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Top 5 baseball cards of the 1980's

Not necessarily the most valuable, (though you could list those if you want) but the most Important cards of the decade.
my list in no particular order

1980 Henderson
1982 TT Ripken
1985 Tiffany Mcgwire
1985 Tiffany Clemens
1989 Upper Deck Griffey

Who do you have?

George Brett, Bobby Orr and Terry Bradshaw.

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Comments

  • dontippetdontippet Posts: 2,581 ✭✭✭✭

    I agree with your list for today. IMO, the list is different if you are talking about today, or back in the 80's. If we are talking about the 5 most important cards that affected the hobby through the years, my list would be:

    1983 Topps big three rookies
    1984 Topps Strawberry
    1985 Topps Gooden
    1986 Donruss Canseco
    1989 Upper Deck Griffey

    I started collecting in '85 when the Topps Gooden was all the rage.

    > [Click on this link to see my ebay listings.](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=61611&_sargn=-1&saslc=1&_salic=1&_fss=1&_fsradio=&LH_SpecificSeller=1&_saslop=1&_sasl=mygirlsthree3&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_fosrp=1)
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  • markmacmarkmac Posts: 412 ✭✭✭

    1984 Donruss Mattingly would have to be my #1 choice for the 80s.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 10,389 ✭✭✭✭✭

    when I made my list I was thinking about the most important "keys" for today. Had I been thinking about back then, I surely would have added the canseco, mattingly and maybe an 85 eric davis. the 88 donruss greg jeffries was white hot back then as well

    George Brett, Bobby Orr and Terry Bradshaw.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 10,389 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I also remember the 1984 fleer update big three rookies being very valuable back then. Untouchable for a kid to afford.

    George Brett, Bobby Orr and Terry Bradshaw.

  • FrozencaribouFrozencaribou Posts: 1,084 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Maybe I'm not playing the game the right way, but here are the cards I think have made the greatest impact on the hobby from the 80's...

    1984 Fleer Update set
    1985 Topps Mark McGwire
    1986 Donruss Jose Canseco
    1986 Topps tiffany Barry Bonds
    1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr.

  • dontippetdontippet Posts: 2,581 ✭✭✭✭

    There certainly are a lot of choices. I forgot about the 1984 Donruss Mattingly. I would definitely replace Strawberry with Mattingly in my list.

    > [Click on this link to see my ebay listings.](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=61611&_sargn=-1&saslc=1&_salic=1&_fss=1&_fsradio=&LH_SpecificSeller=1&_saslop=1&_sasl=mygirlsthree3&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_fosrp=1)
    >

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  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The most important 1980s cards of today...

    That's actually kind of tough. What would define "importance" for the hobby at the current moment? Let me take a stab at this. I think we're still a good 6-10 years away from the hobby boom generation entering their peak earning years and maybe starting to see their kids leave the house. I think there's definitely been a swing on this board just in the past 5 years as the focus has started to shift from 1970s cards to 1980s cards. Five years ago, NOBODY was posting PSA 10 1980s cards or starting large concept threads devoted to the 1980s. The closest it came was in the starpax thread when cellos with Ripken, Gwynn, Sandberg, and Boggs rookies showing would get posted.

    So I think the important cards today and moving forward more closely resemble the high-dollar cards of back then than they will of those at the moment. Clemens and Bonds will make the HOF. Their cards will increase in price. But that's all due to hobby and baseball activity that occurred after the hobby boom. I think the important cards are the ones that are going to be the gateway cards. The ones that bring people back to the hobby initially, which leads to them branching out into all the many other avenues of the hobby.

    I think #1 and #2 are interchangeable as far as their ranking but have to be the '89 Upper Deck Griffey and the '86 Donruss Canseco. After those two, in no particular order, I'd say the '84 Donruss Mattingly, the '84 Topps Traded Gooden, and the '87 Fleer Will Clark.

