Just look at that awesome retro Astros jersey in all its striped glory! Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. 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. However, the turf at Olympic Stadium didn't do Dawson any favors resulting in knee problems that would hamper his speed later in his career. 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. This trading card has been authenticated by PSA, it has the signature of Rollie fingers on the obverse. 20 Most Valuable Topps Baseball Rookie Cards Of The 1970s. He was even the first player to collect 100 hits from both sides of the plate. 1982 Donruss. It would have been nice to see an action shot of Seaver on his 1982 Topps card but this is still a good-looking card overall. 1981 Topps Traded Fernando Valenzuela, 16. 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. George Riley Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 14. 25 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards - Old Sports Cards 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. No. During the 1977 season, Andre Dawson batted .282 with 19 home runs and 65 RBI, which earned him NL Rookie of the Year honors. Average ungraded base card value (excludes parallels) for 1981 Topps And he struck fear into opposing pitchers at the plate, especially when Joe Morgan and Pete Rose got on base ahead of him, as he was an RBI machine, leading the league three times. $15.00. 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. Clocking in at 605 cards in total, this set made history when it first debuted. Sure, the 1981 Topps set has the Montana rookie card, . Like the 1981 Fleer and Topps sets, large print runs saturated the market with these cards, driving down their values. 1981 Reggie Jackson Topps Project 70 Card, 10. 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. They didn't call him "Steady Eddie" for nothing. 1909 T206 Sherry Magee (Error) Price: $660,000. On the other hand, Ozzie's bat did nothing but improve and combined with the amazing glove he already had, he'd deliver Hall of Fame-caliber play for years in St. Louis. It is also (by a slight margin) the most valuable card in the 1984 Topps Football set. Read our methodology . When it comes to Rookie Cards, 1981 Topps is one . The continued adoption of Sabermetrics no doubt helped push him across the finish line and into Cooperstown. 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.. And while its value pales in comparison to other big-name vintage rookies like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Roberto Clemente, to . Download Price List, SportsCardsPro 2019-2023 Rose hit .300 (6-for-20) with two RBI and a run scored in the losing effort. Year sold: 2018. . Ryan dazzled on that fall afternoon in Houston, striking out eleven and walking just three. 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. And he didn't lose any steam in the postseason, either, as he would end up leading the Phillies to the World Series title while batting .381, belting two home runs, driving in seven RBI, and scoring six runs. 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. We may earn an affiliate commission if you And, like Clemens, that might cut into the value and prestige of his 1985 Fleer Rookie Card to a . The three-time MVP would smash 548 home runs over his career as he led the league in that category an amazing 8 times. 1 1980 Batting Leaders - George Brett / Bill Buckner 2 1980 Home Run Leaders - Reggie Jackson / Ben Oglivie / Mike Schmidt . 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. 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. Unlike George Brett's MVP card, Schmidt's featured an altogether different image than that of his base card. Like everyone else, the shortened season didn't help his overall output but some key indicators had fallen off noticeably. His .758 OPS marked the first time he'd dropped under .817 since 1968. 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. Grade: PSA 10. It was a fitting punctuation mark for one of Ryan's best seasons on the . 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 . Mickey Mantle card: The most expensive baseball card in history just This card features the professional baseball player Danny Ainge. 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. $9.99. 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. Henderson has two cards in the 1981 Fleer which feature photographs that appear to be taken just seconds apart. Many thought his career was slowly but surely coming to an end. 390 during the 1980 season. 0% Raw: $20 PSA 9: $100 PSA 10: $900 One of the most popular players of his era, Vladimir Guerrero was the No. 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. 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. 3. Cards. 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. 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. The 1981 season was the St. Louis Cardinals 100th season in St. Louis, Missouri, and their 90th year in the National League (NL). One thing I always found a bit strange about Yount's career was that he was a two-time MVP but appeared in just three All-Star games, the lowest amount of any Hall of Famer since the game's inception. 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. Not only is it fun, but its good quality material for a future family reunion. That means the card needs to be flawless. February 20, 2023; Super Bowl Delivers . No More Secrets Puzzle Game, Ungraded 1981 Fleer Baseball Cards - 12 Most Valuable - Wax Pack Gods Or, feel free to call/text me at 305-684-6680! 