Best card design - the 80s
TOPPS
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1. 1987: Very first complete set I bought (along with 1989), very clean colorful woodgrain bordered front, nice yellow/blue back.
2. 1989: Not the most popular design, I know, but it was one of the first cards I ever got, and I also love the back design too
3. 1983: Very colorful, very clever double picture design
4. 1981: I love colorful, bold designs, remember? Also final year of Topps' old "smiling" logo (though the current logo is on the pack wrappers)
5. 1982: Not sure why, but I like this design and the colors used for the teams.
6. 1985: I like both front (colorful, team logo) and back (Christmas colors, perhaps to mark the first year of "Christmas" factory sets?)
7. 1980: My birth year, nuff said
8. 1986: Okay as long as the black top borders aren't chipped too much
9. 1984: I love the red/white/blue back, but this double picture design is not nearly as strong as 1983's
10. 1988: *yawn*
FLEER
====
1. 1987: Very solid blue bordered design and red/white/blue back, almost as "80s" as the 1984.
2. 1984: The most "80s" of all major sets' designs, period. And a few creative pics just for good measure
3. 1986: Navy blue borders with colorful team plates, what more could you ask for?
4. 1985: So what if the centering was bad that year? At least it had nice colorful inner borders
5. 1982: Say what you will about the horrible fuzzy pictures, I do like the design otherwise and this is my favorite back design (very advanced for 1982)
6. 1989: Has its charm, but nothing really exciting, at least it was more interesting than 1988
7. 1988: Not a bad design, but IMO, this year was the weakest year for card designs, except for 1988 Score
8. 1981: Okay front, dismal back (loaded with errors) and couldn't even cut the cards straight that year
9. 1983: Just like the 1977 Topps set, very yawner as far as front goes, but the brown colored back is unique and has its charm
DONRUSS
=======
1. 1989: My favorite of all 1980s designs, with the colorful borders and memories (this and 1989 Topps were my first cards bought for me)
2. 1987: Even nicer black borders than 1985, with colorful team plate and logo
3. 1985: Black bordered beauties just like 1971 Topps, but at least you can buy a factory set and avoid the chipped borders.
4. 1984: Yes, its the most famous 1980s sets, but it wasn't the BEST design IMO.
5. 1986: The blue/black borders and colorful team plate has its charm
6. 1982: At least it was better than the following year, at least it was kinda unique and debuted the Diamond Kings
7. 1983: Laziest design change of all time (change ball to glove and move to other side, change back from blue to orange, that's it)
8. 1981: Another yawner, but at least unlike Fleer that year, they did a decent job making the cards (except for the thin stock)
9. 1988: This is the most boring design of all the 1980s sets; no wonder its still only worth $5 a factory set, if that
And please be sure to defend your choices. Don't just make a blank list of years; explain why you like/don't like the designs. I didn't include Upper Deck and Score as there wouldn't be much to rank for those sets.
=====
1. 1987: Very first complete set I bought (along with 1989), very clean colorful woodgrain bordered front, nice yellow/blue back.
2. 1989: Not the most popular design, I know, but it was one of the first cards I ever got, and I also love the back design too
3. 1983: Very colorful, very clever double picture design
4. 1981: I love colorful, bold designs, remember? Also final year of Topps' old "smiling" logo (though the current logo is on the pack wrappers)
5. 1982: Not sure why, but I like this design and the colors used for the teams.
6. 1985: I like both front (colorful, team logo) and back (Christmas colors, perhaps to mark the first year of "Christmas" factory sets?)
7. 1980: My birth year, nuff said
8. 1986: Okay as long as the black top borders aren't chipped too much
9. 1984: I love the red/white/blue back, but this double picture design is not nearly as strong as 1983's
10. 1988: *yawn*
FLEER
====
1. 1987: Very solid blue bordered design and red/white/blue back, almost as "80s" as the 1984.
2. 1984: The most "80s" of all major sets' designs, period. And a few creative pics just for good measure
3. 1986: Navy blue borders with colorful team plates, what more could you ask for?
