1981 topps baseball cards most valuable

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. 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. Tim Raines was one of the most successful stealers in baseball history and can be seen on the far left of the card. 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. 2022 Topps Heritage Baseball Most Valuable Cards and Checklist; These 10 GOATS . 1 1980 Batting Leaders - George Brett / Bill Buckner 2 1980 Home Run Leaders - Reggie Jackson / Ben Oglivie / Mike Schmidt . His .246 batting average and .355 slugging percentage were also career lows. After a decades-long stranglehold on the market, Topps lost a key court battle with Fleer that allowed other companies to produce sets of their own. Topps has dominated the baseball card scene for the past six decades, issuing a set in every year . And, yes, it would've been nice to see rookie cards of Fernando Valenzuela, Harold Baines and Kirk Gibson as well. This article breaks down the top 19 most valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards In the World, as well as how much each card is worth. 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. . Getting hands on a card like this is pretty difficult. In total, Henderson led the league in stolen bases . He is the younger brother of Vicente Romo, who also pitched in the majors. 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. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. 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. 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. 1. Or, feel free to call/text me at 305-684-6680! Cincinnati finished second in both halves of the 1981 split-season but ended the year with the best overall record in the National League. 1981 Topps #347 Harold Baines Rookie Card. 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). 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. Struggling through back issues and other accumulated aches and pains, Yastrzemski had the worst offensive season of his 21-year career thus far. The Reds put him at first base for the first time as he dealt with nagging injuries. George Riley Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 14. 1981 Topps Project 70 Card Wade Boggs by Efdot FOIL, 8. He did his best, hitting .333 with a 1.095 in the final three games, but New York dropped all three and the series. Card Number: #595. A right-hander, he threw and batted right-handed. The Reds finished a half-game behind the Dodgers in the NL West in the first half. Ted Simmons St. Louis Cardinals 1981 Topps, 17. Tim Raines & Ramos Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 12. 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. 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. 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. While some of the game's big names struggled with the split-season, Schmidt held things together all year to lead the Majors in home runs (31), RBI (91), OBP (.435), slugging percentage (.644), OPS (1.080), OPS + (198), and total bases (228). 1. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Murray was one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game but his cards seem to be a bit overlooked at times. 1983 Topps #482 Tony Gwynn Rookie Card. It was a fitting punctuation mark for one of Ryan's best seasons on the mound. And, like Clemens, that might cut into the value and prestige of his 1985 Fleer Rookie Card to a . Shortcuts: Most Expensive, Cheapest, List by Card # You own: 0 / 1202 items 0% Track your collection for free. 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. 1981 Topps Baseball Set Checklist. The record-breaking card is from his rookie season and was produced by trading card giant Topps. Immediately afterward, the price of his 1982 Topps rookie card in PSA 10 condition shot through the roof. During his career, Rose was known for his all-around ability and enthusiasm. The current worth of this card is $195. 207 Ozzie Smith Record Breaker - Padres. This card is worth $45 but could go higher. Unlike Smith, Cal Ripken's chances at the Hall of Fame were never in doubt. However, his production was never quite the same from 1988 until he finished his career with the Colorado Rockies in 1993. 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. During the 1977 season, Andre Dawson batted .282 with 19 home runs and 65 RBI, which earned him NL Rookie of the Year honors. 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.". In the second half, they finished 1.5 games behind the Astros to miss the playoffs entirely. Before the season, Steinbrenner went to Jackson for his thoughts on the team's pursuit of free-agent slugger Dave Winfield. An Enrique Romo Signed Baseball card that has been authenticated by a grading service is pretty hard to find. 10 Bo Jackson #600. We may earn an affiliate commission if you Yet, Bench's lousy injury luck was the real story. 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123. Murphy was outstanding during the 1980s as he racked up two MVPs, seven All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves, and four Silver Sluggers on his way to becoming one of the most popular players in baseball. Recently, the price of a PSA 9 has continued to steadily fall to around $2,000 or less. During this era, the Montreal Expos had yet to move south to become . However, regardless of what you might think of his legacy, it's surprising that this particular card isn't worth a little more. 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. 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. His career was far from over at that point, but Schmidt's play showed the baseball world that they were already witnessing the greatest third baseman of all-time in the making. Ultimately, Winfield decided to play baseball for the San Diego Padres beginning in 1973. 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. At least he was voted Rookie of the Year. He finished the year with the best winning percentage of any starter in baseball (.875), notched his 3000th career strikeout on April 12th, and earned his twelfth-and-final All-Star appearance after a two-year absence. Henderson was also top-notch on defense as he brought home his first-and-only Gold Glove. The previous record which he broke was 601 assists by a shortstop was done by Glenn Wright of the pirates. Reginald Martinez Jackson is a former American right fielder who spent the majority of his 21-year professional baseball career with the Kansas City and Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, and ended his career with a two-year stint for the California Angels. 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. . PSA Price Guide for 1982 Donruss Baseball Card Values - Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) & PSA/DNA Authentication Services Services 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. In his first full season in the big leagues in 1981, Tim Haines batted .304 with 71 stolen bases in a strike-shortened seasonmaking an instant impression on fans with his ability to make players look foolish on the base paths. Mike Schmidt was arguably the best third baseman in baseball history and will always be remembered for both his power and his glove. - http://bit.ly/W. 6 Don Mattingly 1984 Donruss #248: One of the most . $15.00. 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. | Compare vs. 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. Most Expensive 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. During the offseason, the Padres and Cardinals worked a multi-player deal headlined by sending Smith to St. Louis and Garry Templeton to San Diego. He won the World Series with the Yankees in 1996. This Baseball card is in very good condition, with sharp corners and slight wear on the lower right corner. 19 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Price List. 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. Yes, the checklist is quite messy at times with the errors and variations. 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. 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. 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. 1981 Topps card list & price guide. 4. Growing up in Central Indiana surrounded by Cubs fans, I would hear about Dawson constantly as fans absolutely loved the guy, and rightly so. 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. At Eastern Michigan he had a 29-9 career win-loss record with a 2.15 ERA. No More Secrets Puzzle Game, Ungraded The most valuable baseball card from the 1980s is Rickey Henderson's 1980 Topps rookie card. Every collector knows that theres some serious money to be made off certain cards. Prices are updated daily based upon 1981 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. 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. 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron RC. Placing Mark McGwire's 1985 Topps card in this category may seem a little unfair considering its current $650 price tag. 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. 1 Rickey Henderson #119. 1909 T206 Sherry Magee (Error) Price: $660,000. 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. 29 Surprisingly Cheap: 1985 Mark McGwire Topps. Click on a Card detail page to see historic prices and values for all different grades. A remarkable all-around . When it comes to Rookie Cards, 1981 Topps is one . Description Card Number NM-MT 8 MT 9 GEM-MT 10; Larry Bird (HOF) Shop with Affiliates 4: 185+ 770+ 21,500+ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (HOF) Shop with Affiliates 20: 45: 135+ 1,400-Magic Johnson (HOF) Shop with Affiliates 21: 170-850 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. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. And while Rose hit no home runs in 1981 and drove in just 33, he was a fantastic table-setter for the Phillies. 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. When Bench managed to stay healthy enough to be in the lineup, he was quite productive. Grade. The 1981 season stands out for Eddie Murray in a unique way: somehow, it was the only season where he managed to lead the American League in home runs (22) and RBI (78). . While this set may be slightly overlooked in the history of the hobby, it still delivers a great checklist. Cards. Read our methodology . 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. In a similar theme, Larry Bird is featured in a card from the 1981 Topps set. From there you can also add a Card to your collection or wishlist. Ryan dazzled on that fall afternoon in Houston, striking out eleven and walking just three. 6 Rickey Henderson #180. The defending AL champions were a mess early, though. While eligible for induction, Murphy peaked at 23% of the vote in 2000, falling well short of the 75% needed for entry. 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.". Featured here is a 1981 Topps Coca Cola baseball card signed by Aurelio Lopez. 