate big card series with larger 7×4 inch cards. This larger big card format was a lot of fun for collectors and provided more space for photos and stats compared to the smaller standard cards.
The 1989 Topps Big set was released in two series throughout the baseball season, with each series containing 66 cards for a total of 132 cards in the complete set. The first series was released in early May, while the second series came out in late June/early July after the season was underway. Both series contained a mix of current star players, rookie cards, and team cards showing action photos or uniform designs. Each card had the same basic design with the player’s name and team across the top, stats and career highlights on the back.
Some of the biggest star cards in the 1989 Topps Big Baseball second series included Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs on card #67, Kirby Puckett of the Twins on #68, and Dwight Gooden of the Mets on #69. Sandberg was coming off back-to-back batting title wins in 1987-88 and was one of the game’s premier second basemen in his prime. Kirby Puckett had emerged as a star for Minnesota and was coming off his first All-Star season in 1988 where he hit .330. Gooden, nicknamed “Dr. K”, was still in his early prime as one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers and had won the 1985 NL Cy Young award.
Another notable star card was #70 featuring Frank Viola of the Twins. Viola had a breakout season in 1988 winning the AL Cy Young award and was the ace of the Twins staff alongside Bert Blyleven. The Reds were well represented with #71 featuring slugging first baseman Nick Esasky and #72 with legend Johnny Bench in a coaching/broadcasting card looking back at his Hall of Fame career. Cardinals fan favorite Ozzie Smith received card #73 highlighting his elite defense at shortstop.
Rookies featured in the second series included fireballing closer Rob Dibble of the Reds on card #63 who was just starting to dominate as one of the hardest throwers in the game. Outfielder Kevin McReynolds claimed the #64 spot in his first season with the Padres after being acquired from the Mets. Another notable rookie was catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. of the Indians on #65 who went on to a long, productive career.
Some of the team cards in the second series paid tribute to the 1988 division winners and playoff teams. Card #61 showed the A’s 1988 championship team photo from their World Series title defense. The Mets 1988 division champs were honored on #62. Other team cards highlighted the Expos (#60), Angels (#66), and Athletics (#74) uniform designs.
The 1989 Topps Big set had a much higher print run compared to modern parallels and short prints. The rarer “black back” parallel variation cards from both series are highly sought after by collectors today. Other chase cards include any rookie cards, Hall of Famers, or cards featuring legendary players that are now difficult to find in pristine preserved condition.
While most collectors in 1989 were just as excited about the core Topps flagship set, the larger Big cards provided a fun alternative for many. Their oversized size made them very displayable in school binders or home collections. Even people who didn’t regularly collect cards enjoyed looking through the Bigs to see the bigger photos of their favorite players. 30+ years later, the 1989 Topps Big set remains a very iconic release that is still popular with both vintage collectors and fans of oversized vintage cards. Finding a fully completed 132-card set in high grade is a real challenge, but tracking down individual stars or teams from either series provides a nostalgic thrill for enthusiasts of 80s/90s baseball memorabilia.
The 1989 Topps Big Baseball second series contained many star players, rookie cards, and team tributes from that season. Names like Sandberg, Puckett, Gooden, Viola, and Esasky anchored the individual player offerings, while cards honoring division winners like the A’s and Mets had nostalgic appeal. Combined with the first series, the complete 132-card Topps Big set was a truly memorable large format vintage release that is still popular with collectors today thanks to its iconic status in the hobby. Finding high grade examples of stars or team cards from the 1989 Topps Big second series remains a priority for fans and collectors of late 80s/early 90s baseball cards.
