what 1980s baseball cards are valuable

We love the '80s (and '90s) baseball cards: The top 15 sets of the era | Sporting News KAN MIN 1:10p -250 BAL DET 3:40p -127 CHC MIA 3:40p -120 PIT WAS 4:05p -124 SEA TOR 4:07p -108 ATL NYM 4:10p. Your Account has been confirmed and activated successfully. 12. He stayed true to his word and did not sign with the team. However, print quantities of 1983 Topps weren't at the same levels they were by the late 80s and early 90s. But, looking to capitalize as much as possible on the hype surrounding a young phenom known as "The Kid", Topps brought back the iconic brand when they released their 1989 Bowman set. One of the pack-pulled Rookie Cards during Juniors rookie season, but it comes with a tough blend of purple and black border. GEM-MT 10. They are selling for over $1,500 today, which means they have tripled in value. Two Mattingly RCs in the first 11 cards on this list? Joyner and pitcher DeWayne Buice were integral in helping UD get off the ground and they both have promo cards that were huge during the 1988 National Sports Collectors Convention. Take Roger Maris cards, for example. But, when you add a name like Nolan Ryan (or Rickey Henderson above) to the mix then the price only skyrockets. Jackson was already a household name when his card appeared in the 1986 Topps Traded set. Since 1989, hes mostly been known for his penmanship. This is the sole reason it fetched a $1,740 auction price. With a print run of just an announced 6,000, this may well be the toughest rookie-year Griffey Jr. card to find. In addition to picking up his only career Gold Glove, he also snagged his first Silver Slugger and finished second in MVP voting to Milwaukee pitcher, Rollie Fingers. Pete Rose would lead the league in hits (140) for the seventh and final time in his storied career during the shortened 1981 season. As a rookie, he did not hit a homer. Lee Smith was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on December 9, 2018, as part of the Todays Game Era Committee vote. 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. Not only does the Tiffany distinction make it tough to find in high grade but another contributing factor to that difficulty was its position on the printing sheet. Its a dude dressed like a chicken. Predating his other MLB cards by a year, the 1984 Fleer Update Roger Clemens is legitimately rare in top condition. Next on the list is the rookie card of fireballer and pitching icon,Roger Clemens. An underappreciated card for much of Robbies career, it did gain some momentum as fans and followers began looking at his career as a whole and how good he was at second base. Not many of his rookie cards have yet made it into PSA for grading. Now that he's forever a Los Angeles sports hero, Gibson's rookie card is a must-have. These are our picks for the top 100 baseball cards of the 1980s. This, however, is a piece of art worthy of this list. I think we can all agree Topps could have found a more flattering photo for Gwynns Rookie Card. When he entered the 1984 All-Star Game in San Francisco to open up the fifth inning, Gooden was 19-years old, just two years out of Hillsborough High School in Tampa. Check out my list of the Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1980s. Those ripping packs of 1989 Upper Deck looking for Ken Griffey Jr. cards did find this RC of a Brewers shortstop who, at the time, was most known for being Dwight Goodens nephew and for his gold front teeth. Cal Ripken Jr. (1982 Topps RC #21) Ripken Jr. has to be regarded as one of the best shortstops in the history of baseball. This card should be an excellent investment as long as the population stays low. . In 2007, he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and currently has the fifth-highest voting percentage (98.53%). PSA has seen just 516 of the O-Pee-Chee Barry Bonds rookie cards. Everyone wants to collect the best of the best, and Nolan Ryan is at the top of the list. Starting off the list of most valuable baseball cards from the 1980s is the 1980 Topps George Brett base set card. Hendersons debut cardboard is unquestionably the key to the 1980 Topps edition, submitted for PSA evaluation over 17,000 times. One of the more difficult Mattingly rookie-year releases to find in Mint condition is this Nestle card, found on one of six different uncut sheets. With such a small amount of these being found in gem mint condition, its no wonder they are one of the most valuable baseball cards of the 1980s. Jackie Robinson, Mike Piazza, Hideo Nomo and, you guessed it, Fernando Valenzuela each took the league by storm as soon as they stepped on the field. Essentially, collectors are buying the grade of the card. You just wish he had embraced it more. Top 25 Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1990's - Rookie Cards Only. You'll usually find them on lower-quality card stock or with rough, jagged cuts. There wasnt a lot to get excited about when the 1987 Fleer Update sets