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. It has been authenticated and graded a 10 by Beckett Authentication Services. To make things even stranger, you could even say that Rose appeared on fourcards in this set because this one comes in two variations. Rookie Cards were so valuable to collectors in 1989, that if Oprah had been involved in baseball cards, she would have been saying . The current value of this baseball card is $199.99, it has the signature of Tim Raines. 50. Bench was also known for the long ball as he led the league in home runs twice and finished his career with 389. 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. 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie Card. Recently, the price of a PSA 9 has continued to steadily fall to around $2,000 or less. 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.". 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. Boggs was a perennial contender for American League batting titles during the 1980s and 1990s. His combination of speed and power was simply some of the greatest the game has ever seen. 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. 1981 Topps Baseball Card Checklist. As their everyday first baseman, that put Rose on the opposite corner of the field as Phillies icon Mike Schmidt at third. And incredibly, hed come back with a vengeance. 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. In the process, Schmidt led the league and set career highs in home runs (48), RBI (121) and total bases (342). 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. There are no scratches, bends, or folds. #9. Click on any Donruss Set to see a full list of Cards and their current value. However, regardless of what you might think of his legacy, it's surprising that this particular card isn't worth a little more. Despite the ups and downs, there isplentyto enjoy about this set. And, in this guide, we look at the 25 most valuable. Boston missed the playoffs by 1.5 games in the second-half AL East race. 1981 Topps Baseball Cards - The Cardboard Connection That means the card needs to be flawless. Average . 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. The current worth of this card is $195. Most Expensive 1981 Topps card list & price guide. Its $300 PSA 10 price tag is no mistake. Bench is somewhat of an anomaly on this list, showing up with only one 1981 Fleer card, and all. While eligible for induction, Murphy peaked at 23% of the vote in 2000, falling well short of the 75% needed for entry. 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. Things weren't all rosy for Smith, however, as his relationship with Padres owner Ray Kroc and his wife Joan became publicly sour. In 665 at-bats for Toronto, Ainge batted .220, hit two home runs, scored 57 runs, drove in another 37 and stole 12 bases. 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. Part of the explanation is that Yount was quietly consistent and playing in small-market Milwaukee certainly didn't help. Card Number: #418. 2022 Topps Heritage Baseball Most Valuable Cards and Checklist; These 10 GOATS . 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. 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. 25 Most Valuable 1980 Topps Baseball Cards - Old Sports Cards You love collecting baseball cards, right? 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. 1955 Topps #164 Roberto Clemente RC. While Pete Rose set records elsewhere in the Phillies lineup, third baseman Mike Schmidt set the National League ablaze. 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. We don't know how big a role nostalgia plays with this one, but it still regularly sells north of $40. 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. The imagery on this card is some of the best on this list and in the set in general, as Topps perfectly captured Jackson taking a massive swing. 29 Most Valuable 1989 Topps Baseball Cards In the World #6. At 41 years of age, it seemed time had finally caught up to Boston Red Sox designated hitter/first baseman Carl Yastrzemski in 1981. In 2004 he was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame; in 2005 he was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 1982 Topps Baseball Cards - 17 Most Valuable Plus Bonus Listings! Baseball Cards - 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs | PSA CardFacts 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. He was a member of the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. 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. Card Number: #595. 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs. Tags 1981 Topps Baseball. 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. 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. Rating: 7.5 (174 votes) Click here to Rate. 205 Pete Rose Record Breaker - Phillies. However, once he was in San Diego, Templeton's hitting declined drastically and he'd never bat over .300 again. Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Topps 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. Reggie Jackson was one of the game's greatest power hitters and was known for taking huge rips at the ball on his way to racking up 563 career home runs. 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. 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. Yet, Bench's lousy injury luck was the real story. Instead, he was more of a craftsman on the mound and outsmarted hitters to allow a career-low 6.5 hits per nine innings. 