In January 1985 Joe Montana's 49ers beat Dan Marino's Dolphins 38–16 in Super Bowl XIX. Montana was the game's Most Valuable Player for the second time. Topps's 1985 set came after it, and includes Super Bowl XIX cards of its own.
It is a striking design: horizontal, with black borders, the first black borders on a Topps football set since 1962. The last name runs down the side in tall white block letters, MONTANA, with JOE in a small box set into it and 49ERS on a yellow strip alongside. A small TOPPS mark sits above the picture.
Black borders, for the first time since 1962, and every chip shows.
Montana is in the red jersey, number 16, the ball raised in both hands, about to throw.
He shares a league leaders card in the set with Marino, #192. There would be two more championships: Super Bowl XXIII and Super Bowl XXIV, the last of them with a third Super Bowl MVP award, the first player to win three. He was the league's MVP in 1989 and 1990, went to Kansas City in a trade in 1993, and retired after the 1994 season. He went into the Hall of Fame in 2000.
The black borders chip and flake at the slightest wear, and show every touch at the edges and corners.
