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. Not only is it fun, but its good quality material for a future family reunion. He was named Rolaids Relief Man of the Year four times and led the major leagues in saves three times. 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. Plus Bonus Listings! You are looking at a 1981 Topps Rookie Card hand-signed by George Riley. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. 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. At that point, Murphy looked like he was on a surefire trajectory to Cooperstown. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? 1. 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. , Dodgers Future Star [Perconte, Scioscia, Valenzuela] #302, Expos Future Stars [T. Raines, R. Ramos, B. Houston went just 28-29 in the first half but won the NL West's second half at 33-20. Brett was one of the finest hitters in baseball history, but I think what is most impressive was his longevity as a top hitter, having won a batting title in three different decades (1976, 1980, and 1990). 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. It didn't happen and Jackson played the 1981 campaign as a free agent. #7. One year removed from his Rookie of the Year-winning season, this Ripken card is still a hobby favorite because it shows the Orioles third baseman's timeless swing and a close-up of his youthful mug all on one important card. The 1981 season was the seventh and final time. 25 Most Valuable 1983 Topps Baseball Cards - Old Sports Cards It has been authenticated and graded a 10 by Beckett Authentication Services. 1981 Topps Enrique Romo Signed Pittsburgh Pirates, 15. Prices are updated daily based upon 1981 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Price: $299.75 Grade: PSA 10. Coming off a 1980 season in which he finished runner-up for the AL MVP award, New York Yankees right fielder Reggie Jackson looked to keep the momentum going in 1981. 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 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. 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. 2022 Topps Heritage Baseball Most Valuable Cards and Checklist; These 10 GOATS . Baseball Cards. Right around that same time, the relationship between the St. Louis Cardinals and their shortstop, Garry Templeton, wasn't going well either. 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 . Ungraded & graded values for all '81 Topps Baseball Cards. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. He was a member of the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. While eligible for induction, Murphy peaked at 23% of the vote in 2000, falling well short of the 75% needed for entry. 3. 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. He also paced the Majors in ERA+ (195) and hits per 9 innings (6.0). In 1981, Schmidt became the eighth player in MLB history to do just that. 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax #123. His full name is Peter Edward Rose and was a professional baseball player who managed to exceed Ty Cobbs record for the number of hits in a career. All told, Bench played in just 52 of Cincinnati's 108 games. Every collector knows that theres some serious money to be made off certain cards. Raw: $20 PSA 9: $100 PSA 10: $900 One of the most popular players of his era, Vladimir Guerrero was the No. Price: $299.99. This trading card has been authenticated by PSA, it has the signature of Rollie fingers on the obverse. Placing Mark McGwire's 1985 Topps card in this category may seem a little unfair considering its current $650 price tag. 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle #135. Despite the ups and downs, there isplentyto enjoy about this set. 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. The problem was that the 33-year-old Bench simply wasn't healthy. During this era, the Montreal Expos had yet to move south to become . Most Valuable Baseball Cards from the 1980s Price Guide & Values 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. When it comes to Rookie Cards, 1981 Topps is one . Let's be honest, it didn't matter what jersey Ryan wore or what style it was, he was going throw major heat regardless. This card is super tough to find in high grade, hence the huge price tag that might shock you. 29 Surprisingly Cheap: 1985 Mark McGwire Topps. The Atlanta Braves had used Dale Murphy at first base and catcher during his early years in the 1970s, but in 1980 they moved him to the outfield. Top 20 Sports Cards of 2018 - Beckett News Rating: 7.5 (174 votes) Click here to Rate. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 1981 Fleer card list & price guide. 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 This card is among the most valuable cards from the set, with PSA 10 cards of this type collecting several thousand dollars at best. 1983 Donruss. 2. The continued adoption of Sabermetrics no doubt helped push him across the finish line and into Cooperstown. Unlike George Brett's MVP card, Schmidt's featured an altogether different image than that of his base card. Cards. If you look closely, though, you'll notice the images are just slightly different as you can see two of his teammates in the background on his MVP card versus one (plus the arm of another) on his base card. 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. 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. 25 Most Valuable 1987 Topps Baseball Cards In The World Struggling through back issues and other accumulated aches and pains, Yastrzemski had the worst offensive season of his 21-year career thus far. . #9. The 1984 Topps Football set is THE landmark football card set of the 1980s. This card has been signed by him and is currently worth $49. Here are the top 15 Most Expensive Nolan Ryan Cards: #15 1978 Topps Nolan Ryan #400 Recent sale: $898 . Dale Murphy enjoyed a bit of a breakout year in 1980 as he hit 33 home runs, scored 98 runs, had 89 RBI and made his first of seven career All-Star teams. This card features Tim Maines, Roberto Ramos and Bobby Pate, all the players listed were stars in their prime. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. 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. Greatest Topps Baseball Cards of All-Time. It has full gloss and is slightly askew. He spent eleven seasons with four teams in Major League Baseball the majority of it spent with the Detroit Tigers. 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. . Cheapest, . 