Mookie came up big for the Mets again in Game 7, going 1 for 3 with a run scored to help the Mets beat the Red Sox 8-5 to win the title. During the first part of his career, Tom Seaver was absolutely dominant on the mound as he racked up 20-win seasons, Cy Young Awards, ERA Titles and Strikeout Titles like it was nothing. Kansas City went 20-30 in the season's first half and started the second half slowly, with Manager Jim Frey taking the heat. And, yes, it would've been nice to see rookie cards of Fernando Valenzuela, Harold Baines and Kirk Gibson as well. Getting hands on a card like this is pretty difficult. Its nice design and classic pose have helped make it one of the most recognizable cards in the hobby, not just from the 1980s. Shortcuts: Most Expensive, Cheapest, List by Card # Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. 1981 Topps Enrique Romo Signed Pittsburgh Pirates, 15. 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. Its $300 PSA 10 price tag is no mistake. During his career, Rose was known for his all-around ability and enthusiasm. Cal Ripken Jr. 1981, 1985, 1989), 11-time MLB strikeout leader (1972-74, 1976-79, 1987-90), two-time NL leader (1981, 1987), MLB All-Century Team. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. 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. The 1981 Topps baseball card set consist of 726 standard size cards that measure 2" by 3". Smith felt more welcomed by the Cardinals ownership and management and settled in quite nicely to be one of the franchise's most beloved players in team history. And some of those players appeared on multiple cards. Most Expensive of All-Time. Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $2,700. 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. Throughout his career, Carter was known for his hitting and excellent defense, as well as his ability to handle pitchers. 8. Murray was one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game but his cards seem to be a bit overlooked at times. After a complete-game victory in Game 1, Ryan allowed three runs (two earned) in six innings in the deciding Game 5. Today only a graded high-condition example gets that kind of money. Steven Thomas Avery is an American left-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). The cards featured in this list represent the most coveted and desired of all 1981 Topps Baseball cards. The record-breaking card is from his rookie season and was produced by trading card giant Topps. 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. With the first card in the checklist, Topps paid tribute to both Lou Brock and Carl Yastrzemski crossing the 3,000 career hits mark that would put them in exclusive baseball company forever. During the rush to market, they also ended up with many errors and variations in their debut set, but that was to be expected. Contact him at [emailprotected]. Our hunt for the 80s most valuable baseball cards includes Don Mattingly, Cal Ripken Jr., Nolan Ryan, Ricky Henderson. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 1981 Topps Traded 816 Tim Raines Montreal Expos Rookie Card. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. You love collecting baseball cards, right? You can almost feel the tension in this card as he's poised and just waiting for the perfect moment to break for second. 203 Bill Gullickson Record Breaker - Expos. It didn't happen and Jackson played the 1981 campaign as a free agent. Yes, the checklist is quite messy at times with the errors and variations. 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. PSA Price Guide for 1982 Donruss Baseball Card Values - Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) & PSA/DNA Authentication Services Services 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs. His combination of speed and power was simply some of the greatest the game has ever seen. Aurelio Alejandro Lpez Rios was a Mexican professional baseball player. SportsCardsPro Index: 1982 Topps. $260. A right-hander, he threw and batted right-handed. Rodney Cline Carew is a former Panamanian baseball player who played first baseman and second baseman in the MLB from 1967 to 1985, primarily for the California Angels. And while its value pales in comparison to other big-name vintage rookies like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Roberto Clemente, to name a few, its price soared dramatically during the recent sports card boom. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. And while his offensive numbers dropped in 1981, Brett's star was still quite bright. His 94 runs scored and 111 RBI were also high marks for Jackson during his time in the Bronx, and by season's end, he would collect his first of two career Silver Slugger awards and finished second in MVP voting. 722 Joe Niekro. He played most of his career with the St Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. While George Brett lit up the AL in 1980, Mike Schmidt was doing the same in the NL and would take home his first of three career MVP Awards for his efforts. In the process, Schmidt led the league and set career highs in home runs (48), RBI (121) and total bases (342). 1955 Topps #164 Roberto Clemente RC. 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. Despite the poor production, Jackson still earned a spot on the All-Star team for the eleventh time in his career. 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.". Read our methodology . As their everyday first baseman, that put Rose on the opposite corner of the field as Phillies icon Mike Schmidt at third. Like the 1981 Fleer and Topps sets, large print runs saturated the market with these cards, driving down their values. 724 Lou Piniella. 