Everyone makes innocent mistakes from time to time, and baseball card manufacturers are no different.
The unfortunate thing for them is that their mistakes are not only printed on the cards themselves, but also carved into The Hobby’s lore forever.
Some of the most infamous baseball card errors are still remembered by collectors as clearly today as they were decades ago, when the cards were released.
Here’s a look at 10 great baseball card errors from over the years.
10 Memorable Error Cards
1. 1990 Topps Frank Thomas - No Name on Front
The “Big Hurt” was a big mystery when his 1990 Topps rookie card was printed without his name.
Thomas going on to become a Hall of Famer and two-time MVP probably didn’t help spare Topps’ embarrassment on this one.
A printing issue caused some cards to be missing his name on the blue nameplate in the bottom corner, and Topps eventually corrected the error.
With only a few hundred estimated error copies in existence, this remains one of the most valuable modern error cards. A PSA 10 graded copy previously sold for $170,400 in 2022.
In fact, this one is so memorable that Topps later paid homage to it, by releasing “No Name” variation cards in 2025 Topps Series One, which feature the same design as the 1990 classic.
2. 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken - "F*** Face"
One of the most infamous error cards is this ‘89 Fleer Billy Ripken, for its R-rated mishap.
What looked like an innocent batting stance became one of the most memorable error cards in history when collectors noticed the words “F*** Face” written on the knob of Ripken’s bat.
Fleer scrambled to censor it, leading to multiple variations, including scribbled-out and black-boxed versions, but copies of the original remain.
Initially, Ripken claimed he’d been pranked, before admitting to labeling the bat himself.
3. 1909-1911 T206 Sherry Magee - “Magie” Instead Of Magee
An error card that’s over a century old! The oldest card on this list, and one from the legendary T206 set.
While it’s obviously overshadowed by the iconic Honus Wagner card, the Sherry Magee error card is one of the most sought-after cards from the set, featuring the misspelling of his name as “Magie” instead of Magee on the front.
A corrected version was eventually distributed, but it’s the error card that stays more in-demand; A PSA 3 graded copy of it sold for $34,160 in 2024.
4. 1989 Upper Deck Dale Murphy - Reverse Negative
At first glance, you might not notice anything wrong with Dale Murphy’s 1989 Upper Deck card, but once you spot the error, you can’t unsee it.
The set itself has so much going for it, a classic design, premium cardstock, and the famous Ken Griffey Jr. card, but this one, featuring Murphy, puts a slight blemish on it.
Upper Deck used an image that had been horizontally reversed, which is most obvious by the backward Braves logo on his uniform, not to mention the right-handed Murphy also appears to be a lefty.
5. 1987 Donruss Opening Day Barry Bonds - Johnny Ray Pictured
One of Barry Bonds’ most valuable baseball cards ever released doesn’t actually feature the man himself. Instead, it shows an image of his then-teammate Johnny Ray.
The 1987 Donruss Opening Day card was supposed to show Bonds, which is obvious by his name being at the bottom, but Donruss messed up and somehow chose and printed the image of Ray instead.
A correction was made, but the Johnny Ray error version holds a lot more value today.
6. 1952 Topps Johnny Sain/Joe Page - Bio Swap
For me (and many others), The 1952 set is Topps’ greatest baseball card product they’ve ever released, but even this timeless gem is marred by this error card – Well, actually two error cards.
Topps mixed up the back of cards for two players on the checklist; Johnny Sain’s card featured the bio of Joe Page on the back, and Joe Page’s card featured Johnny Sain’s bio on the back.
While Topps eventually realized their mistake, and corrected it, copies of the originals were distributed and remain out there today.
7. 1985 Topps Gary Pettis - Brother Pictured
How does the picture of the brother of an MLB player mistakenly end up on their baseball card? Just ask Topps, because the ‘85 Gary Pettis card from their set shows a picture of his brother instead of him.
It’s a bizarre story, previously told by Gary himself: In short, his brother, Lynn, would come out to the ballpark on Sundays wearing an Angels uniform and the photographer mistook his brother for Gary, snapped his photo, and it ended up on the card.
8. 2006 Topps Alex Gordon - Pulled from Production
Alex Gordon’s 2006 Topps rookie card shouldn’t actually exist – It was mistakenly released, which is a pretty big error.
Manufacturers were only permitted to release cards of players who were on a team’s roster, or had played in an MLB game the previous season – Gordon didn’t tick either of those boxes.
Some copies of the card were printed and shipped before Topps swiftly removed him from the set, and those that are out there are a valuable collectible today.
9. 1981 Fleer Graig Nettles - "Craig" on the Back
Perhaps we can cut Fleer some slack on this error, given how unusual the name Graig is.
Their misspelling of the name on Graig Nettles’ 1981 Fleer card is understandable, but still should have been spotted.
The front of the card is ok, but the back spells his name as “Criag”. It’s another that was later fixed, but not before error copies were distributed.
10. 1988 Topps Al Leiter Rookie - Steve George Pictured
Finishing off with another case of mistaken identity. Al Leiter’s Topps rookie card, from the 1988 set, didn’t do the hot prospect justice, because it didn’t actually feature an image of him.
Instead, his teammate Steve George is shown. The mistake was a result of a misunderstanding involving gloves, initials, and numbers, which ultimately led to the photographer snapping the wrong person.
Topps eventually corrected the error, and released an updated version that features Leiter.
So, there you have 10 memorable error cards from the past! Are there any others that you think should’ve made the list? Let me know in the comments below!
