1983 Topps Baseball Cards – 25 Most Valuable … PLUS Bonus Listings!

Take a poll of 792 veteran collectors asking them to name the best set of the 1980s, and I’ll lay dollars to gum stains that 1983 Topps baseball cards will be a strong contender for the top spot.

Sure, you’ll have plenty of people who can’t resist the nostalgia of 1987’s wood-grained borders or the (supposed) game-changing slickness of 1989 Upper Deck, but you can rest assured that 1983 Topps will be well-represented.

And why not?

With a clean-crisp-classic design, huge star power, interesting subsets, and — YES! — a heavyweight class of rookie cards, 1983 Topps offers something for everyone.

And that goes for the high rollers, too, those collectors/investors who want to sink their hobby cash into some blue chip cards.

Because, though you can’t claim that 1983 Topps baseball is limited in any sort of way, it also predates the explosive and soul-sucking Junk Wax Era by a bit, and these cards have held their own in the modern market.

In fact, the top pasteboards in this set are downright hobby classics, with plenty of money changing hands in the name of pursuing them, even here in the 2020s.

And that’s why we’re here today — to take a look at the very best the set has to offer, with an eye toward both nostalgia and card value.

What follows, then, are the most valuable 1983 Topps baseball cards, by measure of actual selling prices for copies in PSA 9 condition (the most common grade handed out for the set by the hobby giant).

And, if you keep reading past #1, you just might find some bonus listings PLUS the best of the best among 1983 Topps Traded baseball cards.

Ready for the show?

Great … let’s play ball!

(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed.)

25) 1983 Topps Ozzie Smith (#540)

Ozzie Smith had a pretty decent first year in St. Louis after the December 1981 challenge trade of shortstops that sent Garry Templeton to the Padres in exchange for the light-hitting Wizard.

Not only did he win a third Gold Glove, but he also notched his first of 15 All-Star appearances.

And, oh yeah – the Cards ended the year as world champions.

The next season, collectors delighted in this sterling first Ozzie-Cardinals card (if you set aside his 1982 Topps Traded issue for the moment).

Value: $15-20

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24) 1983 Topps Carl Yastrzemski (#550)

Yastrzemski entered the 1983 season with more than 3000 hits, 440 home runs, an MVP award, a Triple Crown, 43 years of living under his belt … and nothing at all left to prove.

So, it was little surprise when he announced his retirement, but it also gave this final Topps card of his a bit more hobby oomph.

It’s still a classic today.

Value: $15-25

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23) 1983 Topps Reggie Jackson (#500)

Guess who led the majors in home runs in 1982?

Yeah, it was 36-year-old Reggie Jackson, who christened his Angels career by smashing 39 long balls to tie Milwaukee’s Gorman Thomas, while also driving in 101 runs.

All of that was good enough to land Reggie some MVP consideration (he finished sixth in voting) and one of the greatest cards of 1983 … if not of all time.

Value: $15-25

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22) 1983 Topps Andre Dawson (#680)

You couldn’t have a conversation about the “best player in baseball” during the 1980s without focusing on Andre Dawson, the Expos right fielder who could do it all: hit, run, crush, field, throw.

And, in 1983, we got to witness The Hawk in peak form, as he hit .299 with 32 home runs, 113 RBI, 104 runs scored, 25 stolen bases and finished second (to Dale Murphy) in National League MVP voting.

His crisp, vibrant Topps card was a favorite right out of the pack that year, and it only became more popular as Dawson piled up the stats.

Value: $20-25

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21) 1983 Topps Frank Viola Rookie Card (#586)

Viola’s rookie showing of 4-10 with a 5.21 ERA did little to make his 1983 Topps RC a hot item among kids or collectors.

Ditto his follow-up of 7-15, 5.49.

But, when Sweet Music fired up his orchestra to the tune of 18-12, 3.21 in 1984, we all sat up and listened.

And, by the time he nabbed the 1988 A.L. Cy Young award, this card was one of the stoutest of all 1983 Topps pasteboards.

Value: $20-25

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20) 1983 Topps Robin Yount (#350)

Like Dale Murphy, Robin Yount used 1982 as a platform season to announce to the world outside of his small market just how good he was.

