1981 topps baseball cards most valuable

For a guy who had his rookie card debut in the 1960 Topps set, it's impressive that Yaz played long enough to be featured in this set as well. Card Number: #418. Mattingly's Donruss rookie was produced in smaller quantities than his Topps rookie, so it's worth more. This card once was worth upwards of $50, and until Jose Canseco came along, it was the most valuable regular-issue 1980s card in the book. It was a fitting punctuation mark for one of Ryan's best seasons on the mound. Not only is it fun, but its good quality material for a future family reunion. #8. 1981 Topps Expos Future Card Tim Haines Auto. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The nerve! One of the most beloved New York Mets in franchise history, Mookie Wilson finished seventh in the 1981 NL Rookie of the Year race and went on to a very successful career until he retired in 1991. This was limited to only 504 serial-numbered porcelain cards made and it has already been authenticated by Global Authentics (GAI). Here we see Yaz staring off into the distance almost as if he's thinking back on his careeror maybe he's just watching a teammate take batting practice. The card has been authenticated by the famous Beckett grading service. Known as the Man of Steal, he is widely considered to have been baseballs greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. 3. 723 Bruce Bochte. Over eighteen seasons in MLB, all with the Philadelphia Phillies, Schmidt won three MVPs, made twelve All-Star teams, won six Silver Sluggers, snagged ten Gold Gloves, and led the league in home runs eight times. At least he was voted Rookie of the Year. Many thought his career was slowly but surely coming to an end. Before Danny Ainge found success at the professional level in basketball as a player, coach and executive, he made his professional sports debut for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979while he was still in college. Like everyone else, the shortened season didn't help his overall output but some key indicators had fallen off noticeably. He struggled in 1980 (by his terms) with a career-worst 3.64 ERA and a career-low ten wins. Reggie was furious and blasted The Boss in the media. And, over the next twenty-two years, he would develop into one of the greatest players of his era with twelve All-Star selections, seven Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers to his name. Still, as one of the game's greatest leadoff hitters and baserunners, he was overdue to get in anyway. 1981 Topps card list & price guide. $15.00. After the Royals split their first twenty games of the second half, he was fired, and former Yankees manager Dick Howser took the reins. Checklist Top. . Now anchoring the back of the Brewers bullpen, Fingers won by a mere eleven points. His .246 batting average and .355 slugging percentage were also career lows. He was named Rolaids Relief Man of the Year four times and led the major leagues in saves three times. Its $300 PSA 10 price tag is no mistake. Pictured as a member of the New York Yankees, Jackson was actually traded to the California Angels for the 1982 season where he'd play for five seasons before heading back to Oakland for one final season. He played in Major League Baseball between 1977 and 1982 for the Seattle Mariners and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unlike George Brett's MVP card, Schmidt's featured an altogether different image than that of his base card. The card features St. Louise Cardinals Batter Ted Simmons and is worth $49.45. The 1984 Topps Football set is THE landmark football card set of the 1980s. The Reds put him at first base for the first time as he dealt with nagging injuries. Murphy struggled a bit during the 1981 split season as his batting average fell to a paltry .247 and his slugging percentage plunged to .390 from .510 the year before. In the process, Schmidt led the league and set career highs in home runs (48), RBI (121) and total bases (342). And some of those players appeared on multiple cards. The card from 1981 features three outstanding baseball players who were kings in their lanes. Each 1-13/16" by 3-1/4" card featured a small full-color portrait of the player with his name printed below his image on the left side of the card. The 1981 Topps Scratchoffs was a 108-card baseball set distributed on perforated three-card panels measuring 3-14" by 5-1/4". Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? It's no wonder why, considering how Henderson's a beloved figure in the sport whose '81 campaign included a .319 batting average, a league-leading 56 stolen bases and a second-place MVP . 1981 Topps Traded Expos Tim Raines Card. Philadelphia fell in five games to the Montreal Expos in an entertaining National League Division Series. It was the only time in his career where he batted .300, and he also led the league in home runs with 41 round-trippers. In the teams first game back following the players strike, the 40-year-old recorded hit number 3,631, passing Stan Musial as the National Leagues all-time hits leader. The greatest catcher of all time, Johnny Bench played in seventeen seasons with the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983, and in 2011 the team erected a statue in his honor at Great American Ballpark. At 41 years of age, it seemed time had finally caught up to Boston Red Sox designated hitter/first baseman Carl Yastrzemski in 1981. Read our methodology. Within the set were also several different subsets, including: The colorful design and decent photography give this set an overall great look and feel, with many cards having fantastic eye appeal. When it comes to Rookie Cards, 1981 Topps is one . Seaver would play one more year for the Reds in 1982 when he posted a 5-13 record before heading back to the New York Mets the following year. Track your collection for free. Grade: PSA 10. Cincinnati finished second in both halves of the 1981 split-season but ended the year with the best overall record in the National League. However, once they got there, the Oakland Athletics promptly swept them in the ALDS as Brett went just 2-for-12 (.167) in the three games. Over his long and storied career, Henderson broke many records and helped transform the lead-off position. Here are the top 15 Most Expensive Nolan Ryan Cards: #15 1978 Topps Nolan Ryan #400 Recent sale: $898 . On May 29th against the San Francisco Giants, Bench slid into second base, attempting to break up a double play but fractured his left ankle in the process. After his release by the Brewers, he was offered a contract by Pete Rose to play for the Cincinnati Reds in 1986. As their everyday first baseman, that put Rose on the opposite corner of the field as Phillies icon Mike Schmidt at third. #10. 0% 5 Cal Ripken Jr. #183. Prices for 1982 Topps Baseball Cards 1982 Topps card list & price guide. And in this guide, I'll run through the ten most valuable. Players include Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan & Mike Trout. The 1981 Canadian version of the 1981 Nolan Ryan Topps baseball card came from O-Pee-Chee at a time when there were two Canadian teams registered in MLB. Accolades aside, Schmidt felt his best accomplishment was in one of the few offensive categories in which he didn't pace the Majors: batting average. 1981 Topps Traded Fernando Valenzuela, 16. In 1981, the Boston Red Sox played 108 games during the regular season and won 59 of those games, losing 49. 1961 Topps Willie Mays All-Star (#579) Here is a case where card scarcity and an immortal of the game conspire to generate a value anomaly an All-Star card worth more than the base card of the same player. $9.99. Tags 1981 Topps Baseball. Rookie Card (1982 Topps - Card #21), $700 (Photo: Amazon.com) Here is another player who enjoyed a long MLB career, spending it all with the Baltimore Orioles starting in 1981. After the 1986 season, Dawson left Montreal as a free agent for the Chicago Cubs, where he would become their everyday right fielder on a much more knee-friendly grass field. And that's when his career started to take off as he made his first of seven career All-Star Games during the 1980 season and would finish twelfth in the MVP vote. Gary Carter, nicknamed Kid and The Kid, was a professional baseball player whose 19-year career in Major League Baseball was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. Sure, the 1981 Topps set has the Montana rookie card, . 1981 Fleer card list & price guide. Brett's performance at the plate put him well above Milwaukee's Cecil Cooper and his own impressive .352 average to earn his second of three career batting titles. Regardless of its market value at any given point in time, the significance of this rookie card cannot be overstated as it's one of the most expensive cards from the 1980s. Clocking in at 605 cards in total, this set made history when it first debuted. Estimated PSA 9 Value: $1,800. In the team's NLDS loss to the Expos, Schmidt hit .250 (4-for-16) with one home run, two RBI, and four walks. The 1980 season would be Winfield's last with the Padres as the Yankees signed him to a ten-year, $23 million contract making him the game's highest-paid player at the time. The 10 Most Valuable Basketball Cards from the 1980s. They finished the season with a .546 winning percentage in front of 