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. The 1982 season saw Henderson set a single-season best for stolen bases as he swiped a ridiculous 130 bases in total. He was a two-sport star in baseball and basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, so it wasn't too shocking that the Atlanta Hawks (NBA), Utah Stars (ABA) and San Diego Padres (MLB) each drafted him. 6 Don Mattingly 1984 Donruss #248: One of the most . And while Rose hit no home runs in 1981 and drove in just 33, he was a fantastic table-setter for the Phillies. Wade Boggs is an American former baseball player who retired as a third baseman after 18 seasons of Major League Baseball. Tim Haines finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, 19th in MVP, and earned his first All-Star selection. The current value of this baseball card is $199.99, it has the signature of Tim Raines. Since most collectors in this hobby tend to draw the line on the "vintage era" at 1980, many consider the Rickey Henderson rookie card to be the last big-name vintage rookie. The card from 1981 features three outstanding baseball players who were kings in their lanes. Heres a rare rainbow foil card in mint condition by Risk Foil. . . The most expensive baseball card in history just sold for $12.6 million By Zoe Sottile, . However, regardless of what you might think of his legacy, it's surprising that this particular card isn't worth a little more. 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. Instead, he was more of a craftsman on the mound and outsmarted hitters to allow a career-low 6.5 hits per nine innings. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? Somehow during all that success with college basketball, he also found the time to play for the Blue Jays from 1979 to 1981. 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. 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. Card Number: #418. Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $2,000. During the rush to market, they also ended up with many errors and variations in their debut set, but that was to be expected. But, this will always be the set that got their foot into the red-hot market of the 1980s. Aurelio Alejandro Lpez Rios was a Mexican professional baseball player. That means the card needs to be flawless. 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). 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. Read our methodology. Bench is somewhat of an anomaly on this list, showing up with only one 1981 Fleer card, and all. 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. This is the rookie card for Bronco's QB great John Elway. Had Los Angeles's Fernando Valenzuela's not been so dominant in 1981, dousing the baseball world in "Fernandomania," Seaver would have earned his fourth Cy Young as he finished runner-up. 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. George Riley Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 14. 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123. 1981 Topps #347 Harold Baines Rookie Card. Things screeched to a halt, though, when Jackson injured his calf running the bases in Game 2 of the ALCS against Oakland. 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. Checklist Top. So for our purpose, the most expensive Nolan Ryan rookie card is the 1969 Topps RC which is valued at $20,000, give or take a thousand. Despite the ups and downs, there isplentyto enjoy about this set. Read our methodology. Enrique Romo Navarro is a former professional baseball relief pitcher. His .246 batting average and .355 slugging percentage were also career lows. The 1981 season was the seventh and final time. 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. 1981 Fleer card list & price guide. 5 Underrated 1981 Donruss Baseball Cards. In 196 plate appearances (178 at-bats), he slashed .309/.369/.489 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. 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. He was a member of the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. Contact him at [emailprotected]. Smith earned the first of those Gold Gloves during the 1980 season when he also set the single-season record for most assists by a shortstop with an astronomical total of 621. Ultimately, Winfield decided to play baseball for the San Diego Padres beginning in 1973. But he is more famous for the accusations of gambling that led Major League Baseball to ban him from the sport in 1989. Clocking in at 605 cards in total, this set made history when it first debuted. And, if you look back at his stats for his rookie campaign in the 1982 season, there really was no reason he shouldn't have made the All-Star team that year, too. When Bench managed to stay healthy enough to be in the lineup, he was quite productive. In 493 plate appearances (423 at-bats), Henderson posted a robust .319/.408/.437 slash line with nine home runs and 53 RBI while winning his first of three Silver Sluggers. 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 1984 Topps Football set is THE landmark football card set of the 1980s. 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. In Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he'd return with New York holding a 2-1 advantage to try and help the team across the finish line. 6. Tim Raines was one of the most successful stealers in baseball history and can be seen on the far left of the card. Even more impressive, his 1982 Topps issue wasn't his last card as he also made it into the 1983 Topps set. Bench was also known for the long ball as he led the league in home runs twice and finished his career with 389. He won the American League MVP award with one of the best offensive seasons in league history, flirted with .400, and made his first World Series appearance. For its 1980-81 basketball set, Topps mixed things up by releasing an entire set in which each card had three panels, each . Tune in as Mrs. Wax Pack Gods reads 1982 Topps Baseball Cards - 17 Most Valuable . He did his best, hitting .333 with a 1.095 in the final three games, but New York dropped all three and the series. Cards #1-6 in the set feature different highlights that several different players achieved during the 1979 season. He also holds the schools record for most strikeouts in both a single season and total career strikeouts with 309 in 305 innings pitched. 