That summer, the Milwaukee shortstop hit .331 with 29 home runs, 114 RBI, 46 doubles, and 129 runs scored. Heck, he even swiped 14 bases.

And, oh yeah – he led the Brewers to a division title and A.L. pennant before they finally bowed out in a thrilling seven-game World Series against the Cardinals.

It all spelled “MVP” and a classic 1983 Topps card for Yount.

Value: $20-25

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19) 1983 Topps Gary Carter (#370)

By 1983, Carter had pretty much taken over the title of “best catcher in baseball” from Johnny Bench, and he had a litany of All-Star appearances to prove it.

It was more of the same in 1983, along with this dandy of a baseball card that became ever more popular when The Kid expanded his fanbase by landing with the Mets before the 1985 season.

Value: $20-25

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18) 1983 Topps Rickey Henderson Record Breaker (#2)

Everyone knew Henderson could blaze the basepaths entering the 1982 season, courtesy of his 100 steals in 1980 and league-leading 56 in the strike-torn 1981.

But then, Rickey went out and did the impossible, breaking Lou Brock’s single-season record by swiping an amazing 130 bags in ‘82.

Of course, that was all just the beginning of the huge milestones for The Man of Steal, and this 1983 Topps Record Breaker has developed an aura of its own over the decades since.

Value: $20-25

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17) 1983 Topps Gary Gaetti Rookie Card (#431)

Gaetti’s 25 home runs as a rookie in 1982 might have made big waves in the game and the hobby had he toiled for a team other than a small-market Twins team with a putrid record.

And, likewise, his 1983 Topps rookie card may have been a barnburner right out of the pack.

As things played out, though, Minnesota’s third baseman just kept slugging and, by the time the Twins won a World Series in 1987, The Rat and his cards were starting to get their due.

Today, his rookie card is a slow-burn favorite that has little trouble keeping up with the market.

Value: $20-25

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16) 1983 Topps Dennis Eckersley (#270)

After a down year – by his standards – in 1980, and another so-so performance during the interrupted 1981 season, Eckersley’s bounce-back in 1982 looked modest in black and white: 13-13, 3.73 ERA.

But that was actually good for 4.5 WAR, making Eck’s 224.1 solid innings a key reason the Red Sox hung around the periphery of contention most of the season.

Of course, it would all sort of bottom out for the former ace over the next few years, before he found a new lease on baseball life as a reliever with the Oakland A’s later in the decade, a move that set him on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

And one that eventually elevated all of his cards – including this one – to hobby superstar status.

Value: $20-30

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15) 1983 Topps Rod Carew (#200)

As Carew approached the 1983 season, his career batting average sat at a sterling .331, but, at age 37, it had been five seasons since he topped that mark.

Never you mind about father time and the Angels’ bat magician, though, because Carew uncorked a .339 mark in ‘83 that would stand as his sixth-highest mark ever and point him straight at 3000 hits … and Cooperstown.

This card went along for the ride during that long-ago summer and still looks great all these years later.

Value: $20-30

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14) 1983 Topps Tom Seaver (#580)

At age 37, Seaver posted one of his worst campaigns ever in 1982, going 5-13 with an unsightly 5.50 ERA for a similarly unsightly Cincinnati Reds team.

None of that mattered much to the baseball world, though, and particularly not to New York Mets fans after the Reds flipped the future Hall of Famer back to his original team in December, in exchange for Charlie Puleo and Lloyd McClendon (and, yes, Jason Felice).

This last Reds card of Tom Terrific was painful for Reds and Mets faithful alike that summer of 1983, but it’s a classic today, marking the end of one era and the beginning – or revival – of another.

Value: $20-30

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13) 1983 Topps Dale Murphy (#760)

After sliding back in the power department during The Strike in 1981 following a 33-homer breakout in 1980, Murphy was poised and ready for a full season of glory in 1982.

And, boy, what a season it was!

Murphy won the National League MVP award on the back of 36 home runs, 109 RBI, and 23 steals, leading the Braves to their second division title (1969) in the process.

Murph was even better in 1983, making this Topps card an instant classic that summer.

Value: $25-30

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12) 1983 Topps George Brett (#600)

After hitting .390 to win the A.L. batting title (and MVP) and leading the Royals to the World Series in 1980, Brett took a step backward to mere superstar status in 1981 and 1982.

