Nearly 30 years after Topps released several sets honoring the band, 1993 River Group Beatles Collection trading cards were released as a career spanning retrospective of the world’s most famous rock band.
River Group did not put out many trading card sets, a series of Elvis Presley cards in 1992 is probably their second most famous, but they were the first to release a set devoted to The Beatles since the initial sets of 1964. As the first post-Beatlemania release, River Group was able to cover the entirety of the band’s legendary story from the early days in the Cavern to the rooftop concert of their final days.
Each card is a full bleed reproduction of a photo from the era, many of which have been seen and used extensively in other licensed properties, and the back tells a short story related to that photograph. The checklist tells the band’s story chronologically and highlights several albums. Cards devoted to specific albums include the track list on the reverse but there is no continuity when it comes to whether the track listing is from an American or British pressing. Further, save for one picture, there is no card devoted to Sgt. Pepper while a great chunk of the checklist features shots from the Magical Mystery Tour project.
There are also small insert sets with different card designs which focus on specific aspects of the band’s legacy as well as a commemorative binder.
1993 River Group Beatles Collection Checklist
Base Set – 220 Cards
#1 Hits Double Sided Foil (DSF) – 10 Cards
The Beatles’ Classic Hits (CH) – 8 Cards
US Concert Cards (USCC) – 2 Cards
| # | Card Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | You hold in your hand the very first color photograph… |
| 2 | On october 28, 1961… |
| 3 | In the beginning, there was the Cavern. |
| 4 | Don’t mess with the Beatles! |
| 5 | Between the Beatles’ first Cavern appearance |
| 6 | It looks like the setting for a vintage Beach Boys album |
| 7 | Sometimes, even the Beatles were down in the dumps! |
| 8 | The BBC was quick to see the potential of the Beatles… |
| 9 | Only 17 days after joining the group… |
| 10 | America in 1962. |
| 11 | The catapulting world fame that jolted the Beatles… |
| 12 | The Beatles’ arrival… |
| 13 | Following their appearance on BBC TV’s Juke Box Jury… |
| 14 | Ready, Steady, Go was the rock ‘n roll television show… |
| 15 | The Beatles were already known as hit-makers in England… |
| 16 | Juke Box Jury was a weekly record rating program… |
| 17 | Tea, Mal was a cry that went out across the universe… |
| 18 | What’s wrong with this picture? |
| 19 | Television played a pivotal role… |
| 20 | On-Stage |
| 21 | Please Please Me |
| 22 | It is one of the better-known sessions in rock ‘n roll… |
| 23 | John, George and Ringo do a little “cutting up”… |
| 24 | Dezo Hoffmann was to the Beatles… |
| 25 | It was one of the most creative and successful partnerships… |
| 26 | Up and about in London and Paris… |
| 27 | This photo is amazingly similar to… |
| 28 | On November 25, 1963… |
| 29 | In late July of 1963… |
| 30 | As the Beatles’ success grew… |
| 31 | The lead, rhythm and bass guitarists of the Beatles… |
| 32 | A reflective Paul in 1963… |
| 33 | There are many shots, both posed and candid… |
| 34 | The Beatles enjoy some first class service… |
| 35 | George mugs for the camera backstage before a 1963 show |
| 36 | The Beatles do a little carrying on… |
| 37 | Years before the Beatles sang that they “Dig a Pony,” |
| 38 | Paul attends to some “pressing” matters at his father’s |
| 39 | With The Beatles |
| 40 | Promotional photos for solo performers… |
| 41 | Here’s the team that created a phenomenon. |
| 42 | On December 14, 1963… |
| 43 | After the Beatles scored high… |
| 44 | You’ve heard of overnight sensations. |
| 45 | The Beatles had always been interested in clothes… |
| 46 | In the earliest days of British Beatlemania,… |
| 47 | As the world opened up to the Beatles… |
| 48 | During his brilliant photographic career, Dezo Hoffmann… |
| 49 | In the words of a famous trivia question… |
| 50 | Paul was the “cute” Beatle at first sight… |
| 51 | As the Beatles’ popularity spread around the world… |
| 52 | George was the “quiet” Beatle to fans… |
| 53 | In a December, 1964 radio interview… |
| 54 | When the Beatles were scheduled for their first meeting |
| 55 | Hark! Who are those masked men? |
| 56 | The small-time gets bigger. |
| 57 | When it came to singing a unified emotional message… |
| 58 | In the early days, it was relatively easy… |
| 59 | The media’s appetite for the Beatles had to be experienced |