    When I think of cards that reached bonkers popularity back then, during the hobby boom, those are the 5 that first come to mind. Obviously they each had their own individual amounts of shelf life. But I think back on the Hot Lists in the monthly Beckett price guides and it seemed like the Canseco was #1 for like 2 years. Anyone remember how insane Will Clark was in '89? The '87 Fleer was hotter than any of his '86 Update cards. It was pure madness. The Mattingly was sought after for what seemed like the entire decade. And Gooden was a miracle for a few years there.

    I think their importance back then is what makes them important today and will make them important going forward. Nobody is going to come back to the hobby pining after an '87 O-Pee-Chee Barry Bonds. Nobody is going to remember the good old days of when they busted open their '85 Topps Tiffany set. Those cards will reign supreme in completed eBay sales but I think it's these cards (and cards like these) that will be the impetus in bringing so many people back into the hobby.

    Once they're here, I'm sure they'll drop bigger coin on other cards but they've got to get here first.

    Arthur

  • stwainfanstwainfan Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭✭✭


    I think this is a top five.

    I collect hall of fame rookie cards, https://www.instagram.com/stwainfan/

  • stwainfanstwainfan Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭✭✭

    When Gooden came up. It looked as if he would be a sure fire HOF.

    I collect hall of fame rookie cards, https://www.instagram.com/stwainfan/

  • JKTJKT Posts: 492 ✭✭✭

    I know it wasn't really the OPs question but here's the 5 cards Id choose in PSA 10 if you let me pick any 5 from the 1980s:

    1. 1980 Topps Ricky Henderson
    2. 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken Jr.
    3. 1989 Fleer Randy Johnson Marlboro Ad
    4. 1987 Leaf Greg Maddux
    5. 1981 Topps Kirk Gibson RC

    *"Fantasy Card" = 1981 Topps Fernando Valenzuela RC

    Always looking for tougher PSA 10's of Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Mike Trout.

  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,271 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 18, 2018 8:35AM

    Arthur, I've had discussions with other collectors from the 80s generation, and I'm always surprised that they've forgotten about how popular the 87 Fleer Will Clark was, especially by 1989. They will remember that a Barry Bonds usually follows a few cards later in the collation of the pack, but don't seem to remember that at the time, the Clark was the hit, not the Bonds. I have to remind them that the Clark was routinely $30-$35 in the price guides and at shows (raw!), and people would pay it! They mostly have no recollection of that.

    1989 was also a big year for all the Kevin Mitchell rookies, as he won MVP and the Giants went to the World Series. His cards were really hot! Mitchell doesn't belong in this discussion on the list of top 5, but certainly an honorable mention of easily forgotten cards in the 80s Boom/Bust Card Hall of Fame.

    My top 5 candidates for this thread:

    1980 Henderson
    1982 Traded Ripken
    1984 Donruss Mattingly
    1985 Topps McGwire
    1986 Donruss Canseco

    Additional candidates that I would not argue with:

    1989 Upper Deck Griffey
    1986 Topps Traded Bo Jackson
    1987 Classic Bo Jackson
    1989 Fleer Ripken "Rick Face" error. That was how some of the publications referred to it, and that quickly became the "go to" playground/ballfield trash talk insult. "You're such a Rick Face!"

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 10,389 ✭✭✭✭✭

    great post arthur! I agree that the cards you listed will be great "gateway" cards to getting old collectors back in the game.

    George Brett, Bobby Orr and Terry Bradshaw.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 10,389 ✭✭✭✭✭

    these posts reminded me of some other important key cards for more advanced 80's collectors.

    the 87 Donruss opening day Barry Bonds/Johnny Ray error is already a key, and i would imagine will continue its upswing as we see Bonds get inducted into the hall of fame. I also consider the 86 traded tiffany Bonds a great card.