He was plenty popular with collectors all through those years, though, and the infamous Pine Tar Incident in the summer of 1983 marked his explosive return to the national consciousness.

It was an all-out sprint to the Hall of Fame from that point forward, including a stop in the 1985 World Series to help K.C. win their first title.

Value: $25-35

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11) 1983 Topps Johnny Bench (#60)

The Reds were a withered stinker of a team in 1982, but at least they still had Johnny Bench (and a few other big names from the ‘70s) to keep fans interested.

Then, in the midst of another toilet-circling season in 1983, Bench announced his retirement and sealed this card’s fate as his *last* base Topps issue.

It’s still a hobby classic today.

Value: $30-35

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10) 1983 Topps Pete Rose (#100)

Rose was a longtime collector favorite entering the 1983 season, and his role in helping the “Wheeze Kids” Phillies to another World Series appearance that fall did nothing but boost his popularity.

And, since Charlie Hustle left Philly to sign a free agent deal with the Montreal Expos in 1984, this Topps card represented the end of his storied run with the team he helped to their first-ever title in 1980.

Sure, he would appear with the Phillies on 1984 cards, but he was long gone by then.

Value: $30-40

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9) 1983 Topps Mike Schmidt (#300)

Schmidt saw his string of consecutive MVP awards snapped by Dale Murphy in 1982, but the Phillies slugger was still one of the best players in the game entering the 1983 season.

He’d drive home that point by leading the majors with 40 home runs that summer, and by leading the Phillies to a National League pennant, their second in four years and last until 1993.

Today, Schmidt stands as one the (if not THE) greatest third basemen of all time, and an enduring collector favorite.

Value: $30-40

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8) 1983 Topps Pete Rose All-Star (#397)

In 1982, Rose made his tenth consecutive All-Star appearance, then followed that up by helping lead the Phillies to a somewhat unexpected N.L. pennant in 1983.

As it turned out, that would be Rose’s last All-Star appearance … until, that is, he got the nod during his run on Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record in 1985.

It’s fitting, then, that this last All-Star card of Charlie Hustle has become something of a hobby classic.

Value: $30-40

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7) 1983 Topps Willie McGee Rookie Card (#49)

McGee made his major league debut in May of 1982 and then finished the season (well, postseason) as the starting centerfielder for the world champions.

It would be hard to top that sort of beginning, but McGee pulled it off, helping the Cards to two more World Series through 1987, winning the National League batting title and MVP (.353) award in 1985.

He also managed to cop the N.L. batting crown in 1990 despite a late August trade that sent him to the A’s.

Along the way, collectors took a shine to McGee’s rookie card, and it still maintains some hobby swagger today.

Value: $30-50

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6) 1983 Topps Nolan Ryan (#360)

As 1983 dawned, Nolan Ryan was seen in most circles as a flamethrower more than a bona fide ace, and he really wasn’t all that popular in the hobby.

By the end of the season, he had surpassed Walter Johnson’s all-time strikeout record, but sat behind Steve Carlton on leaderboard, as Lefty also took down Big Train (as did Gaylord Perry).

But, while Carlton was rounding the corner on his career, The Ryan Express was just getting fired up, and Ryan would spend the next ten seasons putting the strikeout record out of reach, tossing no-hitters, and generally turning himself into a living – and hobby – legend.

Value: $45-50

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5) 1983 Topps Rickey Henderson (#180)

Henderson was fresh off setting the single-season stolen base record (130!) when this beauty started popping out of packs, but he still had plenty of highlights in front of him.

In fact, Rickey was just getting warmed up on a career that would span 25 seasons and produce 3055 hits and all-time records for runs scored (2295) and steals (1406).

Today, Henderson’s cards are always among the most popular in whichever set they appear, and 1983 Topps is no exception.

Value: $45-55

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4) 1983 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. (#163)

Ripken was already a star by the time this card debuted, having won the 1982 American League Rookie of the Year Award.

By the end of 1983, he was a bona fide superstar, copping A.L. MVP honors en route to leading the Orioles to their last (so far!) World Series championship.

Cal’s legend would only grow from there, of course, and the popularity of his 1983 Topps card pretty much kept pace.

