The dual-photo fronts remain a favorite with many collectors. Look at Bo locked in. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Rickey Henderson's 1980 rookie card is a thing of beauty, no doubt. But, he also received his own standalone rookie in the 1981 Topps Traded set. Rod Carew and George Brett never looked better. . This particular card was graded by PSA and found to be in gem mint 10 conditions. For those on a budget, a PSA 9 example will only throw you back about $200. Fleer corrected it quickly, but the error fire had already been stoked. PSA has seen just 516 of the O-Pee-Chee Barry Bonds rookie cards. Whatever the reason, Ryan turned in the second-lowest K/9 ratio of his career (7.7) outside of his final season in 1993. Heres a vote to return to the yellow helmets full-time. In addition to the enormous submission number, whats even more shocking is that only 517 have been given the prestigious PSA 10 grade. Who knew that the Donruss presses would be rolling with 1988 product from late 1987 until, presumably, the early part of the George H. W. Bush presidency in early 1989? Ripken was one of my favorite players as a kid and it has been nice to see this card get much more notoriety as time passes. And everybody paid good money for it two years later when McGwire was slugging his way to 49 home runs as a rookie. Donruss sold a lot of 86 Donruss packs for this Canseco card alone. Prices are updated daily based upon 1980 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. However, 1,098 were submitted and graded, with just 47 making the gem mint 10 grade. I didn't know it at the time, but these errors only turned up in factory sets and all my Donruss Opening Day cards had been pulled from packs. I considered picking up a mint 9 copy for less than $350. They are some of the more valuable cards from the 80s. He deserves so much more than that. Consider picking up a PSA mint 9 copy for far less. But 509 home runs and a National League batting title later, Sheffield stood on his own name. According to the PSA website, the 1951 Mickey Mantle Bowman RC is Mantle's only rookie card. The vintage and prewar market is at least partially driven by the "Holy Grail" of cards, the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner. "10 Most Valuable 1980s Baseball Cards. The leading destination for sports card and collectible enthusiasts. Pucketts quick emergence brought this RC a lot of attention from the first day 85 packs began surfacing. After Docs record-breaking 1984 season, Topps opted for a non-pitching shot of the dominating righthander. Being the Canadian cousin to Donruss, you can see that there isn't much different about the Leaf design overall except for the green leaf logo in the upper-left and the French text and Leaf trademark data on the reverse. Before playing for the Baltimore Orioles, Cal Ripken Jr. played for the Charlotte Os. With this card, Fleer became the only manufacturer to produce an XRC and RC of The Rocket. The original printing contained a stadium Marlboro sign over the Big Units left shoulder. "Fernandomania" still lives on with many collectors and they're willing to pay up for this card in PSA 10 condition. The availability of this set is much more limited than the regular issue Topps Traded set. PSA 9s sell for considerably less in the $300 $400 price range. It was pure genius when someone at Topps said, Lets take our 1984 Baseball Set and cover each card in a glossy coat. That made an already scorching Don Mattingly card even hotter. While New York faded from the postseason race in September, Mattingly kept the city enraptured with a batting crown race for the ages. But, as we know, things turned out okay for Gibby, both in Detroit and L.A. I remember being in that late-80s baseball card collecting frenzy, and seeing the majority of these cards. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. . With just over 1,500 graded by PSA and only 35 declared gem mint 10, they are scarce in near conditions. If the population stays this low, we can expect to see the value rise. What is known as the Highlights in White version has white text, while the intended version has yellow letters, which have a much higher print run. Great article. Finding them in PSA 10 condition is much tougher, hence the high price tag. His 1984 Fleer Update XRC is by far his greatest card released during the 1984-85 era. Of all his rookie cards, the 1986 Topps Traded is the most desirable and expensive card you can find. DD either sports a full noggin or that hat is about three stories too high. After two years of bouncing back and forth from Triple-A Columbus and the Bronx, first baseman/outfielder Don Mattingly was relieved when Yankees manager Yogi Berra declared intentions to keep him with the big club for all of 1984. The USA Baseball subset in 1985 Topps introduced the program to the masses, and brought this slugging first basemans first licensed trading card to the forefront of the collectibles industry. And, you guessed it, the Tiffany version is even more valuable in PSA 10 condition. Lets take a look a the population report. Iconic card: 1980 Topps #482, which sold for $180,100 in February 2021. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. Because he played for four different MLB teams, including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros, hes a highly collectible player. Donruss did, letting collectors believe Floyd Bannister was actually Tom Seaver in the first printing of 85 Donruss. He would win another ten years later, collecting three in three different decades. This set was printed by McDag Productions and features popular players at the time, including Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas. There were other significant cards when 1986 Topps Traded sets dropped Bo Jackson, Will Clark and Wally Joyner to name just a few but the companys first Canseco card did move the needle in the secondary market, even though Donruss and Fleer had included the youngster in their regular sets that year. The population report for both the Topps Traded and Topps Traded Tiffany sets will give us some insight into how rare the Tiffany version is. Yeah, we know. When graded gem mint 10 by PSA, the value has gone as high as $180,000. Well done. Youve come to