If you grew up in the early nineties, your bedroom floor was probably littered with those red, glossy Pro Set wrappers. They were everywhere. You could buy a pack at the gas station for about fifty cents, and honestly, you'd usually pull a kicker or a backup offensive lineman. But the one name everyone hunted for—beside Emmitt Smith's rookie card—was the legendary #16 himself.
The pro set 1990 joe montana isn't just one card. It’s actually a rabbit hole of errors, variations, and "junk wax" nostalgia that keeps modern collectors bickering on forums. Most of these cards are worth less than the postage required to mail them, yet some versions still command hundreds of dollars. Why? Because Pro Set was basically the Wild West of quality control.
The Massive Production Mess of 1990
Pro Set had a goal: be a "living set." They wanted to correct mistakes mid-print, which sounds smart until you realize they made about ten thousand mistakes an hour. This created a situation where you might have three different versions of the exact same Joe Montana card, and unless you're looking at the tiny stats on the back, you’d never know you were holding something rare.
Take card #2, for example. This was the "1989 NFL Player of the Year" commemorative card. It's a great shot of Joe in his red Niners jersey, looking exactly like the GOAT he was at the time. But the first batch of these cards had a hilarious screw-up on the back. Under the Jim Kelly stat line, they credited Kelly with 3,521 yards.
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Later, they realized the mistake and corrected it to 3,130 yards. If you've got the 3,521-yard version, you have the "error" card. Is it worth a fortune? Not exactly. Millions were printed. But in a PSA 10 (perfect condition), that little typo can bump the price from a couple of bucks to around $50 or $60.
Spotting the Real Value in Card #293
The base card for Montana in this set is #293. This is the one you probably have sitting in a shoebox in your parents' attic. By 1990, Joe was coming off back-to-back Super Bowls and was essentially the face of the league. Pro Set printed so many of these cards that they could probably be used as a sustainable building material.
However, the "Blank Back" variation is the white whale here.
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Occasionally, the printing presses would just... stop. Or skip a sheet. If you find a #293 with a completely blank white back, you’re looking at a legitimate rarity. These don't pop up often, and when they do, they can fetch a premium from "master set" collectors who need every single weird variation Pro Set ever accidentally puked out.
The Super Bowl MVP Subsets
Don't forget the inserts. Pro Set included a Super Bowl MVPs subset, and Joe had a few entries there because, well, he won a lot of them. Card #19 in that subset is a fan favorite. It features artwork by Merv Corning rather than a photo.
- Subset Number: #19 (Super Bowl XXIV MVP)
- Design: Illustrated portrait
- Value: Roughly $1–$5 raw; $125+ in a PSA 10
The price gap is wild, right? That's the reality of the 1990s. The cards are so common that the only way they become valuable is if they are mathematically perfect. We're talking zero whitening on the edges, perfect centering (which was rare for Pro Set), and no surface scratches.
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Why Pro Set 1990 Joe Montana Still Matters
You might hear people call this "junk." In many ways, it is. But for a lot of us, it’s the entry point to the hobby. Pro Set was the first company to really lean into the "stat-heavy" back of the card, making it feel like a little encyclopedia of football history.
When you look at Joe Montana’s 1990 cards, you’re seeing a man at his absolute peak before the injuries in '91 changed everything. It’s a snapshot of the 49ers dynasty. There’s a specific "feel" to these cards—the flimsy stock, the bright colors—that modern high-end cards just can't replicate.
What Should You Actually Do With Your Cards?
If you just found a stack of 1990 Pro Set cards, don't quit your day job yet. Most are "commons." But if you want to see if you have a winner, here is a quick checklist of what to look for:
- Check Card #2: Look at the Jim Kelly yardage. If it says 3,521, you have the error.
- Inspect the Corners: If they aren't sharp enough to prick your finger, don't bother grading it.
- Look for the "Pro Bowl" Card: Joe is also featured on card #408. Check for any weird ink smudges or "hickies" (printing bubbles), which are common in this set.
- The Peace Sign Myth: There are rumors of a "peace sign" variation on some 1990 cards (like the Fred Marion belt error), but Joe's cards are mostly free of the truly scandalous mistakes.
Basically, unless your card is in a slab labeled "PSA 10," it’s a wonderful piece of nostalgia worth about a cup of coffee. But honestly, that's okay. Not everything in this hobby needs to be an investment. Sometimes, owning a piece of the "Joe Cool" era is enough.
Your Next Steps:
Dig out your old binders and pull every card numbered #2, #293, and #408. Use a magnifying glass to check the Jim Kelly yardage on the back of #2. If you find a version with 3,521 yards that looks flawless, it might be worth sending to a grading service like PSA or SGC. For the rest, keep them in a sleeve and enjoy the memories of the greatest era of San Francisco football.