arrived, outside of the first Fleer card of A.L. The All-Star designation on this card seems pretty appropriate. Bo warned the Bucs not to select him, but they did anyway. Barry appeared in several 1986 year-end releases that are considered XRCs. The rarity of these cards is evident by how few of the Nolan Ryan cards have been submitted to PSA for grading. It certainly does. And you get a Griffey Jr. RC! which would have made fun viewing. Therefore, the market has responded by boosting the price level of Gwynn's rookie in PSA 10 condition to the price levels you see here. Sometimes youll find versions of these that look like they were hand-cut by a kid with plastic scissors and little use for even borders. So they printed the cards with the words F**k Face. Viewing the population report for the two makes it clear just how rarer they are than the Topps cards. And, by default, its O-Pee-Chee cousin is also an incredibly desirable baseball card though it is much more difficult to find in top condition. Lee Smith is recognized as one of the dominant closers in baseball history. Those 1988 . Barry looks thrilled to be getting his picture taken. A 1963 Topps Pete Rose is worth more than a 1983 Topps Pete Rose. This makes the PSA 10 population just 4% of the entire graded population. This card of the 1980 AL Rookie of the Year is credited with making the Rookie Card a thing in the industry. And there are several rookie cards in this set. Because of its rarity, this version is one of the most valuable baseball cards from the 1980s. Five hundred thirtyhave been found in gem mint 10 condition, which means only 10% of the population has reached the highest grade, making them relatively rare. Like Topps Tiffany cards, O-Pee-Chee cards are relatively difficult to come across. And it was a more affordable option than the 84 Fleer Update an important fact to budget-conscious collectors. As the first sentence reads on the back of this card: Every year Pete Rose shatters another baseball record.. And, the fact that it was "almost his rookie card" made it even more special to us. 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. Bowman had not released a set since 1955 after they were bought out by their largest competitor, Topps. However, he was openly disappointed with Berra's assertion in Spring Training that he'd open the season on the bench. However, due to market conditions, values fluctuate. For that reason, his card is easily the most desirable in the set and is worth around $250 or so in a PSA 10 holder. Those are the kinds of memories that make this hobby so great. The white lettering with pink Two For the Title came from factory sets. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! And you were living large. Well, PSA has graded and authenticated a mere 134 to date. Pucketts quick emergence brought this RC a lot of attention from the first day 85 packs began surfacing. Hes the only American Leaguer in history to swipe one hundred bases in a season, a tally Henderson recorded three times, the first being the season that this necessary rookie card hit the shelves. PSA graded 1,600 of them, with 48 grading gem mint 10. The 87 Topps Tiffany regular set and Traded sets are believed to carry the highest print runs of any Tiffany set. But 509 home runs and a National League batting title later, Sheffield stood on his own name. He would win another ten years later, collecting three in three different decades. Bonus points for this one as it also features former Dodgers World Series champion and longtime Angels manager Mike Scioscia. This is why the 1980 Topps card sold for an impressive $2,400. Sure, the same thing can be said about all eras, and each will feel different . Regardless of its market value at any given point in time, the significance of this rookie card cannot be overstated as, again, the 1980 Topps set signaled the end of the vintage era. 1980 Topps Baseball Cards 30 Most Valuable. I considered picking up a mint 9 copy for less than $350. 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. And then there was Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A's. @Joe The price guide can be accessed here (subscription required): https://www.beckett.com/opg, Who do i contact someone about old baseball cards and i also have old football cards. The local TV station printed some promotional baseball cards with players from the team and handed them out during one of Ripkens first games playing for the Os. Due to the low print run of the letters in white variation, they are much more valuable than the copies with yellow text. Sure, Gwynn was one of the greatest hitters who ever played with 8 batting titles to his name, but why are collectors willing to pay so much for this card in top grade? Those are some pretty good numbers considering these cards may have been thrown in a dumpster at one time. Rounding out the top 10 is the 1983 O-Pee-Chee Tony Gwynn rookie card, in PSA 10 gem mint condition. But theres a freakin snake in this picture . I was stunned when I read the price next to the Barry Bonds error card. Nobody wants to look goofy while trying to make the all-important first impression and all. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Thats part of it but more important are the cards legacy and how they helped shape such an important era. These sets were given to card shops as limited edition sets and not sold in stores. In 1987, the Detroit Tigers were making one last attempt at a World Series appearance with the band that had gotten them a World Championship just three years before. The heavy gloss and stark white borders have proven to be the obstacles that have made Gem Mint examples like this so challenging. And, like Clemens, that might cut into the value and prestige of his 1985 Fleer Rookie Card to a . We should have been hoarding up Michael Jordan cards back then. This number is mind-blowing when you think about all the time, energy, and money that goes into the grading process for 1 card, let alone 29,032. With 76 in population, the Frank Thomas card owns 37% of the report for the entire set. And, like Tony Gwynn, Sandberg also appeared in the 1983 O-Pee-Chee set. But, as we know, things turned out okay for Gibby, both in Detroit and L.A. As I mentioned above, the value goes through the roof when found in gem mint condition. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The one shown here is the Platinum version which has a gray border. So far, there have been just 22 submitted. If it looking for someone specifically. It includes the O-Pee-Chee logo in the upper right in place of the Topps logo. Top 5 Baseball Cards From the 80s Let's take a look at the top 3 cards from the Decade of Decadence. Which doesnt make them very exciting. Gibson pumping his fist in excitement as he rounded the bases is one of the most memorable moments in baseball history. So when time came to include the 1962 NL MVP in its Kmart MVP box set, Topps did the only thing they could they produced a card that never was. Free shipping for many products! But just stick with this corrected version. Apparently there were some concerns over Hatchers defensive abilities. The card shows teammate Johnny Ray but has all Barry Bondss information on the front and back. "100 Most Valuable Baseball Cards: The All-Time Dream List." Baseball Reference. The Best Topps Baseball Rookie Card from Each Year - 1952-2020 The following list includes a year-by-year breakdown of the most valuable card for each flagship Topps baseball set from. And you get to learn that in French, you would refer to Outfield as Voltigeur. Because there werent many produced, the market has not been flooded with these. Perceived to be printed in smaller quantities than the Topps Traded release (and maybe the Donruss The Rookies release, too), the image is classic Bonds bat in hand ready to uncoil. Lets be honest. A Ripken Jr. Topps introduced the Bowman line (remember, Topps purchased the Bowman name in the mid-1950s) with this oversized set in 1989. The total Topps count is at 13,308! 9 of the Most Valuable Baseball Cards in History. Or take Joe Montana's pass to Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone during the 1981 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys. Consider picking up a PSA mint 9 copy for far less. There is an error version with the SS in the upper-right corner upside down. Nostalgia. This particular card was graded by PSA and found to be in gem mint 10 conditions. It made this card settle into an affordable range so that even when he was on top of the baseball world, kids could still afford this Barry Bonds Topps RC. With only 371 found in gem mint condition, they are relatively rare and expensive. One of three mainstream Puckett Rookie Cards in 1985, this is actually the Hall of Famers second Fleer release. The 1985 Leaf set was much smaller than its Donruss counterpart as it included only 264 cards instead of 660. 9. Of the many Barry Bonds rookie cards, his 1986 Topps Traded Tiffany rookie card is one of the most valuable. The availability of this set is much more limited than the regular issue Topps Traded set. Bonds' legacy will forever be shadowed in controversy, but with or without PEDs there is no question he was one of the game's most talented players who ever stepped onto the field. Despite the controversy that will forever surround McGwire, the card can still be worth a lot of money in high grade, especially if it's the Tiffany version. One of the higher-end rookies is the 1984 Topps Tiffany #8 card. "I have like eight of those at . Topps Tiffany baseball cards are by far some of the most valuable baseball cards from both the 80s and the 90s. The Canadian version of Gwynns Topps RC. High-grade versions of the future Hall of Famer and Oakland Athletic great's 1980 Topps card cost . 