My 1980s Collection (scan heavy)
ReggieCleveland
Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭✭✭
Some of you have already seen these. 
About 9 months ago I decided to get back to my roots and start collecting not only the cards that are popular today (it's the 1980s, so I use that term tongue in cheek) but the ones that I coveted as a 10-year old in 1987. My original plan was to just do the stuff I actually ripped as a kid but the project quickly took on a life of its own and I decided to expand to include all of the 1980s as well as the few years in the early-90s that I was still collecting. I've always been intrigued by the items from this time period that managed to beat the odds and either continued to be rare despite condition or are currently rare because of condition. I created an Excel spreadsheet and quickly began listing all cards I would be interested in acquiring as well as their PSA pop report information for PSA 8, PSA 9, and PSA 10. I did their raw numbers as well as the percentage of total submissions. Obviously, virtually none of these are rare but I figured I would try to tackle the comparatively tough cards first.
As of the time of me writing this, the checklist (spreadsheet) consists of 396 cards from 1980-1992. The bulk of which falls in the time period when I was a real pack-ripping fiend as a kid (1986-1989). All of the cards you would imagine might be on the list are on the list (ie. Clemens, Bonds, McGwire, Griffey) but there's also a great deal of stuff that was big at the time on there, as well (ie. Gregg Jefferies, Kevin Maas, Chris Sabo, Joey Belle, etc). Also included are prominent errors (hello, 1988 Topps) and even some Minor League cards, as I remember that being a thing with the TCMA cards.
The original goal was to do everything in PSA 10 but once I expanded to include things like the 1980 Rickey Henderson and 1982 Ripken I had to make concessions. I didn't want this to turn into something that was investment-level, just a thing to do to have fun and enjoy the cards that I loved as a kid. While the grade I pursued tended to correlate with my interest in the card, I tried to focus on getting as close to perfect centering on everything as possible. Oddly enough, there are some cards from this era that are actually condition sensitive and some that are nearly impossible to find perfectly centered (I hate you, 1987 Fleer Update McGwire).
I haven't made much headway on pre-1985 but it's also the era I'm least interested in so I'll start there. So far....
Pre-1985
1985
1986
We're getting into the thick of it now with 1987 so I'm going to take a break.
Arthur
About 9 months ago I decided to get back to my roots and start collecting not only the cards that are popular today (it's the 1980s, so I use that term tongue in cheek) but the ones that I coveted as a 10-year old in 1987. My original plan was to just do the stuff I actually ripped as a kid but the project quickly took on a life of its own and I decided to expand to include all of the 1980s as well as the few years in the early-90s that I was still collecting. I've always been intrigued by the items from this time period that managed to beat the odds and either continued to be rare despite condition or are currently rare because of condition. I created an Excel spreadsheet and quickly began listing all cards I would be interested in acquiring as well as their PSA pop report information for PSA 8, PSA 9, and PSA 10. I did their raw numbers as well as the percentage of total submissions. Obviously, virtually none of these are rare but I figured I would try to tackle the comparatively tough cards first.
As of the time of me writing this, the checklist (spreadsheet) consists of 396 cards from 1980-1992. The bulk of which falls in the time period when I was a real pack-ripping fiend as a kid (1986-1989). All of the cards you would imagine might be on the list are on the list (ie. Clemens, Bonds, McGwire, Griffey) but there's also a great deal of stuff that was big at the time on there, as well (ie. Gregg Jefferies, Kevin Maas, Chris Sabo, Joey Belle, etc). Also included are prominent errors (hello, 1988 Topps) and even some Minor League cards, as I remember that being a thing with the TCMA cards.
The original goal was to do everything in PSA 10 but once I expanded to include things like the 1980 Rickey Henderson and 1982 Ripken I had to make concessions. I didn't want this to turn into something that was investment-level, just a thing to do to have fun and enjoy the cards that I loved as a kid. While the grade I pursued tended to correlate with my interest in the card, I tried to focus on getting as close to perfect centering on everything as possible. Oddly enough, there are some cards from this era that are actually condition sensitive and some that are nearly impossible to find perfectly centered (I hate you, 1987 Fleer Update McGwire).
I haven't made much headway on pre-1985 but it's also the era I'm least interested in so I'll start there. So far....