    I think that tiffany cards from the 80's will continue to see an uptick in value as more children from the 80's really get into their peak earning years and are looking for the highest quality rookies from their childhood heros. Kind of the Rolls
    Royce of the over production era. Many are suprisingly difficult to find in psa 10 after rattling around in their set boxes for years. I believe the 85 and 86 sets were limited to 5,000. sounds like alot, but when you consider the numbers regular cards were printed in and the difficulty of pulling 10's, the value is there. 85 Mcgwire Tiffany's in psa 10 are already quite valuable, but I can see them going higher in the coming years. I sure do wish i had a couple!

    George Brett, Bobby Orr and Terry Bradshaw.

  • krisd3279krisd3279 Posts: 808 ✭✭✭✭

    I'm glad to see the Mattingly making these lists. I started collecting around 87-88. I was around 8 or 9 at the time. I have always been a set collector, but Mattingly was the first player that I collected individual cards for.

    The Mattingly book with the 20 cards and talking record was one of the things that got me into collecting in the first place. I had my mom order it through the school book orders that we had at the time. I still have it today. A quick search on EBAY shows one selling for $11.99. Not exactly a good investment, but it sure brings back memories. I plan to start my Mattingly Basic set any day now. There is no excuse to not have done that already!

    I was always excited to pull a Canseco, McGwire or Will Clark as well.

    I would have to agree with Arthur about peak earning years and older collectors getting back into collecting. I did most of my early collecting between 1987 and 1992. Unfortunately as an investment it was horrible, but it sure was fun when I was young. I started collecting again in 2016. Things have changed a lot, but I also have some disposable income available to collect the things I like.

    Kris

    My 1971 Topps adventure - Davis Men in Black

  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Doug, I was an American League kid. Grew up in MA so was a Red Sox fan and only got to see American League teams. No interleague back then so never saw National League teams play. But hot damn if I wasn't completely captivated by the '89 NLCS. It was like a season within a season. It was like a heavyweight title fight -- Will Clark vs. Mark Grace. Go back and look at their stats for that series, it's bonkers. They both hit like .600+. I watched every game and they were amazing. It seemed like neither of them ever made an out. The '87 Fleer Clark and the '88 Fleer Grace were white hot.

    Arthur

  • bishopbishop Posts: 2,917 ✭✭✭

    An American League kid....that explains a lot Arthur :)

    Topps Baseball-1948, 1951 to 2017
    Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
    Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007

    Al
  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ReggieCleveland said:
    Doug, I was an American League kid. Grew up in MA so was a Red Sox fan and only got to see American League teams. No interleague back then so never saw National League teams play. But hot damn if I wasn't completely captivated by the '89 NLCS. It was like a season within a season. It was like a heavyweight title fight -- Will Clark vs. Mark Grace. Go back and look at their stats for that series, it's bonkers. They both hit like .600+. I watched every game and they were amazing. It seemed like neither of them ever made an out. The '87 Fleer Clark and the '88 Fleer Grace were white hot.

    Arthur

    I have always been a Royals fan, but back then, their games were hardly ever on T.V. Maybe half their road games and less than 5 home games a year. We could get WGN though, so on summer afternoons, the Cubs game would always be on. I was rooting for the Cubs in that 89 series, and like you said, Clark and Grace were each hitting machines.

    I recently ripped some 88 Fleer for fun, and even now, my shoulders slumped a little when Grace ended up being the wax card, with a corner ding, to boot.

  • rcmb3220rcmb3220 Posts: 1,108 ✭✭✭✭

    1989 Ripken FF, 1986 donruss canseco, 1989 UD Griffey, 1984 donruss Mattingly and the last one is tough but I’ll say 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson.

  • olb31olb31 Posts: 2,898 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I am really surprised about the Rickey Henderson. Would anyone even list him as one of the top 20 players of all-time? His rookie sells like he was the best thing since sliced bread. Very overpriced based on availability of 1980 topps cards. I think I would put $30,000 into starr, unitas, mantle, mays, aaron, gretzky, namath, jim brown, ted w, clemente, etc.

