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Toughest Topps Sets Of The 80s
bishop
Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭
The discussion of the Topps 1982 Blackless cards made me think of this. I am a set collector and have collected all Topps sets since the 1948 Magic Photo baseball subset. Whether you are a set collector, player collector, or type collector what did you find to be the hardest Topps sets to assemble or finish from the 80s. Here is my list:
1 Topps 1980 Coins
2 Topps 1982 Blackless
3 Topps 1985 Minis ( blank back harder than regular back)
4 Topps 1984 Encased or Head in Box
5 Topps 1988 Cloth
6 Topps 1989 Heads Up...or Big Head Suckers
7 Topps 1989 Batting Leaders
8 Topps DoubleHeaders Yankees/Mets ( proofs of these are very tough)...not the regular DH issue from that year...limited tesr market
Topps Baseball-1948, 1951 to 2017
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
1
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Good list. I’m glad you struggled finding the ‘89 Topps Batting Leaders—I thought I was the only one.
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
These are the kind of threads I love being primarily an 80’s collector. I’ve always been curious about the 1980 Topps coins and the 1980 Billy Martin Yankees Team proof card. Would love to attain these someday, but have never seen any of either come for sale on the secondary market. Any idea on the backstory of these ? I’ve seen your Billy Martin proof Al and it’s awesome...
As a follow up question, how many of each do you think were made? I’ve seen the checklist for the coins in the Standard Catalogue.
I also wonder how many Billy Martin proofs there are in the world.
Out of curiosity, where would the Donruss Blue Chips fall on the list?
Arthur
Am I missing something, Al? I know you are much more experienced than I when it comes to rare cards. Why are you listing the 1989 Topps Batting Leaders? Are you talking about the cards with a red border? I have the 2 Cardinals in that set and I don't remember them being tough at all.
I'm just making sure we are talking about the same set.
Shane
Second. The 1980 Topps Coins are possibly rarer, maybe not. Everything else on the list can be purchased with money as in "I have a lot of money and I'm going to go to eBay to buy some of them." That isn't possible for the Blue Chip cards (Leaf or Donruss).
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
They aren't tough as singles, but annoyingly tough as a set. Watch eBay and wait for the next time that a complete set comes up for sale. Yeah, annoying isn't it? They should be last on Al's list, since the Mets/Yankees Doubleheaders are more difficult.
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
Agree with Bob that the DH Yankee/Mets should move up, particularly the proof versions. Also agree with him that annoying may be a better term for the Leaders. After getting frustrated trying to complete,that set in singles I bought a "set" by buying each card showing in a blaster pack...where they still reside. Same with the 90 set.
Not sure how many of the Martin proofs or Coins exist, but not many show up. Some apparently have holes ( not mine). Not sure if those occurred post production or not, maybe for a chain ?
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
So.... Are certain cards in the Leaders set difficult to find (like a short print) so the set is difficult to complete?
Shane
No
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
Not sure if it qualifies under the intent of the OP, but the toughest Topps issue of the 1980's is the 1980 Topps Pepsi set. I wasn't personally familiar with it until the relatively recent thread on this board that discussed it.
If that is indeed considered a Topps set, then I absolutely agree that it should be high on the list. I still need a Ted Simmons.
Shane
I thought the Pepsi was like one or three sheets backdoored that got cut up? I mean, are we counting blank backs as a set?
Arthur
What's the story behind the 1989 topps batting leaders? I have one, maybe willie Wilson, in a sea of other 1989 cards but I don't remember where I got it. I might have even thrown it out thinking nothing about it.
Agreed the Pepsi 80 set is super tough. Not on my list because I colllected all sets listed for Topps in the Standard Catalog and the Pepsi and Coke sets were listed separately. But some of the Woolworth and other retail sets produced by Topps were listed under Topps, so I think it is fair to include it at or near top of list.
Similarly, while the 1981 Topps Coke set is easy for the most part, completing the 11 card Yankee set and Header, which apparently was not issued at retail is really tough. Three cards and the Header are doable but the other 8 cards are like the Pepsi cards, super tough
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Do you already have Hernandez and Templeton? Did you win the proof ones that were on eBay in November? (sorry, I should remember, but I'm getting stupid in my old age).