Value: $50-75

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3) 1983 Topps Ryne Sandberg Rookie Card (#83)

After years of mediocrity – and much worse – the Chicago Cubs shook up the baseball world in the summer of 1984, battling with the upstart New York Mets for supremacy in the N.L. East.

In the end, the Cubbies prevailed, thanks to a Cy Young performance from Rick Sutcliffe, acquired midseason from the Indians, and the breakout of their young second baseman, Ryne Sandberg.

Ryno brought a balanced game to the northside that featured a blend of speed, power, and defense that not only helped his team to the playoffs but also garnered the MVP trophy for Sandberg.

His amazing and unexpected performance sent collectors scrambling to snatch his 1983 RCs from obscurity, and they’ve been hobby favorites ever since.

Value: $85-100

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2) 1983 Topps Wade Boggs Rookie Card (#498)

Boggs was the first of the big three from among the crop of 1983 rookie card legends to make his name, breaking out to an amazing .361 batting average and his first American League hitting crown in 1983.

A slide back to “just” .325 in 1984 had some fans and collectors wary of his superstar status, but a string of four more titles from 1985 through 1988 put all that noise to rest.

Today, Boggs’ 1983 Topps rookie card is one of the most famous and valuable 1980s cards of them all, and Boggs, of course, is a Hall of Famer.

Value: $115-150

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1) 1983 Topps Tony Gwynn Rookie Card (#482)

It took awhile for Tony Gwynn to register with fans early in the 1984 season, what with the Tigers streaking to a historic start, and the Mets and Cubs actually winning some games.

An unknown Padres hitter batting .434 in the first month of the season was neat and all, but it sort of got lost in the noise of “it’s still early.”

By the time San Diego captured the National League West crown in September, though, everyone knew who their star right fielder was – he was the breakout superstar who would finish at .351 to lead the majors and win the first of his record eight N.L. batting titles.

And by then, collectors had rummaged through our stacks of 1983 commons to elevate Gwynn’s rookie card to hobby royalty, a perch it never abdicated.

Value: $200-225

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Honorable Mention

So, those are the heavy hitters among 1983 Topps baseball cards, but they’re not the whole story.

Not even close.

In fact …

This set is just so jampacked with goodies that it’s pretty much impossible to do justice to them all in a simple post like this one.

But we can at least pull out a few more representative cards, ones that serve as exemplars for others that we won’t mention here at all, but that take the same general form.

Some of these “honorable mentions” even pop up into the ranks of the best-sellers from time to time.

(And, if you want more details on subsets, distribution, inserts, checklist, and the like, checkout our Ultimate Guide to 1983 Topps baseball cards.)

5) 1983 Topps Nolan Ryan Super Veteran (#361)

Even though this Super Veteran card rightly showed that Ryan had been in the majors for nearly 15 years, the truth in that moment was that he was still something of an enigma in 1983.

Or, at least, he wasn’t highly regarded as a true ace. No, Nolan Ryan was just a fireballer, not one of the best pitchers in the game.

Over the next ten years, of course, Ryan would burn through any lingering doubts about his legend, thanks to a litany of no-hitters, strikeouts, records, and headlock-punches that no mere mortal could match.

Value: $20-25

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4) 1983 Topps Mike Schmidt Super Veteran (#301)

Schmidt was undoubtedly a “Super Veteran” in 1983, having already built a near Hall of Fame resume, but also still “prime” enough that he was a threat to win another MVP award any given season.

Yeah, Schmitty was in the upper tier of popularity among the SVs, and he stands as fitting exemplar for the landmark subset even today.

Value: $20-25

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3) 1983 Topps Gaylord Perry (#463)

In his quest to reach 300 wins, Gaylord Perry latched on with the lowly Seattle Mariners for his age-43 season in 1982.

It all panned out for the Vaseline meister, as he won ten games in 1982 … then decided to hang around for one more season.

As it turned out, that gave K-Lord the chance to pass Walter Johnson on the all-time strikeouts list, same as Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton did.

And, while Perry’s last solo base Topps card may not be worth a fortune, it’s still a great cardboard history marker that has a classic feel today.

Value: $20-25

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2) 1983 Topps Rickey Henderson and Tim Raines (#704)

Quick!

Who are the greatest base runners, and especially the greatest leadoff hitters, of the last 50 years?