1981 Topps Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists and Details 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. #10. 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. After his release by the Brewers, he was offered a contract by Pete Rose to play for the Cincinnati Reds in 1986. 50 Most Valuable Baseball Cards of All Time | Stadium Talk 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. And while his offensive numbers dropped in 1981, Brett's star was still quite bright. Click on a Card detail page to see historic prices and values for all different grades. 722 Joe Niekro. The card features famous baseball player Reggie Jackson and is worth $75. But, this will always be the set that got their foot into the red-hot market of the 1980s. 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 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 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. 29 Surprisingly Cheap: 1985 Mark McGwire Topps. 10 Most Valuable Rookie Cards from the 1980s, Ranked List, Best, Guide $260. 1981 Topps Traded Baseball Cards - The Cardboard Connection 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. Most Valuable Rookie Card in Every Topps Baseball Set, 1952-2020 In fact, between June 2021 and May 2022, this Ripken collectible in a PSA 10 sold for under $4,000 just once. 10 Most Valuable Basketball Cards from the 1980s - Gold Card Auctions 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. Now anchoring the back of the Brewers bullpen, Fingers won by a mere eleven points. However, his production was never quite the same from 1988 until he finished his career with the Colorado Rockies in 1993. 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. For the longest time it seemed like Smith would not quite garner enough votes to earn a trip to the Hall of Fame. 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. 25 Most Valuable 1981 Fleer Baseball Cards In The World A right-hander, he threw and batted right-handed. During this era, the Montreal Expos had yet to move south to become . 1981 Topps Traded 816 Tim Raines Montreal Expos Rookie Card. The most valuable baseball card from the 1980s is Rickey Henderson's 1980 Topps rookie card. Unfortunately, the Kansas City Royals would slam the door on any hopes that Jackson and the Yankees had for a World Series ring when they swept them in the 1980 ALCS. Interestingly, Ryan's highest single-season strikeout total in nine years with the Houston Astros was only 270 in 1987, a year in which he also led the NL with a 2.76 ERA. . Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. 1981 Topps Basketball Cards - PSA Price Guide Currently, this 1981 Topps card is worth $79. While this set may be slightly overlooked in the history of the hobby, it still delivers a great checklist. However, his relationship with the San Diego Padres ownership continued to sour and by season's end, both were looking to move on from each other. 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. Owchinko played baseball for Eastern Michigan University. 1982 Donruss Baseball Cards - PSA Price Guide 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. PSA Price Guide for 1982 Donruss Baseball Card Values - Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) & PSA/DNA Authentication Services Services 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. In this guide, I will cover the 25 most valuable in the set. Roland Glen Fingers was an American right-handed relief pitcher who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985. Tim Raines & Ramos Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 12. Roberto Ramos in the middle who was an amazing catcher during his prime and the beloved Bobby Pate who commanded respect in the outfield. After a complete-game victory in Game 1, Ryan allowed three runs (two earned) in six innings in the deciding Game 5. The Boston Celtics drafted Ainge in the 1981 NBA Draft and bought his contract from the Blue Jays and the rest was history. 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. Star power: Robinson, a Hall of Famer, broke the MLB color barrier in 1947, becoming a social justice icon in the process. Although this one isn't worth as much as it might . While they used to be a bit overlooked, it's nice to see the 1980 Topps baseball set getting more love in recent years. During the rush to market, they also ended up with many errors and variations in their debut set, but that was to be expected. And none of his Rookie Cards is bigger than . 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. 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. Things screeched to a halt, though, when Jackson injured his calf running the bases in Game 2 of the ALCS against Oakland. Although Riley wasnt very popular, he was a Major League Baseball pitcher. When Bench managed to stay healthy enough to be in the lineup, he was quite productive. 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. The record-breaking card is from his rookie season and was produced by trading card giant Topps. Somehow during all that success with college basketball, he also found the time to play for the Blue Jays from 1979 to 1981. Prices for 1982 Topps Baseball Cards 1982 Topps card list & price guide. In the second half, they finished 1.5 games behind the Astros to miss the playoffs entirely. 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.