Since introducing the Throwback Thursday baseball card series three months ago, Topps has paid homage to some classic sports cards, obscure subset designs and even an old TV western set but for this week’s collection of cards the throwback goes to the junk wax era and a little place named Beverly Hills 90210.
The 1991 Topps Beverly Hills 90210 set was released following the show’s 1990 premiere and consisted of 88 cards and 11 stickers featuring characters and scenes from the first season. The design is quintessentially 90s and has aged about as well as the TV show it is commemorating.
For this week’s Throwback Thursday, the 1991 Beverly Hills design is resurrected, for better or for worse, to highlight the six hottest hitters since the All Star break. Throwback Thursday cards are available for purchase online and only for a week so the print run is dependent strictly on demand.
The six cards in this week’s throwback make up 60-65 in the overall set and while it is fun to throwback to non-sports sets, it is hard to imagine that today’s baseball card collectors are largely nostalgic for junk era soap opera cards. With so many beloved non-sports designs released over the years, it would be crazy to think that Topps won’t explore some more adventurous formats but it would be much more marketable to use a series that was wildly popular during its time.
Topps should consider throwing back to sets like 1966 Batman and creating original artwork for that week’s additions or possibly releasing a set of 90s style hologram inserts. A more adventurous throwback would be a welcome site among collectors and maybe attract those who have yet to buy into the “on demand” card market. But we digress.
This week’s additions to the series are:
- Gary Sanchez (RC)
- Jose Altuve
- Corey Seager (RC)
- Kris Bryant
- Mookie Betts
- Joey Votto
For a complete checklist of the Topps Throwback Thursday cards, check out the tab at the top of the page.
