10. $15.00. 19 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards In the World 1981 Topps Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists and Details $9.99. Track your collection for free. 1981 Topps Enrique Romo Signed Pittsburgh Pirates, 15. 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. Even more impressive, his 1982 Topps issue wasn't his last card as he also made it into the 1983 Topps set. 25 Most Valuable 1987 Topps Baseball Cards In The World 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123. The season was noted for the change in playoff format, which created the first-ever Divisional Series with a qualification variant that existed only for that season; and the players strike, which truncated the regular season. 19 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Price List. Click on a Card detail page to see historic prices and values for all different grades. "I've learned to stay within myself, not be afraid to fail.". Most of Tom Seaver's pitching brilliance occurred during his first eleven seasons in the Majors with the New York Mets as he was named 1967 Rookie of the Year and won three Cy Youngs (1969, 1973, and 1975) during that time. - http://bit.ly/W. Many thought his career was slowly but surely coming to an end. 5 Underrated 1981 Donruss Baseball Cards. Struggling through back issues and other accumulated aches and pains, Yastrzemski had the worst offensive season of his 21-year career thus far. The continued adoption of Sabermetrics no doubt helped push him across the finish line and into Cooperstown. The current worth of this card is $195. Oakland swept three straight from the Kansas City Royals in the ALDS but, the tables turned in the ALCS when the Yankees eliminated them in three. The 1981 Topps Scratchoffs was a 108-card baseball set distributed on perforated three-card panels measuring 3-14" by 5-1/4". Schmidt was, arguably, the game's best player for the second-straight season. 1981 Topps card list & price guide. And, like Clemens, that might cut into the value and prestige of his 1985 Fleer Rookie Card to a . But, hey, that's the kind of excitement that he brought to the game: you never knew if he were going to bury one over the fence or get sent right back to the dugout. 1 Rickey Henderson #119. 10 Most Valuable 1981 Donruss Baseball Cards - Sports Card Investor Rose hit .300 (6-for-20) with two RBI and a run scored in the losing effort. However, when do you do it? He also had a flair for the big hit and helped Philadelphia to a 34-21 record in the first half to secure a playoff spot for the Phillies halfway through the season. His combination of speed and power was simply some of the greatest the game has ever seen. Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $2,700. PriceIt Game | The nerve! 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. 1981 Fleer Rickey Henderson #351, #574. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. Had Fred Lynn (.333) not barely edged out Brett (.329) for the title in 1979, then they would've had all nine of them. We don't know how big a role nostalgia plays with this one, but it still regularly sells north of $40. Throughout his career, Carter was known for his hitting and excellent defense, as well as his ability to handle pitchers. 50. 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. Getting hands on a card like this is pretty difficult. $260. Plus Bonus Listings! Steven Thomas Avery is an American left-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). During the rush to market, they also ended up with many errors and variations in their debut set, but that was to be expected. 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. 1981 Topps Baseball Cards - DeansCards.com 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. This card is worth $45 but could go higher. That effort would place him sixth in MVP voting and solidify his reputation for similar, consistent production over the rest of his Hall of Fame career. 1981 Topps Expos Future Card Tim Haines Auto. Wade Boggs is an American former baseball player who retired as a third baseman after 18 seasons of Major League Baseball. 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. Star power: Robinson, a Hall of Famer, broke the MLB color barrier in 1947, becoming a social justice icon in the process. This set marked the end of an era in which Topps was the only mainstream company with the MLB's blessing to print baseball cards. And the difference lies on the reverse of the card, as one version will point collectors to see card #251 for more Rose highlights while the other will direct them to see card #371 for more. It has been authenticated and graded a 10 by Beckett Authentication Services. The wrist band, the glasses.and that awesome stache You just don't see that kind of stuff in today's game so this card perfectly captures the style of the era and that's the great thing about baseball cards in general. 1981 Reggie Jackson Topps Project 70 Card, 10. 10 Bo Jackson #600. The offense stagnated, and the Astros fell 4-0. Value: $300-325. Valenzuela won both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards, and the Dodgers made it all the way to the World Series. 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. We are user supported. Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay; Bowman Chrome Cards; Wander Franco Cards; . All told, Bench played in just 52 of Cincinnati's 108 games. Set Links - Overview - Checklist - Teams - Errors / Variations - Hall of Famers - Rookies . Although the 1980 season would mark the first of a nine-year stint for Nolan Ryan with the Houston Astros, Topps still had to show him as a member of the California Angels because of the timing of their print run for their 1980 Topps set. Roberto Ramos in the middle who was an amazing catcher during his prime and the beloved Bobby Pate who commanded respect in the outfield. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. And he was still very much a respectable pitcher during his time in Cincinnati from 1977 to 1982 as he'd win around 15 games regularly, made . And, over the years, it's started to grow on collectors more and more after nostalgia for that era has increased and many collectors have a newfound appreciation for hobby history. He earned four varsity letters, two for college and two for the major leagues. Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Topps Baseball Cards. Read our methodology . Ungraded & graded values for all '82 Topps Baseball Cards. Most Expensive of All-Time. Rookie Cards were so valuable to collectors in 1989, that if Oprah had been involved in baseball cards, she would have been saying . . Later, his stretch from 1982 to 1987 was one of the most dominant in Major League Baseball as he was twice voted MVP, made six-straight All-Star teams while winning five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. In the second half, they finished 1.5 games behind the Astros to miss the playoffs entirely. He was the clear choice for National League MVP and also picked up a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. Even though the image is kind of ghostly (see his right shoulder) on this card, it's my favorite of his three cards in this set given its an action shot. George Riley Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 14. 726 cards. Despite this seemingly unjustified absence from more "Midsummer Classics," Yount is considered to be the greatest Milwaukee Brewer in the franchise's history. 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). Mattingly's Donruss rookie was produced in smaller quantities than his Topps rookie, so it's worth more. Brock crossed the mark with a single on August 13, 1979 while Yaz hit a single of his own on September 12, 1979 to join the club. 6. Fans and media began to take note of his incredible defensive talent, giving him the nickname "The Wizard.". 1. It didn't matter, though, as the Reds missed out on the playoffs and a rejuvenated Tom Seaver was denied one last hurrah in October. 5 Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Topps Traded #98T: Everybody wants to make such a big fuss about a 2,632-game playing streak when the real awe lies with the steadiness of this card's value. 1981 Topps Baseball Cards - Set Info and Best Cards - Sports Cards Rock Its one thing to have an expos future stars card signed by one of the 3 players, however, the value and rarity goes all the way up when you have the signatures of two players on one card. 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. Here are the top 15 Most Expensive Nolan Ryan Cards: #15 1978 Topps Nolan Ryan #400 Recent sale: $898 . Cincinnati finished second in both halves of the 1981 split-season but ended the year with the best overall record in the National League. The Reds finished a half-game behind the Dodgers in the NL West in the first half. It was a fitting punctuation mark for one of Ryan's best seasons on the . This was limited to only 504 serial-numbered porcelain cards made and it has already been authenticated by Global Authentics (GAI). Despite not being a Hall of Famer, Rose's legacy as one of the game's greatest hitters of all time keeps his cards in high demand throughout the hobby. Unfortunately, his production fizzled out in the 1990s, so he didn't quite finish off a career worthy of Cooperstown. In 196 plate appearances (178 at-bats), he slashed .309/.369/.489 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. 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. Several of the game's biggest stars of the day appeared on two cards in this set, but I think Pete Rose was one of only two guys, along with Reggie Jackson, who appeared on three. Shortcuts: . Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson RC #482. After nearly a decade-and-a-half as the standard for MLB catchers, Cincinnati Reds Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench changed positions for the 1981 season. 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. This card is super tough to find in high grade, hence the huge price tag that might shock you. As his time with the Yankees had come to a close, Jackson packed his bag and headed back to the West Coast, signing to play for the California Angels. 