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. Additionally, the second-year Tiffany sets cards resemble regular-issue variety but feature a high-gloss finish. When I was a kid, my older brother traded for this card and, at the time, we both admired it as it was one of the oldest cards either of us had in our collections. At the time, who could have known the highs and lows that would mark an amazing career on the field? If you do not receive the verification code within 60 Seconds, we will send you the activation link again. A fantastic example of how a card could rise and fall. You were royalty. On August 17 in the 1980 baseball season, George Brett doubled to reach the .400 mark an amazing feat made even more spectacular considering he was batting just .259 after the first month of the season. He won the next year. Most know that during the hobby craze of that era, rampant overproduction led to a bubble that eventually burst. Furthermore, the back also has the O-Pee-Chee logo and a much brighter card stock than the regular issue Topps. 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? And he was also a fantastic fielder, as he won 9 consecutive Gold Gloves during one stretch of his career. But, given its popularity, it became one of the most frequently-submitted cards to third-party grading companies like PSA as collectors sought to capitalize on the high values. The third key Hall of Fame rookie card in the iconic 1983 Topps set belongs to Chicago Cubs legend, Ryne Sandberg. . 4,700 versions of Henderson's 1980 rookie card have been put forward for grading by the BVG and of those only one has been graded as a 10 giving it a worth well into the thousands. Youll notice the same image used for this card also appears on Bos Topps Traded card. But the key card of the set would be of a 20-year-old guy who posted a 2-4 mark and 5.56 ERA in 31 innings the year before. Chances are, the buyers are either investors to sell them in the distant future or Tony Gwynn collectors with no intention of selling at all. With just 29 of the 1,000 Gwynn rookies submitted graded gem mint 10, finding one for auction will be complicated. Which is a minimal amount. Seems surprising now, but Topps failed to include Griffey in its flagship release in 1989. You'll also notice the numbering of the sets was different as Clemens is card #99 in the Leaf set versus #273 in the Donruss set. In 2012 these were selling for just over $500. But, fortunately, Clemens made it into the checklist with Puckett. You know, for a time there, he really did kind of look like a human version of E.T. Kirby Puckettwas also one of my favorite players as a kid and this card was always among the top of my want list as a young collector. Starting off the list of most valuable baseball cards from the 1980s is the 1980 Topps George Brett base set card. Like anything in life, demand couldn't keep up with that increasing supply. Well, with over 2,200 examples authenticated and graded by PSA, only 89 were declared near-perfect. Which, is incredibly rare. Nolan Ryan is arguably one of the best pitchers the MLB has ever seen. When found in gem mint condition, these sell for $1,500, on average. Lets look at how many reside in a PSA case. The cards were larger than normal, measuring in at 2 1/2" x 3 3/4", and featured full color photography and facsimile signatures of the players. The only difference between the two is the color of the word Highlights, located in the lower left-hand corner of the card. For that reason, finding a 1987 O-Pee-Chee Barry Bonds rookie in pristine condition is quite challenging, but if you do, you'll see them sell for around $12,000 or so. With over 5,000 submitted to PSA, getting a gem mint copy of the actual FF error card is simple, but what about the four variations? The Cubs drafted him in 1982, but he left to play for eight different teams throughout his career. Although he fell short of the .400 mark at the end of the season, he still finished at an eye-popping .390, to win his second batting title. Bo Jackson has two cards, one for baseball and football. If you owned a 84 Donruss Mattingly, you owned the neighborhood. This Barry Bonds card with Johny Ray pictured on the front goes down in hobby history as one of the most recognizable error cards ever produced. And the reverse of O-Pee-Chee cards typically printed text in both English and French because of their role as the major player in the Canadian market. An RC of one of the games greatest, this one isnt winning any beauty contests. After realizing they printed cards with vulgarity, they attempted to fix it. In today's market, expect to pay around $400 for the base version of this card in gem mint condition and around $11,000 for the Tiffany version. PSA has seen just 728 copies of this specific Mattingly rookie card. Donruss sold a lot of 86 Donruss packs for this Canseco card alone. Which, Im sure, did not go over very well with mothers. Much like the Bowman and Topps Tiffany releases, Fleer also produced a premium version of their cards that year to go along with their 1989 Fleer base set. This example looks