| 60 | Anything for a laugh. |
| 61 | Coverage of the Beatles’ activities… |
| 62 | The Beatles gave generously good value… |
| 63 | The Beatles took maximum advantage of all Miami Beach… |
| 64 | On Tuesday, February 11, 1964… |
| 65 | It was always a part of the Beatles’ strategy… |
| 66 | Many people have had their share of unique jobs. |
| 67 | Money just couldn’t buy this sort of plug… |
| 68 | For most of their first visit to America in 1964… |
| 69 | Is this life imitating art, or art imitating life? |
| 70 | The music business can be a small world. |
| 71 | What their records and television appearances did… |
| 72 | Some like it hat. |
| 73 | When the Beatles came to New York in February of 1964… |
| 74 | The Beatles packed an awful lot of activity… |
| 75 | Plans were outlined for a ticker-tape parade… |
| 76 | Going out to the movies like ordinary folk… |
| 77 | Is it true that there is a purpose to everything… |
| 78 | Had it not been for one wondrous happening… |
| 79 | It was not surprising to see John Lennon… |
| 80 | Only a handful of people in the history of civilization… |
| 81 | All press handouts in early Beatles days… |
| 82 | For Americans of a certain age… |
| 83 | You win some, you lose some when you get famous. |
| 84 | It is the stuff of which legends are made. |
| 85 | During the filming of A Hard Day’s Night… |
| 86 | See, lightning can strike twice in the same place! |
| 87 | Ed Sullivan did not get the nickname Master Showman… |
| 88 | The Beatles’ second live appearance on The Ed Sullivan |
| 89 | Television makes strange bedfellows. |
| 90 | The shrieks still echo in the minds of the 73 million |
| 91 | John! Paul! Ringo! And…Neil? |
| 92 | The Beatles had worked very hard to achieve… |
| 93 | Help! |
| 94 | Great fame was just beginning to engulf the Beatles… |
| 95 | Hail the conquering heroes! |
| 96 | The Beatles pose for a group shot at EMi Studios |
| 97 | To be sure, the Beatles sold a lot of records. |
| 98 | Not Elvis. Not Elton. Not Michael jackson or the Stones |
| 99 | Roses are red, violets are blue… |
| 100 | Who in their right mind could have doubted the Beatles’ |
| 101 | The climactic scene in A Hard Day’s Night… |
| 102 | The Beatles get their work done on the road… |
| 103 | One of the funniest sequences in A Hard Day’s Night |
| 104 | Ringo’s scenes in A Hard Day’s Night… |
| 105 | The Beatles were totally democratic… |
| 106 | Maybe their faces don’t show it… |
| 107 | Ever a rugged indeividualist… |
| 108 | John Lennon was a creative genius… |
| 109 | When Beatlemania swept the U.S… |
| 110 | John, Paul, George and Ringo… |
| 111 | A Hard Day’s Night |
| 112 | Each of the Beatles had loving, supportive home lives. |
| 113 | Beatles For Sale |
| 114 | Another airport, another show. |
| 115 | It was important for the Beatles… |
| 116 | Many Hollywood stars wanted to meet the Beatles… |
| 117 | John Lennon was born in Liverpool on October 9, 1940. |
| 118 | Running, jumping or standing still… |
| 119 | John Lennon hadn’t really seen an audience… |
| 120 | Rock ‘n roll suffered from cultural snobbery in the ’50s |
| 121 | Every picture tells a story. Some tell more than one. |
| 122 | Hitler came to Paris and strutted around… |
| 123 | The Beatles truly ushered in the modern era of… |
| 124 | Oftentimes many a word wasn’t spoken when the Beatles… |
| 125 | Like the other three Beatles, Paul had instinctive… |
| 126 | Although John was behind the wheel in this shot… |
| 127 | George Harrison was very fond of the sound and feel… |
| 128 | It is an honor reserved for only the more distinguished |
| 129 | Before they fell in with Brian Epstein… |
| 130 | The “Gramophone Award” pictured here with Ringo… |
| 131 | Whenever the Beatles traveled… |
| 132 | Beatles VI |
| 133 | As time goes by… |
| 134 | In the mid 1960’s, John and Ringo were neighbors… |
| 135 | On November 23, 1965, the Beatles returned to Twickenham |
| 136 | A major U.S. tour, including the incredible Shea Stadium |
| 137 | Today, rock groups spend weeks and weeks… |
| 138 | In Hamburg in 1960 |
| 139 | Enough hair to hide two watermelons… |
| 140 | Paul takes a moment to check one of literally hundreds… |
| 141 | Rubber Soul |
| 142 | John Lennon was brimming with so much talent… |
| 143 | Help! was shot totally out of sequence. |
| 144 | For one memorable scene in Help!… |
| 145 | Ringo’s standout performance in A Hard Day’s Night… |
| 146 | Help! was the Beatles’ second full-length motion picture |
| 147 | The Beatles were determined… |
| 148 | The charismatic bass player of the Fab Four… |
| 149 | Forget about all the hit records. |
