1990 Topps Coins

Set Size: 60 coins, 1-1/2" diameter

Design Notes: Made of metal, the coins have full-color photos of players with a baseball field design; the player's team and name appear at the bottom. Backs have black text describing a highlight in the player's career.

Parallels and Similars: Most coins have aluminum colorinng on the edges, as seen above, though some award-winning players were issued in different colors - these are not parallels or variations. Several other coin sets were issued by Topps, but this design is unique and a 1990 copyright is found on the back.

Distribution: Coins came three per pack, 36 packs per box. Factory sets and coin holders were also available.

Thoughts: I've listed some of the other coins issued by Topps, and they all have a similar basic design. This has the best images I've seen, and the design is pretty clean and sharp. It's another inexpensive set to obtain, with Ripken and Ryan leading the pack at around $1/coin but it's a fun issue to put together by busting packs.

1990 ProCards A and AA

Set size: 200 cards

Front Design: a neon orange background surrounds a wavy-cropped, red and white bordered photo and red box with the player's name, position, and team at the bottom. The ProCards logo appears in the upper left. (See Jason's comment below.)

Back Design: The backs are similar to most 1990 ProCards backs, with vitals and minor league statistics.

Parallels and Similars: None known. ProCards team sets feature a woodgrain plaque design, and the AAA sets have white or green borders.

Distribution: Cards were issued in packs and complete set form.

Thoughts: The bright colors make these easily found in most card stacks. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, given the number of players who didn't make the major leagues. There are several standouts in the set, though, including Frank Thomas and Jim Thome.

1990 Best Minor League

Set size: 324 cards

Front Design: A full-bleed photograph contains the player's name, team, and position overprinted in black or white in one of the corners. The end of the set contains "bonus cards" (notated on back, but also numbered sequentially in the set) with black borders and red triangles in the photo's corners.

Back Design: The backs contain a "frame" in black and faded pink, containing the player's name, position, vitals, career summary, and prior year statistics. There is space for an autograph at the bottom.

Parallels and Similars: None known, though the front design (or lack thereof) is somewhat similar to other issues - how many ways can you do "minimal" design? These cards are easily distinguished by the copyright information at the bottom. Note: Best team sets contain a completely different design with white borders.

Distribution: Cards were issued in packs of 12 through the hobby.

Thoughts: The lack of front design makes this set favorable, but the image quality and frequent use of posed shots mean the cards aren't as attractive as they could be. Some cards have action shots. For about $5, this would be a good addition to a collection. Jeff Bagwell and Frank Thomas (with a regular card and a bonus card) are the only major stars in the set (Luis Gonzalez, Bernie Williams and Ryan Klesko also make an appearance).

1990 Canton-Akron Indians ProCards

Set size: 27 cards

Front Design: Cards are designed to resemble hand-made photo plaques. The photo appears with a white border on a woodgrain background; a gold plate at the bottom contains the player's name, position, and team.

Back Design: The horizontal backs contain the player's vitals and minor league statistics on a peach background. The card number appears in the upper-left corner, and is numbered as part of a master set. Note: as Jason points out in the comments below, my card back is different from the team set by essentially two things: the additional card number in the lower right, and the black border.

Parallels and Similars: All 1990 ProCards team sets follow this design.

Distribution: Cards were distributed through dealers, the team, and the manufacturer.

Thoughts: I remember making photo plaques like that at camp or in boy scouts. You'd cut out a photograph, glue it on a piece of stained wood, and cover it with varnish. Maybe you'd use a drawing, make your own nameplate, put something like "Happy Mother's Day!" in cheap marker, and you'd have a gift ready to go! If the wood color didn't remind me of a 1970s station wagon, and the borders weren't white, I would enjoy this design a good bit. The backs are plain, though I always appreciate minor league statistics. There is plenty of room for a write-up, but I suppose when you're a company printing over 1300 different cards each for two different sets, with players moving up and down daily, a biography can be tough to write and out of date before it's even printed.

Additional Images: card back:

1990 Richmond Braves CMC

Set size: 27 cards

Front Design: A color photo appears inside a green and yellow frame. The team name appears on the left side, with the player's name and position on the bottom edge. A team logo is positioned inside a home plate in the lower left.

Back Design: A sponsor's logo appears at the top, followed by the team name and affiliation. A cropped version of the front photo appears in a gray box, while the player's name, jersey number, position, vitals, and minor league statistics are to the left. The cards are numbered in an overall master set scheme at the bottom, while the team set card number appears in a circle above the player's name. Team set cards have a minty green back, while this actual card comes from a larger release (thanks Jason!).

Parallels and Similars: None.

Distribution: Cards were sold through team stores, dealers, and the manufacturer in team set form, packaged in a plastic wrapper. Only 1100 sets were manufactured.

Thoughts: This is one of the more uninspiring designs in the era of overproduction. Adding to the issue is the ready availability of these sets, purchased in bulk by speculators and now dumped back on the hobby, full of players who never made it to the majors. Every team set has a few stars, and Brian Hunter spent some time in the majors, though he never attained stardom in nine seasons with six teams. The Richmond Braves are no more, playing now in Georgia as the Gwinnett Braves.

Additional Images: not exactly the card back:

Team set back style (different team, thanks again Jason):

1990 Tacoma Tigers CMC

Set size: 25 standard-sized cards

Front Design: As with all CMC minor league issues that year, the design surrounds a color photo.The team's name appears in the left border, with the team logo in the bottom left inside a home plate. The player's name and position appear in a bottom border. The borders with text are green, while the remaining borders are thinner and yellow. The team set card number is in the middle, above the player's name. The overall CMC card number for that year appears at the bottom.

Back Design: The top of the card contains a sponsor's logo, followed by the team name and affiliation. A cropped headshot, vital statistics, and minor league statistics complete the back. Team sets have green backs, while the larger release has multi-colored backs (see below, thank you Jason).

Parallels and Similars: None known. There is a ProCards team set issued that year for many minor league teams, but that design is different.

Distribution: Most cards were initially released as team sets at home minor league stadiums.

Thoughts: Overall, the cards aren't terribly exciting in design, but there are several qualities which make these aggreable. I appreciate the use of the full team name with location, and the team logo on the cards. Minor league logos are interesting in their own right. I also enjoy the inclusion of the name of the minor league, team affiliation, and complete stats on the back. Pro Debut includes the full team name and team logo, but doesn't include the minor league or affiliation or statistics.

Additional Images: Card back (major release):

Card back example (team set release, thank you again Jason):

1990 Alaska Goldpanners Team Issue

Set size: 16 standard-size cards

Front Design: A color photo is in a gold border. The player's name appears at the top along with the team logo of a man panning for gold. The team name, abbreviated "Panners," is at the bottom.

Back Design: The black text-only back contains the player's name, vital statistics, and a career writeup inside a thin black frame. The cards are numbered in the upper-left corner.

Parallels and Similars: None known. Previous team issues have different designs, and this was the last team issue until 1999.

Distribution: These would have been sold by the team through the years. Five thousand sets were produced.

Thoughts: First, I apologize for the blurry scans. Some of the modern cards you'll see this month are graded (this card) or encased (sets like Topps Pristine), and while I prefer my cards out of holders, for integrity's sake I'm leaving them in... for now. The set is similar in quality and content to most minor league sets. This is a collegiate summer team.

Additional Links: The Goldpanners team website has a list of all team sets they've issued (at least the ones still available for sale). Most sets are $10; this one sells for $30. I picked up this card for $1 or less at a show.

Additional Images: Card back: