The 1984 Topps set is remembered for its rookies: John Elway at #63, Dan Marino at #123 and Eric Dickerson at #280. Elway and Marino were just beginning. Joe Montana already had a Super Bowl ring.
Elway and Marino made their debuts in this set. Montana already had a ring.
His card is #358, in a set of 396, and it carries the banner of his 1983 Pro Bowl season: NFC PRO BOWL, set at an angle in the lower corner beside the 49ers' SF logo, with 49ers in yellow beneath it.
The whole design tilts. The picture sits at a slant inside a red frame, with JOE MONTANA on a yellow strip in the upper corner. Montana is in the red jersey, number 16, his chinstrap hanging loose, the ball up in both hands, about to throw in pregame drills, with red stadium seats behind him.
The season this set was sold ended in the Super Bowl. In January 1985 the 49ers beat Marino's Dolphins 38–16 in Super Bowl XIX, and Montana was the game's Most Valuable Player for the second time. The card after his in the set, #359, is an Instant Replay card.
Off-center copies are common, as are print specks and corner wear straight from the pack.
