The Seattle Mariners began play as an expansion team in 1977, joining the American League West. That inaugural season marked the first year the Mariners franchise appeared on Topps baseball cards. Topps had been the exclusive licensed producer of major league baseball cards since the 1950s, so it was fitting that they issued cards to showcase the new players and uniforms of the Emerald City’s first big league club.
The 1977 Topps set included 181 total cards, with the Mariners represented by 17 rookie cards showing the team’s first year roster. Some of the notable Mariners featured were shortstop/third baseman Rodney Craig (#76), first baseman Tommy Harper (#83), left fielder Richie Zisk (#96), pitcher Bill LaFleur (#104), and catcher Mickey Cochrane (#159). The cards featured action shots of the players in their navy blue and gold uniforms with “Seattle” across the front. It was exciting for local kids to collect cards of the hometown Major League squad for the first time.
In the years that followed, Topps continued to issue cards annually that included the evolving Mariners roster. Many young fan’s favorite players emerged over the next dozen years, including first baseman/designated hitter Alvin Davis, third baseman Wade Boggs, outfielders Jay Buhner and Ken Griffey Jr., and pitchers Mark Langston and Randy Johnson. The cards provided an opportunity to follow and appreciating rising Mariners stars.
A notable Topps Mariners card from the 1980s was Ken Griffey Jr.’s 1989 rookie card (#91). Widely considered one of the most iconic baseball cards of all-time, it features a close-up image of the supremely talented 19-year-old “Kid” in his second major league season for Seattle. Highly prized by collectors even today, a near-mint Griffey rookie in excellent condition can fetch thousands of dollars. It perfectly captures the budding superstardom of one of the franchise’s all-time great players.
In 1995, Topps captured the excitement around the Mariners on the diamond and the optimism of the city with its franchise-record 116 win season. That year’s Topps set included cards highlighting Seattle stars like Griffey (#166), Randy Johnson (#244), Edgar Martinez (#344), and rookie Alex Rodriguez (#551). The cards conveyed a sense of destiny as the team aimed for its first playoff appearance and World Series title. While they fell short of a championship that year, the accomplishments cemented the Mariners as a contender for years to come in the hearts of Northwest baseball followers.
As the Mariners enjoyed success throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, reaching the postseason multiple times, Topps kept producing quality cards marking the achievements. In 2001, they issued an “Ultimate Millennium Team” card (#U-6) spotlighting the franchise’s best players from the first 25 seasons like Griffey, Rodriguez, Buhner, Martinez, Johnson, and Jay Buhner. A special Millennium team card (#U-40) paid homage to fan favorite outfielder “The Bone” Buhner smashing baseballs over the left field wall at the Kingdome.
Another notable Topps Mariners card from the 2000s commemorated Ichiro Suzuki’s rookie season of 2001 (#73). Like the Griffey ’89, it has become a highly sought after issue because it was the first card issued of the surefire Hall of Famer in his record-breaking MLB debut campaign when he won AL MVP and Rookie of the Year honors. Ichiro went on to have one of the greatest careers by an import player in baseball history during his years patrolling right field in Seattle.
Today, nearly two decades after Ichiro’s arrival, the Mariners franchise continues striving to bring a World Series title to the Northwest for the first time under new ownership led by John Stanton and the Nintendo family. Their quest to return to prominence rolls on as Topps keeps faithfully documenting each season’s roster with a new card series. For Mariners fans and collectors alike, Topps baseball cards remain a fun and nostalgic way to cherish the memories of favorite players from the club’s first forty-plus years in the majors and hope for more championships ahead.