the right place. The one shown here is the Platinum version which has a gray border. Alexander went 9-0 from mid-August on. And it was a more affordable option than the 84 Fleer Update an important fact to budget-conscious collectors. With just 26 making the PSA 10 grade, they are scarce in said condition. One of three mainstream Puckett Rookie Cards in 1985, this is actually the Hall of Famers second Fleer release. Along with those of Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg, the 1983 ToppsTony Gwynn rookie card is one of the most iconic baseball cards of the 1980s. 1983 Topps Tony Gwynn RC #482 1983 Topps Baseball is one of the best sets of the decade. Also, this seems to be available in fewer quantities than Topps and Donruss Clemens efforts in 1985. If you've made it down this far on the list, I want to thank you for taking the time to read through it. Oversized cards dont fit into traditional sheets and are as popular as a gassy dog on a long car ride. Making them one of his most valuable baseball cards from the 1980s. Nobody seriously, nobody could have seen 305 wins and the Hall of Fame in his future. And, speaking of classics, this 1980 Topps Schmidt qualifies, forever tied to the start of a dominant decade that left no doubt he was among the all-time greats. They are far less populated than regular-issue Topps cards. Its easy to do, they said. But theres a freakin snake in this picture . As I mentioned above, the value goes through the roof when found in gem mint condition. For the true Bo Jackson collector, this card is a must-have for your collection. The huge yellow lettering of the Pirates team name across the top paired with that awesome retro Pirates jersey and cap make this card really pop. First, I didn't include any college or Minor League cards and stuck with only those cards that featured a given player when he was in the Majors. Turns out we were all stupid. If you scan through the 1982 Topps base set checklist, you'll quickly remember that Cal Ripken Jr. first appeared alongside Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider as part of the "Baltimore Orioles Future Stars" card. He played for seven teams, but is best remembered as the glue of the back-to-back World Champion Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 93 when he batted a combined .347 over both Series. So, keep your eyes open for the Frank Thomas and Bo Jackson Auburn Tigers Tiger Great cards. And so they parted with a 20-year-old Michigan native named Smoltz, trading him to the Braves for 36-year-old veteran Doyle Alexander. Check out this guide if you want to learn how to submit your cards to PSA. I think we can all agree Topps could have found a more flattering photo for Gwynns Rookie Card. Larkin hit .353 in his hometown Reds four-game sweep of Oakland in the 1990 World Series. The 1985 Leaf set was much smaller than its Donruss counterpart as it included only 264 cards instead of 660. A 1963 Topps Pete Rose is worth more than a 1983 Topps Pete Rose. Mattingly solidified himself as a solid hitter during the 1984 season as he picked up the batting title that year after finishing with a .343 average. There are four variations: a whiteout, a black box, and scribbled-out black and white. Also, the exclusive held by Topps ended in 1981, and brands like Fleer and Bowman began to produce official MLB cards again. The All-Star designation on this card seems pretty appropriate. And it did. Puckett died of a stroke at age 45, becoming the second-youngest man to pass away after already being enshrined in Cooperstown. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And so on. Cal Ripken Jr. played for the Orioles for the entire 21 years of his career. Wills was slow to forget the slight, not signing a deal with Topps until 1967. Most Valuable Fleer Baseball Cards. A whopping 12,188 of these Ripken rookies have been submitted to PSA. Its actually a 1988 Upper Deck promo, released to stoke interest in the companys inaugural baseball release. Another thing that stands out is its deep checklist that is highlighted by rookie cards of Ryne Sandberg and Wade Boggs, and the second-year Cal Ripken Jr. Five years after that he was named the 1995 NL Most Valuable Player and in 2012, the Baseball Writers Association of America elected him to the Baseball Hall of Fame. To some, the selling point might be a little high for a non-rookie card, so how did it land such a high price tag? Ryan was just an absolute monster when it came to pitching, and the value of his baseball cards reflects this. But that doesnt mean this true rookie-year glossy card of a Hall of Famer (he did pitch 31 innings in 1986, not enough for rookie status) doesnt have its place in collections. Apparently there were some concerns over Hatchers defensive abilities. I personally love 80s baseball cards and have some in my personal collection that are worth more than just the monetary value. The 1980s marked a period of rapid interest in baseball cards. Nearly 700 examples of Gwynn's Topps rookie card have achieved a PSA 10 grade, while only 32 of the O-Pee-Chee versions have done so. Shortcuts: Most Expensive , Cheapest , List by Card # The value for a PSA 10 has yet to be determined because PSA has not found any of the 68 theyve seen worthy. Produce an Opening Day box set, they said. 5 Surging Panini Prizm Basketball Cards 1980 Dodgers TCMA 1959 Checklist and Details, Turning Back the Clock: 1989 Topps Baseball Cards Commercial, 1983 O-Pee-Chee Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists and Details, 1981 Topps Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists and Details, Sports Cards Release Dates, Calendar and Whats New, 2023 Baseball Cards Release Dates, Checklists and Set Information, 2022-23 Panini Obsidian Basketball Details, Beckett Sports Card Hot / Cold April 29, 2023, 10 Career-Defining Sammy Sosa Baseball Cards Instant PC, 2022 Topps Renaissance MLS Checklist and Details, 2023 Panini Stars & Stripes USA Baseball Checklist and Details, 2023 Topps Baseball Team Sets Checklists and Details, 2023 Rittenhouse Doctor Who Series 1-4 Checklist and Details, 2023 Upper Deck Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Checklist, Trading Cards Details, 2022-23 Leaf Optichrome Basketball hecklist and Details.