1990 Topps “blackless” Cards Deep Dive
For every episode of The Card Life presented by Loupe, we’ll provide some behind-the-scenes details on how the stories in each episode developed with producer Brandon Verzal. Today, details about the 1990 Topps “blackless” segment that is a part of the Arizona episode this month.
As we’re building what storylines are going to make up an episode, there will always be some that don’t work out. For Arizona, we were hoping to have Matt Strahm open some packs with former MLB pitcher and Diamondbacks announcer Tom Candiotti (who has collected his whole life). Unfortunately, between Matt’s rehab schedule and Tom’s TV schedule, we couldn’t make it work.
I was just a few days from leaving for Arizona and needed to find one more story to fill a segment. I stumbled across this article from Sports Collectors Daily about printing error cards from the 1990 Topps baseball set that are connected to the famous Frank Thomas “no name on front” rookie error card.
The collector featured, Mark Dupray, was from North Phoenix. Since Matt was born in 1991, I assumed he wouldn’t know a lot about that set, so having Mark explain it to him on the show seemed like it would make for an interesting segment.
In full disclosure, I have some self-interest in the subject matter. In 2019, I was filming a player at a minor league hockey game in Lincoln, Nebraska for JDRF, one of the non-profit clients by company produces content for. I arrived expecting a 6:30pm start, only to realize the game didn’t start until 8pm. I sent a text to my wife that I had stumbled upon a way to occupy my extra time.
Tucked in a dark corner of the arena was a sports card vending machine. To entertain myself while waiting, I decided to grab a few packs. Almost everything in the machine was “junk wax”, but I knew that both 1990 Topps and 1989 Bowman had a chance of me getting a Frank Thomas or Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card.
I was aware of the “no name on front” Thomas, but also know the chances of pulling one were nearly equal to winning the Powerball. I put in a $5 bill for three 1990 Topps packs and two 1989 Bowman, and went to my car to open the packs, so I wouldn’t have to carry around loose cards.
I start with 1990 Topps and as soon as I open the first pack, Frank Thomas’s name is the first to show on the card back. I waited about five seconds and the thought that it could be a “no name” card, at least briefly, passed through my head. I flipped it over, and there it was…a “no name” Frank Thomas rookie that is among the most rare and valuable cards from the junk wax era.
This blog post breaks down the astronomical odds of pulling the card.
After reading more about the card, I realized that they often were grouped together in boxes. The next morning I went back to the arena and bought the remaining 12 packs of 1990 Topps cards in the machine, hoping to pull another Frank Thomas. There weren’t any in those packs, so I put the cards in a box and set them aside with the rest of my collection.
Fast forward two years and I’m about to leave for Phoenix to shoot the first episode of The Card Life. We’ve confirmed the 1990 Topps “blackless” story with Mark, but with more of a focus on what the cards are, not looking for them in packs or collections because of the extreme unlikelihood of finding any.
I travel with two suitcases of production gear that weigh just under 48 pounds each. I had considered bringing the box of ’90 Topps vending machine cards from my collection, but also knew I’d be close to the 50 pound weight limit. I also carry my cameras/lenses/etc. in my backpack onto the plane, which is always completely full, so putting them in my suitcase was the only option- I just wasn’t convinced it was worth it.
Literally at the last second I decide to throw them in just to give Matt and Mark the opportunity to look through some cards for “blackless” versions. I had zero expectation there would be any in there.
Which leads to the moment in the show where Matt and Mark begin to go through my box. Originally, we had framed it as “a box from someone’s collection”, but you’ll see that they couldn’t help but look at me when the unexpected started to happen…
It made for an incredible moment for the show and I now have four rare “blackless” cards to add to my “no name” Thomas rookie. It will likely be the only time I am part of the story on the show, but it made for a great moment on our first episode. From a vending machine in a dark corner of a hockey arena in Nebraska, to the first episode of The Card Life.
-Brandon Verzal, videographer, editor and producer of The Card Life