    Work hard and you will succeed!!
  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Henderson is an inner circle HOFer. Top 10, maybe even top 5 post integration position player.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 10,389 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Henderson is a top 20 player. A generational talent

    George Brett, Bobby Orr and Terry Bradshaw.

  • olb31olb31 Posts: 2,898 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Albert Pujols, Carl Yastremzki, Reggie jackson, Alex Rodriguez, Ozzie Smith, Derek Jeter, Sammy Sosa, Mark Mcgwire, Tony Gwynn, Wade boggs, George BRett, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza, Rod Carew, Joe Morgan, stan musial. These guys stack up well.

    Work hard and you will succeed!!
  • KnopflerKnopfler Posts: 783 ✭✭✭

    Most of the big cards have been mentioned...maybe '83 Sandberg wasn't or I did not see it. But I came up with a different twist. Top five most hyped cards that did not pan out. OK, top four cards that I could remember off the top of my head. These cards were the talk of the town at the local card shows, for one year.

    1981 Topps Joe Charboneau
    1984 Topps Ron Kittle
    1989 Bowman Jerome Walton
    1989 Bowman Dwight Smith
    Having trouble coming up with number 5 (would have been Kevin Maas if he would have been one year earlier)

  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Between Aaron retiring and Trout coming on the scene, Henderson and Bonds are 1 and 1A as far as the best, and then it's everyone else in that time period a distance in the rearview.

  • PROMETHIUS88PROMETHIUS88 Posts: 2,819 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Knopfler said:
    Most of the big cards have been mentioned...maybe '83 Sandberg wasn't or I did not see it. But I came up with a different twist. Top five most hyped cards that did not pan out. OK, top four cards that I could remember off the top of my head. These cards were the talk of the town at the local card shows, for one year.

    **> 1981 Topps Joe Charboneau

    1984 Topps Ron Kittle**
    1989 Bowman Jerome Walton
    1989 Bowman Dwight Smith
    Having trouble coming up with number 5 (would have been Kevin Maas if he would have been one year earlier)

    YES! Charboneau was so hot in 82. Knew I would be a millionaire if I could just get my hands on enough of his cards. And holy cow, Ron Kittle....it's the 1983 Fleer card that I remember. Big glasses and seems like I couldn't afford them at 13 years old, or just didn't want to pay the price. 89 Upper Deck Jerome Walton was fire in late 89. Picked him up from the airport and drove him around for a local show after the season was over. Ummm, interesting fellow. I will add to the list any 1985 Eric Davis card. Those were so hot.

    Promethius881969@yahoo.com
  • WFFLWFFL Posts: 494 ✭✭✭

    I agree with all the choices. I do remember Mike Greenwell (1987) being popular as well.

  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @PROMETHIUS88 Agree totally on the Eric Davis comment. People have forgotten what a comet he was in 1986-87, and how all of his 85 cards were smoking hot.

  • TomiTomi Posts: 643 ✭✭✭

    @PROMETHIUS88 said:

    @Knopfler said:
    Most of the big cards have been mentioned...maybe '83 Sandberg wasn't or I did not see it. But I came up with a different twist. Top five most hyped cards that did not pan out. OK, top four cards that I could remember off the top of my head. These cards were the talk of the town at the local card shows, for one year.

    **> 1981 Topps Joe Charboneau

    1984 Topps Ron Kittle**
    1989 Bowman Jerome Walton
    1989 Bowman Dwight Smith
    Having trouble coming up with number 5 (would have been Kevin Maas if he would have been one year earlier)

    YES! Charboneau was so hot in 82. Knew I would be a millionaire if I could just get my hands on enough of his cards. And holy cow, Ron Kittle....it's the 1983 Fleer card that I remember. Big glasses and seems like I couldn't afford them at 13 years old, or just didn't want to pay the price. 89 Upper Deck Jerome Walton was fire in late 89. Picked him up from the airport and drove him around for a local show after the season was over. Ummm, interesting fellow. I will add to the list any 1985 Eric Davis card. Those were so hot.

