1982 Topps #30 Tom Seaver. Ted Simmons St. Louis Cardinals 1981 Topps, 17. The right card could make you rich. Most Valuable Baseball Cards of All Time . He also led the National League in runs scored (78) and walks (73). He struggled in 1980 (by his terms) with a career-worst 3.64 ERA and a career-low ten wins. Kansas City went 20-30 in the season's first half and started the second half slowly, with Manager Jim Frey taking the heat. The reverse of the card mentions that over the last nine seasons dating back to 1972, Brett (2) and Carew (6) had combined to win eight batting titles. 50. 3. During his career, Rose was known for his all-around ability and enthusiasm. 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 . 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 eligible for induction, Murphy peaked at 23% of the vote in 2000, falling well short of the 75% needed for entry. Recently, the price of a PSA 9 has continued to steadily fall to around $2,000 or less. . The card features famous baseball player Reggie Jackson and is worth $75. 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. 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. That means the card needs to be flawless. Things weren't always rocky during Jackson's time in New York, though, as they did win back-to-back World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. 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. To top it all off, he earned his sixth All-Star selection, sixth Gold Glove, and second Silver Slugger award. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Read our methodology. He also led all of baseball with 89 runs scored and led the American League in stolen bases (56) and hits (135). 1. 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. 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. In total, Henderson led the league in stolen bases . "I've learned to stay within myself, not be afraid to fail.". For its 1980-81 basketball set, Topps mixed things up by releasing an entire set in which each card had three panels, each . 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. 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. 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson RC #482. List; Gallery; Gallery - 6 Cards per Page; Gallery - 8 Cards per Page; Gallery - 9 Cards per Page; 1981 Topps #347 Harold Baines Rookie Card. 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. In this guide, I will cover the 25 most valuable in the set. 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. Its nice design and classic pose have helped make it one of the most recognizable cards in the hobby, not just from the 1980s. In 1981, the Boston Red Sox played 108 games during the regular season and won 59 of those games, losing 49. Hold on to it. The 1961 Topps All-Star Mays falls in line with the others in the semi-high-number subset. Reggie was furious and blasted The Boss in the media. 1981 Topps Scratch-Offs. Featured here is a 1981 Topps Coca Cola baseball card signed by Aurelio Lopez. 1983 Donruss. For one more year, at least, Topps was the only game in town in 1980. Read our methodology . Rod Carew Autographed 1981 Topps Squirt Card, 19. 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. Price: $299.99. For the longest time it seemed like Smith would not quite garner enough votes to earn a trip to the Hall of Fame. . Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. After Wilson dodged a wild pitch from Boston's Bob Stanley, Kevin Mitchell scored from third to tie the game. A remarkable all-around . Things weren't all rosy for Smith, however, as his relationship with Padres owner Ray Kroc and his wife Joan became publicly sour. SEE THE CARD HERE! $195. Contact him at [emailprotected]. Fans and media began to take note of his incredible defensive talent, giving him the nickname "The Wizard.". #10. 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.". Smith continued his outstanding defensive work in 1981 by leading the National League in assists for the third straight year to pick up his second straight Gold Glove. Wilson hit a weak grounder towards Boston's Bill Buckner at first base, and the ball squeaked by him, allowing Wilson to reach first base safely while Ray Knight scored the winning run. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Prices are updated daily based upon 1981 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Featured here is a rare rookie card from 1989 with an authenticated signature of Steve Avery. 5 Underrated 1981 Donruss Baseball Cards. 9 Roger Clemens #530. 1981 Donruss. During the rush to market, they also ended up with many errors and variations in their debut set, but that was to be expected. However, due to market conditions, values fluctuate. 1981 Topps Traded Fernando Valenzuela, 16. 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. Rose collected 140 hits in 1981, slashing .325/.391/.390 in his third year with the Philadelphia Phillies. 1985 Fleer Kirby Puckett RC #286. Like everyone else, the shortened season didn't help his overall output but some key indicators had fallen off noticeably. "I had hit .300 before, but I couldn't hold it," he said. 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. . Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. 1981 Topps Traded Tim Raines Rookie Baseball Card #816 NM-MT FREE SHIPPING. 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. Schmidt was, arguably, the game's best player for the second-straight season. This card has been signed by him and is currently worth $49. 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie Card. Average . 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. The previous record which he broke was 601 assists by a shortstop was done by Glenn Wright of the pirates. During this era, the Montreal Expos had yet to move south to become . 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. Raw: $20 PSA 9: $100 PSA 10: $900 One of the most popular players of his era, Vladimir Guerrero was the No. . 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. 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. The current value of this baseball card is $199.99, it has the signature of Tim Raines. However, once they got there, the Oakland Athletics promptly swept them in the ALDS as Brett went just 2-for-12 (.167) in the three games. Most Expensive Bench was also known for the long ball as he led the league in home runs twice and finished his career with 389. While it may not be one of the most popular sets of the era, the 1982 Topps baseball card set packed plenty of star power and two key Hall of Fame rookie cards. 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. Steven Thomas Avery is an American left-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). This bad boy sold for $18,500 on eBay auctions in May 2021. Top 10 Most Valuable: 1981 Topps Basketball. 1981, 1985, 1989), 11-time MLB strikeout leader (1972-74, 1976-79, 1987-90), two-time NL leader (1981, 1987), MLB All-Century Team. The 1982 season saw Henderson set a single-season best for stolen bases as he swiped a ridiculous 130 bases in total. JB's 1981 Fleer card is a $5 (or so) buy in PSA 9 condition. He helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseball and ushered in the modern closer role. It was also the first Topps set to feature a monster 792-card checklist. He played most of his career with the St Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. However, his production was never quite the same from 1988 until he finished his career with the Colorado Rockies in 1993. Instead, he was more of a craftsman on the mound and outsmarted hitters to allow a career-low 6.5 hits per nine innings. Many times, though, he'd fail to connect on those swings and would up earning himself a spot as the career leader in strikeouts with 2,597.