1990 Topps Baseball Complete Set

1990 Topps Baseball is an instantly recognizable set. The question is, is it because it's great or is it because collectors have seen so much of it over the years? Regardless, the checklist is solid, delivering rookies from several of the era's top stars. Unfortunately, the print run was so big that they will likely never take off from a value perspective.

The 792-card 1990 Topps Baseball checklist is led by Frank Thomas' rookie card. Other first-year stars include former MVPs Sammy Sosa and Juan Gonzalez. Bernie Williams, a key to the Yankees success of the 90s and 00s, also has a rookie in the set. Subsets include All-Stars, Draft Picks, Turn Back the Clock and Record Breakers. The set begins with five Nolan Ryan cards. After his base card, there are four tribute cards celebrating 5,000 career strikeouts -- one for each team he played for. Former commissioner, A. Bartlett Giamatti has a memorial card in a middle of the checklist.

The 1990 Topps Baseball design is one of the brand's most colorful of all time. An outer frame uses gradients to transition a dark color into a light one. Opposite top and bottom corners have color blocks as well, adding further contrast. These borders give way to a small inner frame that has two more colors. The player's name is in a box at the bottom of the card while their team name is in block letters at the top of the card.