Contents hide
1 The 1990 Topps set
2 1990 Topps error cards
2.1 Notable 1990 Topps error cards
2.1.1 1990 Topps Ken Griffey Jr 336 (red blotch on arm)
2.1.2 1990 Topps Kurt Stillwell 222 (Misspelled word on reverse side)
2.1.3 1990 Topps Billy Spiers 538 (wrong photograph)
2.1.4 1990 Topps Frank Thomas 414 (No Name On Front)
3 All Topps 1990 error cards and their variations
4 Value review of 1990 Topps Error cards
5 1990 Topps – Rookies Foil Test
6 Bottomline of the 1990 Topps error cards
7 Other baseball error cards
Our journey to explore the intriguing error cards from various junk wax era sets brings us to an iconic set — the 1990 Topps.
The 1990 Topps is an instantly recognizable set that holds a special place in the hearts of collectors. A solid checklist filled with rookies and legends of the game, combined with the nostalgia of the junk wax era, has ensured there are a lot of memorable, and sometimes valuable, 1990 Topps error cards.
The Frank Thomas NNOF card undoubtedly claims the spotlight as this set’s most well-known error card. However, the 1990 Topps set boasts several other noteworthy errors, with some commanding notable monetary value.
This article shall discuss all the 1990 Topps set error cards, their value, and demand in today’s market.
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The 1990 Topps set
Released as the junk wax era winded down to an end, this set undoubtedly left its mark in the hearts of collectors. It’s one that collectors either love or love to hate. The reason for this is its instantly recognizable multi-colored design.
Topps drew inspiration from its classic 1975 Topps set when designing the 1990 Topps. The cards are printed on gray stock. The card fronts have a non-glossy finish and feature color photographs of players.
The card borders are colored with a fading rotating pattern in various colors (orange, blue, red, green, and purple), which don’t relate to the player’s team colors.
The photo itself has a colored frame, which, more or less, relates to the team colors. The back of the card is non-finished, with a mustard yellow color. As Topps has done for years, the backs contain players’ stats, career stats, and a few lines of player trivia.
Away from the design, the 1990 Topps consisted of 792 standard-sized baseball cards and a solid checklist filled with rookie cards of several of the era’s top stars. Key rookies included,
- Frank Thomas
- Sammy Sosa
- Bernie Williams
- Larry Walker
- Juan Gonzalez
In addition to these several rookies of the era’s top players, this set had a generous number of subsets, including:
- Nolan Ryan Salute
- ’89 Record Breaker
- All-Stars
- Turn Back the Clock
- Draft Picks
Additionally, newcomers to the trading card scene, such as Score and Upper Deck, had raised the bar for collectors’ expectations, so the pictures on these cards were remarkably outstanding.
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1990 Topps error cards
Like all junk wax era releases, the 1990 Topps set has its fair share of error cards. The uniqueness and subsequent value of the Frank Thomas NNOF card have made it the most well-known error card from the set. However, this set has many unique error cards, albeit with little monetary value.
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Notable 1990 Topps error cards
1990 Topps Ken Griffey Jr 336 (red blotch on arm)
Ken Griffey Jr. is well remembered as one of the most electrifying players in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. His prowess extended beyond his explosive bat; he was a defensive maestro, patrolling center field with an elegance that belied his incredible athleticism.
Beyond statistics, Griffey’s impact transcended the field. His infectious smile and genuine love for the game endeared him to fans worldwide. Griffey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with the highest voting percentage ever.
The error card on this card is a red blotch on his arm. Popularly referred to as the bloody scar error, this card has become quite a hit with error card collectors. There are different variations with various colors of the scars.
Some variations are very red, which makes it look like he’s bleeding. Topps covered it up, so it looks darker in some cards. There’s even a green variation where it seems like he has green blood around the scar.
The several variations of this card were worth around $1-$2 until some months ago when collectors’ interest in the card suddenly spiked. Since then, several “bloody scar” variations have sold for up to $40. It’s worth noting that while Griffey is a legend of the game, this “error” card isn’t worth much.
The average value of Ken Griffey Jr #336 bloody scar card calculated from eBay sales is $5.93.
1990 Topps Kurt Stillwell 222 (Misspelled word on reverse side)
Kurt Stillwell made his mark as a skilled infielder. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, California Angels, and Texas Rangers from 1986 to 1993 and in 1996. Stillwell was selected to the American League All-Star team in 1988 as a member of the Royals.
The error on this card is a misspelled word on the reverse of the card. It says “gradute” instead of graduate. This error card does not hold much monetary value. It’s worth between $0.50 to $3, depending on the card’s grade.