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. As you can see, some of the game's biggest legends of all time can be found within the 726-card checklist. 10. Like the 1982 Donruss and Fleer sets, large print runs saturated the market with these cards, driving down their values. There are no scratches, bends, or folds. He helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseball and ushered in the modern closer role. 1981 Topps card list & price guide. It was featured by the Boston Celtics in the 2 times NBA championship (1984 and 1986), NBA champion 2008 executive, NBA executive of the year 2008 is also a serial numbered card. The first standalone Topps Traded set may belong to 1981, but the first card to really make the series a hobby burner belongs to 1982 and to Cal Ripken, Jr. . The last sale's most valuable Topps Nolan Ryan baseball card is the 1974 Topps Nolan Ryan baseball card number #20. 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. Despite missing the call to the Hall, Murphy was a hero to many kids who collected during his brilliant run in the 1980s, and today those kids are adult collectors with money to spare, keeping his cards in decent demand. And, yes, it would've been nice to see rookie cards of Fernando Valenzuela, Harold Baines and Kirk Gibson as well. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? The subsets in the 1981 Topps baseball cards include the league leaders (1-8), record breakers (201-208), and team cards with checklists on the back (661-686).The key rookie cards from this set include #315 Kirk Gibson, #347 Harold Baines, and #302 Fernando Valenzuela. Rose hit .300 (6-for-20) with two RBI and a run scored in the losing effort. Thats why everyone is constantly asking the question: What are the most valuable 1981 Topps baseball cards?. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. 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. 29 Surprisingly Cheap: 1985 Mark McGwire Topps. One of the most memorable cards in the '91 Topps set, this horizontal stunner shows Clemens posing in front of Fenway Park's famed scoreboard. This is a rare Topps card from 1981 containing his signature. 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. A remarkable all-around . They finished the season with a .546 winning percentage in front of 1,060,379 fans who saw them play. 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. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. After sixteen seasons and two World Series titles with the Cincinnati Reds, Pete Rose left the "Big Red Machine" behind and signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1979. 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. Philadelphia fell in five games to the Montreal Expos in an entertaining National League Division Series. 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. For the longest time it seemed like Smith would not quite garner enough votes to earn a trip to the Hall of Fame. 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. 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. In 1981, the 6'5 monster recorded his second straight 1000-yard season and led all of football with 88 catches. Henderson was also top-notch on defense as he brought home his first-and-only Gold Glove. Murray was one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game but his cards seem to be a bit overlooked at times. 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. He struggled in 1980 (by his terms) with a career-worst 3.64 ERA and a career-low ten wins. In 1981, Donruss and Fleer gave Topps some much-needed competition. The most valuable baseball card from the 1980s is Rickey Henderson's 1980 Topps rookie card. He also led all of baseball with 89 runs scored and led the American League in stolen bases (56) and hits (135). And they delivered a great set with many stars and Hall of Famersand one of the biggest rookie cards of the 1980s. *TIM RAINES* 1981 Topps Traded #816 *CGS 9* RC Rookie Card. 1983 Topps #482 Tony Gwynn Rookie Card. SEE THE CARD HERE! 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 . When collectors think back to the junk wax era, one of the first sets to jump into minds is 1987 Topps Baseball. - http://bit.ly/W. In 379 plate appearances (347 at-bats), Brett slashed .314/.364/.484 with 24 home runs and 118 RBI to make his sixth-straight All-Star Game and finish 27th in the AL MVP race. This Baseball card is in very good condition, with sharp corners and slight wear on the lower right corner. In the process, Schmidt led the league and set career highs in home runs (48), RBI (121) and total bases (342). Boggs was a perennial contender for American League batting titles during the 1980s and 1990s. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. Having earned the right to produce baseball cards in a court case with Topps, the 1981 Donruss set became the company's first baseball offering. #9. Unlike Smith, Cal Ripken's chances at the Hall of Fame were never in doubt. 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron RC. 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. While they used to be a bit overlooked, it's nice to see the 1980 Topps baseball set getting more love in recent years. In 25 postseason plate appearances (22 at-bats), Henderson hit .273 with two doubles, one triple, one RBI, three runs scored, and four stolen bases. 