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
Maybe we should remove the Batting Leaders card from the list. I don't think Al wants to be singularly responsible for driving eBay sales for this issue (1989 Topps Batting Leaders cards +850% on VCP). The bottom line is that nobody seems to sell these in complete set form, but singles are fairly easy.
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
The silver Gallery of Immortals/Champions sets (and Pewter singles) would certainly qualify for the list if it's based on cost of putting a set together. Same thing with the '84 and '85 Tiffany sets (and maybe the '86 Tiffany Update). And much as I don't want to put them on there (because I don't have them), how about the Sports Shots Portfolio school folders? Ugh.
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
Yes, I have the Hernandez and the Templeton. I won the Hernandez and got outbid on the Templeton and Simmons. There was another Templeton for sale that I thought was overpriced, but I bit the bullet and bought it anyway, hoping I will find a Simmons someday.
Shane
Bob-- it is almost as imperative to have the Portfolio set as it is to have as the 1989 Topps Talking Baseball set. And you may think you got stupid with age but those of us here for awhile have not noticed any real change
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
They were a glossy insert in Blister Packs in 1989 (red border) and 1990 (green border), with a relatively similar concept to the glossy all-star inserts in rack packs and glossy Rookie inserts in Jumbo packs. However, the blister packs had a more limited distribution compared with rack and jumbo, so therefore the inserts are tougher. I know they were available at K-Mart. Not sure about at other stores or not.
I would argue that the Batting Leaders inserts are a more appropriate inclusion to this list than the Heads-Up ones are.
Anyone know for sure why the 1989 batting leaders seem to b a bit tougher than the 1990 batting leaders? Were the 1990's distributed to more retail outlets than 1989? Is there a confirmed print quantity difference between the two years?
Maybe we just make the list a top 20 and include and a bunch more cool stuff?
Arthur
Also on Al's list is the 1988 Topps Cloth. I got my Cardinals team set several years ago, but you don't see those for sale very often.
Shane
1980 baseball OPC set is very difficult to complete in high grade.
IT CAN'T BE A TRUE PLAYOFF UNLESS THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONS ARE INCLUDED
So you are saying 1988 Topps baseball is not in the running...
It’s 21st.
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
What's with the Mantle and Mays Gallery of Champions cards? I see them advertised as 1984 but they're not in the factory 1984 sets.
Arthur
There's also a Leaf version of these 1989 Donruss blue chips. I'm not sure the story behind either the Leaf or the Donruss. Maybe they were snuck out the back door by an employee or executive.
buying O-Pee-Chee (OPC) baseball
Besides the Silver, Bronze, and Aluminum sets, Topps also issued one Pewter "card" and one stand-alone Bronze "card" each year from 1983 to 1991. The Pewter card was given to dealers who purchased gallery silver sets, and the Bronze stand-alone card was given to dealers who purchased cases of Topps Traded sets. The stand-alone Bronze reward was started in 1983, the Pewter followed in 1984:
1983 Bronze 1983 Topps Steve Carlton
1984 Bronze 1983 Topps Traded Daryl Strawberry
1984 Pewter 1984 Topps Tom Seaver
1985 Bronze 1985 Topps Pete Rose
1985 Pewter 1985 Topps Dwight Gooden
1986 Bronze 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
1986 Pewter 1986 Topps Don Mattingly
1987 Bronze 1953 Topps Willie Mays
1987 Pewter 1987 Topps Jose Canseco
1988 Bronze 1955 Topps Duke Snider
1988 Pewter 1988 Topps Mark McGwire
1989 Bronze 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson
1989 Pewter 1989 Topps Jose Canseco
1990 Bronze 1954 Topps Hank Aaron
1990 Pewter 1990 Topps Nolan Ryan
1991 Bronze 1957 Topps Brooks Robinson
1991 Pewter 1991 Topps Rickey Henderson
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
I realize the discussion revolves around basesball but these are right at the top for a rare 80's Topps production.
This is a test issue of some kind and extremely rare.