1990 Topps Billy Spiers 538 (wrong photograph)
Spiers was a punter for Clemson University. He was a first-round draft pick (13th overall) in the 1987 amateur draft. Two years later, he debuted in the majors with the Milwaukee Brewers on April 7, 1989. For his baseball career, he is known for his walk-off single against Trevor Hoffman and the Padres in game 2 of the 1998 NLDS.
The error on this card is a wrong photograph. The picture used was fellow player George Canale. The error wasn’t corrected, so just one variation of this error card exists. The fact that Spiers wasn’t an especially great player, and this error wasn’t corrected, ensures that this card has no monetary value.
1990 Topps Frank Thomas 414 (No Name On Front)
For the diamond of all 1990 Topps error cards, the Frank Thomas NNOF card, While other errors might be interesting and laughable, they aren’t worth much. However, this card holds immense monetary value, with copies selling for over $20,000.
A detailed review of this error card is available here. We discussed everything about the NNOF card, from the most likely reason for the error to its value in today’s market.
Shop for the 1990 Topps Frank Thomas NNOF error card on eBay
— Da Hook (@OffDaHook35) August 9, 2023Looks like the MegaMillions jackpot of $1.5B finally hit
What is the first card you would buy with the money?
If you don’t like cards for some reason, what non-card item would you buy?
This is my choice – 1990 Topps Frank Thomas NNOF
Flipped by one for $4 as a kid 😞 pic.twitter.com/Ghm69mPTTy
Blackless error cards
The Frank Thomas error card is a “blackless” card. While it’s the most popular card where the black ink wasn’t getting printed, it’s not the only one affected. There are several other blackless cards.
Other blackless cards that have been identified, along with the Frank Thomas rookie, are
- John Hart #141
- Kevin Tapani #227
- Marcus Lawton #302
- John Morris #383
- Fred McGriff All-Stars #385
- Julio Franco AS #386
- Carlton Fisk All-Stars #392
- Jeff Russell All-Stars #395
- Craig Biggio All-Stars #404
- Joe Magrane All-Stars #406
- Frank Thomas NNOF #414
- Frank Thomas Partial Blackless #414b
- Darrin Jackson #624
- Jim Acker #
The blackless errors are found on sheet F and attract ample interest from several collectors. Several collectors aim to build “blackless variations” sets from the 1990 Topps error cards.
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Ok all you junk wax lovers. I need a little help finding the 1990 Topps Fred McGriff blackless print flaw. The card can be differentiated by the white patches in the bottom left corner. If you have a hoard of 90s Topps and have this, please let me know pic.twitter.com/T45GaHUkOv
— Kenny Hillyard (@knhillyard) November 24, 2018
A few of them hold ample monetary value. An example is the Carlton Fisk partial blackless card with several $250 sales. The Craig Biggio card was purchased for $400 in 2022. A collector building a blackless set offered $750 for the Russel card on the Collectors Universe forum.
However, they are generally not worth much because, unlike the Frank Thomas card, most blackless errors are in negligible positions. Additionally, they were never corrected, meaning millions of copies are readily available.
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All Topps 1990 error cards and their variations
The 1990 Topps set had its share of minor errors ranging from missing ink to errant splotches. There are dozens of print-flaw variations in this set that, if considered, would leave us with a very long list.
Hence, we’ll only cover errors that Topps corrected. We’ll ignore minor uncorrected errors. Thanks to the research from JunkWaxGems.
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| Card | Error |
| Topps 1990 Nolan Ryan 5 | Says he played at the “Texas” stadium on the back. It should be “Arlington” stadium. |
| Topps 1990 Mike Fetters 14 | Splotch on the jersey missing black ink. Topps corrected the error and airbrushed the splotch out. A third variation has the splotch completely invisible. |
| Topps 1990 Roger Salkeld 44 | Black ink is missing at the bottom left of the card. Topps corrected the error, and subsequent copies were correctly printed. |
| Topps 1990 Dave Parker 45 | Wrong date of birth. He was born in Jackson, not Calhoun |
| Topps 1990 Darrell Evan 55 | Wrong home run total on the reverse side. It should be 414, but says 424. |
| Topps 1990 Checklist 128 | Reverse side missing “see…” text. The error was corrected with subsequent copies having the “see…” text. |
| Topps 1990 John Hart MG 141 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Kurt Stillwell 222 | Misspelled word on reverse side. Says “gradute” instead of graduate |
| Topps 1990 Marcus Lawton 302 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Ken Griffey Jr 336 | Red blotch on arm. Corrected with several variations existing. |
| Topps 1990 Sandy Alomar 353 | The card was missing a “Jr.” Never corrected |
| Topps 1990 Marty Barrett 355 | Wrong batting average in his 1982 stats. It should be .056, not .56. |
| Topps 1990 Checklist card 376 | Didn’t alphabetize “Higuera” correctly. |
