1990's Topps
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps baseball card products for the 1990s.
Base Set
The 1990 Topps set totals 792 cards and was issued in wax, rack, and jumbo packs or factory sets. Subsets include Nolan Ryan Salute, Record Breakers, Turn Back The Clock, All-Stars, First Draft Picks, Checklists, and Manager cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Traded Set
The Traded set totals 132 cards and was issued in wax packs or as a factory set. The cards are identical in appearance to the base set with two exceptions. The traded set uses a different color palate for the gradient design than is found in the base set and the factory set card were printed in Ireland on white cardstock in Ireland while the Pennsylvania printed cards from the wax packs were printed on a a gray backed cardstock. This set featured traded players and managers, and rookie cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Glossy Send-Ins
This set totals 60 cards and was available by mailing in the special offer cards found in 1990 Topps wax packs. The fronts have a glossy player photo while the backs say All-Star Set Collector's EDition and include the players name, team ,and position. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Glossy All-Stars
This set totals 22 cards and was available as an insert in 1990 Topps rack packs. The back says All-Star Game Commemorative Set and includes the players name, position and league. There are 11 cards each for the American and National League All-Star teams. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Mini Leaders
The Mini set includes 88 cards and were available in wax packs. The cards vaguely resemble the base set and featured players that led various statistical categories. Size: 2-1/8 X 3 in.
Glossy Rookies
This set totals 33 cards and was available as an insert in 1990 Topps jumbo packs. The back says Rookies Commemorative Set and includes the players name, position and team. The cards slightly resemble the Glossy All-Star set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Batting Leaders
This 22 card set was issued as an insert in K-Mart blister packs and featured the top ACTIVE career batting leaders. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Topps Big
This set totals 330 cards issued in three series of 110 cards and was available in wax packs. Comic style career highlights are featured on the back. Size: 2-5/8 X 3-3/4 in.
Wax Box Cards
The "Box Bottom" cards were featured 4 to a box on the bottom of the wax pack boxes of 1990 Topps of which there were 4 different boxes for a total of 16 cards. They resemble the base cards except for having a career milestones on the back instead of full statistics. The set is lettered A-P rather than numbered. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in. when individually cut out.
Topps Debut '89
This Major League Debut set had 152 total cards and was issued as a factory set. The cards chronicle a player's first appearance and are otherwise similar in appearance to the regular issue. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Bowman
- The 1990 Bowman set has 528 cards and was issued in wax packs and factory sets. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- The 1990 Bowman Art Inserts were 11 cards found in the Bowman wax pack featuring drawings of 11 superstars. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Parallel Sets
- In 1990 O-Pee-Chee printed an identical 792 card set which featured English/French on the backs. O-Pee-Chee also printed bilingual versions of the Wax Box Cards.
- In 1990 Topps issued Tiffany sets of the Base set and the Traded set in limited quantities only available as Factory sets. A Tiffany set was also available of the 1990 Bowman set.
Retail/Food Issues
These are sets issued by other companies in conjunction with Topps.
- Ames All-Stars 33 card box set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Bazooka Shining Stars 22 cards issued in boxes of gum. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Hills Hit Men 33 card box set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- K-Mart Superstars 33 card box set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Kay-Bee 33 card box set called Kings of Baseball. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Topps TV All-Stars 66 card factory set available through television offer. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Toys R Us Rookies 33 card box set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Woolworth's Baseball Highlights 33 card box set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
1991
Base Set
The 1991 Topps set totals 792 cards and was issued in wax, rack, and jumbo packs or factory sets. Subsets include Future Stars, Record Breakers, All-Stars, First Draft Picks, Checklists, and Manager cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Traded Set
The Traded set totals 132 cards and was issued in wax packs or as a factory set.The cards are identical in appearance to the base set with two exceptions. The traded set uses a different color palate for the gradient design than is found in the base set and the factory set card were printed in Ireland on white cardstock in Ireland while the Pennsylvania printed cards from the wax packs were printed on a a gray backed cardstock. This set featured traded players, managers, rookie cards, and Team USA cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Glossy All-Stars
This set totals 22 cards and was available as an insert in 1991 Topps rack packs. The back says All-Star Game Commemorative Set and includes the players name, position and league. There are 11 cards each for the American and National League All-Star teams. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Glossy Rookies
This set totals 33 cards and was available as an insert in 1991 Topps jumbo packs. The back says Rookies Commemorative Set and includes the players name, position and team. The cards slightly resemble the Glossy All-Star set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Topps East Coast National
This set features 4 reprint cards of Aaron, Mantle, Musial, and Robinson. They were available at the 1991 national baseball card convention. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Wax Box Cards
The "Box Bottom" cards were featured 4 to a box on the bottom of the wax pack boxes of 1991 Topps of which there were 4 different boxes for a total of 16 cards. They resemble the base cards except for having a career milestones on the back instead of full statistics and a yellow border instead of white. The set is lettered A-P rather than numbered. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in. when individually cut out.