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. Things weren't always rocky during Jackson's time in New York, though, as they did win back-to-back World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. 1. He played in Major League Baseball between 1977 and 1982 for the Seattle Mariners and the Pittsburgh Pirates. After fifteen-straight All-Star appearances from 1965-79, Yastrzemski was left out of the Midsummer Classic for the second year in a row in 1981. 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. 1982 Donruss. His standard base card (#574) is first and the card honoring his breaking of Ty Cobb's American League stolen base record (#351) follows. buy stuff after clicking links on our site The Padres also had some great retro jerseys during the 1980s but Ozzie really topped things off with those sideburns. 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. Average . Plus Bonus Listings! Henderson has two cards in the 1981 Fleer which feature photographs that appear to be taken just seconds apart. 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. Just look at that awesome retro Astros jersey in all its striped glory! #6. Seaver was nothing short of incredible for the Reds that season but Los Angeles's Fernando Valenzuela was just a bit better and out-pointed Seaver in the Cy Young vote 70 to 67. Rod Carew Autographed 1981 Topps Squirt Card, 19. 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. 1981 Topps Traded 816 Tim Raines Montreal Expos Rookie Card. Ultimately, the Padres and Cardinals would complete a multi-player trade before the 1982 season that sent Templeton to San Diego and Smith to St. Louis, where he would play the next fifteen years and become a Cardinals icon. In his seventh season in the Majors, Yount broke out in a big way in 1980 as he led the league in doubles (49) while scoring 121 runs, driving in 87 RBI, and hitting 23 home runs to earn his first trip to the All-Star Game. 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. He earned four varsity letters, two for college and two for the major leagues. Still, his popularity continues today, and his cards remain in high demand by kids now turned adults who grew up idolizing him. The reverse of this card is just one of the many quirks found inside Donruss's debut set. Though it may be light on key rookie cards, this set is certainly not light on stars and Hall of Famers. Donruss wasted no time breaking into the hobby as they spent huge marketing dollars, targeted key dealers across the nation, and filled their checklist with some of the game's biggest names to grab collector attention. In 1981, Schmidt became the eighth player in MLB history to do just that. With ten Gold Gloves to show for it, Bench was a monster on defense with a rifle for an arm and an ability to throw out would-be base stealers with extreme precision. . 1981 Topps Traded Fernando Valenzuela, 16. Ken Griffey Jr. 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. 390 during the 1980 season. He was named Player of the Decade by The Sporting News at the end of his career. He played parts of four seasons in the MLB between 1979 and 1986, with the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Montreal Expos. 204 Ron LeFlore / Rodney Scott Record Breaker - Expos. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. 207 Ozzie Smith Record Breaker - Padres. And they didn't know it at the time, but they also missed out on producing big-name rookie cards for Fernando Valenzuela, Harold Baines, and Kirk Gibson. Year sold: 2018. . And finally, we're down to none other than Rickey Henderson, one of the greatest baseball icons of the 1980s and the game's greatest speedster to ever play. 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. 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. 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. Who doesnt enjoy looking through their packs of cards whenever they find themselves in a fabled card shop. 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. 1981 Topps Baseball Card Checklist. One of the most interesting things about Dave Winfield, and a sign of his incredible athletic ability, was that four professional teams across three different sports drafted him. Boston missed the playoffs by 1.5 games in the second-half AL East race. Card Number: #595. Currently, this 1981 Topps card is worth $79. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. 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. 1981 Reggie Jackson Topps Project 70 Card, 10. You love collecting baseball cards, right? Price. 2. Bench was a complete catcher as he was dangerous with both the bat and glove and was a significant reason "The Big Red Machine" was so dominant throughout the 1970s. It was also the first Topps set to feature a monster 792-card checklist. You can't help but think Topps was trying to produce as many cards as possible to keep collectors interested and to try and keep Donruss and Fleer, who had joined the scene in 1981, at bay. 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 . Things weren't all rosy for Smith, however, as his relationship with Padres owner Ray Kroc and his wife Joan became publicly sour. In those 108 games, they played at Fenway Park where they had a record of 56-52. 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. 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. An Enrique Romo Signed Baseball card that has been authenticated by a grading service is pretty hard to find. 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. The problem was that the 33-year-old Bench simply wasn't healthy. 1981 Topps card list & price guide. 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs. 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. At that point, Murphy looked like he was on a surefire trajectory to Cooperstown. 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.