The 1989 Topps baseball card set was the 68th edition of Topps’ long running baseball card product and contained 660 total cards. It was the final year of Topps’ ownership of the exclusive baseball card license before Score and Upper Deck entered the market in 1989 and 1991 respectively, greatly increasing competition. The 1989 Topps set remains a highly popular and collectible vintage issue amongst card collectors and fans.
Some key details and highlights about the 1989 Topps baseball card set include:
Design & Photos: The 1989 set featured vivid full color player photos on a white background with team logos at the bottom. The design was similar to 1988 but with slightly thicker borders. Photo quality was good overall with some variation depending on the photographer.
Roster: The set included cards for all 26 major league teams spanning both the American and National Leagues. Notable rookies included Gregg Olson, Derek Bell, and Barry Larkin. Stars of the era like Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, and Nolan Ryan also had prominent cards.
Short Prints: Topps included several short printed cards that are considerably rarer than the base issues. The most desirable are the Red foil parallel cards (#244 Don Mattingly and #644 Nolan Ryan), which are about 1 per case. Other SPs include Frank Viola (#107), Greg Maddux (#376), and Bob Welch (#492).
Checklists: The base checklist contained 660 cards as usual but Topps also included additional oddball checklist cards like Exchange/Giveaway (#661-662), Pinch Hitters (#663-664), and Fantasy Stars (#665-666). These additional cards add to the intrigue and allure of completing the entire set.
Inserts: For the first time, Topps included “special” insert cards highlighting career milestones. The most notable were the #642 Nolan Ryan 3000th Strikeout card and #643 Wade Boggs 250th Home Run insert. These early insert parallels have stood the test of time.
Design Flaws: Some minor design flaws occurred due to the limitations of printing technology at the time. The most noticeable is on Robin Yount’s card (#201), where the Milwaukee Brewers logo is inexplicably stretched horizontally. Cards with errors tend to attract collectors.
Expansion Teams: With the addition of the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays in 1977, a total of 26 teams were included in the set. The Mariners and Jays had built respectable fan bases by 1989 and their stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Joe Carter received prominent cards.
Stadium Photos: Topps experimented with multi-layered stadium photos on select cards like the Cincinnati Reds (#347-349) grouping and Atlanta Braves (#541-543) grouping. This added a unique visual element compared to the typical headshot-only photos.
When Upper Deck entered the market in 1989 following the expiration of Topps’ exclusive license, it sent shockwaves through the hobby. The 1989 Topps set remains highly coveted by collectors due to its vintage appeal and significance as the final “true” Topps issue. Prices for star cards and coveted short prints from the set have appreciated steadily. The design has also aged very well compared to some of the overly busy/graphic designs of the early 1990s. The 1989 Topps set illustrates how far photo/print technology had progressed compared to the 1960s/1970s issues while still maintaining classic Topps visual stylings. It remains one of the most complete and popular vintage sets for collectors to pursue.
In terms of overall production/print run size, the 1989 Topps offering was one of the largest during the original exclusive contract era with only the 1987 and 1988 issues having higher print runs according to Beckett Almanac data. As such, most common base cards are readily available and quite affordable relative to many earlier 1960s/1970s sets which had much smaller original distributions. This large print run also means pristine graded examples of even common cards can often be located.
While new competitors completely changed the baseball card industry landscape starting in the 1990s due to deals with MLB/players associations, the 1989 Topps set remains a highly symbolic issue commemorating the end of an era. For both vintage collectors and fans of the late 1980s/early 1990s players, it contains enduring visuals and pays tribute to the stars of that period. Even with the advent of modern technology, the old-school photo and card design aesthetics of the 1989 Topps baseball cards give them timeless appeal and collectibility amongst hobbyists. The set endures as an iconic snapshot of 80s/90s baseball.