1,060,379 fans who saw them play. The most expensive baseball card in history just sold for $12.6 million By Zoe Sottile, . While Pete Rose set records elsewhere in the Phillies lineup, third baseman Mike Schmidt set the National League ablaze. These are the result of decades of collecting and dealing for many companies, dealers, and collectors across America. Rating: 7.5 (174 votes) Click here to Rate. Rookie Cards were so valuable to collectors in 1989, that if Oprah had been involved in baseball cards, she would have been saying . And none of his Rookie Cards is bigger than . His combination of speed and power was simply some of the greatest the game has ever seen. Inc. The player who played the most games at first base in major league history was Eddie Murray, who amassed 2,413-lifetime games at the position along with nearly 600 more as a designated hitter. While it may not be one of the most popular sets of the era, the 1982 Topps baseball card set packed plenty of star power and two key Hall of Fame rookie cards. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. . Jackson's time in New York wasn't exactly smooth as he occasionally clashed with teammates, manager Billy Martin and owner George Steinbrenner, contributing to an environment that earned the team the nickname "The Bronx Zoo.". Price: $299.99. And, in this guide, we look at the 25 most valuable. 19 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Price List. 3. Within it, there were also several different subsets, including: For those collectors on the lookout for great Hall of Famers of the era or just a large checklist to complete, this set has it all. . This card is among the most valuable cards from the set, with PSA 10 cards of this type collecting several thousand dollars at best. You'd think a third baseman with that kind of power wouldn't have had the best defensive skills but no, Schmidt was amazing on defense as well as he'd go on to win 10 Gold Gloves. The 1981 season was the seventh and final time. Canadian baseball cards printed in the French language are uncommon, which shows on this baseball card as it is bi-lingual. The move worked as the Royals responded by winning 20 of their last 33 to make the playoffs. Most Watched Baseball Cards. Carew's career batting average ended up at .328, while his best single-season average was .388 in 1977. Fans and media began to take note of his incredible defensive talent, giving him the nickname "The Wizard.". Only Tony Gwynn had come closer to batting .400 or better since Ted Williams last did it in 1941 when Gwynn batted .394 in 110 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season. , Dodgers Future Star [Perconte, Scioscia, Valenzuela] #302, Expos Future Stars [T. Raines, R. Ramos, B. The 1990 American League Most Valuable Player, Henderson also was the lead-off hitter for two World Series championship teams, the 1989 Oakland Athletics and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. 6 Rickey Henderson #180. Enrique Romo Navarro is a former professional baseball relief pitcher. However, during early 2021, PSA 9 examples of this card frequently sold for $4,000 - $5,000 or more. You are looking at a 1981 Topps Rookie Card hand-signed by George Riley. After the 1981 season, however, Ainge decided to call it quits with baseball. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. Roland Glen Fingers was an American right-handed relief pitcher who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985. His .758 OPS marked the first time he'd dropped under .817 since 1968. 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs. During his career, Rose was known for his all-around ability and enthusiasm. If so, then please fill out the form below and I'll be in touch right away. Average ungraded base card value (excludes parallels) for 1981 Topps This Nolan Ryan card is another fantastic example of Topps capturing the style and vibe of the 1980s. #7. For the 1980 season, Henderson raised eyebrows with his extraordinary speed as he led the league in stolen bases (100) for the first of twelve times in his legendary career. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Growing up in Central Indiana surrounded by Cubs fans, I would hear about Dawson constantly as fans absolutely loved the guy, and rightly so. During the rush to market, they also ended up with many errors and variations in their debut set, but that was to be expected. In a similar theme, Larry Bird is featured in a card from the 1981 Topps set. For his regular-season efforts, Rose earned the only Silver Slugger Award of his career, his 15th All-Star selection, and a tenth-place finish on the NL MVP ballot. The Atlanta Braves had used Dale Murphy at first base and catcher during his early years in the 1970s, but in 1980 they moved him to the outfield. When collectors think back to the junk wax era, one of the first sets to jump into minds is 1987 Topps Baseball. $195. On his 1982 Topps card, Ripken is sandwiched between Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider as part of the "Future Stars" subset with the Baltimore Orioles. And incredibly, hed come back with a vengeance. Boggs was a perennial contender for American League batting titles during the 1980s and 1990s. While they both made their MLB debuts in 1961, Brock would retire after the 1979 season with 3,023 hits while Yaz would stick around until 1983 and finished with 3,419 hits. In total, Henderson led the league in stolen bases . And, yes, it would've been nice to see rookie cards of Fernando Valenzuela, Harold Baines and Kirk Gibson as well. List by Card #, You own: 0 / 865 items This card features the professional baseball player Danny Ainge. I love both of these cards not so much because it's Reggie Jackson we're talking about, but because of all the 1980's awesomeness on display. The following season, Seaver was as sharp as ever as he finished with an incredible .875 winning percentage after going 14-2 on the mound. But, I'm a big fan of this set regardless. 29 Surprisingly Cheap: 1985 Mark McGwire Topps. Throughout his career, Carter was known for his hitting and excellent defense, as well as his ability to handle pitchers. In the tenth inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Wilson stepped up to the plate with runners on first and third with his team trailing 5-4. Baines also won a Silver Slugger in 1989 and led the American League in slugging percentage (.541) in 1984. 6 Don Mattingly 1984 Donruss #248: One of the most . But, you'll remember that by 1982, Topps was no longer the only major company producing baseball cards as both Donruss and Fleer had joined the scene the year prior. 726 cards. And the reason it's worth so much in PSA 10 condition? Donruss would take the experience with this set and continue to churn out many improved and memorable sets for years to come. Cincinnati finished the year with the best composite record in all of baseball but the nature of the strike-shortened season's playoff format bit them in the backside. He played parts of four seasons in the MLB between 1979 and 1986, with the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Montreal Expos. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Although his best days were clearly behind him, he still played well enough to earn a trip to the 1982 All-Star game. 10 Bo Jackson #600. 1981 Topps Traded 816 Tim Raines Montreal Expos Rookie Card. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. It was also the first Topps set to feature a monster 792-card checklist. When graded gem mint 10 by PSA, the value has gone as high as $180,000. Perhaps Wilson's finest point of his career came during one of the most memorable at-bats in baseball history that lasted ten pitches, sent Mets fans soaring, and broke Red Sox fans' hearts. Boggs reached 3,000 hits during his career and became the 23rd player to do so. If you look closely, though, you'll notice the images are just slightly different as you can see two of his teammates in the background on his MVP card versus one (plus the arm of another) on his base card. While they used to be a bit overlooked, it's nice to see the 1980 Topps baseball set getting more love in recent years. Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay; Bowman Chrome Cards; Wander Franco Cards; . Contact him at [emailprotected]. So, for the cards on this list to be worth much, they'll have to be graded by PSA to be in perfect, gem mint condition. I know the game is played differently these days but even if it weren't, I'd be stunned if anyone in the future ever meets or bests his 130 stolen bases in a season. Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Fleer Baseball Cards. For one more year, at least, Topps was the only game in town in 1980. They were the fourteenth and fifteenth players to achieve the incredible milestone. With the 22-year-old star setting the table, the As earned a playoff spot with a 37-23 first-half record and finished with the American Leagues best overall record at 64-45. I remember several years ago you could find this card in a PSA 9 holder quite easily for $400 or so, which made it undervalued even back then. Sandwiched in between the "normal", if limp 1979 issue, and that 1981 set is another oddity. Shortcuts: Most Expensive, Cheapest, List by Card # 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123. This