726 Rick Monday. The reverse of this card is just one of the many quirks found inside Donruss's debut set. Rookie Cards: Options . 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. Most Watched Baseball Cards. The 1961 Topps All-Star Mays falls in line with the others in the semi-high-number subset. 10. As their everyday first baseman, that put Rose on the opposite corner of the field as Phillies icon Mike Schmidt at third. They were the fourteenth and fifteenth players to achieve the incredible milestone. 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. This Nolan Ryan card is another fantastic example of Topps capturing the style and vibe of the 1980s. 1981 Topps Traded Expos Tim Raines Card. 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. This is a 1981 fleer rookie card with card number #418. 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. By the time these Hall of Famers retired, Brett had three batting titles and Carew had an eye-popping seven. 726 cards. 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. There's a shot of the player in Celtics training gear, staring off-camera with his hands hidden behind the green border. . 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. No. Canadian baseball cards printed in the French language are uncommon, which shows on this baseball card as it is bi-lingual. The three-time MVP would smash 548 home runs over his career as he led the league in that category an amazing 8 times. 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. 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. It has full gloss and is slightly askew. Most Expensive of All-Time. Now anchoring the back of the Brewers bullpen, Fingers won by a mere eleven points. Murphy was often heralded as a five-tool superstar, but unfortunately, many felt his dominant play didn't last long enough to give him the type of resume worthy of Hall of Fame recognition. That means the card needs to be flawless. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. 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. 1981 Topps card list & price guide. 725 Steve Rogers. Ungraded. 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. 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. Like Roger Clemens, Kirby Puckett has a 1984 Fleer Update XRC. Like everyone else, the shortened season didn't help his overall output but some key indicators had fallen off noticeably. Houston went just 28-29 in the first half but won the NL West's second half at 33-20. Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Fleer Baseball Cards. Kansas City went 20-30 in the season's first half and started the second half slowly, with Manager Jim Frey taking the heat. Tags 1981 Topps Baseball. It was a fitting punctuation mark for one of Ryan's best seasons on the . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. 3. 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. Schmidt was, arguably, the game's best player for the second-straight season. Cheapest, 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. 20 Most Valuable Topps Baseball Rookie Cards Of The 1970s. Top 10 Most Valuable: 1981 Topps Basketball. Cards like this tend to have more value than regular ones. Clocking in at 605 cards in total, this set made history when it first debuted. 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. Heres a rare rainbow foil card in mint condition by Risk Foil. Not only is it fun, but its good quality material for a future family reunion. This card has been signed by him and is currently worth $49. Even more impressive, his 1982 Topps issue wasn't his last card as he also made it into the 1983 Topps set. "I had hit .300 before, but I couldn't hold it," he said. That season was the first time batted .300 or better, crossed the 30 home run mark, scored 100 runs or more and drove in 100 or more RBI. , Dodgers Future Star [Perconte, Scioscia, Valenzuela] #302, Expos Future Stars [T. Raines, R. Ramos, B. 1981 Topps Baseball 2nd Year Card Rickey Henderson, 3. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Its nice design and classic pose have helped make it one of the most recognizable cards in the hobby, not just from the 1980s. 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. Heres an amazing baseball card that in my opinion should be worth more than it currently is. Total Cards: 726. Henderson has two cards in the 1981 Fleer which feature photographs that appear to be taken just seconds apart. 1981 Topps Expos Future Card Tim Haines Auto. 1989 Donruss The Rookies Ken Griffey Jr. #3. Players include Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan & Mike Trout. 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. Like the 1981 Fleer and Topps sets, large print runs saturated the market with these cards, driving down their values. The card features St. Louise Cardinals Batter Ted Simmons and is worth $49.45. Raw: $20 PSA 9: $100 PSA 10: $900 One of the most popular players of his era, Vladimir Guerrero was the No. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Murray appeared in his second All-Star Game that season and finished things off with a fifth-place finish in the MVP vote, one of six times he finished in the top five in his storied career. 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. After the 1981 season, however, Ainge decided to call it quits with baseball. 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. 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