4. 1985: So what if the centering was bad that year? At least it had nice colorful inner borders
5. 1982: Say what you will about the horrible fuzzy pictures, I do like the design otherwise and this is my favorite back design (very advanced for 1982)
6. 1989: Has its charm, but nothing really exciting, at least it was more interesting than 1988
7. 1988: Not a bad design, but IMO, this year was the weakest year for card designs, except for 1988 Score
8. 1981: Okay front, dismal back (loaded with errors) and couldn't even cut the cards straight that year
9. 1983: Just like the 1977 Topps set, very yawner as far as front goes, but the brown colored back is unique and has its charm
DONRUSS
=======
1. 1989: My favorite of all 1980s designs, with the colorful borders and memories (this and 1989 Topps were my first cards bought for me)
2. 1987: Even nicer black borders than 1985, with colorful team plate and logo
3. 1985: Black bordered beauties just like 1971 Topps, but at least you can buy a factory set and avoid the chipped borders.
4. 1984: Yes, its the most famous 1980s sets, but it wasn't the BEST design IMO.
5. 1986: The blue/black borders and colorful team plate has its charm
6. 1982: At least it was better than the following year, at least it was kinda unique and debuted the Diamond Kings
7. 1983: Laziest design change of all time (change ball to glove and move to other side, change back from blue to orange, that's it)
8. 1981: Another yawner, but at least unlike Fleer that year, they did a decent job making the cards (except for the thin stock)
9. 1988: This is the most boring design of all the 1980s sets; no wonder its still only worth $5 a factory set, if that
And please be sure to defend your choices. Don't just make a blank list of years; explain why you like/don't like the designs. I didn't include Upper Deck and Score as there wouldn't be much to rank for those sets.

WISHLIST
D's: 50P,49S,45D+S,43D,41S,40D,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 241,435,610,654 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
95 Ultra GM Sets: Golden Prospects,HR Kings,On-Base Leaders,Power Plus,RBI Kings,Rising Stars
D's: 50P,49S,45D+S,43D,41S,40D,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 241,435,610,654 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
95 Ultra GM Sets: Golden Prospects,HR Kings,On-Base Leaders,Power Plus,RBI Kings,Rising Stars
0
Comments
Steve
My list:
1989 Upper Deck - Sharp pictures, clean design. This set was just so above and beyond what had been the traditional set/card quality. Griffey as card #1 obviously worked out great too.
1984 Donruss - Again, great colors and also just seemed to elevate all the other companies to up their quality (and was amaxing considering 81-83 Donruss).
1983 Topps - Best colors and design for Topps in the 80s. Seem to have a 'pop' that's missing from many other '80s Topps
1987 Fleer
1987 Donruss
1985 Topps
1984 Fleer
1985 Donruss
1986 Fleer
So many awful sets, I agree that 88D is the worst.
Football:
'85
'86
'84
Jake
<< <i>Umm, I think there are two threads going on with the same topic! >>
Yea,Both by the same poster
87 Fleer: Love the sky blue borders
87 Topps: wood grain, very nice
82 Donruss: Too bad they used it two years in a row
85 Topps: Olympic Cards
84 Fleer: lots of great photos
HATE: Anything from 88. Those were the worst designs in Baseball card history.
CDsNuts, 1/9/15
Nineteen Eighty Four Donruss
But, I really like '83 Topps as well as '89 Upper Deck rounding out my top three.
* C. PASCUAL BASIC #3
* T. PEREZ BASIC #4 100%
* L. TIANT BASIC #1
* DRYSDALE BASIC #4 100%
* MAGIC MASTER #4/BASIC #3
* PALMEIRO MASTER/BASIC #1
* '65 DISNEYLAND #2
* '78 ELVIS PRESLEY #6
* '78 THREE'S COMPANY #1
WaltDisneyBoards
Collector of OPC 1980-1985
Sweet Morsels Toffee and Chocolates
Fleer - 1987
Topps - 1985.
Winner: Donruss 1984, by a mile.
Ron
Buying Vintage, all sports.
Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items
ebay i.d. clydecoolidge - Lots of vintage stars and HOFers, raw, condition fully disclosed.
1987 Topps
1985 Donruss