    Don't forget Gregg Jefferies. His cards were hot for a short time.

  • For me, this is kind of easy.

    While I collected (for the most part) during each year of the 80's, these were the elusive cards that took me years to obtain:

    84 Donruss Mattingly
    84 Fleer Update Clemens, Gooden, Puckett
    85 Topps Tiffany Clemens, Gooden, Puckett
    86 Donruss Canseco
    88 Score Glossy Biggio, Alomar Jr

    I picked up the Canseco in the early 90's (maybe even late 80's) but each of the others were all picked up after 2000 - at least 10 years into my professional career when I had expendable cash.

    flcardtrader@yahoo.com
    Website
    Shopify Store
    Ebay Store
  • lightningboylightningboy Posts: 1,483 ✭✭✭

    The 1981 Topps Valenzuela rookie was the first card, as far as I am aware, that hit the $1 mark in its year of release. (according to the old price guide magazines)

  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Knopfler said:
    Most of the big cards have been mentioned...maybe '83 Sandberg wasn't or I did not see it. But I came up with a different twist. Top five most hyped cards that did not pan out. OK, top four cards that I could remember off the top of my head. These cards were the talk of the town at the local card shows, for one year.

    1981 Topps Joe Charboneau
    1984 Topps Ron Kittle
    1989 Bowman Jerome Walton
    1989 Bowman Dwight Smith
    Having trouble coming up with number 5 (would have been Kevin Maas if he would have been one year earlier)

    Todd Zeile? I co-sign the Walton/Smith combo. When the '89 Upper Deck Hi series came out it was white hot.

  • dontippetdontippet Posts: 2,581 ✭✭✭✭

    For me, in '90, Justice was the rookie to have.

    @Knopfler said:
    Most of the big cards have been mentioned...maybe '83 Sandberg wasn't or I did not see it. But I came up with a different twist. Top five most hyped cards that did not pan out. OK, top four cards that I could remember off the top of my head. These cards were the talk of the town at the local card shows, for one year.

    1981 Topps Joe Charboneau
    1984 Topps Ron Kittle
    1989 Bowman Jerome Walton
    1989 Bowman Dwight Smith
    Having trouble coming up with number 5 (would have been Kevin Maas if he would have been one year earlier)

    > [Click on this link to see my ebay listings.](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=61611&_sargn=-1&saslc=1&_salic=1&_fss=1&_fsradio=&LH_SpecificSeller=1&_saslop=1&_sasl=mygirlsthree3&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_fosrp=1)
    >

    Successful transactions on the BST boards with rtimmer, coincoins, gerard, tincup, tjm965, MMR, mission16, dirtygoldman, AUandAG, deadmunny, thedutymon, leadoff4, Kid4HOF03, BRI2327, colebear, mcholke, rpcolettrane, rockdjrw, publius, quik, kalinefan, Allen, JackWESQ, CON40, Griffeyfan2430, blue227, Tiggs2012, ndleo, CDsNuts, ve3rules, doh, MurphDawg, tennessebanker, and gene1978.
  • PROMETHIUS88PROMETHIUS88 Posts: 2,819 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @dontippet said:
    For me, in '90, Justice was the rookie to have.

    @Knopfler said:
    Most of the big cards have been mentioned...maybe '83 Sandberg wasn't or I did not see it. But I came up with a different twist. Top five most hyped cards that did not pan out. OK, top four cards that I could remember off the top of my head. These cards were the talk of the town at the local card shows, for one year.

    1981 Topps Joe Charboneau
    1984 Topps Ron Kittle
    1989 Bowman Jerome Walton
    1989 Bowman Dwight Smith
    Having trouble coming up with number 5 (would have been Kevin Maas if he would have been one year earlier)

    If we think hard enough, there are probably too many to list.
    1985 Topps USA Corey Snyder, 1987 Donruss Jim Lindeman, all the 1981 Donruss errors and of course, the 1981 Fleer Graig/Craig Nettles.
    On the flipside of that, the 1982 Fleer John Littlefield reverse negative is still a solid card.

