Score was a trading card company that produced baseball cards from 1986 to 1993. Their core set was called Score All-Star baseball and they produced high quality cards during the height of the baseball card boom in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Let’s take a deeper look at the history and traits of Score All-Star baseball cards.
Score was founded in 1986 by Louis Manna and was headquartered in New Rochelle, New York. Their first baseball card set that year was called “Score ’86” and it had 396 total cards. It was their 1987 set branded as “Score All-Star baseball” that really put them on the map and launched their successful run producing baseball cards through the early 90s.
The 1987 Score All-Star set had 528 total cards and featured a clean and classic design that collectors loved. The photography was sharp and high quality. Each card had a white border surrounding the image with the team name and player info below in text. Above the image was the “Score” logo printed in classic baseball script font. The cards had terrific gloss and were quite thick, giving them a very premium feel in the hand compared to some other brands at the time.
In terms of player content, the ’87 Score set was the first to include all active major leaguers at the time of production. This made for a very complete rookie class as well as inclusion of lesser known depth players that added to the authentic baseball experience for collectors. Score also featured short bios of players on the rear of some cards that provided interesting facts and stats to learn more about them. The set had a fairly normal statistical distribution with the usual rookie and star player short prints scattered throughout boxes.
The success of the 1987 Score All-Star cards led the company to produce the set again with minor tweaks and enhancements in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991. Some notable improvements over the years included better photography with some action shots added, additional stats and career highlights featured on the back, and bigger rookie classes as new players entered the majors each season. One downside was that starting in 1989, Score increased the printed run of each consecutive year, decreasing scarcity.
From 1992-1993, Score made some poor business decisions that ultimately led to their demise. They printed extremely high numbers in 1992 which flooded the market. They also created confusing variations and inserted autograph and logo patch cards in ways that angered collectors. Perhaps most damaging was the introduction of “Score Traded” in 1993 which copied the design of the base set but included traded players in their new team’s uniforms, contradicting the stated release timeline of the original base cards. These factors eroded collector confidence in the brand.
In terms of the actual physical cards themselves, Score All-Stars from the late 80s golden era are known for their exceptional quality control. The centering, cuts and composition of the cardboard stock were meticulously maintained by Score. This is evidenced by the extremely high percentages of these cards that still grade professionally as Mint condition today, a testament to how well they were produced and have held up over 30+ years. The luxurious gloss also helped keep the images sharp.
When it comes to the value of Score All-Star baseball cards in the current vintage market, there is a lot of variability depending on specific years, players and production factors:
1987 Score All-Star cards have held their value very well and grades examples of stars from that pioneering set can sell for hundreds of dollars. Top rookies like Mark McGwire are particularly desirable.
1988-1991 Score All-Stars also remain quite collectible and grades stars and key rookies can be worth $50-100+. Solid condition common cards can often sell in the $5-10 range.
The overproduction issues of 1992 caused a market crash where once $20+ cards lost most value. Grades examples of stars have rebounded some to $10-20 today.
1993 Score Traded variants are quite unpopular with collectors and have not increased in value like other year’s sets. Base set cards hold little value as well.
In conclusion, Score All-Star baseball cards from the late 80s established the brand as a premier producer known for top quality photography, design and construction. While earlier sets from 1986-1991 are most coveted, properly graded examples from the height of their run continue to be appreciated by vintage collectors. The dominance ofScore in those boom years truly cemented them as all-star performers in the baseball card industry.