Yeah, Rickey Henderson and Tim Raines.

And, thanks to their prowess on the basepaths, Raines and Henderson appeared on a string of these stolen base leaders cards over the years.

As it turns out, each and every one is a double-shot of Hall of Fame splendor.

Value: $25-30

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1) 1983 Topps Rickey Henderson All-Star (#391)

If there was one player in the history of the game that looks perfectly at home on All-Star cards, maybe even more so than on any other type of card, it’s Rickey Henderson, the ultimate hot dog.

Rickey could more than back up all the bluster, though, which makes the big star plastered on this classic card look just right.

Value: $25-30

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1983 Topps Traded

By the fall of 1983, the hobby was starting to boom, and we all wanted more, more, MORE(!) baseball cards.

And, we had also become accustomed to the annual post-season release of the 132-card Topps Traded set.

We were ready.

As it turned out, our fervor was more than justified, as evidenced all these years later by these most valuable 1983 Topps Traded baseball cards.

(Note: We’re using PSA 10 prices here since the Traded cards tend to show up in better graded condition than the base cards.)

6) 1983 Topps Traded Joe Morgan (#77T)

After a one-year return to the Astros in 1980 following his wildly successful run with the Big Red Machine in the 1970s, Joe Morgan spent two decent-to-good seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

In December of 1982, though, the Giants traded Little Joe to Philadelphia, where he became a key member of the Wheeze Kids team that won a National League pennant.

Widely considered to be the greatest second baseman of all time, Morgan remains a hobby favorite, and this is the first of just a few cards to feature him as a member of the Phillies.

Value: $35-45

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5) 1983 Topps Traded Julio Franco Rookie Card (#34T)

For awhile there, it looked like Franco might play forever, and he actually did suit up in the majors until he was 49 years old.

Along the way, he accumulated almost 2600 hits, nearly 300 stolen bases, more than 1200 runs scored, and nearly as many RBI.

His first Topps card – this one – doesn’t get a ton of notice, but it’s a piece of hobby and baseball history in its own right.

Value: $45-50

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4) 1983 Topps Traded Keith Hernandez (#43T)

In June of 1983, the Cardinals shocked their fans, and the baseball world in general, by trading franchise staple Keith Hernandez to the New York Mets in exchange for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey.

As it turned out, that was one of the first big moves that started the Mets down the road to their 1986 championship, as Hernandez just kept clicking along at superstarlevels in his new setting.

Not surprisingly, diving into the biggest media market in the sport only served to expand the influence of the 1979 N.L. co-MVP (with Willie Stargell), helping to make his 1983 Topps Traded card one of the most popular hunks of the year-end box set.

Today, this card still stands as a hobby classic, marking a milestone in the game’s history.

Value: $50-55

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3) 1983 Topps Traded Tony Phillips Rookie Card (#87T)

Phillips put together one of the quietest 2000-hit careers in baseball history, and his cards certainly never lit up the market.

But the man was maybe the greatest utility man of all time, starting more than 200 games at four different positions and posting more than 50 career wins above replacement (WAR).

Given all that, Phillips’ 1983 Topps Traded rookie card just may be an underrated, undervalued card in today’s booming market.

Value: $65-75

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2) 1983 Topps Traded Tom Seaver (#101T)

Seaver put together a forgettable 1982 campaign for the Reds, but his return to the Mets in 1983 seemed to re-energize the mound great, and collectors ate up the chance to see Tom Terrific in his familiar NYM uniform at least one more time.

And wrapped in that classic 1983 Topps design, to boot!

Value: $90-100

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1) 1983 Topps Traded Darryl Strawberry Rookie Card (#108T)

Has there ever been a more anticipated baseball card than the 1983 Topps Traded Darryl Strawberry rookie?

The only challenger that springs immediately to mind are the Traded and Update cards of Straw’s otherworldly teammate, Dwight Gooden, the next year.

In 1983, though, Strawberry lit up the baseball world with a package of power, speed, and grace that made us all excited for the future.

And, unlike A.L. rookie of the year Ron Kittle, the Mets young star had no cards in base issues that summer, setting up Topps Traded as a stone-cold hobby classic and firmly establishing the year-end issue as an industry staple.

Value: $350-400

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