Pre-1985
1985
1986
We're getting into the thick of it now with 1987 so I'm going to take a break.
Arthur
0
Comments
What a great trip down memory lane! You and I are the same age and I have fond memories of every one of those cards. I remember checking the box score every single morning in the newspaper to prospect on what the next hot card would be before the up arrows hit in the new months Beckett. I love seeing the Kevin Mitchell and Ruben Sierra cards in your collection...only 1980's kids can fully appreciate those. And how crazy was it when some young rookie for the Yankees crushed 8 HR within a few weeks of being called up...you couldn't find or buy enough 1990 Leaf Kevin Maas cards.
My personal favorite that you have posted is the 1983 Topps Ryno rookie...man that card was on fire in 1989 and is still one of the coolest RC ever made. Before you are done with your 1980's collection, please be sure to add a Darryl Strawberry and Eric Davis rookie to the list. Nothing better than their Fleer rookies!
Keep up the great collection and I look forward to the rest of the pics!
JGF
<< <i>Arthur,
What a great trip down memory lane! You and I are the same age and I have fond memories of every one of those cards. I remember checking the box score every single morning in the newspaper to prospect on what the next hot card would be before the up arrows hit in the new months Beckett. I love seeing the Kevin Mitchell and Ruben Sierra cards in your collection...only 1980's kids can fully appreciate those. And how crazy was it when some young rookie for the Yankees crushed 8 HR within a few weeks of being called up...you couldn't find or buy enough 1990 Leaf Kevin Maas cards.
My personal favorite that you have posted is the 1983 Topps Ryno rookie...man that card was on fire in 1989 and is still one of the coolest RC ever made. Before you are done with your 1980's collection, please be sure to add a Darryl Strawberry and Eric Davis rookie to the list. Nothing better than their Fleer rookies!
Keep up the great collection and I look forward to the rest of the pics!
JGF >>
I have vivid memories of grabbing the sports section of the paper every morning in 1987 and looking at the scores on the front page to see how any runs Oakland had scored so I could imagine how many home runs McGwire hit in those brief moments before turning the page and getting to the box score. Since they played late on the east coast there were plenty of times when they'd just get the final score on the front page but never got a chance to get the box score in. I was always left to wonder and had to wait and hope that they'd remember to add it in the next day's paper.
Strawberry and Davis are most certainly on the list and I'll add them at some point.
Arthur
Arthur
I have always liked the 87 Topps set~I have two rack cases I bought years ago when I first got back into collecting, and one of these days, maybe in mid-winter during a snowstorm, I'm going to crack them open and put together a gem mint raw set.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I am anxiously awaiting the 1988 Score Glossy Mark Grace PSA 10 and 1989 Upper Deck Jerome Walton PSA 10!
My #2 Ranked Michael Jordan PSA Basic Set
Jeff
break out the error cards....
the 88 leiter & comstock
the 87 greenwell
the 89 ripken ff
the 90 marion fb
<< <i>While they are not my favorite sets, there isn't a nicer card from the 80s than a gem mint 86 Topps or 87 Donruss as your scans show. >>
Agree. I also have a new-found appreciation for 1987 Topps and 1988 Score. Both sets are ones I plan to tackle graded at some point in the future. Searching for these cards and having to wait for ones that are centered to my liking has also given me a some perspective on which issues are tougher than others. I remember it taking a while to find an '86 Fleer Update Bonds that had great centering and I still haven't found an '87 Fleer Update McGwire that is close to perfectly centered.
Arthur
<< <i>'77 here. same generation and cool thread. noticed that ruben sierra card in there!! nice. did anyone else appreciate him as much as I did as a kid?
break out the error cards....
the 88 leiter & comstock
the 87 greenwell
the 89 ripken ff
the 90 marion fb >>
I actually collect Greenwell cards so those are a separate venture for me. What is the '87 Greenwell error?
The other two baseball errors are on their way.
Arthur
Arthur
Arthur
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Did PSA make some allowances for those corners on the 87 Donruss Rookies??
The Maddux is pretty much par for the course where the 87 Donruss Rookies are concerned.
Everyone does realize the first page of this thread is over a year old, right?
Anyone who misses Arthur did
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al