similar to his far less valuable 1987 Topps rookie card; however, this is the O-Pee-Chee version. Like, almost anything else. Few were released because the error was fixed shortly after it was discovered. The Littlefield can still be found, but its value hasnt changed much in the last 35 years. Future Star, indeed. Donruss did, letting collectors believe Floyd Bannister was actually Tom Seaver in the first printing of 85 Donruss. O-Pee-Chee cards can be distinguished by the O-Pee-Chee logos on the front and the back. A whopping 12,188 of these Ripken rookies have been submitted to PSA. First, new collectors entered the hobby based on the idea of treating baseball cards as an investment. The evidence is that a PSA 9 mint copy, with 748 in existence, sells for considerably less than $100. 1990 score football series 2 most valuable cards. 1981 Donruss wasnt littered with a lot of visually appealing 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. A few months later, the Kansas City Royals took Bo in the fourth round of the 1986 MLB Draft. This seller was unusually experienced on the auction website, with 1056117 reviews under their belt. 1989 Topps #380 Rickey Henderson. And there are plenty of people who want it. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an all-star in baseball and football. In addition to the low population, this example graded out to be in PSA 10, gem mint condition. The Wizards first Cardinals card helped drive Topps second Traded box set. Many still are. Fernandos 1981 Topps Traded appears elsewhere on this list, but this is Valenzuelas actual Topps RC. His mainstream Rookie Cards appeared the next spring. The blue border was susceptible to some chipping. 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. With this card, Fleer became the only manufacturer to produce an XRC and RC of The Rocket. Ryan any chance you can do other decades? Thats okay. If youre a Barry Bonds collector or an 80s baseball card collector, O-Pee-Chee cards are the way to go. Another valuable card from the 1985 Topps Tiffany set is the Roger Clemens rookie card #181. Carter was class. We got our first look at Barry Bonds when the 1986 Traded/Update/Rookie sets were released. Copyright 2023, Beckett Collectibles, LLC. One of Ken Griffey Jr.s most sought-after rookie cards is his 1989 Bowman Tiffany card #220. This drives the $2,000 price tag behind this legendary players card. all different years. The 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken is a one-of-a-kind error card. While some dealers broke box sets to sell singles, others chose not to. Big Macs second Topps-issued card, but the first pictured with Oakland. Many people often wonder if there are any 80s baseball cards worth money. Of the 134 cards submitted, only 13 managed to make the 10 grade. As a result of the legal process, Rose accepted his placement on baseball's permanently ineligible list, which would ban him from the game and Cooperstown for life. These hardly ever pop up on eBay; when they do, they sell quickly. This particular card was graded by PSA and found to be in gem mint 10 conditions. Organize and price your collections as we offer instant access to the world's leading trading card and collectibles databases, including baseball cards, basketball cards, football cards, non-sports cards, gaming cards and more. Great ballplayer for much of the decade. The rarity of the Bo Jackson Highlights in White rookie card is quite impressive. Owner of one of the most famous World Series home runs ever hit, and one of the nicest guys to ever grace the front of a baseball card. However, the Bo Jackson football cards have reached prices upwards of $1,500. Yeah, about that. . The same thing that had people rushing to see Ready Player One, or even, for some reason, wanting to relive the horror of It. There are no shortage of buyers for this card. This set was printed by McDag Productions and features popular players at the time, including Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas. Who cares if there are more copies printed to stretch around the world twice? So far, PSA has graded roughly 1,550 of the Pete Rose #180 cards. If the population stays this low, we can expect to see the value rise. Ryan had a lifetime winning percentage of .526 and was an eight-time MLB All-Star. One of Cal Ripken Jrs most valuable baseball cards from the 1980s is his 1982 Topps Traded rookie card. Near-perfect card of a near-perfect hitter. It's not necessarily the most valuable cards of the decade. From 1992-1995, the guy with the pencil-thin mustache on this card won four consecutive National League Cy Young awards, leading the league in innings pitched each time. However, the baseball world was stunned years later in 1989 when allegations surfaced that Rose gambled on baseball while a player and manager for the Reds from 1985-1987. And with every new season came some great and memorable cards.

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