1981 topps baseball cards most valuable 1981 topps baseball cards most valuable

1981 Donruss. Within it, there were also several different subsets, including: For those collectors on the lookout for great Hall of Famers of the era or just a large checklist to complete, this set has it all. He helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseball and ushered in the modern closer role. 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. Price. For example, in November, 2018 you could find one in PSA 10 grade for around $100 but after he was voted into the Hall they started selling for north of $600 and continue to climb today. 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. 3. The right card could make you rich. The 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson is such a beautiful card. 6. 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. This card has been signed by him and is currently worth $49. #10. And they delivered a great set with many stars and Hall of Famersand one of the biggest rookie cards of the 1980s. While eligible for induction, Murphy peaked at 23% of the vote in 2000, falling well short of the 75% needed for entry. Wade Boggs is an American former baseball player who retired as a third baseman after 18 seasons of Major League Baseball. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. 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. 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. 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. If not for Fernando Valenzuela's incredible rookie performance and "Fernandomania" taking the sport by storm, Raines would've easily won the 1981 NL Rookie of the Year Award. Contact him at [emailprotected]. 1981 Topps Bob Owchinko Baseball Card, 11. During the 1977 season, Andre Dawson batted .282 with 19 home runs and 65 RBI, which earned him NL Rookie of the Year honors. However, due to market conditions, values fluctuate. 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. 1981, 1985, 1989), 11-time MLB strikeout leader (1972-74, 1976-79, 1987-90), two-time NL leader (1981, 1987), MLB All-Century Team. You are looking at a 1981 Topps Rookie Card hand-signed by George Riley. 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. 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. Regardless of its market value at any given point in time, the significance of this rookie card cannot be overstated as it's one of the most expensive cards from the 1980s. The 1961 Topps All-Star Mays falls in line with the others in the semi-high-number subset. 2. Average ungraded base card value (excludes parallels) for 1981 Topps While Pete Rose set records elsewhere in the Phillies lineup, third baseman Mike Schmidt set the National League ablaze. The following season, Seaver was as sharp as ever as he finished with an incredible .875 winning percentage after going 14-2 on the mound. Most Watched Baseball Cards. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. Getting hands on a card like this is pretty difficult. 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 He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. It has been certified authentic by Beckett Authentication (BAS) and comes encapsulated in their tamper-proof holder. No More Secrets Puzzle Game, Ungraded Although this one isn't worth as much as it might . #8. He was named Player of the Decade by The Sporting News at the end of his career. Checklist Top. Raw: $20 PSA 9: $100 PSA 10: $900 One of the most popular players of his era, Vladimir Guerrero was the No. Heres a rare rainbow foil card in mint condition by Risk Foil. 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. Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $2,000. February 20, 2023; Super Bowl Delivers . The 1982 season saw Henderson set a single-season best for stolen bases as he swiped a ridiculous 130 bases in total. Boggs was a perennial contender for American League batting titles during the 1980s and 1990s. Shortcuts: The cards featured in this list represent the most coveted and desired of all 1981 Topps Baseball cards. Rookie Cards: Options . Ted Simmons St. Louis Cardinals 1981 Topps, 17. 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. 3. And while Rose hit no home runs in 1981 and drove in just 33, he was a fantastic table-setter for the Phillies. 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). 1981 Topps Expos Future Card Tim Haines Auto. . 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. 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. . Jackson green-lighted the eventual signing but expected Steinbrenner to offer him a new deal as well. SEE THE CARD HERE! 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 . 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. 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 NL Rookie of the Year Award was close, with Raines receiving 85 vote points to Valenzuela's 107, but the Expos and all of baseball knew that Raines was something special. Most Expensive And unlike Brett, Schmidt followed up his 1980 MVP campaign with another one during the 1981 season. Their scarcity is a result of several situations that can apply to baseball card collecting. 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. 1982 Donruss. From the 1983 season on, he was selected to the All-Star game every year until he retired after the 2001 season. Heck, he even dated "Miss New York" Debra Sue Maurice from the Miss USA Beauty Pageant. While this is considered one of his rookie cards, it doesn't command quite the price premium as his 1982 Topps Tradedrookie card which can sell for north of $5,000 in top condition. Today only a graded high-condition example gets that kind of money. Cards. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Unfortunately, his production fizzled out in the 1990s, so he didn't quite finish off a career worthy of Cooperstown. Like everyone else, the shortened season didn't help his overall output but some key indicators had fallen off noticeably. 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. 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. 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. 721 Toby Harrah. 1981 Topps Baseball 2nd Year Card Rickey Henderson, 1981 Topps Expos Future Card Tim Haines Auto, 1981 Topps Project 70 Card Wade Boggs by Efdot FOIL, 1981 Topps Coke Team Sets Aurelio Lopez Autographed, 1981 Reggie Jackson Topps Project 70 Card, Tim Raines & Ramos Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, George Riley Autographed 1981 Topps Rookie Card, 1981 Topps Enrique Romo Signed Pittsburgh Pirates, Ted Simmons St. Louis Cardinals 1981 Topps, Rod Carew Autographed 1981 Topps Squirt Card, 29 Most Valuable 1989 Donruss Baseball Cards In The World, 25 Most Valuable Joe Montana Cards Worth Thousands, 29 Most Valuable 1980 Topps Baseball Cards In the World, 19 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Price List, 1. 1981 Topps Traded Expos Tim Raines Card. PSA/DNA Certified. Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $120. 