| Topps 1990 John Morris 383 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Fred McGriff All-Stars 385 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Julio Franco All-Stars 386 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Carlton Fisk All-Stars 392 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Jeff Russell All-Stars 395 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Bart Giamatti 396 | Missing 2-3mm of black border around right side of name bar. Corrected, and there are several variations of the card |
| Topps 1990 Craig Biggio All-Stars 404 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Joe Magrane All-Stars 406 | Missing portion of black ink on front. Corrected. |
| Topps 1990 Frank Thomas 414 | Missing large, diagonal section of black ink (No Name On Front or NNOF). Corrected |
| Topps 1990 Jeff Hamilton 426 | Wrong 1986 strikeout on reverse side. |
| Topps 1990 Jeff King 454 | No gray area on back, entirely yellow and black. Corrected |
| Topps 1990 Cecil Espy 496 | Wrong number of stolen bases for 1988. Should be 33 not 3. |
| Topps 1990 Mike Dunne 522 | Wrong birth town. He was born in Peoria, not South Bend. |
| Topps 1990 Nick Wikender 528 | Wrong strikeout total on reverse side. Shows 2.2 which is actually his innings pitched. |
| Topps 1990 Billy Spiers 538 | Wrong picture. |
| Topps 1990 Scott Scudder 553 | Says “Cedar Rap1ds” instead of “Cedar Rapids” |
| Topps 1990 Dick Houser TBC 661 | Wrong date of Tom Seaver’s 300th win. Should be August 4, 85 rather than July 11, 85. |
| Topps 1990 Johnny Bench TBC 664 | Red shadow lettering over name on front. Corrected |
| Topps 1990 Kirt Manwaring 678 | His 1988 stats were printed twice. |
| Topps 1990 Juan Berenguer 709 | Gap in black ink around bio data on back. Corrected |
| Topps 1990 Mark Parent 749 | Wrong batting average. Says .80 when it should be .080. |
| Topps 1990 |
Value review of 1990 Topps Error cards
Like all junk wax sets, the 1990 Topps was subject to massive overprinting. Except for the Frank Thomas card, these error cards lack significant monetary worth.
The prevalence of mass production during the junk wax era ensures there are millions of copies of each card even today. This has diminished the rarity factor of all 1990 Topps error cards which often adds to the monetary value of error cards.
Additionally, most 1990 Topps error cards are either minor errors or significant errors that were left uncorrected. While minor errors are unique, they don’t present much of an allure to be considered valuable.
1990 Topps – Rookies Foil Test
Jumbo packs of the 1990 Topps had specially made cards called Glossy Rookies commemorating popular rookies from the previous season. Topps tested out a new printing technique with these Glossy Rookies. They took several regular cards and printed a foil stripe across the front.
They are printed with several different colors of foil (Blue, Gold, Green, Silver, Orange, and Pink). The foil’s color seems consistent by the player (with a few exceptions). However, the placement of foil can be found in a variety of locations.
One card may have it straight across the player’s face, while another could be near the bottom. There are cards with more than one stripe of the same color.
@midwestboxbreak
— NiksStamps (@NikPflu) June 6, 2020
RARE GRIFFEY ALERT
Rare 1990 Topps Glossy Rookies Foil Test 1-33 Set Uncut Sheet w/ Ken Griffey Jr.
Qty: 3
One sheet has a "perfect" Griffey. 1990 test foil card graded 10 sold in Nov 2015 for $750.I'm posting for my 6th grade English teacher Rod Robertson pic.twitter.com/ipHPhCTb7Y
As expected, the Rookie Foil Test cards hold more value than their regular counterparts and even most 1990 Topps error cards. Their value ranges from $5 to $100 for the Ken Griffey Jr. foil test, which is the most popular.
Topps was testing the new foil technology which was later used for their Desert Shield and Stadium Club sets. There’s no news about how these cards were distributed, but they did find their way to the market.
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Bottomline of the 1990 Topps error cards
While personal opinions might vary, the 1990 Topps is an iconic and memorable set. If you’re a junk wax-era collector, this set has several attractive error cards you can add to your collection.
However, if you’re strictly collecting because of a potential ROI, it’ll be better to look elsewhere. Of all 1990 Topps error cards, the one error card with ample monetary value is the Frank Thomas NNOF card.
Its value has steadily risen from the $3,000 mark to over $20,000. It has a high entry point, and it might take a while to recoup your acquisition costs (if at all). Other blackless cards have gained attention as purists aim to complete the “blackless set.”
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Other baseball error cards
- 1988 Topps error cards
- 1990 Donruss error cards
- Frank Thomas No Name on Front
- C3PO Golden Rod
- Billy Ripkin F**k Face Card
- Dale Murphy reverse-negative card
- 1989 Fleer Randy Johnson “Marlboro” error card
- Joe Montana error cards
- 1987 Topps error cards
- 1969 Mickey Mantle error card
