Drafted out of San Diego State by both San Diegos professional baseball and basketball teams, in the same day no less, he chose the diamond, where he would become one of the all-time best. buy stuff after clicking links on our site Making purchases through affiliate links can earn the site a commission. Ryan is always one of the biggest names in any baseball card set in which he appears but his star power helps him stand out a bit more than usual in this one. Topps honored the Hit King with card #1 in their 1986 set, a pasteboard thats still exciting all these years later betting scandal or not. But for those of us who grew up collecting these as kids, they'll always have a huge nostalgic factor to them despite not having the most monetary value. And, oh yeah, three Manager of the Year Awards. 25) 1986 Topps Dale Murphy (#600) Although he was a couple years removed from his two MVP awards, Dale Murphy remained among the most popular players in the game as 1986 dawned. No matter, really, since Seaver was already a legend by then. Like the 1986 Donruss and Fleer sets, far too many of them were printed and the market is over-saturated with them. This is why the narratives surrounding his life story will always be about massive potential going unfulfilled. The last Tiger to do so was Hank Greenberg in 1938, and the most recent player in baseball to do it before Fielder was George Foster in 1977 with the Cincinnati Reds. But, even though collectors got plenty of hot cardboard from the other manufacturers through the summer, we were always ready for more so the Topps Traded set couldnt have come at a better time, for us or for Topps. Mitchell put together a few more solid seasons after that but never again scaled those heights. Carew contemplated playing again in 1986 but ultimately retired that June, leaving behind a slew of memories, and stacks of sweet cardboard like this 1982 Topps gem. Read our methodology. Smith, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, won 13 straight Golden Glove awards and made 15 All-Star appearances at shortstop. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the top ten: Usually I prefer my Nolan Ryan cards to feature an image of the flame thrower blazing one towards home plate. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Three years later, when Mitchell won the National League MVP award to help the San Francisco Giants to an NL pennant, his popularity and that of his cards was at its peak. He made three All-Star appearances as a player, but as a broadcaster he became even more famous and beloved. Although he was a couple years removed from his two MVP awards, Dale Murphy remained among the most popular players in the game as 1986 dawned. As Nolan Ryan cards go, this one is not very exciting, but its still a 35+-year-old card of The Ryan Express. Galarraga was an old rookie in 1986, turning 25 that June in the midst of a .271/10 HR/42 RBI season that gave the Montreal Expos a glimmer of hope for their first base position. Finding them in PSA 10 condition is much tougher, hence the high price tag. Its all in the eye of the beholder, and no answers are wrong. 1986 Topps card list & price guide. However, if we stay stuck in 1986 before the Rose revelations about betting on baseball came out, hes the #1 of all #1s, with a legacy that wasnt tainted yet. After all, he won home run titles in both 1984 and 1985, and he was headed straight for the Hall of Fame. Unlike Dykstra, his legal problems began while he was still playing, as he got suspended three times by MLB for substance abuse. As a consequence, Seaver got both a career-capper in the 1987 Topps set and this airbrushed beast the fall before, in 1986 Topps Traded. But then came the surprise announcement from the Veterans Committee Ted Simmons was a Hall of Famer! Considered the best player in the world in the 1980s, and one of the greatest of all time, Maradona was born in 1960 in Lans, Argentina. The 1983 Topps Traded set was released in the middle of Strawberry's rookie season, and this card captures him in all his glory. As things turned out, of course, Murph had only a couple of truly standout seasons in him before a steep decline phase sapped his career totals. Speaking of 86 Mets and legal troubles, Strawberry is one of the two main poster children that come to mind for that phrase (Well cover the other one later). No wonder this set stands out as so memorable. Will he ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame? In fact, at various points in its history, this Bo card was the most popular and valuable in the entire set. Loaded with Hall of Famers, it will take them being professionally graded in gem mint condition to be worth much. Leading goal scorers of the highest professional men's soccer league in Spain in the 2021/2022 season. Save. The catcher who famously changed Sox, Pudge was the man when I attended my very first sporting event in June 1985, a White Sox home contest against the Cleveland Indians. He was only a star for about 4-5 years, but he still clubbed well over 300 home runs, which is not too shabby. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The cards themselves were also different. The next spring, his 1986 Donruss Rated Rookie card jumped right out of wax packs and into dealers showcases, topping $3 a pop before you could say Lamborghini.. By the end of May, Joyner was hitting .305 with 16 home runs and 41 RBI, and he was slaying the rookie field, even outpacing a certain hot shot for the Oakland As who came with plenty of advance publicity and hobby buzz. Although this one isn't worth as much as it might . Find out for yourself with our FREE checklist to guide you step-by-step. If you continue to use this site, we'll assume you're OK with that. Top Ryan Tannehill Rookie Cards and Checklist, 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck Rookie Card (Ultimate Guide), 3 Best 2015 Topps Update Rookie Cards To Consider, 10 Best 2023 Topps Series 1 Variations Baseball Cards To Buy, 10 Best 1989 Topps Baseball Cards To Buy Plus Error List, 2022 Topps Heritage Baseball Most Valuable Cards and Checklist, These 10 GOATS Rookie Cards Will Outperform Stocks Over Next 10 Years, Gold Card Auctions | Sports Card Investing, Pete Rose Becoming the MLB All-Time Hits Leader Special (Cards #2 7), Glossy All-Stars (1 per rack pack or the cellophane triptychs), Team Leaders (in key statistical categories), Managers (Rose was the last of the player-managers), Checklists (yes, this set is so large that it even has multiple checklists, making it thus even larger). Number of Spain's La Liga titles won between 1929 and 2022, by club. His lifetime batting average allowed (.204) and seven no-hitters are also major league records. Strawberry burst onto the baseball scene in 1983 to capture the National League Rookie of the Year award on the strength of 26 home runs in just 122 games, and at the tender age of 21. (Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa being the other two). Im not saying he wrote the book on the steroid era, because thats Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. Sure, eventually the Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton, and Cecil Fielder cards turned into a little something, but it was slim pickings through that first summer of the 1986s life. Flash Market Report What Old Baseball Cards Sold Big this Week? - http://bit.ly/. But it is true when his card comes up for sale in PSA 10 condition, it typically sells for much higher prices than what you might think. Great LONG-TERM INVESTMENT as we feel the 1986 Topps set will eventually go down in history as one of the best Topps set and one of the best baseball sets of all time. Or maybe its because he also, allegedly, cheated on his wife? Yes, he may be famous for speaking in the third person but he's also incredibly famous for his production on the field. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. Not your typical first-base profile, but enough to get him a shot at playing in Anaheim. 1956 was no typical season for Mick. Wade Boggs followed up his amazing 1983 batting-crown breakout (.361) with a more mortal .325 batting average in 1984. The Best Topps Baseball Rookie Card from Each Year - 1952-2020 The following list includes a year-by-year breakdown of the most valuable card for each flagship Topps baseball set. However, addiction to alcohol and cocaine led to suspension from MLB, and eventually, a total derailing of his career. We may earn an affiliate commission if you Reynolds then filed suit against ESPN for payment of the remainder of his contract ($5 million). In between, Jose was upstaged by Joyner for awhile before overtaking the Angels upstart to finish with 33 home runs, 117 RBI, and the AL ROY award. This one started it all off, with Roses 1963 Topps rookie card, plus his 1964-66 issues. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. The 1986 Topps Traded Griffey sells for $15-20 in PSA 9 condition. Nor was 1986 a significant year for the Cincinnati Reds. But, as things played out, Canseco developed some warts while Leyland went on to win a string of division titles with the Pirates, a World Series title with the Marlins, and a couple of pennants with the Tigers. And, though Seaver appeared in the base 1987 Topps set, that card didnt have anywhere near the, um, artistic appeal of this one. Strawberry and Gooden were poised to give baseball the best combination of slugger and starting rotation ace for years to come. Tune in as Mrs. Wax Pack Gods reads 1986 Topps Baseball Cards - 25 Most Valuable . Injuries limited him to just 111 games in 1985, but Strawberry nevertheless cranked a then-career-best 29 long balls, helping keep him on an upward trajectory and making his 1986 Topps card an exciting grab. Because, after a 1985 set that was chock full of big-name rookies, and would-be big-name rookies courtesy of the Olympic subset, the 1986 Topps base set was disappointing by comparison. We also give the 1986 Topps Traded set a fuller treatment in this article. | Compare vs. Thats troublesome for the game but doesnt seem to be for this second-generation baseball star. So there you have it, the ten most valuable 1986 Topps baseball cards. Before we get started, I do want to make it clear that most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Fanatics Acquires Topps! Value: $120-130 Check prices on eBay (affiliate link) Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link) 2) 1981 Topps Kirk Gibson Rookie Card (#315) Pitchers with 300 Wins and Their Baseball Cards. This set was a monster and contained a 792 card checklist in total. The plaudit is given annually to a Major League Baseball player who conveys character and charitable contributions to his community. And, though his final seasonal numbers were hardly ever of the eye-popping variety, Clark gained a foothold with collectors through his old-school consistency and, later, his strong anti-steroid stance. However, LaMarr Hoyt, who we tragically lost this past year, revealed a few years before he died that hetried to become the hurler who gave up a base hit of 4,192 to Rose. Ungraded & graded values for all '86 Topps Traded Baseball Cards. Other collectors have become attached to the 1986 Topps baseball set (including the Traded and Tiffany sets) because they like the design and layout. Download Price List, SportsCardsPro 2019-2023 So, even though the 1986 Topps base set turned out to be a bit of a wasteland for rookie cards, the old gum company sort of made up for that in the fall. The most famous mustache in Mets history is captured perfectly on Keith Hernandez 's 1986 Topps card. Known for his extreme dedication and hustle, Rose piled up hit after hit over his career and spearheaded some great ball teams. But with Toronto on a winning track and Willie Upshaw entrenched at first base, Fielders MLB career was going nowhere fast. 58 helpful votes. | Compare vs. By the spring of 1986, his Topps (and Fleer and Donruss) card was a premium pull. Bo Jackson was sort of the anti-Barry always smiling, flashy in everything he did from the get-go, and a collector favorite right out of the (Topps Traded) box. His 1983 Topps Traded issue was one of the most anticipated cards of the 1980s, and Straw built on the excitement with another excellent season, over more games, in 1984. 5 Predictions About what Happens Next. Maybe, but if there was, his name was, Don Mattingly.. By the time he copped his second National League MVP award in 1992, though, Bonds was generally considered the best all-around player in the game. Prices are updated daily based upon 1986 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. We'll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.. Posted by Adam Hughes | Baseball Card Values | 2 |. But, nowadays, it seems like collectors are becoming quite forgiving to this set and are snatching up PSA 10 examples these cards for hundreds of dollars in some cases. Its estimated that Topps issued just 5000 of these hobby-only sets. Here we see a maturing Rose, as he was featured in Topps cards from 1975 through 1978, covering the heart of the Big Red Machine years. 1. Clarks was more of a slow-boil greatness than the sound and fury unleashed at various times by cardboard classmates like Bonds, Jackson, and Canseco. 