Topps baseball card question?

[Mariano Rivera]

I know the topps baseball sets from between 1987-1990 were way over produced, so what is the number of boxes produced in each of those years millions or billions.

[Captain Cold Nose]

I know the topps baseball sets from between 1987-1990 were way over produced, so what is the number of boxes produced in each of those years millions or billions.

I don't think Topps was as bad as Donruss in those years. I think the 1988 Donruss set was responsible for more litter than the Hartz pet brand.

[dgarza]

I don't think Topps was as bad as Donruss in those years. I think the 1988 Donruss set was responsible for more litter than the Hartz pet brand.

Yeah Donruss and 1990. I don't think Toppps was really the problem

[RuthMayBond]

I don't think Topps was as bad as Donruss in those years.

Compare the value of key rookie cards in the 87 Topps and then Donruss

[dgarza]

Compare the value of key rookie cards in the 87 Topps and then Donruss

I don't think 1987 was the year flooding began.
Donruss and Fleer might have under produced in 87.
Overproduction started when competition grew...Score 1988 ... Upper Deck 1989...
Not only was it overproduction, but the product quality suffered as well.

[dgarza]

I'd say the key years were 1990, 1991, 1992, maybe more?

[Captain Cold Nose]

Upper Deck 1989, I believe, was the beginning of companies trying to produce more premium cards. I remember people complaining about paying over a dollar for a pack when those came out. When Topps Stadium Club came out, the hobby really stopped being a hobby.

If you go to Wal-Mart or large retailers like that, and you purchase one of those card bricks guaranteeing a superstar valuable card or something like that, I bet you'll find plenty of Donruss from 1988-1990, Score 1990, Topps 1990 and the like. 1987 was a benchmark year, because the rookie crop was so strong. That probably started the over production and less attention to quality. In a sense, the premium issues was over compensation for the poor quality of over abundance of cards in the late 80's and early 90's.

Remember when Topps brought the Bowman brand name back in 1989? And introduced Topps Big around the same time? Can you imagine what R & D was coming up with and throwing away if that's what made it to the shelves?

[RuthMayBond]

My favorite is, a guy goes to a psychologist who asks him to play word association. The doctor says "yellow", and the guy says 1991 Fleer

[beelobomber2]

Hey Guys,

Came across a bunch of my old Topps cards from the 1988 set i believe (last season marked in career lines is 1987, so I assume its '88 set.) I have a Glenn Hoffman card which totall put the wrong head on the wrong body, wondering if that is worth anything? Also, I got a card that looks like Alan Trammell but gives a different name?

Let me know if they are worth anything, thansk.

[AutographCollector]

I have a Glenn Hoffman card which totall put the wrong head on the wrong body, wondering if that is worth anything? Also, I got a card that looks like Alan Trammell but gives a different name?

Would it be possible for you to scan the cards for us?

[DaClyde]

It seemed like Topps was trying to rehash the 60s, after the 1987 design, by being as boring as possible. 1990 Topps was a blatant attempt to imitate Donruss (and do a horrible job at it). 1991 was the year Fleer finally got their photography together and stopped releasing hideously grainy shots or very blurry shots. While the yellow may have been a tad much, it wasn't a bad design. 1993 Fleer seemed to be Fleer's attempt to win the Topps award for most boring design (after having won with worst card front with the '91 Ultra set...probably attempting to imtate '90-91 ProSet).

Check out various variety packs you see at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. They're always loaded with '88-89 Score, '87-89 Topps, 89-91 Donruss, '91 Upper Deck.

[serpico127]

1987 Topps!! The brown border is my own childhood nightmare

[BoofBonser26]

1987 Topps!! The brown border is my own childhood nightmare

Mine too. It may have been the year before I was born, but when I was little my father would have me help him by sorting cards in numerical order so he could them break them apart into boxes w/o any duplicates. I can't count high enough to name all the '87 Topps and '88 Donruss I've sorted...

[Mike D.]

1987 Topps!! The brown border is my own childhood nightmare

I actualy LIKED the 87 Topps design. That was the first set I collected, buying packs at the local gas station for 45 cents each and hoping for a McGwire, Canseco, Boggs, or Clemens.

I like the 1987 design much more than the '86, '88, or '90 Topps designs (1989 wasn't too bad). It was kinda a throwback to the old Topps sets of the 1950's. Nowadays, they'd call it "Heritage".

[DaClyde]

In 1987, Topps was selling wax packs at 45 cents for a whopping 17 cards! These days 17 cards is considered a "jumbo" pack.

[RuthMayBond]

In 1987, Topps was selling wax packs at 45 cents for a whopping 17 cards! These days 17 cards is considered a "jumbo" pack.

Heck, some packs you could buy FOUR of nowadays and not have 17 cards

[bbfirebird]

Upper Deck 1989, I believe, was the beginning of companies trying to produce more premium cards. I remember people complaining about paying over a dollar for a pack when those came out. When Topps Stadium Club came out, the hobby really stopped being a hobby.

1991 definitely was the end of "hobby" card collecting. I remember Fleer Ultra was on the pricey side, as was Stadium Club. And of course Donruss' Elite inserts is where the insert craze went wild. I pulled a Doug Drabek Elite out of a box of 91 Donruss, and at the time it booked for something like $110.

[DaClyde]

Fleer Ultra was pricy when it should've been cheaper than the base set. That was one ugly "premium" set. I didn't know anyone who liked those cards.

[steelcurtain76]

The worst set I remember was the Donruss Studio set of the early 90's. Just a bunch of glamour shots. What an awful set.

[EricDavis]

I like 91 Ultra and I loved the Studio sets. They had such random facts on the back like "best friend in baseball" and "loves to face/hates to face".

[MudvilleMike]

I don't think Topps was as bad as Donruss in those years. I think the 1988 Donruss set was responsible for more litter than the Hartz pet brand.

Topps probably produced more cards, but there are a lot more collectors of Topps sets.