1990 Topps Traded Baseball Forum

So im confused...I have the green box that says 1990 Traded set, the same box as is pictured on the site. This box also says Made in Ireland MFG by Topps Ireland....Wikipedia says.."

From 1984-1991, Topps released a limited edition version of both their regular and traded sets called "Tiffany" sets. These sets were released in hobby dealer exclusive factory set format only and are identical to the regular cards, but these were printed in Ireland with white cardboard (instead of the then-standard gray cardboard) with a glossy finish on the front. The color of the inner boxes the Tiffany sets came in as well as the estimated number of sets produced (according to the annual Beckett price guide) are:

• 1984: Red (0000)
• 1985: Blue (5,000)
• 1986: Maroon (5,000)
• 1987: Violet (30,000)
• 1988: Green (25,000)
• 1989: Blue (15,000)
• 1990: Red (15,000)
• 1991: Navy (unknown, but believed to be the lowest print run of all, so <5,000).

so i busted one of my sealed boxes open just incase the cards was inside of a box that was inside of the green box (The color of the inner boxes the Tiffany sets came in) which as I assumed the cards are not. Beckett says a 90 traded tiffany has ** and that 90 traded white back also has ** (I have white backs) 

I also have the other square box of 1990 Traded buts its in a different location....

as you see from becketts list they dont show a 1990 green box 

is both traded boxes traded tiffany or... good grief...regular...regular tiffany...traded...traded tiffany...white back...gray..*..**..no *.....this should not be this damn difficult. Its seems like when I was a child this was about the year I quit buying cards and this is probably part of the reason why.

From my understanding- from previous posts on the subject- the Tiffany cards have a thick glosscoat on the card front whereas the regular do not and have the same texture as any other Topps card of the year. In some instances the glosscoat has yellowed over the years, as it has a tendency of doing. 

Billy is right the Tiffany cards have a thin gloss coat on the front making them shinnier than the regular ones. I think the idea was to make the cards look and feel more like little photographs rather than trading cards. Plus the card stock was usually a cleaner smoother style so the printing tends to be brighter and crisper than the regular sets. I don't recall if there is a thickness difference or not, but the card stock is closer to the more modern cards, not as cardboard feeling.

I have a lot of Tiffany cards. The difference is significant. If you're unsure whether your card is Tiffany or not, I'll just about guarantee that it isn't.  There's no mistaking one, if you have it in your hand.

Biggest misnomer in the hobby.  Topps NEVER, EVER branded any set "Tiffany".  They are called "Collectors' Edition".  We are doing the hobby a disservice by listing them incorrectly.  This should be a database of accuracy not nicknames and slang. We should list them all as Collectors' Edition with "referred to as "Tiffany" by collectors" in the Release Notes.  

Try this webpage: How to Tell Topps and Topps Tiffany Baseball Cards Apart Using Backs (beckett.com) or this one Tiffany Cards

This helps break down the difference between standard and Tiffany.  It gets tricky when it comes to the traded sets.

1990 Topps Tiffany Traded -vs- Traded Set or Wax Pack Cards

Topps Traded Tiffany cards and regular issued Topps Traded cards are extremely difficult to tell apart. To make things more difficult, Topps issued Traded cards in both sets and wax packs. The regular Traded cards that came in sets were printed on the same white card stock as Tiffany Cards. Both card backs will have a similar yellow background, however the Tiffany card back will appear to be a brighter yellow color and slightly cleaner white. You can identify the wax pack issued Traded cards by looking at the back. The wax pack issued Traded cards will be printed on the same gray card stock that the regular 792 Topps cards are printed on. Since it is extremely difficult to distinguish the difference between the Tiffany Traded and the set Traded by looking at a photo, once you have the card in hand you will want to compare the thickness and gloss of the card by comparing it to a Traded Tiffany card of the same year. If you compare it to a regular Traded card, then you should be able to notice the difference on the front with the Tiffany cards having a glossy finish and the regular Traded do not.

Seems like they should be standalone sets too since the boxes are different

tiffany is a much brighter pink back

Just like putting made up numbers in a set title that were never used by the card company at all. 

Admin's policy on sets that were released as factory sets only is to list them as parallels. Please do not make any changes to these sets.

As far as the name goes, I'm sure it would be fine to call them "Topps Collector's Edition (Tiffany)". But please, as someone who was actively at shows and shops during this time, no one ever called them "Collector's Edition", they were always called "Topps Tiffany" by everyone in the hobby. Not having that in the set's name, THAT would be a disservice to the hobby.