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. Click on any Donruss Set to see a full list of Cards and their current value. 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. 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. Are you selling sports cards that were produced from 1868 - 1975? Boston missed the playoffs by 1.5 games in the second-half AL East race. To make things even stranger, you could even say that Rose appeared on fourcards in this set because this one comes in two variations. Who doesnt enjoy looking through their packs of cards whenever they find themselves in a fabled card shop. 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. 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs. In the team's NLDS loss to the Expos, Schmidt hit .250 (4-for-16) with one home run, two RBI, and four walks. 4. 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. But, this will always be the set that got their foot into the red-hot market of the 1980s. Although his best days were clearly behind him, he still played well enough to earn a trip to the 1982 All-Star game. 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. 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. $15.00. 1981 Topps Project 70 Card Wade Boggs by Efdot FOIL, 8. 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 two All-Star teams and even finished second in the Cy Young vote for the 1981 season. By the time these Hall of Famers retired, Brett had three batting titles and Carew had an eye-popping seven. 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. Ryan dazzled on that fall afternoon in Houston, striking out eleven and walking just three. To commemorate Brett's 1980 MVP Award, Donruss basically changed the borders from green to red on his base card and slapped the "MVP" logo at the bottom while removing the team name and position. Ultimately, Winfield decided to play baseball for the San Diego Padres beginning in 1973. All told, Bench played in just 52 of Cincinnati's 108 games. Ken Griffey Jr. 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. He also holds the schools record for most strikeouts in both a single season and total career strikeouts with 309 in 305 innings pitched. Here is a quick rundown of those most valuable 1982 Topps baseball cards, based on recent sales for copies graded PSA 9 and presented in numerical order. Yes, the checklist is quite messy at times with the errors and variations. His .246 batting average and .355 slugging percentage were also career lows. Not only is it fun, but its good quality material for a future family reunion. To be fair, though, his innings pitched totals in Houston weren't as steep as those during his time in California, and his 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 1987 was the highest mark of his career. 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. 1981 Reggie Jackson Topps Project 70 Card, 10. This was limited to only 504 serial-numbered porcelain cards made and it has already been authenticated by Global Authentics (GAI). PSA Price Guide for 1982 Donruss Baseball Card Values - Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) & PSA/DNA Authentication Services Services Instead, he was more of a craftsman on the mound and outsmarted hitters to allow a career-low 6.5 hits per nine innings. 202 Steve Carlton Record Breaker - Phillies. However, when do you do it? Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Topps Baseball Cards. In the tenth inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Wilson stepped up to the plate with runners on first and third with his team trailing 5-4. Card Number: #595. Grade. 2017-18 Panini National Treasures Donovan Mitchell RC Auto Patch /99. However, on December 9, 2018 he and Harold Baines were voted in by the Today's Game Era Committe. 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. Henderson posted a brilliant 1.144 OPS against New York, but the rest of the Oakland lineup went dead silent. 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. He did his best, hitting .333 with a 1.095 in the final three games, but New York dropped all three and the series. He was named Rolaids Relief Man of the Year four times and led the major leagues in saves three times. The reverse of this card is just one of the many quirks found inside Donruss's debut set. 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. 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron RC. 390 during the 1980 season. 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. Shortcuts: Most Expensive, Cheapest, List by Card # The last sale's most valuable Topps Nolan Ryan baseball card is the 1974 Topps Nolan Ryan baseball card number #20. The 1984 Topps Football set is THE landmark football card set of the 1980s. Despite this seemingly unjustified absence from more "Midsummer Classics," Yount is considered to be the greatest Milwaukee Brewer in the franchise's history. Baseball; Sets; 1981; Overview; 1981 Topps. $12.95. The 1977 AL Rookie of the Year, Eddie Murray made his cardboard debut in the 1978 Topps set, making his rookie card one of the most iconic of the 1970s. This bad boy sold for $18,500 on eBay auctions in May 2021. And none of his Rookie Cards is bigger than . Click on a Card detail page to see historic prices and values for all different grades. There were tons of errors, collation inside boxes was hit and miss (mostly miss) and the . 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. He was a member of the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. 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. 9 Roger Clemens #530. - http://bit.ly/W. Read our methodology. Rod Carew Autographed 1981 Topps Squirt Card, 19. Rose hit .300 (6-for-20) with two RBI and a run scored in the losing effort. The card is currently worth $189.99. Things weren't all rosy for Smith, however, as his relationship with Padres owner Ray Kroc and his wife Joan became publicly sour. 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. Henderson has two cards in the 1981 Fleer which feature photographs that appear to be taken just seconds apart. The Boston Celtics drafted Ainge in the 1981 NBA Draft and bought his contract from the Blue Jays and the rest was history. JB's 1981 Fleer card is a $5 (or so) buy in PSA 9 condition. , Dodgers Future Star [Perconte, Scioscia, Valenzuela] #302, Expos Future Stars [T. Raines, R. Ramos, B. 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. 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. . He also led all of baseball with 89 runs scored and led the American League in stolen bases (56) and hits (135). 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). 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. Read our methodology . 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. In 1981, Donruss and Fleer gave Topps some much-needed competition. 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. 1981 Topps Traded Fernando Valenzuela, 16. But rather than hanging them up after the season, Yastrzemski got to work.