Topps Debut '90
This Major League Debut set had 171 total cards and was issued as a factory set. The cards chronicle a players first appearance, they are otherwise similar in appearance to the regular issue. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Bowman
The 1991 Bowman set has 704 cards and was issued in wax packs and factory sets. Subsets include Rod Carew Tribute, Minor League MVP's, AL/NL Silver Sluggers, and Checklist cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Stadium Club
The 1991 Stadium Club is a premium set totaling 600 cards. It was issued in packs in 2 series of 300 cards. The players Topps rookie card is featured on the backs. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Archives 1953
The 1991 Topps Archives set is a reprint of the original 1953 Topps set. All 274 original cards with the exception of Billy Loes #174 were included in the set. This set has also been extended by 57 cards as well as being reformatted from their original size. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Parallel Sets
- In 1991 O-Pee-Chee printed an identical 792 card set which featured English/French on the backs. O-Pee-Chee also printed bilingual versions of the Topps Wax Box Cards.
- In 1991 Topps issued Tiffany sets of the Base set and the Traded set in limited quantities only available as Factory sets.
- Desert Shield is a 792 card set issued to service people and bears a Desert Shield logo.
- Topps Micro was a mini version of the regular Topps set issued only as factory sets.
Retail/Food Issues
These are sets issued by other companies in conjunction with Topps.
- Bazooka Shining Stars 22 cards issued in boxes of gum. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Cracker Jack 72 cards issued in 2 series of 36 as the Toy Surprise. Size: 1-1/4 X 1-3/4 in.
- Toys R Us Rookies 33 card box set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Woolworth's Baseball Highlights 33 card box set. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
1992
Base Set
The 1992 Topps set totals 792 cards and was issued in wax, rack, and jumbo packs or factory sets. Subsets include Future Stars, Record Breakers, All-Stars, Prospects, Checklists, and Manager cards. This was the first year Topps used white stock for their base set. It was also the first year to feature color photos on the card reverse (of the player's home stadium) as well as a full color backside overall. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Traded Set
The Traded set totals 132 cards and was issued as a factory set. The cards are identical in appearance to the base set except for the T in the numbering. This set featured traded players and managers, rookie cards, and Team USA cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Topps Kids
This set totals 132 cards was available in wax packs. The fronts and backs are cartoon styled with trivia, quotes, and statistics. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Topps Debut '91
This Major League Debut set had 194 total cards and was issued as a factory set. The cards chronicle a player's first appearance, they are otherwise similar in appearance to the regular issue. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Bowman
The 1992 Bowman set has 705 cards and was issued in plastic, jumbo, and retail carton packs. This set featured parallel foil cards of 45 players. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Stadium Club
- The 1992 Stadium Club set totals 900 cards and was issued in packs in 3 series of 300 cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- First Draft Picks are 3 cards inserted in packs or mailed to club members. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Master Photos 15 card set available to club members or inserted in retail boxes. Size: 5 X 7 in.
