The 1990 Topps baseball card set was the 69th annual set released by Topps and featured cards of players from the 1989 MLB season. Some key facts and details about the complete 660 card set include:
The design featured a simple white border around each photo with the team logo in the bottom left corner and statistics on the reverse. Topps returned to this basic design approach in 1990 after experimenting with more elaborate designs in the late 1980s. The set featured 660 total cards and included base cards, rookie cards, All-Star cards, and manager/coach cards.
Rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez were included in the set. Griffey’s rookie card is one of the most iconic and valuable cards in the modern era. Martinez had a late breakout at age 30 but went on to have a very productive career and his rookie is still sought after by collectors today. Other notable rookie cards included Chuck Knoblauch, Gregg Olson, and Todd Stottlemyre.
The set paid tribute to recently retired legends with “Farewell” cards for Nolan Ryan after 27 seasons and Steve Carlton after his 24-year career. The final card in the set was dedicated to longtime MLB umpire Doug Harvey who retired after 32 seasons behind the plate. Harvey was known for his integrity and consistency during his distinguished umpiring career.
All 26 MLB teams were represented with team logo cards featuring the club’s starting lineup and pitching rotation from the previous season. The Oakland A’s lineup card is notable for highlighting the “Bash Brothers” tandem of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco who led the resurgence of home run hitting in the late 1980s. The Chicago Cubs card featured rookie Jerome Walton who won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1989.
Topps also included “In Action” subset cards highlighting iconic photographs from the 1989 season. One of the most dramatic shots was Ozzie Smith’s famous backhanded grab and throw from deep in the hole at shortstop for the Cardinals. Other notable action shots included Nolan Ryan’s blazing fastball, Rickey Henderson’s base stealing prowess, and Ken Griffey Jr.’s effortless swing.
The 1990 set had several variations that added to the challenge for collectors. The main variations included “black-border” error cards, photo variation cards with different head shots, and “glossy stock” parallel cards that were printed on a glossier cardstock. The black-border errors were some of the most sought after variations with cards like the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie among the key chase cards for advanced collectors.
When it was released in 1990, the complete 660-card set had a suggested retail price of $1 per pack with 11 cards inside. The popularity of the Griffey Jr. rookie and other chase cards caused the secondary market prices to soar well above the original MSRP. Even today, in near-mint condition the complete unopened 1990 Topps set can fetch thousands of dollars due to its iconic rookie cards, hall of famers, and the variations that add complexity for collectors.
For baseball card collectors and investors, the 1990 Topps set remains one of the most historically significant releases from the modern era. Featuring rookies that went on to superstardom like Griffey and Martinez alongside the final cards for legends like Ryan and Carlton, the set captured a memorable time in MLB history. The basic yet classic design has also stood the test of time and remains a set that is widely recognized and collected to this day by fans both young and old. When putting together a complete vintage baseball card collection, the 1990 Topps set deserves a prized spot on the shelf.