20 Most Valuable Topps Baseball Rookie Cards Of The 1970s. 6. Considered by many to be the best defensive shortstop of all time, Smith won an incredible thirteen Gold Gloves over nineteen seasons in Major League Baseball. 1981 Topps #347 Harold Baines Rookie Card. 1981 Topps Traded Expos Tim Raines Card. And while Rose hit no home runs in 1981 and drove in just 33, he was a fantastic table-setter for the Phillies. #6. This card is among the most valuable cards from the set, with PSA 10 cards of this type collecting several thousand dollars at best. Featured here is a 1981 Topps Coca Cola baseball card signed by Aurelio Lopez. #5. Not only is it fun, but its good quality material for a future family reunion. 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. The Phillies had won the NL East for three straight seasons from 1976-1978, so Rose was supposed to be the guy who would finally put them over the top. And none of his Rookie Cards is bigger than . Tune in as Mrs. Wax Pack Gods reads 1982 Topps Baseball Cards - 17 Most Valuable . Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. 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. Roland Glen Fingers was an American right-handed relief pitcher who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. 2022 Topps Heritage Baseball Most Valuable Cards and Checklist; These 10 GOATS . - http://bit.ly/W. But, for the 1982 season, Smith would never actually suit up for the Padres as he was traded to St. Louis for another highly-regarded shortstop in Garry Templeton. He is the younger brother of Vicente Romo, who also pitched in the majors. In other years, Seaver used his overpowering stuff to outduel hitters but in 1981, he wasn't quite the fireballer as he struck out only 4.7 batters per nine innings, the second-lowest rate of his career. 207 Ozzie Smith Record Breaker - Padres. Unfortunately, they failed to make the playoffs during his first year in Philadelphia, but things changed for the better as the Phillies outlasted George Brett and the Kansas City Royals in six games to win the 1980 World Series. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! These are the result of decades of collecting and dealing for many companies, dealers, and collectors across America. 1981 Topps Coke Team Sets Aurelio Lopez Autographed, 9. Cards like this tend to have more value than regular ones. In 196 plate appearances (178 at-bats), he slashed .309/.369/.489 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. Previous Article. 0% He also holds the schools record for most strikeouts in both a single season and total career strikeouts with 309 in 305 innings pitched. But rather than hanging them up after the season, Yastrzemski got to work. The 2-time MVP, 19-time All-Star and record holder for most consecutive games played easily goes down in history as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, shortstops to play the game. His .758 OPS marked the first time he'd dropped under .817 since 1968. Prices are updated daily based upon 1981 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. 1 1980 Batting Leaders - George Brett / Bill Buckner 2 1980 Home Run Leaders - Reggie Jackson / Ben Oglivie / Mike Schmidt . 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. Many times, though, he'd fail to connect on those swings and would up earning himself a spot as the career leader in strikeouts with 2,597. 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. PSA/DNA Certified. His .246 batting average and .355 slugging percentage were also career lows. Coming off a 1980 season in which he finished runner-up for the AL MVP award, New York Yankees right fielder Reggie Jackson looked to keep the momentum going in 1981. For the longest time it seemed like Smith would not quite garner enough votes to earn a trip to the Hall of Fame. | Compare vs. Incredibly consistent and productive during his 21 years in the Big Leagues, Murray ended his Hall of Fame career with 3,255 hits, 504 home runs, 1,917 RBI and set the all-time record for sacrifice flies with 128. 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. Shortcuts: Most Expensive, Cheapest, List by Card # Carew's career batting average ended up at .328, while his best single-season average was .388 in 1977. However, regardless of what you might think of his legacy, it's surprising that this particular card isn't worth a little more. 6) 1981 Topps Traded Rollie Fingers (#761) This may be the most iconic 1981 baseball card of all, thanks to 1) Fingers signature mustache, 2) the old-school kneeling pose, 3) the Cy Young-MVP twofer Rollie pulled off in 1981, and the 1982 Topps Kmart set that immortalized the entire card in miniature. Smith continued his outstanding defensive work in 1981 by leading the National League in assists for the third straight year to pick up his second straight Gold Glove. Click on any Donruss Set to see a full list of Cards and their current value. Like his base card, his All-Star card is just as tough to find in PSA 10 condition and also carries a large price tag. Ryan dazzled on that fall afternoon in Houston, striking out eleven and walking just three. Ryan went 1-1 in two starts with a 1.80 ERA in the team's five-game NLDS loss to the Dodgers, striking out 14 batters in 15 innings while walking just three. The 1984 Topps Football set is THE landmark football card set of the 1980s. Yet, Bench's lousy injury luck was the real story. His struggles didn't last long, though, and maybe it was seeing Mike Schmidt win back-to-back MVPs in 1980 and 1981 because, by the following year, Murphy's production skyrocketed as he'd go on to win back-to-back MVPs of his own in 1982 and 1983. 