is a rare Topps card from 1981 containing his signature. Jackson found a groove in the team's ALDS victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting .300 with a .933 OPS, two home runs, and four RBI. 1981, 1985, 1989), 11-time MLB strikeout leader (1972-74, 1976-79, 1987-90), two-time NL leader (1981, 1987), MLB All-Century Team. There's no questioning the significance of 1980 Topps baseball cards in hobby history. The 1981 season was the St. Louis Cardinals 100th season in St. Louis, Missouri, and their 90th year in the National League (NL). Raines showed the world that Rickey Henderson wasn't the only guy who could light up the basepaths as he led the Majors with 71 stolen bases while slashing .304/.391.438. Jackson slumped out of the gates in 1981, prompting Steinbrenner to invoke a clause in his contract that forced him to undergo a full physical examination. 1981 Topps card list & price guide. Who doesnt enjoy looking through their packs of cards whenever they find themselves in a fabled card shop. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the list: The 1981 American League MVP race came down to two men, Oakland Athletics left fielder Rickey Henderson and former As closer Rollie Fingers. To commemorate Brett's 1980 MVP Award, Donruss basically changed the borders from green to red on his base card and slapped the "MVP" logo at the bottom while removing the team name and position. Brett's career batting average of .305 wasn't quite as good, but he did put up the better single-season effort when he batted. Ozzie Smith's 1979 Topps rookie card is also one of the last great rookie cards of the vintage era, but his second-year card isn't a bad consolation prize either. The Boston Celtics drafted Ainge in the 1981 NBA Draft and bought his contract from the Blue Jays and the rest was history. There are only 7 examples of this card in circulation at the time of this writing that have achieved that gradeso they're very scarce. Owchinko played baseball for Eastern Michigan University. In 390 plate appearances (338 at-bats), Yastrzemski posted a .246/.338/.355 slash line with a career-low seven home runs and 53 RBI. On our list is an ungraded card featuring the 1981 Boston Red Sox, it was probably signed by the manager for the team, it is currently worth $72. Prices are updated daily based upon 1981 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. If you do the math on those 2,416 strikeouts he accumulated during his time with the Angels, that meant he averaged302 strikeouts per season, a mark many pitchers would be lucky to reach even once during their careers. In the second half, they finished 1.5 games behind the Astros to miss the playoffs entirely. Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Topps Baseball Cards. However, Schmidt led baseball in multiple offensive categories, including home runs (31), RBI (91), OBP (.435), slugging percentage (.644), OPS (1.080), OPS+ (198), and total bases (228). Donovan Mitchell was one of the standouts in a loaded 2017-18 NBA rookie class. For 15 seasons from 1982 to 1996, Smith was a key cog in the Cardinals lineup as he went on to win 11 more Gold Gloves and appear in 14 more All-Star Games. For its 1980-81 basketball set, Topps mixed things up by releasing an entire set in which each card had three panels, each . During Dawson's first year with the Cubs in 1987, he would lead the league in home runs (49) and RBI (137) to win MVP honors, and the fans at Wrigley instantly fell in love with "the Hawk.". 1983 Donruss. Reggie Jackson played five seasons as a member of the New York Yankees from 1977 to 1981, and the 1980 season turned out to be his best in pinstripes. He was a member of the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. If not for Fernando Valenzuela's incredible rookie performance and "Fernandomania" taking the sport by storm, Raines would've easily won the 1981 NL Rookie of the Year Award. 1982 Topps #30 Tom Seaver. On September 26, 1981, Houston Astros ace Nolan Ryan passed Sandy Koufax with a record fifth no-hitter on national television against Koufax's old team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. But, this will always be the set that got their foot into the red-hot market of the 1980s. Ozzie Smith was given the name Wizard of Oz After an amazing record for the most assists at shortstop thus establishing a new record in that era. In 21 starts, Ryan finished 11-5 with an MLB-best 1.69 ERA. His full name is Peter Edward Rose and was a professional baseball player who managed to exceed Ty Cobbs record for the number of hits in a career.

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