1986 Donruss Fred McGriff RC #28. Dubbed The Natural as a nod toward his sweet left-handed swing and no-nonsense, hard-nosed approach to the game, Will Clark became an almost instant (if sometimes polarizing) fan favorite. Maybe thats why this is one of the more expensive cards in this set, as a PSA 10 will cost about $300. So basically, he cheated the entire history of baseball too. PriceIt Game | The runs and SBs are all-time records and helped build Henderson's reputation as the greatest leadoff hitter ever. Cansecos Topps rookie card, however, was far behind because it wouldnt exist until November or so, when the Topps Traded set hit hobby shelves. And it doesnt hurt any that the 1986 Topps Traded set featured a couple of hobby heavyweights that continue to spark imaginations today. According to PSA, the most recent sale price for this 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle #135 was $360,000. In 1986, Don Mattingly was considered by many maybe most observers to be the best all-around player in the game. But, while his power numbers were somewhat blunted by playing half his games in Candlestick Park through his 20s, Clark still found a solid hobby base, and The Thrill remains popular with collectors today. Its a great looking piece of cardboard that continues to capture collectors imaginations. It's a great photo of the star first baseman, too, with Hernandez wearing vintage Mets blue and orange, mitt on hand as he surveys the field, doubtless about to make one of his defensive gems. I really cant think of a more unlikely post-playing career pivot (quite the buzzword these days) than the one Ryno made. It's estimated that Topps issued just 5000 of these hobby-only sets. 1986 Topps Traded Baseball Cards Complete Your Set U-Pick (#'s 1T-132T) Nm-Mint. Download Price List, SportsCardsPro 2019-2023 Scrappy Lenny Dykstra was one of the heroes of the amazing 1986 New York Mets team that won an unforgettable World Series against the Boston Red Sox, and he brought his tough as Nails game to a whole new fanbase with the Phillies in the early 1990s. When Bonilla became a free agent after the 1991 season, there were several in the game who considered him to be the better get between the Pirates two young superstars Bonds, of course, being the other. The high price tag mostly has to do with the fact that there are currently only three PSA 10 examples of this card in existence as of the time of this writing. While these are definitely the top of all normal 86 Traded cards, Topps also released a super-glossy Tiffany set that fall, encompassing the same 132-card checklist. One of five players on our list to appear in one of the greatest Simpsons episodes of all time, The Wizard of Oz is widely regarded to be one of the greatest all-around fielders in baseball history. He had NL eight batting titles, 15 All-Star appearances, and seven silver slugger awards. Coupled with a booming hobby, Bretts rebound to health and superstardom pushed his cards forward and made all his 1986 issues must-haves for collectors. Fisks amazing Hall of Fame career keeps him popular among collectors today, and this card features Pudge in a classic shot, chugging out of the batters box. Quite a bargain for the air-brushiest of all 1986 Topps Traded baseball cards, dont you think? In other words, he didnt need to do it, and every time you look at one of his baseball cards, especially one of his RCs, this is all comes to mind first. Read our methodology. The Topps baseball card set was released in 1986. Reynolds labeled the incident a total misunderstanding and that this hug had been misinterpreted. Fielder is regarded to have been clean and thus his legacy secure, but his peak didnt last long. Hes depicted as a Yankee here though, in a card thats worth about $250 if its a PSA 10. 10. Find out for yourself with our FREE checklist to guide you step-by-step. Just 21 years old entering the season, Canseco was coming off a 36-home run season in the upper reaches of the Oakland As farm system in 1985, capped off with five dingers in 29 games during a September callup. Others maintain Wagner demanded more compensation from the company for using his likeness, and thus production of the card was limited. Well, look at all the inserts present here: Lets take a look at some of the biggest, best, and most memorable cards in the set. Another sure-fire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer had it not been for taking roids, he has a different, but still important legacy. On the last day of the 1990 season at Yankee Stadium, Fielder hit his 50th and 51st home runs of the campaign to become the 11th player in MLB history and only the second in the previous 25 years to hit 50 homers in a season. The whole incident seemed really out of character for him, as he won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1991. Wonder this set was a monster and contained a 792 card checklist in total values | 2 | made. Few more solid seasons after that but never again scaled those heights about hobby. More unlikely post-playing career pivot ( quite the buzzword these days ) than one. Hobby heavyweights that continue to use this site, we 'll assume you 're OK with.. 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