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 parts of four seasons in the MLB between 1979 and 1986, with the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Montreal Expos. Ozzie was always one of my favorite players to watch as a kid as his acrobatic defensive play left fans in awe time after time as he went on to collect 13 Gold Glove awards. After the Royals split their first twenty games of the second half, he was fired, and former Yankees manager Dick Howser took the reins. Every collector knows that theres some serious money to be made off certain cards. 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson RC #482. On the field, Jackson had his worst offensive season since his sophomore campaign as he slashed a modest .237/.330/.428 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI. The current value of this baseball card is $199.99, it has the signature of Tim Raines. 723 Bruce Bochte. After the 1981 season, however, Ainge decided to call it quits with baseball. . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Year-by-year ranking of the most valuable Topps Baseball Rookie Cards from 1952 to 2020. 10 Bo Jackson #600. In the second half, they finished 1.5 games behind the Astros to miss the playoffs entirely. 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. I used to collect baseball cards as a kid and loved pulling out a pack of 1981 Topps Coca Cola cardstheir design was so much better than the regular issue and their limited print run made them seem much more valuable. He won the World Series with the Yankees in 1996. The card features Pete Rose. In 665 at-bats for Toronto, Ainge batted .220, hit two home runs, scored 57 runs, drove in another 37 and stole 12 bases. Philadelphia fell in five games to the Montreal Expos in an entertaining National League Division Series. But, this will always be the set that got their foot into the red-hot market of the 1980s. George Riley Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 14. However, when do you do it? 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. Mike Schmidt was arguably the best third baseman in baseball history and will always be remembered for both his power and his glove. Their scarcity is a result of several situations that can apply to baseball card collecting. Topps has dominated the baseball card scene for the past six decades, issuing a set in every year . While this set may be slightly overlooked in the history of the hobby, it still delivers a great checklist. 206 Mike Schmidt Record Breaker - Phillies. 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. We are user supported. 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). The problem was that the 33-year-old Bench simply wasn't healthy. 1982 Topps #30 Tom Seaver. Set Links - Overview - Checklist - Teams - Errors / Variations - Hall of Famers - Rookies . The reverse of the card mentions that over the last nine seasons dating back to 1972, Brett (2) and Carew (6) had combined to win eight batting titles. We may earn an affiliate commission if you Murray's first three seasons in the Majors were incredibly productive, but he kicked things up a notch in 1980 as he batted .300, belted 32 home runs, scored 100 runs and drove in another 116. This card is super tough to find in high grade, hence the huge price tag that might shock you. 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. 6 Rickey Henderson #180. 390 during the 1980 season. After all, Rickey Henderson is the greatest lead-off hitter of all time, whose records for runs scored (2,295) and stolen bases (1,406) may very well never be broken. At that point, Murphy looked like he was on a surefire trajectory to Cooperstown. Are you selling sports cards that were produced from 1868 - 1975? 1981 Topps Traded Tim Raines Rookie Baseball Card #816 NM-MT FREE SHIPPING. The 1980 season turned out to be historic for George Brett as he won the only MVP of his legendary career and fell just short of batting .400 on the year with an eye-popping .390 average. Cheapest, 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. . Rickey Henderson, an American retired professional baseball player who played his entire 24-year career in Major League Baseball, helped break the sports color barrier. #7. 204 Ron LeFlore / Rodney Scott Record Breaker - Expos. Because of his career accomplishments and his overpowering style, Ryan remains one of the game's most popular players to ever play and you'll see his name in just about every set's log of key cards. 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. The 1961 Topps All-Star Mays falls in line with the others in the semi-high-number subset. Heck, he even dated "Miss New York" Debra Sue Maurice from the Miss USA Beauty Pageant. 1982 Donruss. 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. And the reason it's worth so much in PSA 10 condition? Enrique Romo Navarro is a former professional baseball relief pitcher. Somehow during all that success with college basketball, he also found the time to play for the Blue Jays from 1979 to 1981. He was a member of the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. They didn't call him "Steady Eddie" for nothing. 1981 Topps Baseball Card Checklist. The last sale's most valuable Topps Nolan Ryan baseball card is the 1974 Topps Nolan Ryan baseball card number #20. 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123. 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. Ryan's stellar age-34 campaign earned him his sixth All-Star selection, a fourth-place finish in the National League's Cy Young race, and a 16th-place finish in the NL's MVP balloting. Despite the ups and downs, there isplentyto enjoy about this set. 1981 Topps Baseball 2nd Year Card Rickey Henderson, 3. The card features famous baseball player Reggie Jackson and is worth $75. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. This is the rookie card for Bronco's QB great John Elway. Track your collection for free. Although his best days were clearly behind him, he still played well enough to earn a trip to the 1982 All-Star game.