10 Most Valuable 1991 Topps Baseball Cards - Sports Card Investor 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. 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. 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. The 10 Most Valuable 1983 Topps Baseball Cards 726 cards. 205 Pete Rose Record Breaker - Phillies. 1981 Topps Coke Team Sets Aurelio Lopez Autographed, 9. Things weren't all rosy for Smith, however, as his relationship with Padres owner Ray Kroc and his wife Joan became publicly sour. 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. The move worked as the Royals responded by winning 20 of their last 33 to make the playoffs. The 1981 Topps Scratchoffs was a 108-card baseball set distributed on perforated three-card panels measuring 3-14" by 5-1/4". There's no questioning the significance of 1980 Topps baseball cards in hobby history. 1981 Topps Bob Owchinko Baseball Card, 11. 726 Rick Monday. This card is worth $45 but could go higher. The Reds put him at first base for the first time as he dealt with nagging injuries. 15 Baseball Cards Now Worth A Fortune And 15 That Are - TheSportster The 1980 season would be Winfield's last with the Padres as the Yankees signed him to a ten-year, $23 million contract making him the game's highest-paid player at the time. In 665 at-bats for Toronto, Ainge batted .220, hit two home runs, scored 57 runs, drove in another 37 and stole 12 bases. 1981 Pete Rose Baseball Card. Owchinko played baseball for Eastern Michigan University. Contact him at [emailprotected]. In total, Henderson led the league in stolen bases . 722 Joe Niekro. 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. #8. And unlike Brett, Schmidt followed up his 1980 MVP campaign with another one during the 1981 season. 19 Most Valuable 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Price List. . Rose collected 140 hits in 1981, slashing .325/.391/.390 in his third year with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1981, the 6'5 monster recorded his second straight 1000-yard season and led all of football with 88 catches. However, due to market conditions, values fluctuate. 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. Murray was one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game but his cards seem to be a bit overlooked at times. 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. 1981 Topps Football Cards - 12 Most Valuable - Wax Pack Gods After rookie Fernando Valenzuela pitched a shutout on opening day, starting the craze that came to be known as Fernandomania, the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season with a flourish. But rather than hanging them up after the season, Yastrzemski got to work. This Nolan Ryan card is another fantastic example of Topps capturing the style and vibe of the 1980s. Back to the point at hand. Cincinnati finished second in both halves of the 1981 split-season but ended the year with the best overall record in the National League. Featured here is a rare rookie card from 1989 with an authenticated signature of Steve Avery. After his release by the Brewers, he was offered a contract by Pete Rose to play for the Cincinnati Reds in 1986. Boggs was a perennial contender for American League batting titles during the 1980s and 1990s. Average . 724 Lou Piniella. And while his offensive numbers dropped in 1981, Brett's star was still quite bright. Roberto Ramos in the middle who was an amazing catcher during his prime and the beloved Bobby Pate who commanded respect in the outfield. $68.95. His standard base card (#574) is first and the card honoring his breaking of Ty Cobb's American League stolen base record (#351) follows. 1981 Topps Traded 816 Tim Raines Montreal Expos Rookie Card. Before Danny Ainge found success at the professional level in basketball as a player, coach and executive, he made his professional sports debut for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979while he was still in college. 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. Read our methodology . And in this guide, I'll run through the ten most valuable. He played most of his career with the St Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. That means the card needs to be flawless. 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. 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. 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. Let's be clear:most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days. But he is more famous for the accusations of gambling that led Major League Baseball to ban him from the sport in 1989. Donovan Mitchell was one of the standouts in a loaded 2017-18 NBA rookie class. 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. This card once was worth upwards of $50, and until Jose Canseco came along, it was the most valuable regular-issue 1980s card in the book. While the 1982 Topps baseball card set may not ever be known as the company's best-looking in terms of design, it did pack a lot of star power and two Hall of Fame rookie cards. The Reds finished a half-game behind the Dodgers in the NL West in the first half. This is a rare Topps card from 1981 containing his signature. 3. The card features Pete Rose. 1981, 1985, 1989), 11-time MLB strikeout leader (1972-74, 1976-79, 1987-90), two-time NL leader (1981, 1987), MLB All-Century Team. 1981 Topps Expos Future Card Tim Haines Auto, 6. Fans and media began to take note of his incredible defensive talent, giving him the nickname "The Wizard.". 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. There were tons of errors, collation inside boxes was hit and miss (mostly miss) and the . Seaver was great in Cincinnati, but he just wasn'tas greatas he was with the Mets up to that point. Tune in as Mrs. Wax Pack Gods reads about 1981 Topps Baseball Cards.When 1981 Topps baseball cards hit store shelves that spring, they were playing in a brav. 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. 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. 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. Had Fred Lynn (.333) not barely edged out Brett (.329) for the title in 1979, then they would've had all nine of them. 1981 Topps card list & price guide. Mickey Mantle card: The most expensive baseball card in history just Inc. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. During his career, Rose was known for his all-around ability and enthusiasm. 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.