    Promethius881969@yahoo.com
  • jordangretzkyfanjordangretzkyfan Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The must own RCs from the 1980s for me are:

    1980 Topps Henderson *
    1982 Topps Traded Ripken *
    1983 Topps Gwynn
    1983 Topps Boggs
    1983 Topps Sandberg
    1983 Topps Traded Strawberry
    1984 Donruss Mattingly
    1984 Fleer Update Clemens *
    1984 Fleer Update Puckett
    1984 Fleer Update Gooden
    1985 Topps McGwire
    1985 Fleer Eric Davis
    1986 Donruss Canseco
    1987 Fleer Bonds *
    1987 Fleer Clark
    1987 Fleer Bo Jackson
    1987 Donruss Maddux
    1988 Score Traded Grace
    1988 Score Traded Alomar
    1988 Fleer Jefferies
    1989 UD Griffey *
    1989 UD Abbott

    I put a star after the 5 that I think are the most iconic and will hold the most demand. These players were game changers and hold records seemingly unbreakable.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 10,389 ✭✭✭✭✭

    As an aside, do you think there are any decades where the top 5 would be almost universally agreed upon? Maybe the 1950's?

    George Brett, Bobby Orr and Terry Bradshaw.

  • baseballfanbaseballfan Posts: 5,449 ✭✭✭

    80 Henderson
    89 Griffey
    82 Ripken traded
    86 Canseco
    any of the big 3 3 from 83 Topps

    Fred

    collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.

    looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started

  • KnopflerKnopfler Posts: 783 ✭✭✭

    @Tomi said:

    Don't forget Gregg Jefferies. His cards were hot for a short time.

    Oh yeah! Loved Pugsley. Although I'll never understand why the Royals traded Saberhagan, at least Jefferies was fun to watch, and had a great nickname...only to be traded after one year for Felix Jose (ughhhhh).

  • Eavdr10Eavdr10 Posts: 54 ✭✭✭

    Not sure about their importance in public history, but I absolutely coveted these as a kid:
    1. 1985 Topps Puckett

    My little league team was in the championship game. I pitched. I told my dad if I pitched us to a win I wanted an ‘85 Topps Puckett. Just always loved the look of that card. We won, I never got the Puckett lol.

    1. 1983 Topps Wade Boggs

    My older cousin had it. I was always enamored. I’d pull out my Mets cards, and my Eric Davis cards and he would just crap on me with that Boggs.

    1. 1986 Donruss Canseco

    If you were a kid in the 80s, Canseco was larger than life. This card was larger than life. The Beckett always featured it and I always dreamt of owning it.

    Never Did

    1. 1989 UD Griffey
      Need I say more? The most iconic card of the modern sports card world. The world itself changed when that card arrived. It single handedly inspired people to go out and set the bar higher and higher in the industry and out.

    2. 1984 Donruss Mattingly
      My opinion the top card of the 80’s. It’s design is classic, the player is classic, the photo is classic, the set is classic. Love the Ripken you can get for nothing in a 10. Great card! But the Mattingly just epitomizes the beginning of non Topps sets staking their claim. I just got back into collecting, I’m focusing 80’s. This was the first card I bought to headline my collection.

    ... the others will follow

  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    How does one explain to someone that came along after the '80s what the '86 Donruss Canseco meant to the hobby?

    I can remember hanging out at the "fun" LCS and hearing that one of the other LCSs had just put out a Canseco Rated Rookie for sale in one of their display cases. Having no sense of decorum, we dropped the fun LCS like a bad habit and bolted out the door and onto our bikes to go check it out. They wanted something like $100 for it, none of us could come close, but we just wanted to see one in person.