| 150 | While the Beatles were first known for… |
| 151 | Some have said that Paul McCartney’s not being right-handed… |
| 152 | With a Little Help From My Friends… |
| 153 | It would be hard to pick just one single moment… |
| 154 | The prestigious MBE award to the Beatles… |
| 155 | It was inevitable that John, Paul, George and Ringo… |
| 156 | You could say the Beatles “began and ended in San Francisco… |
| 157 | We’ve become so accustomed to mega-rock events… |
| 158 | On a warm August night in 1965… |
| 159 | Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison… |
| 160 | Television remained an important tool for the Beatles… |
| 161 | Video, video, wherefore art thou, video? |
| 162 | There was no way the Beatles could stay… |
| 163 | Many of the Beatles’ most celebrated performances… |
| 164 | Revolver |
| 165 | By the time of the Revolver album in 1966… |
| 166 | By 1966, the Beatles were caught in a classic dilemma. |
| 167 | Though some of “shopper’s London” is quite crass… |
| 168 | And away they go! |
| 169 | In the white heat of the Beatlemania years… |
| 170 | On Sunday, June 25, 1967… |
| 171 | After giving up “the road” in 1966… |
| 172 | It was called the “Summer of Love.” |
| 173 | Paul and Ringo pop up to check out the action… |
| 174 | The seeds for Magical Mystery Tour were planted in America |
| 175 | It is one of their most enigmatic songs. |
| 176 | And here is the eggman himself! |
| 177 | George Martin went to work for Parlophone Records… |
| 178 | In 1967, the Beatles were no longer touring… |
| 179 | We think of music videos as a product of the MTV generation… |
| 180 | John Lennon’s “I Am the Walrus”… |
| 181 | In December of 1967… |
| 182 | With the elimination of touring and live television… |
| 183 | The songwriting Beatles drew on their evolving lives… |
| 184 | Of all the Beatles, Paul McCartney played a leading role… |
| 185 | The dynamics of the relationships within the Beatles… |
| 186 | One of George Harrison’s outstanding musical contributions… |
| 187 | Magical Mystery Tour |
| 188 | Mustaches on parade! |
| 189 | Each Beatles fan has had his or her own special memory… |
| 190 | George Harrison, youngest of the Beatles, was no baby… |
| 191 | With an established foursome… |
| 192 | Hey Jude, written by Paul McCartney… |
| 193 | The Beatles were always looking for deeper meaning… |
| 194 | When the Beatles set up Apple Corps Limited… |
| 195 | On may 14, 1968… |
| 196 | Ringo Starr was born Richard Starkey… |
| 197 | During their Beatle days, John Lennon and Paul McCartney… |
| 198 | It was hard to make the Beatles look idiotic… |
| 199 | On September 4, 1968… |
| 200 | It’s a long way from “I Want to Hold Your Hand”… |
| 201 | All four Beatles were equally involved… |
| 202 | This photo was taken in 1968… |
| 203 | The boys… |
| 204 | Many now-familiar proper names have their origins… |
| 205 | After the Beatles made it big in America… |
| 206 | Yellow Submarine |
| 207 | Could the symbolism of this photograph be any more obvious… |
| 208 | It’s been a part of our lives since the fall of 1969. |
| 209 | This historic portrait is from the Beatles’ final group photo session. |
| 210 | This photo, one of the last ever taken of the Beatles… |
| 211 | After much discussion and debate in early ’69… |
| 212 | In 1964, the Beatles signed a three-picture deal… |
| 213 | In early ’69, the Beatles were actively looking for… |
| 214 | You can go home again! For the Get Back album in 1969… |
| 215 | During the filming of Let It Be… |
| 216 | In late January 1969, Let It Be… |
| 217 | Throughout the years… |
| 218 | Each of the Beatles could be counted on… |
| 219 | When the Beatles performed their surprise rooftop concert… |
| 220 | Let It Be |
| CH 1 | 1963 |
| CH 2 | 1964 |
| CH 3 | 1965 |
| CH 4 | 1966 |
| CH 5 | 1967 |
| CH 6 | 1968 |
| CH 7 | 1969 |
| CH 8 | 1970 |
| DSF 1 | I Want to Hold Your Hand / She Loves You |
| DSF 2 | Can’t Buy Me Love / Love Me Do |
| DSF 3 | I Feel Fine / A Hard Day’s Night |
| DSF 4 | Ticket To Ride / Eight Days A Week |
| DSF 5 | Yesterday / Help |
| DSF 6 | Paperback Writer / We Can Work It Out |
| DSF 7 | All You Need Is Love / Penny Lane |
| DSF 8 | Hey Jude / Hello, Goodbye |
| DSF 9 | Something / Get Back |
| DSF 10 | The Long and Winding Road / Let It Be |
| P 1 | John |
| P 2 | Ringo |
| P 3 | George |
| P 4 | Paul |
| P 5 | Paul and Ringo… |
| P 6 | The Beatles were filmed… |
| P 7 | Many of the Beatles… |
| P 8 | Not long after… |
| P 9 | Capitol Recordings stars… |
| USCC 1 | The Beatles’ First U.S. Concert |
| USCC 2 | The Beatles’ Last U.S. Concert |