Showing off 1986 Topps/OPC Dwight Gooden PSA run
Frozencaribou
Posts: 1,105 ✭✭✭✭✭
When the New York Mets were on their world series run in 1986, Dwight Gooden was on top of everyone's wantlists. I've collected his cards ever since, but in the last few years I've turned my attention to his 1986 topps issues. These all are tough to come across in high grade, so I thought people would appreciate this little player run.
I cut and subbed the two box bottoms, but have never been fortunate enough to self-sub and gem the opc or topps base cards.
-Nathanael
15
Comments
I’ve always really liked the 86 Topps Gooden. Brings me back to when I first started collecting.
yes, I also feel that way about the 86 Topps Mattingly. I have no memories from those days about the rest of the cards in the set, just Doc and Donny
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Love that 86 opc, damn. I have a bunch but can’t imagine the grading environment is favourable towards 9s.
Here is an 85, I’ve subbed quite a few and have a PSA 9 as well, very tough card:
I love that box bottom. Have not seen that one before. i like the different color combination at the top.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
The 85 Gooden was cool but the 86 was such a great photo. Always preferred that one too.
The 85 always reminded me of just about every Bob Gibson card from the 60s.
Great to see the responses to my post. I really like the box bottoms as well. They are impossible to find in high grade but I always look for them. 1986 topps is a design that grows on me. I always liked the Puckett, Gooden, and Mattingly from 1986 though. Such cool photos showing them at the height of their powers.
Hey Craig,
The Mattingly box bottom is even cooler than the Gooden in my opinion. The in action photo can't be beat either.
Love 86s. His first OPC card:
Love those Goodens! Congrats!
I love 1986 Topps. The black borders, the team names in big bold bright colors...just so cool. The photography is underrated. Sandberg and Ryan are excellen examples of Topps portraits. For action shots, Gooden and Mattingly are obviously iconic. I was always partial to the Bo Diaz card, which is a really cool example of a night game shot. Very dramatic. When they are clean and centered, 1986 Topps cards are beautiful.
Kevin
I sure wish Clemens would have gotten an 85 OPC rookie
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
@Frozencaribou Nathanael, great stuff, thanks for sharing. I echo the other's sentiments of the 86 Topps design, one of my favorites as well. Hand cut cards are always a challenge, but they look awesome in a PSA holder.
Off topic a little, but I like how OPC kept Gooden at the #250 slot. One of my side projects is figuring out how OPC chose the players it chose (i.e. which Topps sheets they printed). As Craig mentioned, OPC missed the Clemens rookie in 85.
buying O-Pee-Chee (OPC) baseball cards
also collecting Canadian silver coins
It was pretty much the reverse concept that they did with Topps vs. OPC hockey, it seems. There were tons of great hockey RC's that came out on time w/ OPC but unfortunately often took a lot of players multiple years later to eventually find their way into a Topps set.
Yup, Messier for example.
And no OPC Henderson rookie.
or boggs or ripken. man those cards would have been awesome
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I'm not sure how long the practice went on, but in the late 1980's Topps would construct their sheets based on what OPC would use in their sets. All the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays would be clumped in three topps sheets. Topps went first, releasing in December for the following year. OPC would be released much later, therefore having time to denote trades and free agent signings on their cards. I will dig around for some sheet examples to show what I mean, but 1989 sheets are a great example of the Topps/OPC strategy.
-Nathanael
^ Thanks Nathanael, that is helpful info. Expos and Blue Jays have 23 and 26 cards in the 1989 OPC set, while most other teams have 11-14 cards in the set that year.
buying O-Pee-Chee (OPC) baseball cards
also collecting Canadian silver coins