- Stadium Club Dome is a 200 card factory set packaged as the SkyDome. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Parallel Sets
- In 1992 O-Pee-Chee printed an almost identical O-Pee-Chee branded (unlike the previous year's Topps branded set) 792 card set which featured English/French on the backs and was available in wax packs or factory sets. No all star cards were in the set, instead they were replaced by a Gary Carter tribute subset and cards of players who did not appear in the Topps set including a Moises Alou rookie card. O-Pee-Chee also printed bilingual versions of the Topps Wax Box Cards.
- In 1992 Topps issued Gold cards of the Base set as inserts or as a factory set with checklists replaced with players. A Gold Traded set was also available only as Factory sets.
- Gold Winners cards were available by mailing-in winning game cards.
- Topps Micro was an 804 card mini version of the regular Topps set issued only as factory sets and had 12 extra gold parallel cards.
- Stadium Club issued two 100 cards sets identical to the regular series one each for the National Convention and the East Coast National.
Retail/Food Issues
These are sets issued by other companies in conjunction with Topps.
- Dairy Queen Team USA 33 cards issued with purchase of sundae. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- McDonald's Baseball's Best 44 cards issued with purchase of meal. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Bazooka 22 'Quadracards' of 1953 Topps Archives. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
1993
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps baseball card products for 1993.
Base Set
The 1993 Topps set totals 825 cards and was issued in wax, rack, and jumbo packs or factory sets. Subsets include All-Stars, Checklists, and Manager cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Traded Set
The Traded set totals 132 cards and was issued as a factory set. The cards are identical in appearance to the base set except for the T in the numbering. This set featured traded players and managers, rookies, free agents, and Team USA cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Black Gold
This set totals 44 cards and was available as an insert or by mail order. The fronts feature a player action photo over a glossy black background and gold foil name. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Commanders of the Hill
This set has 30 total cards and were issued on military bases. The cards are exclusively of pitchers. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Full Shots
This set totals 21 cards and were available as inserts in retail Topps packs or Bowman Jumbo boxes. Size: 3-1/2 X 5 in.
Bowman
The 1993 Bowman set has 708 cards and was issued in platic, and jumbo packs. This set features foil subsets of 1992 minor league MVP's, prospects, and father/son combos. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Finest
The 1993 Finest set totals 199 cards and was issued in foil packs. The cards have a silver-blue metallic finish on the fronts. Set includes an All-Star subset. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
Stadium Club
- The 1993 Stadium Club set totals 750 cards and was issued in packs in 3 series of 300 cards. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Stadium Club Inserts is a 10 cards inserted in packs or mailed to club members. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Master Photos 30 card set available to club members or inserted in boxes. Size: 5 X 7 in.
- Stadium Club Murphy is a 200 card factory set packaged as the Jack Murphy Stadium. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Murphy Master Photos are 12 cards inserted one per Murphy factory set. Size: 5 X 7 in.
Parallel Sets
- In 1993 Topps issued identical 825 card sets called Inaugural Marlins and Inaugural Rockies which featured gold foil stamped team logos on the respective cards. They were available only as factory sets.
- In 1993 Topps issued Gold cards of the Base set as inserts or as a factory set with checklists replaced with player cards.
- Topps Micro is an 837 card mini version of the regular Topps set issued only as factory sets and has 12 extra PRiSM cards.
- Stadium Club issued two 100 cards sets identical to the regular series one each for the National Convention and the East Coast National.
- Finest issued a Refractors set available as an insert in packs.
- Finest Jumbos is a 33 card reproduction set of The All-Star subset. Size: 4 X 6 in.
- Stadium Club First Day Issue issued as pack inserts.
- Stadium Club Members Only issued as a factory set.
Retail/Food Issues
These are sets issued by other companies in conjunction with Topps.
- Bazooka Team USA 22 cards issued in collector tin and resemble Topps regular issue. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
- Toys R Us 100 cards issued as a factory set resembling a toy store. Cards are similar to the Stadium Club issue. Each set included one insert 5 X 7 Master Photos of which there were twelve total. Size: 2-1/2 X 3-1/2 in.
References
- Beckett, Dr. James et al (2002). "Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide". Beckett Publications-Dallas, Texas ISBN 1-930692-17-X