The 1990 Donruss set arrived during a transformative era in baseball card collecting history. Upper Deck had arrived on the scene in 1989 by resetting consumer expectations cards printed on thick paper stock, featuring full color pictures on both sides - and, in a stroke of marketing genius, contained a counterfeit-proof hologram embedded in the back.

Donruss’ 1990 set was the largest produced by the company, checking in with 716 cards, including the return of notable sub-series: Diamond Kings and Rated Rookies. The card design is recognizable for its bright red color featuring faux paint splatter on either side of a full color photo. Player names are written in white script across two horizontal black lines, with position and team nickname. The action player photos are nice, but the general design features weren't additive to the photo quality - and, overall, the cards didn't seem to keep up with where the industry was moving in a post-1989 Upper Deck world.

Tom Herr, who spent most of his career with the Cardinals, arrived in Philadelphia via a trade with the Minnesota Twins in October 1988. While his best years were behind him, Herr was a solid contributor to a losing club in 1989-1990. His base card entry in the 1990 Donruss set highlights his use of a no-flap batting helmet and no-knob bat - a real throwback. Herr was traded to the Mets in August of 1990, and would split 1991 with NY and the Giants to close out his career.