1952 Topps Willie Mays RC #261. After tallying 138 wins and 2,416 strikeouts over eight seasons with the California Angles, Nolan Ryan signed a $4.5 million four-year deal with the Houston Astros during the 1979 offseason. Price: $299.75 Grade: PSA 10. When it comes to Rookie Cards, 1981 Topps is one . When Bench managed to stay healthy enough to be in the lineup, he was quite productive. Sports Cards: 10 Most Valuable Baseball Rookie Cards of the 1990s "I had hit .300 before, but I couldn't hold it," he said. At the time, everyone thought the Padres were getting the better end of the deal as Templeton was a much better hitter. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. In this guide, I will cover the 25 most valuable in the set. Part of the explanation is that Yount was quietly consistent and playing in small-market Milwaukee certainly didn't help. 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. Our hunt for the 80s most valuable baseball cards includes Don Mattingly, Cal Ripken Jr., Nolan Ryan, Ricky Henderson. Tim Raines first became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2008 but wasn't elected until 2017 when he received a convincing 86% of the vote. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. Cards like this tend to have more value than regular ones. For example, his .693 OPS was the worst of his career by nearly 40 points (.721, 1961), and it was almost 150 points less than his career mark of .841. 1981 Topps Kirk Gibson RC #315. . 10 Most Valuable 1987 Topps Baseball Cards - Sports Card Investor 8. Bench was also known for the long ball as he led the league in home runs twice and finished his career with 389. 1989 Donruss The Rookies Ken Griffey Jr. #3. PSA 6. Sure, the 1981 Topps set has the Montana rookie card, . 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Which Are Most Valuable? - YouTube 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. While Pete Rose set records elsewhere in the Phillies lineup, third baseman Mike Schmidt set the National League ablaze. Bench is somewhat of an anomaly on this list, showing up with only one 1981 Fleer card, and all. Contents hide. Cards. Most valuable baseball cards of the 1980s He is ranked 33rd on the all-time list of career leaders for batting average among Major League Baseball players with at least 1,000 appearances at-bat. 1981 Topps Project 70 Card Wade Boggs by Efdot FOIL, 8. Contact him at [emailprotected]. 1981 Topps Football Cards - 12 Most Valuable - Wax Pack Gods 1982 Topps Baseball Cards - 17 Most Valuable - Wax Pack Gods Despite the poor production, Jackson still earned a spot on the All-Star team for the eleventh time in his career. 10 Most Valuable Basketball Cards from the 1980s - Gold Card Auctions Price: $299.99. His .758 OPS marked the first time he'd dropped under .817 since 1968. 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. 1981 Topps Traded 816 Tim Raines Montreal Expos Rookie Card. As a result, Topps created this monster 792-card checklist and loaded it with subsets to try and keep collector interestand collector eyeballsaway from Donruss and Fleer. Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $120. He played most of his career with the St Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. 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 card has been authenticated by the famous Beckett grading service. He was a member of the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. The 1981 season was the St. Louis Cardinals 100th season in St. Louis, Missouri, and their 90th year in the National League (NL). 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 1984 Topps Football set is THE landmark football card set of the 1980s. Still, his popularity continues today, and his cards remain in high demand by kids now turned adults who grew up idolizing him. 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. Brett was one of the finest hitters in baseball history, but I think what is most impressive was his longevity as a top hitter, having won a batting title in three different decades (1976, 1980, and 1990). Given how consistently great Murray was for so many years, it just seems unimaginable that he didn't lead in one of those two categories at least one other time. 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. 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie Card. Featured here is a 1981 Topps Coca Cola baseball card signed by Aurelio Lopez. Murray was one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game but his cards seem to be a bit overlooked at times. $12.95. 50 Most Valuable Baseball Cards of All Time | Stadium Talk Kansas City went 20-30 in the season's first half and started the second half slowly, with Manager Jim Frey taking the heat. List by Card #, You own: 0 / 865 items Tune in as Mrs. Wax Pack Gods reads 1982 Topps Baseball Cards - 17 Most Valuable . While Brett would undoubtedly be on this list anyway, this is an example of where a special season for a player can make his card stand out even more than it may have otherwise. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the list: Lee Smith was one of the greatest relief pitchers to ever step on the mound and is currently a distant number three on the all-time saves list with 478 behind Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601). Like the 1981 Fleer and Topps sets, large print runs saturated the market with these cards, driving down their values. 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.