    Watching one of your buddies drop $4.50 on a pack of '86 Donruss was like an afternoon event. He'd throw the idea out there and the rest of us would immediately start egging him on. All of us scheming in our minds how we'd be able to pry the Canseco off of him with a king's ransom if he pulled it. It was like we were opening the pack with him. Then the inevitable punch in the dink. But not before he had slowly slid two cards to the side revealing the Rated Rookie insignia only to have them turn out to be frickin Mark McLemore and Johnny Abrego. Argh the twisted humor of the gods! Why did you spend $4.50 on one pack of cards you fool!?!?!

    Arthur

  • Huskies11Huskies11 Posts: 312 ✭✭✭

    1980 Topps Henderson
    1985 Topps McGwire
    1986 Donruss Canseco
    1987 Donruss Maddux
    1989 Upper Deck Griffey

    Currently Collecting:

    • Baseball: Griffey Jr, Red Sox, 80s/90s/00s
    • Basketball: Jordan, Bird, 80s/90s
    • Football: Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Patriots
    • Hockey: Gretzky, Buffalo Sabres

    Flickr: https://flickr.com/gp/184724292@N07/686763

  • MintacularMintacular Posts: 1,138 ✭✭✭
    edited September 20, 2018 6:55PM

    No one mentioned Gary Sheffield yet, his rookies in 89 were very strong, just a peg below Griffey. Oh yeah, and Greg Vaughn

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 10,389 ✭✭✭✭✭

    remember eric anthony with the astros? he was supposed to be a beast. though I cant remember if he was 89 or 90?

    George Brett, Bobby Orr and Terry Bradshaw.

  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Eh?

  • countdouglascountdouglas Posts: 2,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Vaughn, Anthony, and McDonald are all 1990 nominees, but definitely deserving of whatever award we're handing out for boom/bust rookies.

  • rtimmerrtimmer Posts: 1,347 ✭✭✭✭
    1. 1986 Topps Tiffay Barry Bonds
    2. 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson
    3. 1984 Fleer Update Roger Clemens
    4. 1984 Fleer Update Kirby Puckett
    5. 1986 Topps Tiffany Bo Jackson

    Honorable mention 1989 UD Ken Griffey and 1986 Donruss Canseco

    Follow me at LinkedIn & Instagram: @ryanscard
    Join the Rookie stars on top PSA registry today:
    1980-1989 Cello Packs - Rookies
  • GreenSneakersGreenSneakers Posts: 908 ✭✭✭✭

    You kids probably don’t remember, but back in 1983, ripping Topps packs, Dave Hostetler was as good of not a better pull then what is today considered the Big 3.

  • garnettstylegarnettstyle Posts: 2,143 ✭✭✭✭

    1980 henderson all day
    1987 donruss bonds ray error card

    IT CAN'T BE A TRUE PLAYOFF UNLESS THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONS ARE INCLUDED

  • ahopkinsahopkins Posts: 1,094 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I've been thinking about this for days. Very hard to choose 5 -- more like 25. Here goes:

    1980 Topps Henderson
    1983 Topps Boggs
    1984 Donruss Mattingly (or Topps, or Fleer, for I love all 3)
    1984 Fleer Update Clemens
    1989 UD Griffey

    ...subject to change any given moment.

    Andy

  • SDSportsFanSDSportsFan Posts: 5,086 ✭✭✭✭✭

    1981 Fleer C Nettles
    1984 Donruss Mattingly
    1985 Topps McGwire
    1986 Donruss Canseco
    1989 UD Griffey Jr

    Steve

  • brad31brad31 Posts: 2,530 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @GreenSneakers said:
    You kids probably don’t remember, but back in 1983, ripping Topps packs, Dave Hostetler was as good of not a better pull then what is today considered the Big 3.

    In ‘81 it was Charboneau. Early in ‘82 it was Rob Gardenhire. In ‘85 the big Olympic Card was Oddibe McDowell.

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