Randy Johnson is regarded as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time thanks to his overwhelming fastball and five Cy Young Awards. But fans of “The Big Unit” may not realize that errors on some of his baseball cards have made certain versions extremely rare and valuable.
Johnson debuted in the major leagues with the Montreal Expos in 1988 but found his greatest success after being traded to the Seattle Mariners in 1989. It was during his years pitching for the Mariners that some notable errors were made on several of his Topps baseball cards that were included in the popular sets from 1992 to 1995.
The 1992 Topps Traded Randy Johnson card is one of the most famous error cards involving the future Hall of Famer. On the regular 1992 Topps base set card, Johnson is listed as being a member of the Montreal Expos since that was the team he was still with when roster and photography decisions were made for that year’s set prior to the trade. Later in 1992 Topps released trading card inserts to account for players that had been traded to new teams.
Johnson’s traded card was intended to reflect his new affiliation with the Mariners going forward. But an error was made where his uniform still shows him wearing an Expos jersey number instead of his new Mariners number. Only a small number of these traded cards entered circulation before the mistake was caught and corrected. As a result, the erroneous traded cards showing Johnson in an Expos jersey despite being a Mariner are now among the most valuable baseball cards ever made.
Graded mint condition PSA 10 examples of the 1992 Topps Traded Randy Johnson Expos error card have sold at auction for over $50,000. Even well-worn lower graded copies still command prices into the thousands due to their extraordinary rarity and uniqueness in documenting this brief period of baseball card history.
Two other notorious Randy Johnson errors occurred in subsequent 1993 and 1994 Topps sets during the height of his dominance with the Mariners. In 1993 Topps, Johnson’s photo is shown clearly wearing a Mariners uniform but he is incorrectly listed as being a member of the “Montreal Mariners.” This widely discussed error saw “Montreal” printed where it should have said “Seattle.”
Much like the 1992 traded card misprint, only a small number of 1993 Topps Johnson cards entered circulation before the typo was caught and fixed. Finding one of these rare “Montreal Mariners” versions today is like discovering a historical artifact. Even well-worn copies in lower grades have sold for over $10,000 due to the notability of the mistake.
In 1994, Topps committed yet another Johnson gaffe. This time, his team affiliation was printed correctly as the “Seattle Mariners” but the front of the card featured a photo of Randy wearing a backwards Mariners cap. Considered one of the most obvious errors in the hobby, pristine PSA 10 examples of Johnson’s 1994 Topps “backwards hat” error card have achieved auction prices approaching $30,000.
Despite being a perennial American League Cy Young contender and one of baseball’s most intimidating pitchers throughout the 1990s, Randy Johnson errors on his early career baseball cards serve as an enduring reminder of the man and solidify his place in card collecting history. They represent fleeting mistakes that have transformed ordinary strips of cardboard into holy grails for enthusiasts.
While errors are usually seen as flaws, those involving Johnson have taken on new meaning by documenting unique periods and becoming highly coveted pieces of memorabilia. They transport fans back to a special time capsulated between the usual pristine quality expected of flagship sports card releases. For collectors, owning any version of the fabled 1992, 1993, or 1994 Topps Randy Johnson mistakes provides a tangible connection to one of baseball’s most dominant eras.
